Archive for columbia
November 25, 2007 at 6:24 pm · Filed under ballet, dance, savannah, Nutcracker, VERONICA, the STUDIO, performance, companies, alston, columbia
Columbia City Ballet has been performing the Nutcracker in Savannah for about the past 18 years. Every year they audition local dance students and give them the opportunity to perform with the company. This year Alston was chosen to play Clara! What an incredible experience for her-the first of many I am sure! She gave a magical performance-just the way Clara should be played. She did some demanding choreography for a 10 year old-pulling off multiple turns and hops on pointe, like a pro. I am not used to not being backstage with her when she performs-so I snuck back there and helped her do her make-up and got her warmed up. She had been there since 10:30am she had come down with laryngitis and her feet hurt!
Getting some notes from William Starrett.
We went onstage for some last minute practice.
Isabel and Florrie were adorable mice and Karilena was a bon bon.
Evan, Linzy and Alston as Angels
Looking very Clara-like
I hated having to go out to watch in the audience! But she was ready as always! It was nice to get to see them all perform from a different view! I was so proud of all of them!
Recent Posts by veronica moretti niebuhr
November 5, 2007 at 10:38 pm · Filed under dance, school, JUSTIN, dance criticism, columbia, justin peck, fred astaire, gene kelly, ziegfield follies
I’m currently working on a presentation on a comparison of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire for my Dance Criticism course I am taking at Columbia University. I’ve stumbled upon this clip from the film The Ziegfield Follies of them dancing side by side, and figured it would definitely be worth sharing with you all.
I love the vibe of nonchelance they have in relation to dancing with each other. The witty banter present in the song and the healthy competitive vibe present allow for an interesting scope into the comparison of the two legends.
Recent Posts by justin
September 23, 2007 at 4:42 pm · Filed under dance, books, JUSTIN, dance criticism, columbia, edwin denby
One of the courses I am taking this semester at Columbia is Dance Criticism. It is of particular interest to me, as it is provided an entirely new way of observing and analyzing dance. I am so used to viewing dance, and especially ballet, from a first hand perspective, so it is refreshing to look at it from a new angle. I am learning to pick up on specific subtleties of dance, evaluating the subjectives versus the objectives of art in general, and getting to know the writings of some of the greatest dance critics of the 20th century.
I have a particularly strong interest in the writings of Edwin Denby. He was a true poet, thus causing his analysis and criticism of dance to flow as brilliantly as the execution of Balanchine’s Serenade. Denby was a genuine devotee to the art of dance. He even danced himself for a number of years when he was younger. He was able to combine these keen elements in order to become one of the greatest critics of dance.
Much of the reading for this course is extensive, though very interesting. One aspect of it that especially excites me is that I work with a lot of the dancers that are analyzed and critiqued in my assigned writing (including Merrill Ashley, Kay Mazzo, Peter Martins, etc.). I think its kind of fun to be able to read about people that I know on a personal and professional level. Also, there are several works I have read already that really pick apart ballets that I have had the opportunity to dance. I think that [hopefully] this type of study will not only further educate me on the art of dance, but will also add depth and sophistication to my own dancing and interpretation of choreography in City Ballet’s repertoire.
Those are all the sporadic thoughts I have time for. Back to reading for now…. More to come though!
A semester’s reading in Dance Criticism
DENSE
Recent Posts by justin
