Archive for composers
February 6, 2008 at 1:48 pm · Filed under dance, music, composers, museum, art event, miki orihara, MIKI, composer, arts
I went to see Fred Sherry Plays Zorn on Monday night. It was such a great evening.
World premiere of “777″( three cellists) Discussion lead by Charles Wuorinen( composer) with Fred Sherry and John Zorn, “Amour fou(1999)” piano, violin and cello, another discussion, solo cello work title “Untitled ( for Joseph Cornell)( 1999)” and again “777″.
“777″ started very disharmony sound, but when you listened it , it was actually harmonied together. It was a long tme ago that I used to listened to one CD which had John Zorn’s work, then long time I did not hear his music. But this performance, he gave me so many different sides of music. every work sounded different from each other. It was just amazing.
“Untitled ( for Joseph Cornell)” has a very interesting story that Zorn, in his childhood, lived in Queens where Cornell lived few doors down from his place. Knowing him as a person, eating icecream at the deli, strange man on the corner… all other aspects…and of course his art work inspire Zorn to make this solo.
I love this “works & process” at Guggenheim. You get to know the artist!and we came out after this performance, they were putting new exhibition. Interesting to see how they were putting this cars up in the air…
Recent Posts by miki orihara
September 12, 2007 at 6:18 pm · Filed under ballet, dance, music, composers, art, stage, judson church, performing, mercecunningham, set design, performance, modern dance, community, choreography, john jasperse, costume design, performance art, art into life, composer, duchamp
The roundtable discussion, “Approaches to Collaboration: Choreographers and Visual Artists,” took place on Saturday, September 8th at The Philoctetes Center for the Multidisciplinary Study of Imagination at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute, on the upper east side. Collaborative models for performance were discussed.
Complete description of event and panelist bios: http://www.philoctetes.org/Event_Archive/Approaches_to_Collaboration_Choreographers_and_Visual_Artists
Following are my notes from the panel, as discussed by Noel Carroll, Roger Copeland, Mary Fleischer, Lynn Garafola, and Yvonne Rainer.
Ballet Russes’ collaborative model exemplified the Wagnerian idea of Gesamtkunswerk, or “total work of art,” via a synthesis of poetry, scenic design, staging, action, and music.
The ballet Parade was cited as a very early example of artistic collaboration, composed for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes 1916-1917. Choreography by Léonide Massine (who was also dancing), music by Erik Satie, a one-act scenario by Jean Cocteau, costumes and sets designed by Pablo Picasso, and the orchestra conducted by Ernest Ansermet. Painter Henri Matisse also did sets and costumes for another of Ballet Russes Le Chant du Rossignol 1920 (or The Song of the Nightingale).
Parade Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parade_
Apparently, George Balanchine (one of the founders of New York City Ballet), was not so interested in visual aspects such as costuming and sets, but he was interested in lighting. Another choreographer who was very involved with lighting was Louie Fuller. She is considered a pioneer of both modern dance and theatrical lighting techniques.
Info about Louie Fuller: http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/c/current-loie.html
There was a good time spent on the Cage/Cunningham collaborative model. Both artists were in favor of “disillusion,” but for different reasons.
While Cunningham is a defender of the autonomy of the art form (in his case it would be dance), Cage is more of an integrationist, a descendant of Marcel Duchamp’s ideas who also wanted to dissolve the distance between art and life. Where Cage and Cunningham agree is on strategy: the use of aleatoric methods.
Yvonne Rainer called this collaborative model “mechanical,” where there is no apparent conversation between the collaborators. She cites a piece by choreographer John Jasperse, whose name she didn’t say but because of her description I suspect she meant California, as a good example of the integration of the stage elements (that set was designed by Ammar Eloueini).
Info about John Jasperse’s California: http://www.johnjasperse.org/index.php?name=rep8 Image of Set Design by Ammar Eloueini: http://www.digit-all.net
Recent Posts by nancy garcia
March 19, 2007 at 7:50 am · Filed under ballet, choreographers, composers, MEGAN, san francisco, william forsythe, wayne macgregor, steve reich
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| Posted by Megan Kurashige
Hullo everyone. I haven’t written anything in a long while, but I have had the chance to get very excited about a few things dancewise in the meantime! First off, I got to see the Forsythe Company, which was completely AMAZING. Three Atmospheric Studies prompted these visceral feelings—horror, discomfort, sadness—and made me think, coming out of the theater, in a way I haven’t for a while. The dancers are so committed and intelligent and active in making choices… It was immensely inspiring and reminded me how important it is to be responsible for your own artistic work. It’s such a huge commitment to work in an exploratory manner all the time; I get frustrated sometimes and am just dying to do something cut, dry, and ready-made, but it really is satisfying to work flat out.
I went to see San Francisco Ballet on Wednesday night. They did Wayne MacGregor’s Eden/Eden, which I had heard much about and seen pictures of odd costumes so I was dying to see the piece. It was the last piece on the program, so the audience came back, all giddy from intermission and waited for the curtain to go up. Which it did, once the music started, on an empty and black stage and… nothing… nothing… technical difficulties! There was an announcement and chattering (meanwhile, I’m sure, someone was running around madly backstage) and then it all started again, this time with full music and the film, which hadn’t worked the first time around, projected onto the stage.
