Letter from New York
24
November 2003.
Copyright ©2003 by
Mindy Aloff
Last Sunday
and Monday (November 16 and 17), the Works & Process series at the
Guggenheim Museum presented an evening dedicated to the reconstructions
of two “lost” Balanchine ballets—Le Baiser de la
Fée (1937, American Ballet; staged for the Ballet Russe de
Monte Carlo in 1940).) and Mozartiana (1945), both from Balanchine’s
years as resident choreographer for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo during
and just after World War II. The program was organized by The George Balanchine
Foundation, an archival organization that has devoted much of its considerable
energy to reconstructing and filming Balanchine ballets long out of rep,
as well as to filming original interpreters of familiar Balanchine roles,
many now much changed over time, in the act of coaching young dancers
from the point of view of what the first casts of Balanchine’s ballets
actually were directed to do.
read article
Deep Waters
Moon
Water
Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn, NY
November 20, 2003
By
Susan Reiter
copyright
© 2003 by Susan Reiter
When
a theatrical experience is as mesmerizing and complete as Moon Water,
the latest work brought to these shores by Cloud Gate Dance Theater of
Taiwan, the afterglow resonates for days. The concept of creating a dance
work drawing primarily on the movements of tai chi could have led to something
insular—full of surface piety but distancing itself from an audience
rather than communicating to it. But Moon Water was the most
riveting 70 minutes I've experienced in a theater in a while, and the
immensely focused, amazingly concentrated audience at BAM suggested that
many were held equally rapt.
read article
Homage to St. Petersburg
St.
Petersburg in New York: Ballet
St. Petersburg Through American Eyes
Celebration of the 300th Anniversary of the City of St. Petersburg
The Harriman Institute of Columbia University
November 6-16, 2003
By
Dale Brauner
copyright © 2003 by Dale Brauner
St. Petersburg, Russia is to balletomanes what Wrigley Field is to baseball enthusiasts, Vienna is to music aficionados, and Rome is to Catholics. Many ballet lovers consider it the birthplace of the art form. St. Petersburg is the birthplace of George Balanchine, Anna Pavlova, Mikhail Fokine; the home of the Mariinsky Theatre and breeding ground to countless dance figures.
The city
observed its 300th anniversary this year and events celebrating the “Venice
of the North” are being held around the world. New York has the
largest population of Russians living outside Russia, so it is only right
that festivities have been staged here. The Harriman Institute of Columbia
University presented “St. Petersburg Through American Eyes; Celebrating
300 Years of St. Petersburg." held from November 6-16. There were
panels devoted to painting, music and literature, and also one devoted
to ballet (moderated by Lynn Garafola, Professor of Dance at Barnard College).
Participants were noted teacher Suki Schorer ("Transformed by America:
Balanchine and the Maryinsky Tradition"); author Tim Scholl (“The
Sleeping Beauty and St. Petersburg"); and critic Elizabeth
Kendall (“Passing on the Petersburg Legacy"), a session on
coaching with American Ballet Theatre principals Irina Dvorovenko and
Maxim Beloserkovsky.
read review
Reprinted from the Midweek edition:
SALVATION GOREYFIED
Riedel
Dance Theater
Joyce SoHo
New York, NY
November 20, 2003
by
Mary Cargill
copyright © 2003 by Mary Cargill
Jonathan
Riedel’s The Unsightful Nanny, based on Edward Gorey’s
work and performed as part of last years Limón season at the Joyce,
was one of the most unusual and mordantly funny works seen in sometime.
So the news that Riedel had formed a company formed mainly from Limón
dancers to present his own works, including a new Gorey piece, was exciting
news. His company (making its Joyce debut) is performing at the Joyce
Soho from November 20th through the 23rd.
read review
What's On This Week
November
24-30
Dance Cuba
Choreographer Lizt Alfonso premieres De Novo and other works
that blend flamenco with ballet and live Afro-Cuban music.
New Victory Theater
209 W. 42nd St.
(212) 239-6200
www.newvictory.org/
November
24
Movement Research at the Judson Church
This week's forum for experimentation and works-in-progress features the
work of Ursula Eagly, Ann Livingston Young, and Edisa Weeks.
55 Washington Square South
212-539-2611
November
24-November 30 (opened October 30)
Noche Flamenca
One of Spain's most successful flamenco companies performs for five weeks.
Soledad Barrio, winner of a Bessie Award in 2001, performs.
Lucille Lortel Theatre
121 Christopher Street
212-239-6200
November
25
New York City Ballet
The company kicks off its big celebration of the centennial
of co- founder George Balanchine's birth with its Winter Gala. Serenade,
the first ballet Balanchine choreographed in American, opens the
evening. The work was created for students and dancers from the affiliated
School of American Ballet will take part on this occasion, along with
one of the last dancers coached by Balanchine still dancing - Kyra Nichols.
The only performance Balanchine's 1963 take on asian exotica, Bugaku,
will take place. Symphony in C, which was on the program for
the first performance of the New York City Ballet in 1948, closes the
evening.
New York State Theatre
Lincoln Center
212-8705570
November
25
Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies
The 25th anniversary celebration of LIMS concludes with a gala performance
with works by Claire Porter, Eva Marie Blashke, Marie- Cristine Georghiou
and Regina Miranda.
St. Mark's Church
131 E. 10th St.
(212) 643-8888.
November
25-30
Maria Benitez Teatro
This company of highly respected choreographers and dancers
present a program of classical Spanish repertory and flamenco. Among the
news works is a dance to the music of Isaac Albeniz, an elegant Spanish
classical dance, and flamenco to live music.
175 Eighth Ave. at 19th St.
212-242-0880
www.joyce.org
November
28-30
New York City Ballet
The seemingly endless Nutcracker season begins with the one which made
it a family tradition in New York, George Balanchine's The Nutcracker.
A family tradition, Act I is still a treat and Act II contains some of
the finest classical choreography. Het Nationale Ballet of the Netherlands
ballerina Sofiane Sylve, who guested with the company last winter, is
back as a principal dancer and makes her debut as the Dewdrop this week.
Also check out Miranda Weese or Maria Kowroski as the Sugar Plum, Ashley
Bouder as Marzipan, and former ABT soloist Joaquin de Luz as Tea.
New York State Theatre
Lincoln Center
212-8705570
November
28-30
Niles Ford Urban Dance Collective
A Dream Deferred, a work dedicated to Rod Rogers, will
be performed.
Performance Space 122
150 First Ave. at Ninth St.
(212) 477-5288.
November
29-30
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Arthur Mitchell's troup performs St. Louis Woman: A Blues Ballet,
which garnered mostly strong reviews when it was shown last summer at
the Lincoln Center Festival. The choreography is by Tony and Emmy Award-winner
Michael Smuin, set to a score by the songwriting team of Harold Arlen
and Johnny Mercer. The program also includes George Balanchine's Serenade.
Prudential Hall
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Newark
(888) 466-5722
www.njpac.org
— Dale
Brauner
|
|
|
|