Tutu, before it’s a tutu
We’re doing another shoot today in the NYCB costume shop. Found this
upside down tutu, at the point before it gets tacked/flattened into
it’s more tutu-looking shape. The netting is really stiff, and its a
really round/ball-like shape… kind of reminded me of a scared animal!
27 PACES:New sample audio of MPH featuring TxT
easter bunny in Dolores Park
Hello everyone.
(This is part of the 27 Paces project i was blogging about in earlier post.)
In our constant pursuit of Global domination (loved Pinky and the Brain) i decided that we venture into new yet familiar territories. MUSIC. With TAGsf producing our own music we would own the rights to all of our work. Much like Prince. I wanted us to go out and record audio from various people around San Francisco so that we can take the audio splice it up and add music over it. The results were way better than i had expected.
We had the perfect audio literally fall into our laps. I was out with one of my friends one day after work walking through the mission, heading towards Dolores Park. We were talking about the new music idea that i had so that i could get feedback from other people to see if it was a good idea or not. Once we arrived at Dolores we decided to kick it on the sidewalk towards the top of the park cause the grass was all wet and thats not cute when you get up, you know? Right as we sat down a homeless man came over towards us and asked us if he could sit with us even though the whole entire park was empty. That very moment Pat told me to get ready. I whipped out my handy Ipod Touch and went to the application italk so that i could record his audio. We offered the man some money, food and a couple smokes in exchange for him to talk into the mic. He was given no instruction or prompt. I told him to talk about anything and boy did he! This mans words were so articulate and clear with an amazing grasp of vocab. He spoke in a deep audible monotone voice. Not once did he stop and say “uhm or doy”. He was clear and crisp but still clearly cracked cause nothing he was saying added up. After recording 3 takes of 9 min or so we sat and chatted with Micheal Paul Henderson (the name he introduced himself to us) for a while before we split the scene. The next day i took the audio into the studio where it was cut up, spliced and layered before it was sent out to another guy in Atlanta who added music over the audio with my very specific instruction on tonality and structure.
Currently i am working with the track for a May performance here in San Francisco as well as for a filming with good ol Dr.Bacon. Its cool to be working with this particular piece of music cause the words stretch my imagination and im able to see new movement/visual ideas every time i listen to the music.
The track that you are about to listen to is not in its entirety or even its right order. I thought it would be cool to splice it up and highlight key words and phrases with some typography. YAY!
more pics, video and list of other collaborators coming sooner than later. Stay tuned folks:P
click on the link below for the music.
you can also track me on twitter @ http://twitter.com/btroubles
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Launch of William Forsythe’s web project Synchronous Objects
Today i got a message in my Facebook account about the Launch of William Forsythe’s new web project Synchronous Objects and i just had to share this.
Here is more info about the project from an article in the NY Times.
More exciting is the launch of the website that explores the connection between choreography and technology.
here is the link to the site. You will need to install Adobe flash to view the site
http://synchronousobjects.osu.edu
Take a look around. Im personally fascinated with the mergence of technology and movement. I can tell that a lot of my free time will be spent wisely:)
William Forsythe's Eidos
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I Love Gray
New Chamber Ballet is performing tonight and tomorrow night (3/27 and 3/28) at 8pm at City Center Studios. I just finished making some new costumes for them and have posted a couple of picks below. I realized, that although I do have many favorite colors, plum among them, gray is one of my frequently used costume colors. It offers so much while maintaining its minimalistic nature. It can be deep or soft, and most important for my NCB adventures: it looks great up close for an intimate evening of chamber dance and music.
Maddie Davenport, Emily Sorelle Adams, Emery LeCrone, Lauren Toole and Elizabeth Brown pictured. Photo by Kristin Lodoen Linder.
Come on out!
Exhibition of Drawings for Dance, Theater and Opera at MoMA
Marc Chagall. (French, born Belarus. 1887-1985). Aleko and Zemphira by Moonlight. Study for backdrop for Scene I of the ballet Aleko. 1942. Gouache and pencil on paper, 15 1/8 x 22 1/2" (38.4 x 57.2 cm). Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest. © 2009 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris.
A new exhibit just opened at MoMA (haven’t had a chance to see it yet but I’ll be sure to let you know when I do - it runs through August 24h) which features drawings and designs for sets, and costumes as well as lighting and mood suggestions for stage performances over the last century. Featured artists include Marc Chagall, David Hockney, Fernand Léger, Diego Rivera, as well as dedicated costume and scenic designers.
From Artdaily.org:
MoMA’s commitment to stage pictures dates to 1939, when Lincoln Kirstein, a colleague of MoMA’s founding director Alfred H. Barr, Jr., and the eventual founder of the New York City Ballet, gave his personal collection of performance-related books and ephemera to the Museum, establishing a Dance Archives that would, for a brief period in the mid-1940s, become a separate curatorial department. Though the Museum’s Department of Dance and Theatre Design (later the Department of Theatre Arts) was short lived, the Museum continues to collect theater-related work today.
