Archive for philip glass
August 8, 2008 at 5:19 pm · Filed under dance, CARLA, pacific northwest ballet, carla korbes, damian woetzel, philip glass, vail dance festival
What a great way to come back to the stage. After six months of recovery my first performance back couldn’t have been better. I dance The Orchard, music by Philip Glass and choreography by Damian Woetzel. The piece was choreographer on Tyler Angle and me and it premiered last year at the Vail Dance Festival. A couple of months ago I received a phone call from Damian asking me to dance his piece again at the opening Gala for the Vail Dance Festival. He also added that Philip Glass and Wendy Sutter would be playing for the performance. I can’t even describe how I felt. All I can remember was thinking: I hope I am back dancing at that time!
And I was. That was my first show back. Dancing along with Philip Glass felt surreal. Both, he and Wendy Sutter, are amazing people to be around. Their energy and the sound they create together makes you forget where you are. Also, it is always a pleasure to share the stage with so many other talented dancers from different companies. Among them were the Paul Taylor Company, Wendy Whelan, Craig Hall and Fang-Yi Sheu.
My other shows, one with PNB and two for the International Evening of Dance, were also great. It was such a pleasure being onstage again without major lower back pain. I was very careful in class and rehearsals, and by the time I had to perform I even forgot I was just coming back from an injury. It felt so natural and exciting to me.
Colorado is a wonderful place and the Festival Damian Woetzel created was a huge successes. I fell lucky to be able to come back to the stage this way.
I will keep you posted about our exciting new season coming up in September with 2 World Premiers by Twyla Tharp.
Company class on stage at the Amphitheater
Peter Boal teaching class. This theater is really magical.
PNB rehearsing Concerto Barroco with the Fancy Free set on the back. Principals Miranda Weese and Carrie Imler leading the show.
Philip Glass rehearsing for the opening Gala of the Vail Dance Festival. This photo was taken by Principal Dancer Louise Nadeau. She took beautiful photos of our rehearsals in Vail. She’s got the touch…
For more photos of the shows, rehearsal and for videos please check back at www.vaildance.org and at http://www.flickr.com/photos/vaildance/
New stuff is updated everyday until the end of the festival!
Enjoy it!
Recent Posts by carla korbes
October 26, 2007 at 11:35 pm · Filed under dance, rehearsals, germany, opera house, performance, modern dance, premiere, improvisation, philip glass, KRISTIN O, staatstheater kassel
Until yesterday my schedule as a guest dancer with the Staatstheater Kassel has been something like this:
10:00 – 11:30 Class
11:45 – 2:15 Rehearsal I
2:15 – 5:30 Break
6:00 – 10:00 pm Rehearsal II
This daily configuration was due to limited pre-premiere stage availability but now we’re back to the typical 10 am – 7 pm schedule. The Theater is an extremely busy artistic haven and technicians often “load in” and “load out” multiple times a day. Despite the hustle, everything seems to run with the efficiency of an office building except our halls are enriched with the echoes of opera singers, pianists and Schauspielers (actors). Nestled on the top floor of a seven-story building, jolting hyper-energy through the floorboards, are die Tänzer. The theater has two stages, plus a performance space in the neighboring Fridericianum Museum, and on many evenings three performances occur simultaneously. Since Kassel is a relatively small city, I often wonder where the audience members come from…two words: suburban radius.
On October 20th, the Tanztheater premiered Portrait and Le Sacre du Printemps after only six weeks of rehearsal. A completely new work set to “Symphony No. 3” by Philip Glass, Portrait is a collection of self-composed solos tweaked, supplemented, and compiled by Johannes Wieland. To keep it intimate, he divided our small company of 14 dancers into two casts, creating two completely different compositions for the same piece. The first creative step: Johannes assigned specific sections of Glass’ four-movement symphony to pairs of dancers (one from each cast), having us improvise while we clutched our iPods or Discmans. The process was a grueling one and continues now, even after the premiere. Three minutes of movement to capture “who I am?!” This type of quest requires a seemingly infinite amount of physical and mental exploration! Meanwhile, we’re learning and perfecting huge chunks of detailed movement, taking very specific stage directions, and diving into huge tanks full of water for Johannes’ rendition of Sacre (stay tuned for more on this WET portion of Tanzabend I).
The process for Portrait became a series of “show and tells.” We would periodically show Johannes some dancing, explain or reiterate our individual concept, receive a bit of feedback and then be left once again to our own creative devices. Check out Dance Minute for clips from the early stages. This process continues because, naturally, directors always have notes. Johannes has been very effective at stylizing movement without changing the essence of any dancer’s solo. One day his commentary for me was “I think it can be more ‘Kristin,’” and then, “it’s a little too symmetrical.” Another day I was told to “go through and take out every contraction.” Though it can be self-debilitating and frustrating (I’m somewhat of a perfectionist, as most dancers are), I still find it a bit surreal that I am in Europe performing my own improvisation turned composition - while working for a Theater funded by the government. *Pinch* I have a full time job and earn money for just being me!
Recent Posts by kristin osler
October 24, 2007 at 2:30 pm · Filed under dance, rehearsal, studio, 890 broadway, MATTHEW, philip glass, american balet theatre, jorma elo, chuck close
On we go through the journey inside 890 Broadway and the hectic preparations for City Center. It’s hard to believe that performances began last night, but before you know it the two weeks will be over. Fortunately I still have tons of pictures left to share, starting today with a glimpse inside one of the world premiere ballets this year “Close to Chuck,” by Jorma Elo.
Jorma choreographed the fantastic “Glow Stop” on the company last year and while “Chuck” uses his signature movement style, it’s certainly an entirely new entity. It’s a rather small ballet (only six people) and the other day I had the chance to photograph Craig Salstein and Jackie Reyes rehearsing a few of their sections. Don’t forget to buy your tickets!
(Mikey Mouse (notice Craig’s shirt) prepares to lift Minnie.)
(One of my favorite pictures from the day.)
(From the other side.)
(Jorma looks on.)
(Playing with angles.)
(Clarifying positions.)
(Maintaining serenity.)
Recent Posts by matthew
October 23, 2007 at 12:55 pm · Filed under dance, rehearsal, studio, 890 broadway, twyla tharp, photography, american ballet theatre, MATTHEW, philip glass
The past two seasons, ABT has showcased Twyla Tharp’s aerobic Philip Glass masterpiece, “In The Upper Room.” It’s the type of piece that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat and literally has them erupting into applause the moment the nearly forty minute ballet ends. While “Upper Room” won’t be seen this season, a different type of Twyla will be on display with in her 1979 creation “Baker’s Dozen.”
This ballet is in a simpler style than “Upper Room,” and contains quirky movement full of humor that finds the dancers doing handstands, slides and much more. From what I viewed through the lens the other day, it looks like it’s going to be a crowd pleasing ballet that everyone will enjoy. Be sure to check it out!
(Luciana Paris and Luis Ribagorda.)
(Nicola Curry and Grey Davis in a rather unconventional pose for a ballet.)
(Marian Butler and Roman Zhurbin.)
(Roman and Arron Scott do a little vogueing.)
(Tobin Eason, Yuriko Kajiya, Stella Abrera and Patrick Ogle doe some flying.)
(Bend and snap.)
(Look at that formation, they’re practically synchronized swimmers.)
(Jessica Saund plays Esmerelda to Roman.)
(More formations.)
(Roman and Isaac find something to rest on at the end of a long day of rehearsals.)
Recent Posts by matthew
