Archive for critics
December 21, 2007 at 5:08 am · Filed under dance, Nutcracker, writing, critics, school, interview, TAYLOR
Two big things ended this week - Nutcracker, and my last full semester of college!
Nutcracker went really well. It felt great to be onstage after going a few months without performing and it reminded me how much I love it - the whole process, from the makeup to the rosin to the applause to the bows. Nutcracker has been a constant in my (and many other dancers’) life over the years and it truly symbolizes the Christmas spirit. And this was my first run of it as a “professional” so to speak, so it was extra special.
Speaking of Nutcracker, I did an article for ExploreDance.com on my ballet teacher retiring from her role as The Sugar Plum Fairy, one she has danced for over 30 years! Read it here.
And also, the fall semester is finally over! I’m officially one month away from graduating college - and am both extremely excited and somewhat nervous for the future. To this point I have always squirmed away from making the terrifying choice between continuing ballet or reverting to ‘real life.’ Luckily, at this turning point I’m still not giving up one passion for another.
The end of the school semester has been intense with work and finals and finishing up my work as Features Editor at our school paper. I completed my senior thesis on dance journalism after tons of work (I even got to speak with New York Times dance critic and fellow Winger Gia Kourlas!) and it seems to have paid off. I had submitted my abstract a while ago to Dance Research Forum Ireland, a conference for dance scholars and historians, and I recently got an email saying they accepted my project! It’s not until June and I’m not positive I’ll be able to attend yet, but it would be nice to have an outlet to share all that work…
On another note, this great new ballet site called Ballet Connections has started interviewing some dancers so that readers can hear their insights to the dance world, and they interviewed me. Read it here, and be sure to check out the other features on the site.
After a tough semester I’m glad it’s time for the holidays and the new year. My plans for 2008 include starting a new internship at The New Yorker magazine (SO excited for that), working a little bit with this contemporary company, doing lots of auditions, and continuing with grad school (among other things…). Busy as always.
Hope everyone has a happy, healthy, and restful holiday! 
Recent Posts by taylor gordon
August 17, 2007 at 2:59 am · Filed under dance, dance event, article, dance and technology, theatre, new york city, critics, festival, TAYLOR
Posted by Taylor Gordon
For the past week I have been assigned to review dance performances at the 11th Annual New York International Fringe Festival for this off-Broadway website called OffOffOnline.com. Not only do I get to attend any number of free shows at my will but I get to voice my opinion and get paid for it! This week has given me a glimpse into the arts critic’s life I aspire to have (I even received my first official “press pass”!) See my published reviews here and here.
(my 1st press pass with the many brochures I received with it)
Being a ballet fanatic, the only performances I’ve been to since coming to the city have been strictly ballet. Of course I’ve been to Broadway shows and even a couple of modern performances, but after seeing the avante-garde kind of performances at the Fringe Festival it is clear how limited my, and perhaps that of much of the ballet world, exposure to the broad realm of dance theater really is.
The shows I’ve seen have been extremely out of the ordinary. One major difference between these and traditional dance performances is the use of multi-media and technology. Of the 3 productions I reviewed, all of them made extensive use of video and 2 used computer generated images. I think this epitomizes what’s coming in dance in the 21st century.
Sometimes, unfortunately, the special effects and loud visuals distract from the actual dancing. No matter how talented they are the dancers can get lost in the flashiness, especially if they are positioned against or beside a film screen in a way that forces the audience to decide to watch only one or the other.
In a world where audiences for dance, especially ballet and modern, are already dwindling it makes sense to attract newer, younger crowds to performances with different media. But since our society is constantly drowning in media it seems a shame to overshadow something as precious as dance.
These kinds of audiences are exactly what the Fringe Festival invites, with $15 tickets and downtown location and atmosphere. The venues (including 19 off- and off-off-Broadway theaters) are small, and the number of attendees even smaller. It was interesting, though, to get a glimpse of the community that appreciates these kinds of performances.
After each of the shows I attended I was surprised to hear fellow viewers discussing the work in depth, as if they were close friends rather than complete strangers as they actually were. People were far more open to opinion than conversations I’ve overheard at other ballet performances. I suppose these pieces leave more to the imagination.
All in all my experiences with the Fringe Festival have been really amusing. I’ve really enjoyed my new exposure to various companies and types of dance (Japanese hiphop, anyone?) and what’s even better is that I’ve been given the opportunity to challenge myself and write about them in a critical format. Just another day in the life of an aspiring dance writer!
(FringeCENTRAL - headquarters of the Fringe Festival downtown)
If you’re located here in the city I strongly encourage you to attend one of these shows - any show! - as part of the NY Fringe Festival! You really haven’t seen anything ‘til you’ve been to the Fringe. It runs through August 26 at various theaters, with its home base at FringeCENTRAL, located in the Village on Carmine Street at Varick. See Fringe website for show times and descriptions. Also see NY Times coverage here.
Recent Posts by taylor gordon
May 19, 2007 at 3:56 pm · Filed under SLOAN, new york city ballet, music, vacation, critics, ny times, mobile, alastair macaulay
Posted by Sloan | via mobile phone
Recent Posts by kristin sloan
March 9, 2007 at 7:24 pm · Filed under SLOAN, injuries, blogs, websites, doctors, physical therapy, critics, artsjournal, ny times
Posted by Sloan
Photo by Victor
Hey. I’m sorry if I’ve left you feeling a bit neglected lately. Really, I am. It’s not that I don’t care about you. I’ve just been busier than usual, and you know how hyper-focused I can get sometimes. I promise I’ll make it up to you…
Just kidding. Even though I haven’t been posting much recently, it’s been so fun to read the posts from our other contributors. You guys are so awesome! I love learning about new things from all of you!
I’ve been busy working on something new, which you’ll find out about soon. Meanwhile, working hard at physical therapy. Had a good day today. Actually got to do an exercise that looked something like ballet, and it didn’t hurt! Yay!
One of the many torture devices tools at West Side Dance Physical Therapy to help get my hip back on track.
One thing I would like to share is my frustration about the worker’s compensation doctor I saw recently. (Every so often they send you to one of their doctors for a check in. The last one I saw was very thorough and helpful. This one, not so much.) I don’t think this new doctor even asked how I was feeling. Just asked for dates of surgeries, if I was doing physical therapy, if I still needed physical therapy. Yes, and yes.
Then I got my report back, which included minor factual errors such as… Motor vehicle accident in 2001, MRI of left knee, MRI of right knee. Hmmm. I must be really bad off, since I don’t remember ANY of that ever happening to me. Ugh.
I don’t mean to give the doctor or the workers compensation team a hard time. I am so fortunate to have it, and fortunate that it functions as well as it does. It’s just hard when your health is your complete focus, and you want nothing but to get better and return to dancing, and the people and organizations you’re trusting are focused on so many people’s health all at once. It’s bound to get messed up from time to time. Maybe not the biggest deal to them, but it’s always a huge deal to the patient. Guess that’s why you’re always your own best advocate when it comes to this kind of stuff.
In the mean time, there’s been some interesting conversation going on over at Foot in Mouth, the ArtsJournal blog of Apollinaire Scherr, about dance critics at the New York Times. Even a post devoted to a comment by our friend Tonya!
Recent Posts by kristin sloan
