A Sad, Sad Day

posted Wednesday, Jul 01

What a shock to learn of the passing of Pina Bausch. Her work is so full of life, the dancing so daring, and the stage design so spectacular.

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A Fabulous Farewell for a Grand & Generous Diva

posted Monday, Jun 29

The crowds at the Met pressed forward, jamming the aisles and holding up cell phones for one last glimpse of their beloved Nina Ananiashvili. It was her final performance with ABT last night, and the audience cheered, roared, a… Read More >

 

Isn’t It Katherine Dunham’s Centennial Too?

posted Tuesday, Jun 23

The surprises keep coming when you start to learn about Katherine Dunham. She was a celebrated dancer, choreographer, teacher, anthropologist, activist, writer, and healer. But mostly she was a force in the evolution of American dance. Your dance history teachers might tell you that the “fou… Read More >

 

Two Sylphides

posted Tuesday, Jun 23

I got a chance to see both Natalia Osipova (Russian) and Hee Seo (Korean) dance La Sylphide this week at ABT. They were both excellent in different ways, though Osipova got all the attention. I could see why, because she was an absolute delight. Osipova (see our Read More >

 

Is Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui Redefining Virtuosity?

posted Monday, Jun 22

At a dress rehearsal at Cedar Lake last night, I was wowed by the extremes that Cherkaoui took the dancers to. I am not going to comment on the choreography per se, because the premiere at Jacob’s Pillow isn’t until next month (see “Dance Matters” when you get your July iss… Read More >

 

Can a Short Girl Make It as a Ballerina?

posted Saturday, Jun 13

Yesterday I visited the NY International Ballet Competition, now in full swing at the Ailey studios. As I was sitting watching Deborah Wingert’s excellent technique class, a young dancer from Colombia … Read More >

 

Trey McIntyre, the Music Man

posted Wednesday, Jun 10

    Just when I was wondering why his music choices work so well, Trey McIntyre sauntered in to my office yesterday and gave me a clue. I had just seen his Leatherwing Bat, to music by Peter, Paul & Mary again at the Joyce. (I saw it at Jacob’s Pillow last summer … Read More >

 

I Desire to See Désir Again

posted Friday, Jun 05

American  Ballet Theatre has a winner in James Kudelka’s Désir. This rhapsodic ballet has gorgeous partnering with soaring lifts and beautiful touches of affection. Every single pas de deux is both rapturous and inventive. The legs make aching arcs and the bodies and skirts… Read More >
 

Highlights of the Astaire Awards Ceremony

posted Tuesday, Jun 02

In this star-studded event last night, the best performance was Bebe Miller singing, with her arms floating up and undulating as though she were a dying swan—or a recent bride (which she is). Simple moves by Bebe are worth more than a platoon of preteens tapping in spangles. She sang two songs … Read More >
 

Rare Film of Balanchine’s Midsummer Night’s Dream

posted Saturday, May 30

Ever wonder what Suzanne Farrell looked like as a 20-year old? Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream was filmed in 1966, with Fa… Read More >

 

ABT Gala: Gem After Gem

posted Wednesday, May 20

After Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes’ balcony scene from Macmillan’s Romeo and Juliet, I wanted to go home. Enough beauty for one night.  I wanted to savor what I had seen: the illusion of a true love, where two bodies surrender to each other. Vishneva, who usually suck… Read More >

 

Benjamin Millepied’s New Piece: Deeply Satisfying

posted Thursday, May 14

Gorgeously dark and ominous, Quasi Una Fantasia moves along like some viscous liquid. It’s both a relief and a triumph to see a piece by New York City Ballet that is not sunny or courteous or ingratiating in any way.
    The mood is as consistent as a dream. The… Read More >

 

Where Has Mal Pelo Been All These Years?

posted Monday, May 11

Touch the air. Hold something and let it evaporate in your hands. That was the kind of elusive, illusive dancing Maria Muñoz gave us last Thursday in Bach, a solo that was part of the Catalan Days festival at Baryshnikov Arts Center. One noticed the hands. Useful hands, not dainty … Read More >

 

Only One Week Left to See the DTH Exhibit

posted Wednesday, May 06

Actually, not even a week. It’s called “Dance Theatre of Harlem: 40 Years of Firsts” and it’s up till May 9. It gives a great overview of this major company that is sadly now on haitus. However, after the exciting news that Virginia Johnson will be artistic director, there … Read More >

 

Trisha Took Me to Heaven

posted Friday, May 01

O my god, O Composite lifted me to a place that made me hold my breath in wonder. The hushed feeling of the piece, with a softly glowing nighttime sky by Vija Celmins, a mysterious sound track by Laurie Anderson, and three velvety étoiles from Paris Opera Ballet, came together at B… Read More >

 

Women’s Lib Has Finally Hit Broadway

posted Wednesday, Apr 29

Just when I was getting tired of seeing women dancers play cutesy, ditsy sex objects in Broadway musicals, along comes 9 to 5, the Dolly Parton–inspired musical about working women. I’ve never been big on country music, but this musical pulls way out ahead of the others in how it… Read More >
 

Let’s Hear It for the Teachers

posted Tuesday, Apr 28

We know the names of the famous dancers of today, but we never know the names of the teachers who trained them. So said Alexei Ratmansky while introducing an evening at City Center devoted to the great Bolshoi men’s teacher, Peter Pestov, on his 80th birthday. Ratmansky said that Pestov’s… Read More >
 

The Quiet Ones

posted Monday, Apr 20

Maybe quiet is coming back in style, or maybe quiet is alluring exactly because it’s never in style. But silence can be a break from other dance performances, a chance to really concentrate on what is going on. A breather, a pleasurable exile. Recently two events brought this to mind: Simone Fo… Read More >
 

Alexander Shiriaev: The Hidden Genius of Ballet and Film

posted Monday, Mar 30

Have you ever heard of Alexander Shiriaev? I hadn’t either, until Dance on Camera showed a film about him called A Belated Premiere a couple years ago. Last week, Barnard College showed them again as part of its "Celebrating the Ballets Russes" series at Columbia Universit… Read More >

 

The 15-year Stomp

posted Friday, Mar 27

I’m late in coming to this party, but I just saw Stomp at the Orpheum Theatre and loved it. It is not only a seamless merging of dance, percussion, and physical comedy; it is also a celebration of play. The instinct to play, the teamwork of play, the exuberance of play, the ingenuit… Read More >