I really liked the piece. It’s a spectacle: extreme, absurd flexibility; bizarre, dehumanizing costumes; film fragments; and constant snippets of dialogue voiced over the music. But it’s a dense and odd spectacle with interesting movement ideas pouring out at insane speed. It also looks really, really hard. Muriel Maffre was spectacular, but all the dancers impressed me. They looked like they were eating the choreography up.
I foundthis interview with Steve Reich (the composer for Eden/Eden). It’s an interesting little NPR bit.Here’s a completely random picture. This car was parked around the corner from the theater, in front of a fancy restaurant. I love that such things still exist!
And that’s it for now. Happy dancing, happy art consumption, happy living and etc!
Recent Posts by megan kurashige
January 27, 2007 at 9:49 am · Filed under ballet, dance, choreographers, dancers, modeling, designers, composers, art, japan, germany, fashion, EVAN MCKIE, dancing, athletics
Hi. My name is Evan. I am a bun-head. No denial.
…I have tried to be less-bunheady and I have millions of other hobbies but still, put a hard2find vintage dance vid infront of me and I become kind of a sucker…
…which is why I, ummmm, shamelessly troll through youTube.com when I get a chance. (am I the only one?..) It would be literally impossible to gather all of the golden gems (legal or not…) that the mega-site has to offer.
I found this random clip of the old Frankfurt Ballet having fun doing some Stephen Galloway choreography for an Issey Miyake show in the early 90’s (?)…. I know a few of the dancers(§$%&ing fantastic still..) and it’s so cool to see them rocking out! I love this time when Frankfurt Ballet wasn’t just on-the-map, it kind-of WAS the map! Because so many artists were so inspired by the Forsythe brand of movement from that period, there has been alot of similar stuff being produced all over the world ever since. Infact, I think we’ve sort of come full circle now in Europe…where old is new is old is new is….yeah so either way, I wish I coulda been there at that moment! I mean, I was like 8 but whatev!…
hmmmm maybe we should have a vintage youTube(or whatever tube your watching) week where everybody posts a rare clip that they’re kinda fond of for whatever reason….!!! (nice sentence-structure, thx)
sound fun?? yes? ok!
:)
-E
Recent Posts by Evan McKie
October 10, 2006 at 7:08 pm · Filed under ballet, dance, choreographers, dance event, dancers, music, musicians, composers, MICHAEL, review
Posted by Michael
For those craving a dose of New York City Ballet, those who didn’t make it to Saratoga Springs in July, who won’t be hopping a plane to Chicago this month, who weren’t big enough donors to get a seat at the Sept. 29th Choreographic Institute workshop, and who just couldn’t possibly wait till the opening night Gala in Novemeber, “New Ballet Choreographers” at Columbia U’s MIller Theater in mid-September provided the needed fix. New works by NYCB’s Edwaard Liang and Tom Gold, and former ABT member Brian Reeder were the bill of fare.
The dimensions of the Miller provide a more intimate experience for performer and audience member. A smaller proscenium stage, live music close at hand, and audible footfall and limb-against-floor sound removes a bit of the fourth wall one is accustom to at the NY State Theatre(with apologies to Mr. B!!). And it allowed a chance to see some principal dancers’ work up close and personal.
This was the closing performance, a saturday eve, with a sold-out, age-diverse crowd eager to see some fresh stuff, a crowd somewhat familiar with City Ballet. My wife and I(Telefundraising Manager for NYCB Guild) were smack first row, right-center aisle; with the first violinist’s bow so close it tickled my fancy on numerous occasions.
As I scanned the audience looking for familiar faces, I spotted Ed Liang pacing a bit against the back wall, like a nervous dad.
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Recent Posts by kristin sloan
September 22, 2006 at 10:11 am · Filed under dance, choreographers, dance event, london, composers, KATE, modern
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| Posted by Kate
Last night I went to see Merce Cunningham’s ‘Ocean’ at the newly revamped Roundhouse in Camden. It was the opening night of the Dance Umbrella which is a contemporary dance festival that has been held in London for more than 25 years.
Ocean is performed on a round stage. Arriving at the Roundhouse felt like going to the circus. The audience sat all the way around the stage, and the 150-piece conductorless orchestra sat behind the audience all around the amphitheatre. It was very odd.
The music was by John Cage and David Tudor. Tudor had made loops of electronic music with sounds from the ocean to complement Cage’s score. Foghorns and whale music featured heavily. There were digital clocks around the stage, and the dance lasted exactly 90 minutes.
I was amazed by the dancing. Fourteen dancers performed throughout, sometimes solo, sometimes in small groups and sometimes all together. Cunningham expects so much strength from his dancers. Often they would stay still in an arabeque on bent legs, or perform endless ronde de jambes en l’air. I could not imagine being able to remain so controlled throughout these difficult phrases. There were moments of pure beauty, which was enhanced by the foghorns and the oceanic lighting, which to me suggested a journey to the bottom of the sea.
However, it was a very long piece, especially as there was no interval, and I would estimate that about 15% of the audience walked out before it was over. John Cage is not for everyone (not for me) and I could hear the orchestra giggling! I am glad I saw this, because it is quite a unique production, and it was very interesting to see Cunningham technique in such detail. However, I do not think I would go and see it again! Half the time I thought it was strangely wonderful that they were actually doing it, and the rest of the time I thought it was pretentious modernist rubbish!
PS Sorry no actual photos of the venue - I stupidly forgot to bring my camera.
Recent Posts by kate bordwell
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