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writers on dancing

Volume 5, Number 11 - March 19, 2007

this week's reviews

San Francisco Letter No. 24:
San Francisco Ballet's Programs 4 and 5

by Rita Felciano

Waltzing to the Wells
Sasha Walz's "Dido and Aeneas"

by John Percival

Paul Taylor at City Center
by Leigh Witchel

Philippe Decouflé: not quite alone
by Susan Reiter

Letters and Commentary

San Francisco Letter 23
William Forsythe, Sydney Dance Company, Stephen Petronio

by Rita Felciano

San Francisco Letter 22
Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group
Black Choreographers Festival: Here and Now 2007
by Rita Felciano
by Rita Felciano

San Francisco Letter 21
San Francisco Ballet, Programs I and II
by Rita Felciano

did you miss any of these?

Royal Ballet Triple Bill
Bodies Passionate and Dead
by John Percival

Taylor Gala Has Highs and Lows
by Gay Morris

Forsythe's "Three Atmospheric Studies"
by Susan Reiter

English National Ballet
by John Percival

"La Bayadere" in Amsterdam
Marc Haegeman

Rethinking Flamenco:
Israel Galvàn's "Arena"

by Rita Felciano

2007 Erik Bruhn Prize
by Luis Cardador Meinertz

Joffrey Ballet
by Susan Reiter

Anna Sperber's "The Tiger Situation"
by Nancy Dalva

Paul Taylor Dance Company
by Susan Reiter

Suzanne Farrell Ballet
by Leigh Witchel

American Ballet Theatre
by John Percival

Bolshoi Ballet in DC
"Cinderella"
by George Jackson
"Don Quixote"
by Alexandra Tomalonis

Royal Danish Ballet's "Caroline Mathilde"
by Eva Kistrup

Vicki Schick
by Lisa Rinehart

London Letter
Fabulous Beast and Australian Dance Theatre

from John Percival

Bang on a Can All-Stars with special guest Meredith Monk
by Tom Phillips

New York City Ballet in DC; "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Two reviews:
by George Jackson
by Alexandra Tomalonis

Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras
by Susan Reiter

 



San Francisco Letter No. 24:
San Francisco Ballet's Programs 4 and 5

by Rita Felciano

It’s fascinating to see how in ballet the triumvirate of music, choreography and performance feed each other.  Though inextricably interwoven, these three “muses” rarely satisfy equally. When they do, the stage turns into heaven.

None of the pieces in San Francisco Ballet's Program 4’s triple bill were first-rate yet each had a special sheen. It was one of those evenings that you were grateful for the excellence of these dancers; it may not be enough to make ballet-going a must, but enough to keep you going.
READ MORE


Waltzing to the Wells
Sasha Walz's "Dido and Aeneas"

by John Percival

Right from its creation in 1689, Purcell's opera “Dido and Aeneas” has been linked to dance: the choreographer Josias Priest was director of the School for Young Gentlewomen in Chelsea, London, where it was premiered. Among modern revivals, one for the Schwetzingen Festival in 1966 appears to have been outstanding, with Irmgard Seefried as Dido and choreography by Kurt Jooss under the title “Epilog” with his own libretto. More recently, the opera's tricentenary in 1989 provided Mark Morris with one of his most successful productions and two of his best roles (playing both Dido and the Sorceress). All the roles, you may recall, were performed on stage by dancers, with the singers confined to the orchestra pit. READ MORE

Paul Taylor at City Center
by Leigh Witchel

One joke about Paul Taylor is that he’s the greatest choreographer to use only seven steps. It’s exaggerated, of course, but Taylor does have a restricted palette. How does he achieve variety? That may be the reason for the bipolar programming that’s become his feature; a drastic change in mood helps. Casting also makes a difference. Taylor’s dances to baroque music function as a neutral ground; they need to be offset by personalities. The works can be so placid that if one just performs them, they seem serenely bland; “Aureole,” “Airs,” and “Arden Court” blend together much as they do when listed. On Wednesday night, “Airs” got a smooth, unmemorable performance. It needed contrast, but instead looked like Taylor’s version of a ballet divertissement. READ MORE


Philippe Decouflé: not quite alone
by Susan Reiter

For many years, Philippe Decouflé has been France's go-to guy for elaborate, multi-media presentations. His success with the opening and closing ceremonies for the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics led to other spectaculars such as the Cannes Film Festival's fiftieth anniversary celebration and a (now-aborted) project for Cirque du Soleil. For his own company, he made large-scale, fantastical works — such as the imaginative, circus-like "Tricodex," which Lyon Opera Ballet brought to New York in 2004 — in which dance was one element within a vast spectacle. READ MORE


 

 

 

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