Archive for performing
October 22, 2007 at 2:30 pm · Filed under ballet, dance, performing, VERONICA, the STUDIO, experience
I realized that whenever I am working really hard on choreography-I become a raging insomniac. So, I finally downloaded the new Radiohead. (Helpful to listen to at all hours) I am also thankful for the inter mission, which has been getting me through some long nights! Anything to take my mind off of the music and movement that endlessly runs through my head. At this point it is all I think about. Our show, Swingin’ at Club Sweets, has been going pretty well in rehearsal, I have been making a lot of changes and adjustments and I am about to add a new dancer to the cast this week. I thought it would be a nice release for the dancers to perform at the Richmond Hill Seafood Festival. However, at their last rehearsal for this with Ms. Jil they were extremely unfocused.
When I arrived at the event I noticed the stage was different-it was not covered and whoever put it together-faced it the wrong way! So it was all depth and no width, Making it hard to fit the group dances across. It was also splintery and uneven. Quite a challenge for the dancers. When my youngest group went up, they got all turned around-partly because there seemed to be audience everywhere-like performing in the round. The rest of it went well, but I felt as though everyone played it a little too safe. I wanted them to have more fun on stage! All in all it was another interesting experience and we did get to have a lot of fun. I especially liked the amusement park rides!
Recent Posts by veronica moretti niebuhr
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
July 15, 2007 at 6:44 am · Filed under backstage, travel, washington dc, friends, theatre, cities, SANDI, musical theater, performing, broadway
Posted by Sandi DeGeorge
We’re outside as well!
I can totally identify with the NYCB dancers’ experience at Saratoga as we are performing Camelot at Wolftrap center for the performing arts outside of Washington D.C. Here Rachel soundchecks.
This is my second time performing in an outdoor venue in a huge musical. We did Dr. Dolittle last summer at Kansas City Starlight. What do these two venues have in common? It’s HOT!
BUT, that said, it’s amazingly fun and cool to think your performance is just kinda going off into the universe. Today was the first time I did a matinee in daylight. That is so weird. It really made me appreciate lighting design! How the lights really help the audience focus- and how we are so used to blackouts to transition. So strange to just enter and exit new scenes in full light. The Audiences here have been so wonderful. We also got a tour of the capital building courtesy of Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas- whom one of our cast members met on the plane.
I had no idea that there were frescoes in the U.S. Capital building!And a handpainted italian marble floor worth about $50 Million!
Monica, Rachel and I (am I on Friends? ) took a walk to the Lincoln memorial after a show- so beautiful.
We also rented a canoe and went rowing on the Potomac.. FUN!
Next stop is Pittsburgh- and our closing!!! I won’t be re-joining the tour when it starts again in September. Back to the grind in NY for me! I will miss my tour friends so much. Unlike NYCB, I don’t know if I’ll ever get to work with these people again. And almost our entire cast is based out of LA, with me in NY.
Recent Posts by sandi degeorge
Recent Posts by sandi degeorge
February 19, 2007 at 11:48 pm · Filed under backstage, dancers, costumes, performing, students, VERONICA, the STUDIO, youth america grand prix, florida, competition, teacher
Posted by Veronica Moretti Niebuhr
On Feb. 9, 10, 11th, I took 3 of my students to the Youth America Grand Prix regional in Orlando. For those not familiar with it, it is an international youth ballet and contemporary scholarship competition. It is different from other dance competitions since the dancers are competing for traineeships and scholarships with major dance schools in the US and abroad and the winner of the “Grand Prix” receives a contract with ABT.
I have gotten a lot of flack about dance competitions from many parents. It’s true that not every dancer is cut out for this. But it is my feeling it is another chance to be on stage and develop experience. It is healthy to learn to deal with reward and rejection. And there are only so many hurdles that you can conquer in the studio. They also get feedback from the distinguished judging panel. That correction I’ve been giving them all year just seems to have so much more of an impact coming from Ethan Brown!
I decided to take Angela, Kieran and Alston, since they each have an intense desire and drive to dance. And also because I feel it is so important for them to see other dancers their age who are good, and how hard they work. I wanted them to set a goal and reach for it. I want my dancers to feel that there isn’t anything they can’t do-but they need to see how high to reach. Being from Savannah, I chose Orlando, feeling that there would be a high level of competitors. There were some beautiful and amazing dancers, but my girls far exceeded my expectations. This experience changed and inspired them.
Kieran and Alston getting ready for barre with me in a conference room at the lovely Hilton Garden Inn on the morning before they have to compete. Lunch is next and then we’re ready to go. The girls are really nervous and anxious.
Right before the competition begins they do something called “open stage” for the dancers. All 50 dancers go up on stage at one time and try to run their variations. This is similar to the ice skaters at the Olympics when they are all on the ice whizzing by each other nearly colliding. This is Kieran in red. She was really freaked out, so I had to pull her off and bring her in the hallway.
A more congested picture of “open stage”.
Each girl competed with a Contemporary and 2 classical pieces.
Kieran in the middle of the tour jete section of her Diana variation. She does this variation so well and it is so hard, only a few girls try their hand with this one.
Here is Angela competing with her contemporary piece. She really spilled her guts with this one. She had been waiting to dance for about 4 hours. She was awesome, you could hear a pin drop in the audience. She finished in the top twelve-amazing. The beautiful dress was made by her very talented mother, Karen, who makes so many costumes for me. She gets a feel for the music and choreography from me and just goes to her sewing machines and……. wha-la!
Angela’s mom made this tutu too for Coppelia.
