Archive for abt
August 20, 2008 at 12:47 pm · Filed under ballet, dance, dance event, KATE, manhattan, art, modern, city, new york, nyc, mercecunningham, new york city, abt, choreographer, modern dance, contemporary dance, new york dance, companies, city center, dance culture, dance companies, american balet theatre, KATE-M, SYREN, kate mehan, chroeographer, SYREN modern dance
This is one of the posters starting appear around the city (this one at 5th Ave N/R/W train stop). This is a great event at City Center (all tickets $10!!!) The shows are in Sept. Everything from Shen Wei, ABT, Cunningham, to Oregon Ballet Theater and much much more. A great mix, the right price, and a SUPERB venue. One of these days, we hope SYREN will get on the bill! In the meantime, we are enthusiastic supporters.
Check it out!
http://www.citycenter.org/tickets/productionNew.aspx?performanceNumber=3775
www.syrendance.org
Recent Posts by kate mehan
July 6, 2008 at 9:14 am · Filed under SUSAN, new york city, abt, performance, advice, audience, audiences, american balet theatre
The other night, I returned home after an evening of ballet-ing in an unusually funky mood. (Suffice it to say that the company in the seats beside me were far less pleasant than the excellent company on stage.)
Imagine my surprise, then, when I began flipping through the program a few days later to discover an interesting addition to that evening’s playbill. Because Volpe is so much more elegantly eloquent than I am—but, mainly, because I adore his graceful use of the (ghastly) “heinous”—I wanted to share his thoughts on:
I shall spare you the lengthy rant about the obvious blight of ringing cell phones or the agony of late arrivals stepping on our toes or that awkward moment when you find your orchestra seats being warmed by sheepish looking third balcony hopefuls. That said, let’s review the more obscure yet heinous crimes that might send us fleeing back to our home surround-sound and plasma-screen systems, and far from live performances that require us to be a part of a civilized communal experience.
Gentlemen, if you must snore, make sure your companion has sharp elbows.
Fanny packs are never an acceptable “Performing Arts” accoutrement, save it for the mall.
Humming is a crime that is almost forgivable as it’s committed unconsciously. Still, never, ever, hum along with the music—the musicians really don’t need your help.
Never leave a performance before intermission, unless you are injured and bleeding profusely. While you may be “bloody bored,” those around you are not.
Ladies, please do not bathe in your Clive Christian No. 1 perfume prior to a performance. Gentlemen, you might want to skip the cologne altogether; you are in close quarters, not the French Quarter.
Refrain from leaping to one’s feet, zealously clapping and shouting “Bravo,” while the rest of us are still waiting to hear the last glorious notes of the aria.
Dress Appropriately. We all know that casual attire is encouraged these days, but let’s keep casual from becoming catastrophic. Shorts and a tank top might be appropriate in Branson, Missouri, the home of country music, but not in Avery Fisher Hall, the Home of the New York Philharmonic. We must keep the concert halls alive by our patronage for the next generation. As a young man I would attend such transporting musical evenings wearing a borrowed jacket and dress pants purchased from the Salvation Army. I made an effort despite my “standing room” or “student ticket” status and rose to the occasion on limited funds while showing respect for the performers and fellow audience members.
There is no substitute for a live performance, whether it is ballet, classical, jazz or soul. Miss Aretha Franklin demands, and gets, what she literally spells out for us—R-E-S-P-E-C-T. And that’s what other audience members and the performers on stage deserve from all of us.
I’m embarrassed to admit that I am guilty of (at least!) one of the above violations. (Oof!)
I wonder if this strikes a chord with anyone else?
Am I an anomaly in thinking that being in the house for an evening’s performance is just as challenging (in different ways, of course) as being on the stage?
Recent Posts by susan kim
June 1, 2008 at 10:54 pm · Filed under ballet, dance, new york city ballet, dancers, media, video, podcast, SUSAN, dance and technology, abt, youtube, myspace, companies, marketing, dance companies, dance online, american ballet theatre, so you think you can dance, internet
The Arts & Music section of today’s Los Angeles Times takes a look at the growing popularity of Internet publicity among dancers and dance companies.
The YouTube video that seems to have prompted the article:
The connection between the video above and the rest of the article is, to me, a little fuzzy. Overall, though, the article is pretty neat. Especially cool is that Looseleaf recognizes certain notables, including Daniil Simkin, Rolando Sarabia, Anaheim Ballet, Grover Dale’s Answers4Dancers and, of course, New York City Ballet’s website and YouTube channel. (Congrats, Kristin!)
