Hello all! Sorry I haven’t posted for so long, but I’ve been so busy the past few months, and now I finally have a bit of time to sit down and write. The past few months have been a whirlwind!
Our last program of this season consisted of Square Dance, Sonatine, Tarantella and of course, our world premiere choreographed by Twyla Tharp, costumes by Issac Mizrahi and with new music by Elvis Costello - “Nightspot”. The piece featured a live band on stage with the dancers as well as a full orchestra in the pit.
(Photo courtesy of Joe Gato)
Working with Twyla Tharp was really quite something. At first when we started choreographing, we didn’t have the score from Elvis Costello yet, so she worked with the dancers and believe it or not, we did a lot of our choreography to the Gypsy King’s “Bamboleo!” It wasn’t until later in the year when she came back the 2nd time that she brought a tentative score with her and then we started setting the piece to Costello’s music. It was a bit difficult to imagine what the music was like because the score was put into a program, and a synthesized version was produced (which is what we heard and danced to until the week of the performance).
After our run of program 4, we continued on to wrap up our season with a few shows in Long Island, NY and Princeton NJ. The tour was wonderful, and the audience was very appreciative and responsive. We performed Raymonda Variations, Sonatine, Tarantella and In the Upper Room. I thought I was going to drop dead when I saw the performance casting go up as I was casted to dance Tarantella and then right into Upper Room!
(Tarantella, photo courtesy of Zou Yang)
(Jeanette Delgado and I, photo courtesy of Zou Yang).
We just arrived back in Miami today and we have a few days off before we start some early rehearsals for next season. The dancers are all excited to start working on “Our Show,” which is a show made, produced, and put on by the dancers. It gives us a chance to experiment with choreography (and choreographers) and to also perform different styles of dance if we wish to.
That’s all for now, however I do have last thing to add in - Miami City Ballet will be attending City Center for a week of performances at the end of January 2009!
Since, thanks to Deborah, we’ve been hearing so much about the rich and diverse dance scene in Israel, this happened to catch my eye even more than it usually would.
Throughout the halls of some of our offices at the NY State Theater there are these incredible old posters from NYCB’s travels throughout the years. While waiting to catch a few words with someone, I noticed this poster from a New York City Ballet trip to Israel in 1965! I love discovering this kind of historical stuff.
“Cheers, mate.” Such a great phase. I wish we could use it here in America, but we just don’t have the accent or the state of mind to pull it off without sounding silly and out-of-place.
It turns out that I have just returned from a 2 week tour with New York City Ballet to London—the land of sticky toffee pudding, pints ‘o’ lager, charming accents, mediocre food, a heavy-duty currency exchange rate (the pound putting our flimsy dollar to shame), ‘trousers’ instead of ‘pants,’ icy rainfall, bright red phone booths, and an overall high quality of living.
This was my first experience traveling overseas, so it will be one to remember. It was a nice way to become introduced to the notion of international touring, being as they speak the same language in London and there are more similarities we share with London than we share with, say, China.
My first impression of London was epic. As we drove into the heart of the city from the airport, there seemed to be a never-ending amount of gorgeous townhouses that appeared to just sprawl on for miles. In New York, we definitely have an equivalent quality of architecture, but the abundance of it present in London feels 10-fold to the quantity of that in New York. I found it wholly captivating to find a city with such a profusion of historic structural design. In addition, interspersed throughout the city was a plethora of statues, monuments, and detailed artistic aesthetics that added a great deal of distinction to the city. Even in the [spotless] tube system (equivalent to our subway system), they seem to even turn their advertisements into magnificent works of art amply displayed on the tube walls.
Ads in a tube station
When it came to food in London, I found that I had to be careful and choosy with where I chose to dine. There are many mediocre places to eat in London. And due to the currency exchange rate, some of us couldn’t help but feeling a bit ripped off when we paid the equivalent of $50 US dollars for a weak meal. But some of us did find some very interesting places to eat in the UK. We found a great local fish and chips joint just a few blocks from the Coliseum Theatre (where we performed) called Rock & Soul. Even better, we found a unique restaurant that specialized in savory Japanese pancakes filled with goodies like lotus roots, Asian mushrooms, and seafood. And of course, there was great Indian food in London, mostly located in the Brick Lane neighborhood.
Japanese Pancake
Dancers enjoying some new tastes
Beyond the food, the pub scene of London is great. Many of us found that it lacked the pretentiousness present in the bar scene of New York. The pubs were simply just comfortable (and again, historic) settings where one could get a local pint and enjoy the company of friends. There were no elements of snoody bartenders, loud obnoxious music, or feelings of entitlement radiating from the others in the pub.
The company had class and rehearsed at the Royal Ballet facilities. The facilities were as beautiful as the royal ballet dancers are. Proportional, vivid, impressive, sleek, and well-maintained. It was a refreshing experience to take class in the habitat of another ballet company.
In the Royal Ballet studios (I’m the one in the orange shirt)
As fun as London was, by the second week I was missing home like whoa. Its good to finally be back in my natural setting, enjoying the splendors New York has to offer.
Today I’m heading to London with NYC Ballet for their engagement at the London Coliseum, March 12 through March 22. We’ll be documenting the first four days of the tour, uploading short videos as fast a we can, so that you’ll be able to follow us along in our journey. You’ll be able to find the videos on NYCB’s website, as well as on our YouTube channel.
I’m trying to make sure I have everything I need in terms of equipment and documents, cords and power converts. Probably means I’ll end up forgetting simple and important things… passport!
