Letter
from New York
26
January 2004.
Copyright © 2004 by
Mindy Aloff
published 26 January 2004
Last Wednesday,
at the Museum of Television & Radio—which is celebrating Balanchine’s
centenary birth year with programs that showcase the spectacular array
of his televised works in the museum’s library—it was stunningly
obvious that what made his dancers look different from any others during
his lifetime was the way they phrased the choreography, and the way the
guidelines for phrasing were built into that choreography, too. They danced
as if they were speaking, with strong accents and half accents, and pauses,
and energy rising (that is, with attack) or falling (that is, with cadences).
Their dancing had the texture of witty conversation, and what they were
dancing gave them something substantial to say. Inevitably, this physical
commentary addressed the music. Regardless of how many people were on
stage, the overarching engagement between dance and music in a Balanchine
ballet lent even a solo the intimate give-and-take of a whispered exchange.
The choreography had themes (subjects) and variations (predicates), and
its hair-trigger velocities, continuously modulated like gears being shifted
in a sports car, conveyed the visceral sense that, in every sentence,
the dancing was, from initial cap to period, all verb.
read
letter
read
past Letters from New York
Double
Trouble
Double Feature
New York City Ballet
New York State Theater
New York, NY
January 23, 2004
by
Mary Cargill
copyright
2004 by Mary Cargill
published 26 January 2004
In 1999 Susan
Stroman, currently the toast of Broadway, choreographed a minor bauble
for the New York City Ballet called “Blossom Got Kissed”.
It was an inconsequentially charming piece about a ballet dancer who learns
to jive and finds romance, clearly told and enjoyable. As an homage to
Balanchine, Stroman was asked to choreograph a full-length work, which
might as well have been called “Blossom Got Mugged.”
read review
An
Evening's Debuts
Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2/Harlequinade
New York City Ballet
New York State Theater
New York, NY
January 20, 2004
by
Mary Cargill
copyright 2004 by Mary Cargill
published 24 January 2004
Jennie Somogyi
made her eagerly awaited debut as the lead ballerina in Tschaikovsky
Piano Concerto No. 2; she has previously danced gloriously in the
second lead. This ballet, so full of the spirit of Petipa, needs a phenomenally
accomplished dancer, which of course Somogyi is, as well as an instinctive
ballerina, who can make the steps sing her own song. Somogyi does have
the rare ability to speak with her body, without imposing a false drama,
and it was an extraordinary debut.
The opening
cadenza, where the ballerina (who might as well be called Aurora) dances
a fast and difficult solo, recalls the beautiful princess at her birthday
party, and Somogyi did have the youthful grandeur and grace notes (if
not always impeccably secure turns) to bring the role alive with all its
youthful joy.
read review
A
Vivid, Musical Talent
James
Sewell Ballet
Joyce Theater
New York, NY
January 20, 2004
by
Susan Reiter
copyright
© 2004 by Susan Reiter
published
26 January 2004
The
lasting impression I carried away from my initial look at James Sewell's
choreography—his troupe's first New York appearance in 2001—was
that it is refreshingly unaffected and musically astute. Having missed
the company's one-performance stop in Brooklyn last spring, the James
Sewell Ballet's first week-long local run was a welcome chance to further
investigate what he has been up to since relocating to Minneapolis in
1993.
Sewell was
a prominent member of Eliot Feld's company during the 1980s, particularly
at the time Feld frequently turned to Steve Reich scores and began creating
works that were more gymnastic and impudently playful. Sewell, an elfin,
effervescent dancer with a natural and communicative stage presence who
had studied at the School of American Ballet, was often featured in Feld's
increasingly quirky romps.
read review
ACTS
OF ARDOR:
TWO DANCES BY PAUL TAYLOR
By
Dale Brauner
copyright © 2004 by Dale Brauner
published
26 January 2004
Dance
in America presents “Acts of Ardor: Two Dances by Paul Taylor,”
on Wednesday, January 28 as part of Great Performances on PBS (check local
listings) as its first performance presentation. This is a return byTaylor
to Dance in America, which has broadcast some of his most celebrated works
in Aureole, Esplanade, 3 Epitaphs, Arden Court, The Rite of Spring
(The Rehearsal), Roses, Last Look, Speaking in Tongues, Company B, Funny
Papers and A field of Grass.
read article
|
What's
On This Week?