The full text of the article follows below for anyone who might be interested. Take a read!
My favourite quote: Asked what company co-founder and choreographer George Balanchine would have thought about the Internet, [NYCB’s General Manager Ken] Tabachnick replies, “He was an innovator. Balanchine loved change and didn’t shy away from new things. I imagine he would have loved it.”
:-)
Read the rest of this entry »
Recent Posts by susan kim
March 29, 2008 at 3:29 am · Filed under dance, press, DAVID, los angeles, abt, david hallberg, life, la times
Upon my arrival to Los Angeles, I spent some time with a friend in her stunning house in Beverly Hills.
The view, the house, and good weather. Three things I miss in New York.. but its still home.
(chatting on the phone, and posing for the camera.. always a good multi-tasker)
Recent Posts by david hallberg
November 12, 2007 at 9:08 pm · Filed under dance, abt, MADISON
This week was a marvelous week of astounding performances. American Ballet Theater came to Berkeley this past week and I was lucky enough to be able to see both programs that they brought while on this tour. Program A consisted of the following: Ballo della Regina, The Sleeping Beauty Rose Adagio, Le Corsaire, and closed with Fancy Free. I saw the Wednesday night cast for this program. In my opinion, Fancy Free was by far the best thing in this show. Not only is the choreography wonderful, but also all the dancers in it were superb.
While I must say that there were some ups and downs in program A, program B was flawless and it was one of the best shows I have seen in a long time. Opening that Saturday night show with the wonderful and light Baker’s Dozen was an excellent choice. It was my first time to see this Twyla Tharp work and I enjoyed it very much. Following Baker’s Dozen was Sinatra Suite, another Tharp masterpiece. The only other time I had seen Sinatra Suite was with the videos of Baryshnikov and Elain Kudo, and I must say Marcelo Gomes was easily up to par with Baryshnikov in this part. Gomes, as usual, captured the audiences the second he stepped onstage with Luciana Paris. He is such an incredible performer and actor that he effortlessly made the thoughts of the character he was portraying extremely evident. The changes in the relationship were understood and he somehow made every person in the audience understand and relate to what was happening on stage. After the four pas were finished he ended with the “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)” solo, which was just as brilliant as all of the previous.
Thinking that not much could top Sinatra Suite I was extremely shocked when I saw C. to C. which I must say was my favorite ballet in the show. With a cast of Julie Kent, Marcelo Gomes, Misty Copeland, Herman Cornejo, Stella Abrera (who stepped into Sat night cast for Kristi Boone), and Jared Matthews it isn’t hard to believe I fell in love with this piece. Those amazing dancers weren’t the only things that made this piece so magical though. Jorma Elo is a genius, and everything from the background to the costumes to the steps themselves was out of this world. When Julie Kent dances my heart just melts. She is so beautiful in everyway and this performance was no different. I have to say that she was my favorite dancer when I started ballet at the age of six, and still at seventeen (just turned 17 this past Saturday) my love for her dancing has never wavered. Hopefully someday I will be privileged enough to meet this amazingly talented artist.
The ballet closed with a new work by Benjamin Millepied called From Here On Out. I, as I expected to, thoroughly enjoyed this work as well. I have to say certain parts reminded me a bit of what he did this summer at Stiefel and Stars, which is by no means a bad thing. The dancers executed the difficult movement extremely well and Gillian Murphy and David Hallberg were simply beautiful as the leads in this ballet.
I am so glad that I had a chance to see ABT do such an amazing rep. It was most definitely an inspiration, which is something every dancer needs every once and a while. The other great thing was being able to see and say hello to the people I spent the past two summers with at Stiefel and Stars. Overall it was an incredible week and I am so glad that I got the chance to experience all of it.
Recent Posts by Madison Keesler
October 9, 2007 at 5:05 am · Filed under dance, SUSAN, abt, performances, california, festival, american ballet theatre, so you think you can dance
Performance Artist Mia Kio(?)
The annual Laguna Dance Festival returned to Laguna Beach this past weekend for the third year in a row. Just as in years past, I joined the motley crew of varied casts and characters in my usual capacity, helping out where help was–or, as was more often the case, hands were–needed.
