It takes four or five to tango
The first time I fell in love with tango it was at City Center in New York, arguably a hyper-stylized somewhat lyricized version danced by Julio Bocca and his Ballet Argentino - a sexy and whirlwind two hours called BoccaTango in which Julio partnered women, ladders, men and tables, all with equal eroticism.
The second time I fell in love with tango it was at Cafe Tortoni in Buenos Aires, the legendary coffee house on Avenida de Mayo with an intimate theater space toward the back where waiters seduce you with Piazzolla and cocktails as you watch a tango show at all hours of the night.
The third time I fell in love with tango it was in Vail, Colorado when I walked in on Natalia Hills and Gabriel Misse rehearsing an intense pas at two in the morning during a late-night lighting rehearsal onstage at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater.
Natalia Hills and Gabriel Misse dance as Damian Woetzel watches on during UpClose: The Art of Tango, as part of Vail International Dance Festival 2010. Photo by Erin Baiano.
All were dressed in black - though sometimes you saw a snatch of black tulle or fuschia chiffon in the wings - and the strains of accordion, piano and bandoneon seemed haunted in the deserted theater, during that strange and lonely part of the night when it’s neither evening nor morning. The effect was heightened by the pitch-black sky, illuminated by thousands of stars the likes of which seemed, in that moment, unique to the mountain. It was magic.
Along with their band and their troupe of dancers, all rehearsing for the next day’s premiere of Romper el Piso, they went until three in the morning even though they had an 11am call the next morning. These Argentinians are absolutely restless! That day, they had participated in UpClose: The Art of Tango, which was moderated by Damian. Other participants included SAB faculty member Suki Schorer - who has been in love with ‘Mr. Tango’ for 15 years, as Damian duly noted - and even Carla Korbes, who was in the audience and did an impromptu promenade with both Damian and Gabriel.
Suki Schorer, Damian Woetzel, Natalia Hills and Gabriel Misse speak at UpClose: The Art of Tango as part of Vail International Dance Festival 2010. Photo by Erica Sheftman.
Both Suki and Damian spoke of the differences between ballet and tango lying largely in the control of musicality and in the dynamic between the female and the male; Suki talked about the many years it had taken her to be okay with allowing the man to steer her and Damian observed that it was a good skill for any man to actually learn how to lead a woman. Natalia spoke - through a translator - of the passion and freedom of expression that tango intensifies, as well as of the closeness and trust that must exist between partners.
Romper el Piso dancers during UpClose: The Art of the Tango, as part of Vail International Dance Festival 2010. Photo by Erin Baiano.
Click here to watch Damian, Suki, Natalia, Gabriel and Carla at UpClose.
Vail audiences were so lucky to get an early insider’s glimpse at the world premiere of Romper el Piso. Some of it was excerpted at last year’s Fall for Dance at City Center, but the two-hour show was largely created for this year’s festival and featured Hills and Misse, as well as other duets, quartets, and sextets, endless costume changes and interludes like the hypnotizing live performance of Piazzolla’s Invierno Porteno.
Alastair Macaulay boldly announced in the New York Times that as evidenced in Vail, the partnership between Gabriel and Natalia is the most spellbinding in dance today… it seems our leading critic himself has been seduced.
Watch some of the premiere of Romper el Piso here, as well as an excerpt of Natalia and Gabriel here.
Damian Woetzel and Natalia Hills during UpClose: The Art of the Tango, as part of Vail International Dance Festival 2010. Photo by Erin Baiano.
insight into ink
Hey Ya’ll. (I just got back from the south so pardon my language)
Heres a quick time lapse that I made with visual artist and collaborator Daniel Diaz-Tai using ink and water plus a digital camera.We are starting a new collabo together for a concert dance piece. The challenge for me is to use the movement of the Inks as a guide to movement vocabulary. As you watch this clip think about all of the numerous possibilities. With that said…. Not sucking would be the hugest concern for me because it would be too easy to go off the deep end on a project like this. Currently we are in the first phase of the project and I’m work shopping material with a couple dancers as a sort of “Blue Print” because this project will have me using the largest cast that i have ever worked with before. Im looking forward to rising up to the occasion and soooo stoked on this!
b
So You Think You Can Dance!
Hey Wingers!!
I’m sorry I haven’t been able to post in such a long time. With a tv show, there are a lot of things we’re not allowed to do, and any sort of interactions on the internet are one of them! But now that I’m off the show, I can somewhat resume to a normal daily life.
Just thought I would update you all on what has happened since I last posted! SO - I auditioned for So You Think You Can Dance again (season 7) and after a long and grueling process, I made it to the top 10! (Top 11 this year). I had such an amazing journey on the show and I learned SO much and I am so grateful for everything. I spent 5 weeks on the show, and during that 5 weeks I had the most life changing experience. I know it sounds crazy that something can really drastically change your life in 5 weeks, but this definitely does! With the crazy schedule, how much we learn and the amazing people that you get to work with AND live with, it just completely betters you as a person.