While the works in the exhibition vary in emphasis—from those with roots in folk traditions, machine aesthetics, or the mass media, to others that question the architecture of the stage, make abstract forms three-dimensional, or envision a total artwork on an epic scale—they all reflect a desire to create something new, to work across mediums, and to unify the arts.
The most focus is usually put on choreography in a dance performance (you are going to see “dance” after all), but a dance, opera or theater performance encompasses so many creative aspects into one artistic experience… music/sound, movement/choreography, set design/architecture, costumes/fashion, lighting, theater… I’d love to see more exhibits or events that highlight and feature the many unique talents that come together to create an overall performing arts experience.
It’s too bad NYCB isn’t doing Firebird (check out my earlier posts from 2006 with the Chagall sets and costumes - post 1, post 2, ) or Orpheus (design by Isamu Noguchi) this season… would be a really great opportunity to connect New York City Ballet performances with a MoMA exhibit.
(corrected: NYCB is doing Firebird this season, hmmm…)
High Fashion discounts - gilt.com!
Hey fellow Wingers!
Just thought I’d let everyone in on this really awesome website that I’ve been using for about half a year now. If you’re into fashion or anything, this exclusive members only website (you can only be invited from pre-existing members) that offers a new sale every day with prices that are ridiculously cheap! They are around 70% off the retail price, which makes them really affordable! It’s like paying for Gap and getting Oscar de la Renta. Now we’re talking designers like for women like:
Oscar de la Renta
Marc Jacobs
Carolina Herrera
Swarovski
Helmut Lang
Alexander McQueen
Just Cavalli
Vera Wang
Valentino
Michael Kors
Dolce & Gabbana
Kate Spade
just to name a few! And lucky for us guys, there is equally just as much great stuff with designers like:
Ralph Lauren - Black Label, Purple Label, etc
Marc Jacobs Men
Alexander McQueen Men
7 For All Mankind Men
John Varvatos
Diesel
Michael Kors Men
Y-3 Yohji Yamamoto
Dolce & Gabbana
Just a word of advice though, these sales are CRAZY - every day a few new sales start at 12PM eastern time, and if you plan to possibly get something, you better BE THERE at 12PM! Things start selling out within the first few minutes, and of course there is stuff left over, but who doesn’t want the best pick?
Be careful also, once you add the item to your basket, you only have 10 minutes to totally complete your check out. Once that 10 minutes is up, it’s likely that some other customer will buy it right out of your shopping cart! It’s happened to me, so be that crazy shopper and don’t let the other ones get the merchandise you want! Haha!
As a heads up, this upcoming week’s sales for women are:
Bally, Valentino Red, Valentino, Tony Burch, Tony Burch Shoes, Vera Wang, Abaete, Acne Jeans…
For the Men, it’s:
Spurr, John Varvatos, Philip Stein, Michael Kor’s, Ralph Lauren Purple Label…
Just as a reminder, men, if you purchase something that I wanted, I am going to hunt you down. Um.. men’s sale start at 12:30 (haha, just kidding). Women, you’re free to go 
Anyway, here is the invite if anyone would like to join, just click on the link.
http://www.gilt.com/invite/alexdwong
Enjoy!!!
“Think Punk!” says Karole Armitage…
"Wild Thing" (Pictured: Matthew Prescott and Kristina Bethel, Photography: Julieta Cervantes)
Knighted by Vanity Fair as the “punk ballerina,” Karole Armitage rocks out with her high-voltage program entitled “Think Punk!” at the Kitchen. Karole is presenting a program of three landmark dances from the ’80s: Drastic Classicism, The Watteau Duets, and Wild Thing, as well as the premiere of Mashup. For Karole to embark on reviving her dances, for the first time, is to embrace the spirit of her interesting and successful past. Moreover, in her new work Mashup, she continues to push and play with classical vocabulary and explores a new era of contemporary dance: “We did not strive to make museum pieces for the Think Punk! season but aimed to have work that is alive as a part of the world of today while also being of the past,”* expresses Karole.
Company veteran of 5 years, William Isaac shares his perspective on the company, “My experience for this season has been one of rejuvenation and more as a mentor. We have experienced a sudden explosion of new talent, all seasoned artists. But working with Karole, [we all know that] there is more than one way to accomplish the work we are creating everyday in the studio.”