The festival is proving itself to be an increasingly successful endeavour organized and presented by caDance, the brainchild of Artistic Director Jodie Gates. (Apologies to all who find me to be at all presumptuous for my last statement; I feel somehow qualified to judge because I’ve been involved (in the periphery, at least) since the first Festival two years ago.) Every year, the process becomes smoother and more streamlined. And, every year, the guest artists and dancers seem to create groups that are more and more diverse not only in origin, but also in choreography and dancing.
This year, I found myself in the audience during two performances. The first was the Gala Performance, which opened with surprise guests Heidi Groskreutz and Benji Schwimmer (both of So You Think You Can Dance fame). As can only be expected by what we saw of them on television, their performance turned out to be a flashy compilation of what must have been every single one of the partnering tricks featured on the show in the past two years. (Yes, Heidi grabbed her ankles and slid down Benji’s body, donut-style, just as Sabra did down Neil’s.)
Without intending to be at all mean, I am going to be a harsh critic: Except for one or two exceptionally inspiring pieces in the program, the Gala Performance was, for me, thoroughly disappointing. My heart nearly stopped (with sorry sorrow) multiple times during the program. (At times, I found myself willing it not to beat ever again, so that it might have to bear the torment that was most of that night’s performance.) Did I imagine it? Or did Stella Abrera–one of my favourite dancers–forget Odile’s choreography during her White Swan pas with husband Sascha Radetsky? Why on earth would Yuka Iino choose to perform a pas de deux from Stowell’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” without tights to cover her legs (which, like everyone’s tend to do, would undoubtedly become splotchy from exercise)? Why could not the Complexions dancers, with their amazing extensions and exceptional musicality not keep in synch in “Lux,” a piece otherwise rightly a luxurious work of art? And, God bless Gerry Arpino (whose “Light Rain,” when I last saw an excerpt from it, blew my mind out of its usually foggy haze and up above the clouds), but… well, what happened in the pas de deux?
Altea Nunez in Forsythe’s “In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated”
(courtesy of the Royal Ballet of Flanders)
The night was far from being a complete loss. Sascha and Stella more than redeemed themselves post-White Swan with a phenomenal rendition of Weir’s Jabula. And, simply seeing Desmond Richardson walk onto the stage is always a welcome sight for sore eyes. For me, however, that evening’s true saviours came in the form of the three guests from the Royal Ballet of Flanders: Altea Nunez, Alain Honorez and Wim Vanlessen. Together, they performed first the solo and the pas de deux from Forsythe’s “In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated.” Mmm… It was phenomenal. The first “real” (I hope that makes sense?) moment of the night.
Following the performance, there was a Gala Reception at Le Club Fantastique (a costumed Laguna Art Museum).
A (guiltily snapped) peek at the star-studded guest list.
The true star of the evening: A drag artist who took control of the catwalk in the various and distinct forms of Linda Eder’s character in “Jekyll & Hyde” and Catherine Zeta-Jones’s charcter in “Chicago.”
(I apologize for the disgraceful quality of these snapshots. My unreliable camera battery gave out on me early in the evening and so I was left to my sole remaining resource: my mobile phone.)
The next day (Sunday) Sascha Radetsky taught a master class at a local space in Laguna Beach. It’s been years since his days as being Charlie of “Center Stage,” but it’s quite obvious that he still holds the title of ballet celebrity/heartthrob in the hearts of the younger ballerinas (and, also, ballerinos?). Certainly I got the nagging feeling that many of the students were far less interested in taking class than they were in taking class from Sascha Radetsky. (I suppose, though, that that’s always part of the mentality in most master classes…?)
Sascha signs autographs for the delighted students.
Another performance followed the class. It’s a good thing I went to this one. (I was so tempted to skip it after the disappointment I had suffered the evening before.) Everything seemed to be just as it should be (and, thankfully, not as they had been on Saturday night). I of course found fault (as I always seem to) with the music being much too loud and off balance for what the speakers could handle, but the dancing was practically perfect in every way; all the glitches that I saw the night before were no longer. And what had been excellent the evening before was only better.
Rubinald Pronk and Sabra Perry of Complexions Contemporary Ballet.
On a side note, the dancers from Flanders joked that “Complexions” could perhaps change their company name to “Extensions,” as it would suit them just as well (if not better?).
Recent Posts by susan kim
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