January
26
Movement Research at the Judson Church
This week's forum for experimentation and works-in-progress features performances
by Pedro Osorio and Bryan Kepple, and Mark Lorimer and Chrysa Parkinson.
At 8pm 55 Washington Square South at Thompson
St. 212-539-2611
January
26
Works&Process
Balanchine: The Early Years Peter Martins and Todd Bolender coach New
York City Ballet dancers in excerpts from George Balanchine's Apollo
and The Four Temperaments. Nancy Reynolds leads a discussion
on their experiences with Balanchine. Guggenheim Museum. At 8pm. 5th Avenue
at 89th Street.
January
27
Dance Arriba!
American Ballet Theatre and Casita Maria will present a benefit evening
in celebration of Latin culture. The night is hosted by Sonia Manzano
(Maria from Sesame Street) and will include highlights ABT's repertory,
performed by some of its celebrated Latin artists. Principal Dancers Paloma
Herrera, Xiomara Reyes, Jose Manuel Carreño, Angel Corella, Herman
Cornejo and Marcelo Gomes are expected to perform. Former ABT stars Lupe
Serrano and Fernando Bujones also will be honored. At 7:30 pm.
Apollo Theater, 235 West 125th Street
212 477-3030 ext. 3239.
January
27
Dance Conversations
Mindy Eve Myers, everything smaller, Nomi Bachar and Ashley Wells perform,
followed by an informal discussion.
At 7pm.
Flea Theater
41 White Street between Broadway and Church Street
212-226-0051
January
27
Balanchine, Celebrating a Life in Dance: Barnes & Noble Roundtable
To mark the publication of Balanchine, Celebrating a Life in Dance edited
by and featuring the photographs of well-known dance photographer, Costas,
a roundtable to discuss the life and ballets of Balanchine will feature,
in addition to Costas, Virginia Johnson, former Principal Dancer with
Dance Theatre of Harlem and Editor, Pointe Magazine; New York City Ballet’s
Sean Lavery, Assistant to the Ballet Master in Chief and former Principal
Dancer; Lourdes Lopez, Executive Director of The George Balanchine Foundation
and former NYCB Principal Dancer; and Nancy Reynolds, former NYCB dancer
and Director of Research for The George Balanchine Foundation. The moderator
will be dance critic and historian George
Jackson. At 7pm.
Barnes & Noble
Broadway and 67th Street
January
27-February 1
New York City Ballet
The company's Balanchine Centennial Celebration continues with more performances
of Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 (with Jennie Somogyi in
the lead, Prodigal Son (a must-see with Peter Boal heading the
cast), Apollo, Serenade, Donizetti Variations, Scotch Symphony. Swan
Lake, choreographed by Peter Martins after Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov
and Balanchine dominates the week with four performances. 1/27 at 7: 30pm,
1/28 at 8pm, 1/29 at 8pm, 1/30 at 8pm, 1/31 at 2pm, 1/31 at 8pm,
2/1 at 3pm. New York State Theater Lincoln Center 66th Street and
Broadway 212-870-5570 www.nycballet.com
January
27-29 and February 7-9
Nayikas Dance Theater Company
New York's first resident classical Indian Odissi dance theater company
performs works by Myna Mukherjee. At 8pm.
Baruch Center for the Performing Arts
Nagelberg Theater
55 Lexington Avenue at 25th Street
646-312-4085
January
27-February 29 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
January
27-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
fourth installment - The Bell Telephone Hour and More includes
Stars and Stripes (Hayden, d'Amboise), Scotch Symphony
(Tallchief, Eglevsky), Square Dance (Wilde, Magallanes), Allegro
Brillante (Tallchief, Magallanes), Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux
( Verdy, Villella), and Harlequinade (McBride, Villella). Also
included are the Diana and Actaeon Pas de Deux, from The Ed Sullivan
Show ( McBride, Villella); and, from a live 1963 telecast from the New
York State Theater, Movements for Piano and Orchestra (Farrell,
d'Amboise) and excerpts from Symphony in C (Kent, Ludlow). The
package ends with the 1966 program U.S.A. Dance—New York City Ballet,
with excerpts from Agon (Farrell, Mitchell), Tarantella
(McBride, Villella), Meditation (Farrell, d'Amboise), and the
Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (Hayden, d'Amboise) and a discussion
with Balanchine. 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
January
27-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
January
27-February 1
Buglisi/Foreman Dance
The season premieres include a work by Jacqulyn Buglisi, inspired by the
rainforest, evoking images of a dense dramatic beauty, with a set by Venezuelan
artist Jacobo Borges, and Donlin Foreman's third collaboration with composer
Lisa DeSpain to an a capella blues score performed by the New York Choral
Society. Repertory highlights include Buglisi's Suspended Women, Foreman's
Lisa D. and NY premiere of Buglisi's Pollen in Air. 1/27 at 7pm, 1/28-1/30
at 8pm, 1/31 at 2pm and 8pm, 2/1 at 2pm and 7:30pm.
