Letter
from New York
16
February 2004.
Copyright © 2004 by
Mindy Aloff
These days,
it seems as if nearly everyone in the arts is looking for “edge,”
as if creativity were no more than what academicians call “transgressive
impulses.” We take it for granted now that the lingo for creative
energy is often associated with crime, blades, aggression, wounds—sensational
elements. One reason may be that audiences for the arts are so benumbed
by the welter of images they encounter daily that, in order for most people
to feel anything in the theater, they have to be hit over the head or
skewered. In other words, people won’t recognize what constitutes
edge unless they see a literal representation of its results, about to
spill or actually spilling out of some orifice or entry hole. In dance,
of course, what gets lost in this equation between creativity and literally
sensational imagery is dancing: the edge becomes all, as in a nightmare
where one is walking through a city that has no sidewalks, only curbs—which
is why a number of choreographers over the past two decades have been
acclaimed for works that have no formal shape, no theatrical expertise,
and, all too often, no dance vocabulary. As long as the imagery pulls
the right trigger, nobody cares about what else might be missing. The
distortion works backwards, too. George Balanchine’s Apollon
Musagète was much edgier than Vaslav Nijinsky’s L’Après-midi
d’un faune in the relationships it presented between men and
women and in its pervasive, analytical reconsideration of the rules and
regulations that guided the classical syllabus taught at the Imperial
School of St. Petersburg, where both Balanchine and Nijinsky studied.
In the astoundingly revealing 1990 Juilliard production of Faune
that notator Ann Hutchinson Guest worked on with Jill Beck from Nijinsky’s
own notations of what he intended his choreography to be, the Chief Nymph
exhibits a modesty of person, and a range of human feeling, that are completely
absent from Balanchine’s god and muses. Nijinsky’s characters
are recognizable Edwardians transposed; Balanchine’s are of another
species entirely. Yet, owing to Nijinsky’s literal staging of the
faun’s orgasm, it is Faune that is remembered as the more
revolutionary work.
It’s
a pyrrhic effort to fight City Hall on matters going back nearly a century;
however, I will say that if you want to see true edge in action, in DANCE
ACTION, look out for performances by the 23 year-old prodigy of Argentinian
tango, Pablo Pugliese—a native of Argentina and the son of the distinguished
milongueros Esther and Mingo Pugliese.
read Letter
read
past Letters from New York
Swanilda's
World
Coppelia
New York City Ballet
New York State Theater
New York, NY
February 14, 2004
by
Mary Cargill
copyright
2004 by Mary Cargill
published 16 February 2004
If ever a
dancer lived up to her name, it is New York City Ballet’s new soloist,
Megan Fairchild—although, based on the audience reaction to her
New York debut in Coppélia, she might as well be named
Sara Lee, since it seems no one doesn’t like her. The role of Swanilda,
with its precise and elegant footwork, its classical clarity, and its
sunny atmosphere, suits her many talents perfectly. She did dance it last
summer in Saratoga on very short notice, but this was, I think, her first
scheduled performance. There was no sign of nerves, other than a brief
tumble in the third act, from which she recovered with aplomb.
read review
A
Disappointing Encore
Can-Can
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter; book by Abe Burrows
City Center Encores!
City Center
New York, NY
February 12, 2004
by
Susan Reiter
copyright 2004 by Susan Reiter
published 16 February 2004
When Can-Can
opened on Broadway in 1953, most of the attention and praise went to Gwen
Verdon, in her first substantial Broadway role. Playing a laundress-by-day,
can-can dancer by night named Claudine, she was the show's second female
lead, with top billing going to a French actress named Lilo. But reviews
suggest that Michael Kidd's choreography (for three substantial dance
numbers) and Verdon's dancing were its most memorable and bankable assets.
"She is the dance discovery of the season," proclaimed Walter
Kerr, while another reviewer noted that "the crowd's increasing delight
with Miss Verdon was exciting to feel."
read review
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What's
On This Week?