The AG!D dancers, a group of highly trained contemporary dancers, have enjoyed a reflective and inspiring journey [with and] into Karole’s past. She says, “…I took into account that this group of dancers comes from a very different world than that of the counterculture era, during which I came of age. I work as creatively as possible with each individual dancer whenever I choreograph. This personal touch colors all new work and the revivals are influenced by it as well.”*
In reviving The Watteau Duets, one of Karole’s signature pieces which contains six movements, she mentored dancers Megumi Eda, Luke Manley, Giorgia Bovo, and Matthew Prescott to explore the different levels of a relationship. As interviewed by Gia Kourlas in Time Out New York Magazine, Karole describes, “I think of the first duet as, Oh, this is the guy you’ve always wanted to go out with. In the second, you’ve gotten to know each other and you’re having fun. And the third is getting ready to sleep together—it’s a little more introspective and almost geishalike in places.” Having been part of the rehearsal process as an understudy in this particular piece, I enjoyed the background and inspiration she gave us. Karole encouraged her dancers to add their own personality and experiences to successfully portray the different stages of a pas de duex in dance… and in life.
In Wild Thing, dancers Kristina Bethel, Matthew Prescott, Dana Ingraham, and Leonides Arpon (two casts) get to rock out on stage with music by Jimi Hendrix and set by Jeff Koons. Dancers Abbey Roesner, Masayo Yamaguchi and the rest of company also get to express their punk rock personas in Drastic Classicism, an energetic piece filled with wildness and spontaneity, yet keeping the discipline of dance. Music by Rhys Chatam. The new work Mashup, music by Mozart mashed with X-Ray Spex’s “Oh Bondage, Up Yours!”… Karole’s favorite pop band of 1976… is a piece full of the celebratory joy of life.”
Rehearsal director, Brian Carey Chung expresses, “Working with Karole has been inspiring because she really takes the crafting of dances seriously. No slapping together of pieces to display to a naive public here! As a budding poet and choreographer I find that there’s much to learn from her attention to detail, her humbling respect and knowledge of the music which must accompany the dance, and her indefatigable pursuit of the best way to say a thing. She does not settle for less than perfection, as elusive as that idea may be. As her rehearsal director, I feel blessed to be allowed to offer my opinion as an artist in all aspects of production should it be necessary, and I feel that when it comes to the dance itself she listens very closely if silently to her dancers. This makes the process a love affair.”
"Watteau Duets" (Pictured: Megumi Eda and Bennyroyce Royon, Photography: Julieta Caerantes)
What is Punk, really? The punk subculture is based around punk rock. It emerged from the larger rock music scene in the mid-to-late-1970s in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan. The punk movement has spread around the globe and developed into a number of different forms. Punk culture encompasses distinct styles of music, ideologies, fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film; a certain lifestyle and community. The punk movement has had a tumultuous relationship with popular culture, and struggles to resist commercialization and appropriation. (Thanks Wikipedia!)
Karole notes, “The punk rebellion was a cry for authenticity, a desire to express life and to be who you are with great intensity and little care for reputation or big budgets. That kind of thinking is as relevant today as it was in 1978.”*
So… Think Punk?… Yes, Think Punk!
—
Stay tuned for my interview with Karole Armitage [An Interview: Karole Armitage] which will be posted exclusively here on The Winger! Do you have questions that you want to ask her? If so, please send your questions by commenting on this post below or sending me an e-mail at 
Armitage Gone! Dance: Think Punk! season runs through March 14th at The Kitchen, 512 West 19th Street (bet. 10th & 11th aves), 8PM. Tickets are $15.00 and are selling out fast! The music in this program is not for the faint of heart… or ears for that matter! So bring your own earplugs if you must (although we already provide them)! A “Think Punk!” performance is an experience not to be missed!
www.armitagegonedance.org | www.thekitchen.org
*Foot note: Quotes by Karole Armitage are taken from the “Note from the choreographer” in the season program at The Kitchen.
Photography by Julieta Caerantes
Ballet Austin - Hamlet 2
Just as I anticipated, this past week just FLEW by.
I can’t even put into words how incredible this experience was and honestly I am still trying to process it all.
I will make sure to post a photo of my husband and I together when we get one. But in the meantime I thought I’d post some images I took myself during the other cast’s rehearsal/performances.
Frank Shott as Hamlet, Act I Scene 1
Frank Shott as Hamlet and Ashley Lynn as Ophelia, Act I Scene 2
Stephen Mills as the Ghost of Hamlet's deceased father in Act I Scene 3
Act I, Scene 5
Above:
A scene we call “Letters” in which Ophelia, at her father’s demand, returns the “remembrances” (or love letters) that Hamlet has given her. She dances with Hamlet as well as his three alter-egos or “Shadow Hamlets”
Act I Scene 5. Ashley with Christopher Swaim ("Hamlet II")
Ashley and Frank in Act I Scene 5
Ed Carr as Claudius in the tube as Frank Shott as Hamlet looks on.
The following are a series of photographs from Act II Scene 8 where after the death of her father and rejection of Hamlet, Ophelia spirals into madness and ends up drowning in the water.