Angela doing her Esmerelda variation. She gets to dance this about an hour and a half after her comtemporary piece. She was tired, hungry and in a heap in the wings. I had to tell her to stand up 2 dances before she went. This variation is difficult when you are energetic. She did a great job. I’m so proud of her, she wanted to “win” and although she did not, she conquered a lot of demons that night, and she won for me.
Alston’s group had 40 dancers aged 9-11 and probably had the deepest talent. She was the only 9 year old and she placed in the top 12 overall! Amazing! The boys competed as part of her group and some of these kids were technical machines.
Angela (14) placed in the top 12 for her Contemporary piece. Kieran (12) did not place. They were in the same age category which had about 50 girls. A very talented group, many from Orlando Ballet School. They both danced beautifully. Kieran’s scores were maybe one or two points off of Angela’s-you can imagine how tight the scoring was. Kieran had the hardest time of the 3 girls-she is a perfectionist and very hard on herself.
The scoring system was based on a perfect score of 100. The girls all had scores from 88-92’s. They also got very positive feed back from the judges. Very good for their first time there. Most of the competitors have been going since they were old enough to!
The workshop portion of the weekend was the most fun. I think it was interesting to watch. It still retained a very competitive feeling.
Angela and Alston were also invited to the NYC workshop and Gala at the finals in April, where I believe the winger’s own David Hallberg will be performing at the Gala!
After the awards finished at midnight on Saturday, the girls had to be at the workshop at 9:30am Sunday. This was a really wonderful opportunity for the girls to be with other talented dancers. Ethan Brown, Raymond Lukens, Carlos Dos Santos and Alexandra Koltun gave the classes.
Surprisingly, I found that Alston’s classes were more challenging. The talent in her group was amazing, Alston is 9 most of them were 10 & 11. This is a picture of Alston with Alexandra Koltun who gave the Variation classes. She taught a variation from Corsaire to them (the one with all those brisees) She shows the beginning and the kids don’t even flinch, so she let them give it a try. No problem. Ms. Koltun turns and says “this is the 21st century” !
We had a great experience here. Exhausted and inspired, we are back to work in the STUDIO. I can’t wait to come to NY in April with the girls. I miss my city!
Recent Posts by veronica moretti niebuhr
January 28, 2007 at 9:12 am · Filed under backstage, dressing room, costumes, theatre, SANDI, musical theater, los angeles, performing
| | Posted by Sandi DeGeorge
Sorry for the lack of Camelot News- we’ve been rehearsing changes to the show and the driving in California takes up so much of our day! I can’t wait to really be on the road and be able to walk to work! (it’s a union rule that the must be in walking distance of the theatre if possible). Anyway- Today the girl I understudy as “Nimue” got to watch the show because she understudies Guinevere-So I got to go on for the flying nymph!
Everyone was so wonderful to me, helping me get ready and cheering for me in the wings and backstage.
First, I had to practice with Merlin.
Here I look terrified realizing I still have no hair on and it’s getting close to my cue!
I’m more relaxed here because I know I’m almost ready, though there are a lot of people poking at me checking the harness/costume etc.
All done getting ready! The scene is so short (I sing a short song from the wings, fly on, get Merlin and we fly off together in an embrace) and the flying is so technical- I was thrilled to not mess up. If I turned my body too suddenly or too far, I would send us swinging and it’s impossible to recover.. not pretty!
After that, I had a quick change into my normal costume and on with my real part in the show!
And now, tonight I am packing the suitcase that will go on one of the tour trucks- we have our last show here tomorrow afternoon and fly to San Jose on Monday.
Recent Posts by sandi degeorge
January 24, 2007 at 6:31 am · Filed under ALEX, performing, miami city ballet, twyla tharp, athletics
| | Posted by Alex Wong
So, I am writing today because I just finished a peformance tonight and had a really funny feeling. I just did “In the Upper Room” today, and as you all probably already know, this ballet is such a marathon. However, today we performed it on a smaller stage (because we tour around florida) and it felt so much easier… now you would think that would be a good thing right? Well this is why I feel strange. Usually I am backstage, leaning forward, hands on my knees, out of my breath, wishing that I wasnt, but today I really actually wasn’t, and it just didnt feel right.
Normally, I am on stage, pushing with all my might, using that last little hair of energy I have left….using my breath to just keep going and hanging on to that… holding on to a cliff with all my strength, but today, it didnt happen for some reason, and I feel unsatisfied. I felt like I needed to be struggling to really FEEL what this piece was about. Since when do you feel better dancing when you are absolutely ripped to bits, dead and out of breath? I think this is what Twyla meant when she called the piece “In The Upper Room”. You get to a point where you are SO tired, SO out of breath, yet SO… high… in a crazy state of mind that you are just “in it”. Things become a blur and you ride along as the music is pounding in your ears, and you just go for it. And now I find that I am craving that feeling again… like a drug… that killer feeling when you are just pushing for it, when nothing matters, but yet everything matters, going for the finish line, that euphoric state of mind - so out of breath but so determined… it hurts, I can’t breathe, but yet I want it, and realize now that I love it, I need it and I want more. It’s a feeling of ecstacy that cannot even be explained in words.
I guess I really am IN The Upper Room”. I’m in it. THIS is what this piece is about. This is what dance is about. This is the real deal.
Jumping in #3.
Ballet in #4.
Stompers in #5.
#9…. this is where you start feeling it…
Almost the end of the ballet. I also need to say that without my fellow stompers Jeremy Cox and Daniel Baker, this feeling wouldnt be the same. When we dance, we dance as 1, I feel their energy and I feel connected to them in some crazy way.
Jeanette Delgado in #6
A picture of me in #9.
Thanks for reading!
-Alex
Recent Posts by alex wong
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