Balanchine
100th Birthday Events:
February
18-22 (Opened in November)
New York City Ballet
The company's Balanchine Centennial Celebration continues with the first
of two weeks of Peter Martins' The Sleeping Beauty. However,
George
Balanchine is represented in the ballet by his wonderfully inventive
rendition of the Garland Dance, which received its premiere in
1981 during the Tschaikovsky Festival. The rest of the ballet was done
by Martins after Marius Petipa. 2/18 at 8pm, 2/19 at 8pm, 2/20 at
8pm, 2/21 at 2pm, 2/21 at 8pm, 2/22 at 3pm.
New York State Theater Lincoln Center 66th Street and Broadway 212-870-5570
www.nycballet.com
February
18-22 and April 27-June 27 (opened January 6)
The Balanchine Centennial Exhibition at New York City Ballet
George Balanchine's career is covered in a photography exhibit curated
by
company veteran Edward Bigelow.
New York State Theater Lincoln Center 66th Street and Broadway 212-870-5570
www.nycballet.com
February
17-March 7 (Opened December 6)
A Celebration of George Balanchine:
Selected Television Work
George Balanchine took full advantage of the advent of television, and
many of his greatest works - and performances of his dancers - have been
captured on video. In this 100th-year anniversary of the great choreographer's
birthday, The Museum of Television & Radio presents a series of showings
of some incredible footage. The seven installment, shown from 2/17-22,
is called, Dance in America: Choreography by Balanchine,
Pts. 1 & 2. It features Tzigane (Farrell, Martins), The Four
Temperaments (Cook, Ashley, Duell, Lüders, Neary, et al.), excerpts
from Jewels (Ashley, McBride, Weiss, Farrell, Martins, et al.),
and Stravinsky Violin Concerto (Mazzo, von Aroldingen, Cook, Martins).
(1977; 130 minutes).
Screening Times: Tuesdays to Sunday at 12:30 pm Evening Screenings:
Thursdays at 6pm The Museum of Television & Radio 25 West
52 Street 212-621-6800
February
17-April 24 (Opened December 10)
The Enduring Legacy of George Balanchine
A multi-media exhibit celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of
George Balanchine. It features photographs, designs, manuscript music
and correspondence, costumes, set pieces, and models, along with showings
of videotaped performances and rehearsals. The New York Public
Library for the Performing Arts Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery
40 Lincoln Center Plaza 212-870-1630
Ballet
and Dance Events:
February
16
Movement Research at the Judson Church
This week's forum for experimentation and works-in-progress features a
performance
by Levi Gonzalez and Ksenia Vidyaykina. At 8pm
55 Washington Square South at Thompson Street
212-539-2611
February
17
Dance Conversations
Sara Juli, Molly Rabinowitz, Karinne Keithley and Luke Miller take part
in this dance-and-discussion series, presented by Neta Pulvermacher.
At 7pm.
Flea Theater
41 White Street between Broadway and Church Street
212-226-0051
February
17-22
Sydney Dance Company
The run features the New York premiere of Graeme Murphy's evening-length
Ellipse, a suite of dances inspired by the music of the young
Australian composer Matthew Hindson. 2/17-20 at 8pm, 2/21 at 2pm and 8pm,
2/22 at 2pm.
The Joyce Theater 175 Eighth Ave. at 19th St. 212-242-0880 www.joyce.org
February
18-19
Susan Rethorst
Choreographer Susan Rethorst returns to Dance Theater Workshop for the
first
time since 1987 with a new work, titled oh oh oh.
Dance Theater Workshop
219 West 19th Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues
February
18-21
Gina Gibney Dance
Thrown, an exploration of disruption, gets its premiere. The program also
includes an excerpt from Time Remaining. At 8pm.
The Duke on 42nd Street
229 West 42nd Street
212-239-6200
February
19-22
Shannon Hummel/CORA
Half Empty , a program of new works, features Shannon Hummel/CORA's first
evening-length work, Stay, a look at our perceptions of safety, loss
and regret. There's also a first peak of an excerpt from their work-in-progress.