Ashley in Act I Scene 8
Ashley in Act I Scene 8
Ashley in Act I Scene 8
Ashley in Act I Scene 8
Ashley in Act I Scene 8
Ashley in Act I Scene 8
Ashley in Act I Scene 8
While Ashley is in the troth of water, upstage behind a scrim three “Dream Ophelias” dance with Hamlet, Polonius (her father), and Laertes (her brother).
Frank as Hamlet with Beth Terwilleger as a Dream Ophelia in Act I Scene 8
Ashley in Act I Scene 8
The scene ends with Ophelia (Ashley) suspended upstage center “drowning” while the other Ophelias and their partners continue to dance. In 2004 I watched this scene from the audience during a dress rehearsal sobbing.
Act I Scene 8
The following photo is obviously not how this moment is intended to be viewed. But in 2004 I happened to walk by this moment and kicked myself for not having my camera. I’ve been waiting five years to take this picture. It’s tragic and angelic simultaneously.
Ashley, Act I Scene 8
The drowning of Ophelia ends Act I.
The opening of Act II is perhaps the most beautiful and striking moments I have ever seen on a stage. I watched this act from the house Sunday afternoon and it gave me instant goosebumps!
Foreground: Allisyn Paino as Gertrude and Ed Carr as Claudius in Act II Scene 1
Johnstuart Winchell as Laertes in the foreground of Act II Scene 1
The following are from a scene called “Introspection”. It is simply that, Hamlet’s “Introspection” in which he dances with all the main characters: Gertrude, Laertes, Shadow Hamlets, Ophelia, Polonius, Claudius, and the Ghost. It is nearly nine minutes of continuous, difficult, and emotional dancing for Hamlet and yet another of my favorite scenes.
P.S. These walls are real metal and weigh about 700 lbs!
Frank Shott as Hamlet in Act II Scene 2
Frank Shott as Hamlet with Allisyn Paino as Gertrude, Act II Scene 2
Frank with his alter-egos: Christopher Swaim, Orlando Canova, and Matthew Cotter.
Allisyn as Gertude about to drink from the poisoned goblet, as a guilty Claudius (Ed Carr) looks on, Act II Scene 3.
Allisyn and Frank Shott in Act II Scene 3
Hamlet (Frank) just has he has finally avenged his father's murder. I love that he has just dropped the dagger and yet it has not quite hit the floor. Act II Scene 3.
Like I said, I’ll post a few photos of our alternate cast when I get some. In the meantime I hope you enjoy these!
Forever
“Imagine a kaleidoscope’s saturated and seamless, dazzling light. Perfectly symmetrical and precise in its geometry, endlessly changing.” This is the description and impetus for Laura Peterson Choreography’s new evening length dance, performed to music by Lumberob. I have been around DNA the last few days, dropping off costumes and such, while they have been set building and teching, and it has made me super excited for this show. It opens tomorrow night!
The dance is performed on a large luminous white circle with the audience seated all around.
Dancer, Christopher Hutchings, surveying the space which has been completely transformed by this new floor and new seating pattern.
Choreographer, Laura Peterson, looks on at her creation from the house, wearing one of the elbow pads turned forearm pads I made for the show.
The evolution of said elbow pad being:
Stage one, just a pile of unwoven ribbons.
Stage two, weaving ribbons into fabric. Stage three, cutting and sewing onto padded armband.
Stage four, rocking arm band as an elbow pad.
Stage five, bands are tightened and made into forearm pads. The rigorous movement that makes up this work results in heavy bruising on the forearms and wrists. You will have to come see the show to see this last incarnation of my weaving.
And to get you in the mood, below is a preview of the upcoming show that was performed at DancenowNYC at DTW in NYC.The performers are Stephanie Miracle, Kate Martel, Christopher Hutchings, Laura Peterson. Music by Lumberob.
Hope to see you there! Here are the details:
Laura Peterson Choreography presents Forever.
Co-produced by DNA and Dixon Place
February 18-22
Performance Times: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8:00pm, Sunday matinee at 3:00pm
*Note: this production opens on a Wednesday evening.
Performed by Christopher Hutchings, Kate Martel, Stephanie Miracle, Laura Peterson
Music by Lumberob (Rob Erickson)
Costumes by Candice Thompson
Lighting design by Amanda K. Ringger
Ticket Prices: $20, ($15 members, $17 students)
$10 for children (age 5-15)
Click here to get tickets.
LOLASTRETCH ROCKS
I just wanted share the fantastic unitard that LOLAstretch made for us. A huge thank you to Candice Thompson for getting this to us so quickly. We love it!!!
And congrats to our beautiful Linzy Flinn, 13, who just received 2 scholarships for summer programs at the Rock School and Chautauqua! We are using this unitard for her contemporary piece at YAGP in Orlando.