I’ll update everyone later on my specific experience through the whole process but I just wanted to check in first and let everyone know how I am doing. On my 5th week, I suffered an injury the night before show day during a rehearsal of my Bollywood piece on stage. I completely snapped my right Achilles tendon in half, and that has forced me to withdraw from the competition.
I’m just waiting here in LA for my surgery tomorrow morning (Tuesday, July 13th) and hoping that it all goes well so I can start my long journey to recovery!
I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my journey and that I am so grateful for even being here in the first place.
If you’d like to follow me closely I will be keeping my facebook page and my twitter page constantly updated. You can follow me on twitter here:
http://www.twitter.com/alexdwong
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/alexwongdance
Here is the Sonya Tayeh contemporary piece that I danced with Allison Holker:
And here is the Tabitha & Napoleon Hip Hop piece that I danced with Twitch! :
Enjoy!
Dancers gone Haywire
Hey Wingers!
So this is my favourite one so far, and we just filmed this not too long ago. Our inspiration was ballroom and some tutting and just plain beserkness.
It’s done to the classic competition song Mortal Kombat! Enjoy!
Dancers gone Haywire
Just posting the 3rd installment of our little mini series.
This one came from inspiration from the Fireflies song by Owl City.
We focused this time on organic internal techniques where it seems as you have ingested something and it takes hold of your body. The circle of life connects us all.
“Infection of the fireflies”
Enjoy! 
San Francisco Ballet is jumping into the world of new media
I’m very excited to share a new section of San Francisco Ballet’s website that is dedicated strictly to new media!
http://www.sfballet.org/interact/index.asp
I believe that new media is a wonderful way for the ballet world to connect and I’m very happy to be part of a company that is exploring everything new media has to offer. Within this new section you can find videos, pictures, blogs, podcasts, and more. I would definitely suggest you check it out!
Hammer Pants Dance
The only thing that peeves me about this video is that i did not get a phone call to come partake in “Hammer Time”. I live and breathe for moments like these.
waiting years to get the ol’ “Hammer Pants” back on and i missed it:(
enjoy.
B
So You Think You Can Dance
Hi Wingers!
Sorry I haven’t posted for a while, but I have been keeping busy with So You Think You Can Dance, and since I wasn’t able to blog about that, I really didn’t have much to say!
Anyhow for anyone who missed it and wanted to see it, I’ve found some clips of it on youtube and I thought I would post it.
And for those that are new to the Winger, welcome! I blog here about dance and if you would like to keep updated on my season at Miami City Ballet, come check out the Winger!
Miami Audition:
Vegas Week:
Elimination:
Finally, I also wanted to thank everyone for being so supportive of me - Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
5-4-3-2-1-show
5 more days before ad hoc Ballet opens at the Joyce Soho with Her, a fifty-five minute work of dance theatre. Here is another teaser video, featuring a motif phrase.
Dancers: Tammi Shamblin and myself. Choreography: Deborah Lohse.
Hope you can make it on the 14th, 15th or 16th. Click here for tix. I am getting anxious and excited!
Dont let the T.E.Ts get you down
Hello everyone,
Right now the entire world is going through some Tough Economic Times (T.E.Ts). Businesses are making cutbacks and layoffs. Everywhere you look everyone is having to take a loss and unfortunately for us we all know that the arts are the first to go when it comes to budget cuts. I personally have numerous friends whom are affected by the Tough Economic Times but i refuse to let the times weigh me down even though ive been affected too.
This month TAG is part of an Aides benefit fundraiser event called Life Cycle. We are volunteering our time and services for a cause that we believe in alongside some other great artists. The only downside is that come to find out the space where the performance is being held wont allow us in until a week before the show. Dont get me wrong, i have been working in various studios with the dancers but now i cant afford to rent more space til we come into the venue this Sunday. Ordinarily that would not be a problem but having to make a new piece requires time especially with the usage of multi-media and lazer lights, stoked on that! Most all expenses have come out of pocket but the whole space thing has turned problematic due to all studio rentals being booked this whole week. Instead of complaining i said to myself “well dang! No, is not an answer. Studio G it is!”
Here is a clip of me working on a floor section in the studio with Kendall Teague back in the good ol days when we had more space to work. Included at the end of the work is another clip of the last day of me skateboarding until i finish making MPH.
Disclaimer: Pdiddy on Twitter is a constant source of amusement for us so at the end we kind of dork out….Happens:P
The second clip is in Studio G. Im working with Alex Jenkins who is still a student at the Lines Ballet BFA program. She has been selected to dance in the piece alongside some other working professionals. Im very pleased with her dancing and willingness to get down. Good Job Alex:)
Instead of trying to get all deep on all of you a quote comes to mind that really hits home on these T.E.Ts.
“When life gives you lemons, make Lemonade.”
B