Joyce Soho
155 Mercer Street between Houston and Prince Streets
212-334-7479
February
19-22
Pam Tanowitz Dance
Tanowitz premieres Love Storyless, a hybrid of ballet and modern
dance with
live music performed by Molly Morkoski. At 8:30pm.
St. Mark's Church in the Bowery
Second Avenue at 10th Street
212-674-8194
February
19-22
Barry Goldhuber
Performances of A Man's Ego Gets So Big, He Explodes! 2/19-21 at 7:30
pm,
2/22 at 5pm.
Performance Space 122
150 First Avenue at Ninth Street
212-477-5288
February
19-March 6 (Opened January 15)
Wow Moves Dance Fest
The festival closes with three weeks of Slain, a multidisciplinary dance
piece which explores female orgasm, hysteria, and being slain in the spirit.
Dora Arreola choreographs and Andrea Assaf and Arreola co-direct this
new work, conceived and created by Parker Pracjek. At 8 pm.
Wow Cafe Theater
59-61 East 4th Street between Bowery and Second Avenue
4th Floor
212-777-4280
February
20
New York City Ballet - Ballet Insights
The Sleeping Beauty
A company ballerina talks about taking the title role. At 6:45 pm.
New York State Theater Lincoln Center 66th Street and Broadway 212-870-5570
www.nycballet.com
February
20 and 21
Peggy Piacenza
Piacenza's For Whom Am I is performed, with an original score by Fred
Frith
and painted animation by Kristin Varner.
At 7pm. Dance
Theater Workshop
219 West 19th Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues
February
21
Peru Negro
At 8pm.
Town Hall
123 West 43rd Street
212-840-2824
February
20-22
Hamburg Ballet
Artistic Director/choreographer John Neumeier - a noted collector of Vaslav
Nijinsky memorablia, explores the inner and outer world of the great
dancer and choreographer. 2/20-21 at 8pm, 2/22 at 2pm.
City Center
West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues
212-581-1212
February
20-22
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company
The company, currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, performs a program
that includes the New Jersey premiere of Reading, Mercy and The
Artificial Nigger, based on a story by Flannery O'Connor, The Phantom
Project: Power/Full, and Another Another History of Collage.
Victoria Theater
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
36 Park Place
Newark, New Jersey
888-GO-NJPAC
February
20-22
Amalgamated Performance Group. At 8pm.
Williamsburg Art Nexus
205 North Seventh St, Broklyn
718-579-7997
February
22-23
Works&Process
American Ballet Theatre dancers perform excerpts from the revival of the
comic ballet, Coppelia. The production is staged by ballet legend
Frederic Franklin. At 8pm.
Guggenheim Museum
5th Avenue at 89th Street
212-423-3587
— Dale Brauner
|
Writers |
Mindy
Aloff
Dale Brauner
Mary Cargill
Nancy Dalva
Gia Kourlas
Gay Morris
Susan Reiter
Alexandra Tomalonis(Editor)
Meital Waibsnaider
Leigh Witchel
David Vaughan
|
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DanceView |
The
Autumn DanceView is out:
New York City Ballet's Spring 2003 season
reviewed by Gia Kourlas
An
interview with the Kirov Ballet's Daria Pavlenko
by Marc Haegeman
Reviews
of San Francisco Ballet (by Rita Felciano)
and Paris Opera Ballet (by Carol Pardo)
The ballet tradition at the Metropolitan
Opera (by Elaine Machleder)
Reports
from London (Jane Simpson) and the Bay Area (Rita Felciano).
DanceView
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read. Black and white, 48 pages, no ads. Subscribe
today!
DanceView
is published quarterly (January, April, July and October)
in Washington, D.C. Address all correspondence to:
DanceView
P.O. Box 34435
Washington, D.C. 20043
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