The Joyce Theater 175 Eighth Ave. at 19th St. 212-242-0880 www.joyce.
org
January
27-30
H.T. Chen & Dancers
The group performs Journey to Gold Mountain.
Mulberry Street Theater, 70 Mulberry St.
212-349-0126. 1/27-30 at 10:30 am
January
27-31
Miguel Gutierrez and the Powerful People
With choreography by Gutierrez, the Powerful People unveil its new evening-length
work, dAMNATION rOAD, which explores the effects of terror on the body.
The Kitchen 512 West 19th Street at Tenth Avenue 212-255-5793
January
28
Ballet Insights
NYCB principal dancer Miranda Weese discusses dancing in Peter Martins'
Swan Lake in this pre-performance program.
New York City Ballet Studios
Samuel B. and David Rose Building
70 Lincoln Center Plaza at 65th Street, eighth floor 212-870-4074
January
28-29
Stars of the Royal Danish Ballet
Fresh off their visit to our nation's capital, a smaller group performs
highlights of works by 19th century master August Bournonville. Former
RDB member and current NYCB principal dancer, Nikolaj Hübbe, guests
in a program featuring Conservatory - Pas de Trois, Wilhelm Tell, Selections
from La Sylphide, Flower Festival in
Genzano, Pas de Six & the Tarantella from Napoli 3rd Act. Two new
works by Tim Rushton, Nomade and Triplex, also are scheduled.
On 1/28, 8pm, at McCarter Theater, 91 University Place, Princeton New
Jersey 609-258-2787. On 1/29 at 8pm New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Prudential Hall, One Center Street, Newark 1-888-GO-NJPAC
January
28-February 7
David Parker/Bang Group
Parker presents a retelling of the Nutcracker - Cracked, Slapstick, and
Enough. At 7pm.
Dance Theater Workshop
219 West 19th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues
January
29-February 1
Flamenco Festival New York 2004
The fourth annual festival features over 80 dancers, singers and musicians
direct from Spain in a display of flamenco puro, classical flamenco, and
contemporary innovations. Manuela Carrasco, Chocolate, Israel Galván,
Juan de Juan and Rocio Molina on January 29; Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras
on January 30 ; and Compañía Andaluza de Danza in its New
York debut on January 31 and February 1.
City Center
55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues
212-581-1212
www.citycenter.org
January
29-February 8
Dusara Dance
Bill Clark launches his own dance company with performances of Place Poems.
La MaMa E.T.C. Annex Theare 74A East 4th Street between Bowery and Second
Avenue 212-475-7710
January
29-March 4
Wow Moves Dance Fest
The Monster Baby Project, a series of solos adapted from Anne Gadwa's
I Dream of Monster Babies, is performed.
Wow Cafe Theater
59-61 East 4th Street between Bowery and Second Avenue
4th Floor
212-777-4280
January
30-February 1
AdrienneCelesteFadjoDANCE
ACFDance presents an evening of works that includes extended
premieres of Running On Time and Mariah.
Joyce Soho
155 Mercer Street betwen Houston and Prince Streets 212-334-7479
January
30-February 1
Food for Thought
This series, which benefits neighborhood food distribution programs and
curated by Wally Cardona, Heidi Latsky, and Susan Osberg, returns. Kick
Stand DAnce, Carrie Ahern, Kathy Wildberger and others perform.
At 8:30 pm. The DraftWork series that presents works-in-progress
performances by Joshua Bisset/SHUA Group on 1/31 at 3pm.
At 8:30pm Theatre at St. Mark's Church 131 E
10th Street at 2nd Avenue 212-674-8112
January
30-February 1
Imago Dance Theater
A Day in the Life is performed.
1/30 at 9pm, 1/31-2/1 at 8pm.
Cunningham Studio
55 Bethune Street
212-613-8456
— 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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is published quarterly (January, April, July and October)
in Washington, D.C. Address all correspondence to:
DanceView
P.O. Box 34435
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