Rose Marija - Page 4

On Saturday, August 18, 2018, I attended the 8pm performance, Program B, of the Sarasota Ballet, at the Joyce Theater. Iain Webb, former dancer with both the Sadler's Wells and the Royal Ballet of London, dancing lead roles, took over the directorship of the Sarasota Ballet in July 2007. This program included pieces by Christopher Wheeldon and Sir Frederick Ashton.

On July 22, 2018, I was privileged to attend the singular showing of A Man of Dance/Vincent Warren, at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center. This film is a celebration of the life of Vincent Warren (1938 - 2017) written and directed by Marie Brodeur.

On July 9, 2018 Fathom Events presented Giselle, the 1st of the Summer Series of encore performances of ballet films by the Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow, which played simultaneously around the globe, in a single showing.

Choreographer Jerome Robbins was born in New York City in 1918. On this, the occasion of what would be his 100th birthday, the New York City Ballet, for whom he choreographed and became Associate Artistic Director, presents Jerome Robbins 100 with five different programs. On Friday, May 18, 2018, I was in the David Koch Theater to see program #5.

The opening night of Geneva, Switzerland's Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve, at the Joyce Theater, on April 24, 2018 was lit up with ballet stars in the audience. I have been watching this worthwhile contemporary ballet company since the 1980's, and I was delighted to be there when they opened the current program in NYC. Since the '80s, under the direction of brilliant Argentinean choreographer Oscar Araiz, this ballet company became an exemplary contemporary ballet company. Since 2003 Philippe Cohen has been the Artistic Director, bringing top contemporary choreographers to work with the company.

This year's Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition (VKIBC) is held at Symphony Space, N.Y. March 26 - March 30. On March 25, 2018 Charles Jude, former Etoile dancer of the Opera de Paris (Etoile is the highest rank of dancer at the Paris Opera Ballet) and Director of the Ballet de l'Opera de Bordeaux since 1996, coached the senior level (age 18-26) entrants in the compulsory dance from Serge Lifar's Suite en Blanc. The men dance Mazurka and the women dance La Cigarette. Mr. Jude appeared in the ballet many times while Etoile with the Paris Opera Ballet; and is also a trustee of the Lifar Foundation.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018 was the grand opening of Grand Hotel. I was thrilled to be in attendance and the performance did not disappoint. With the book by Luther Davis; music and lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest; additional music lyrics by Maury Yeston, music director of the Encores! Orchestra, Rob Berman; and directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes; as well as a talented cast, the performance was great fun from beginning to end.

On March 1, 2018, I saw one of the final performances of New York City Ballet's Winter 2018 season (ending March 4th). The Stravinsky/ Balanchine program presents some of Balanchine's most appreciated ballets, which is exciting to experience. Over the years, many dancers have had the opportunity to perform these ballets. Now, many years since the death of the choreographer/artistic director, April 30, 1983, the NYCB company continues to thrive. While a number of the older dancers take on the style of the Master, many of the corps de ballet members seem to be dancing without the full comprehension of the spirit, even the technique, which created these works. This, of course, can be explained in part by the changes in the world in which they live. We can hope for evolution in a positive direction.

On February 15, 2018 I was fortunate enough to be in the audience at the Joyce Theater to experience this season's production of Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca. Artistic director and founder (founded in 1993) of the company, Martin Santangelo, husband of the passionate and magnetic Flamenco dancer, Soledad Barrio (born in Madrid, Spain), is also the choreographer of this work along with company members. Barrio has a strong back and legs that along with her indomitable spirit create music, drama, and atmosphere.

Paige Fraser, a beautiful and talented dancer with severe scoliosis, is currently dancing with Visceral Dance Chicago. I was fortunate to see her perform with this company on January 18, 2018, at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, NYC. She appeared in each of the five pieces performed. Even knowing about her disability, it was not obvious that she is dealing with scoliosis. Her passion for dance and performance is evident.

Francis Patrelle (Artistic Director/Resident Choreographer) founded Dances Patrelle in 1988 as an outlet for his choreography. Patrelle engages professional dancers and, for The Yorkville Nutcracker, he invites students of Ballet Academy East to dance many of the roles, as Nutcracker productions traditionally use children and young dancers for a large number of roles. This year marks the 22nd anniversary of Dances Patrelle's The Yorkville Nutcracker, which I saw on December 8, 2017.

On Tuesday, October 31, 2017, I attended the opening night of the Dresden Semperoper Ballett, under the artistic direction of Aaron Sean Watkin, at the Joyce Theater with great anticipation. I was excited to see contemporary ballet as it is presented in Europe. The flyer for this company describes its program, 'an elegant program that showcases classical ballet with a contemporary bend'. There was pointe work in David Dawson's two pieces and no shoes in the other two works. The dancers must have been chosen for their flexibility of spirit.

On Saturday evening, October 14, 2017, at the David H. Koch Theater, I saw a performance by NYCB including five contemporary pieces choreographed by four members of NYCB and the fifth who had trained at SAB (School of American Ballet, the official school of NYCB).

The Joyce Theater's Ballet Festival, continuing through July 29, 2017, is an opportunity for young dance groups to perform at this venue. On Wednesday evening, July 26th, I saw Gemma Bond Dance. Choreographer Gemma Bond is a member of American Ballet Theatre, as are her sixteen dancers. Bond, born in Bedfordshire, England, got her first taste of choreography at 13 when she competed in the Royal Ballet's (where she trained) Sir Kenneth Macmillan Choreographic Competition. From 2010 to the present, she has created new pieces for ABT's Choreographic Company as well as for other companies and competitions.

I was fortunate to see the Cirio Collective on Monday, June 24, 2017, a part of the Joyce Theater's Ballet Festival, July 18 - 29. Drawn to see the company of extraordinary American Ballet Theatre principal dancer, Jeffrey Cirio, the artistic director of his own company, I was not disappointed. Cirio's associate artistic director is his sister, Lia Cirio, principal dancer of the Boston Ballet, also a remarkable dancer.

Emery LeCrone, founder, choreographer, and artistic director of Emery LeCrone Dance, is committed to developing contemporary ballets that feature live music and costume collaborations with fashion designers. All choreographies on the program were created by LeCrone. Emery LeCrone Dance performs at the Joyce Theater July 18, 19, and 20. I saw the performance on Wednesday July 19th.

North American premiere of Saburo Teshigawara's Sleeping Water was brought to New York City by the Lincoln Center Festival, performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Hall July 13-15, 2017. I was fortunate to attend the opening night performance. Teshigawara, whose background includes the study of plastic arts and classic ballet, did the choreography, set design, lighting design, and costume design for this work. This is understandable as lighting, sets, and costumes were all integral parts of the performance. understated flowing black costumes contributed to the flow, as did the music and the lighting, varieties of spot light formations. One particularly interesting lighting choice was floor level spotlights, lit from the sides of the stage in lines of light across the stage. As the dancers moved through them, there was a strobe effect. The backdrop was black. There were, at certain moments, objects that descended, catching the lights, but never hitting the floor. 1985, Teshigawara formed KARAS. Evidently, Sleeping Water is entirely his creation.

On Saturday morning, May 20, 2017, ABT gave an hour length performance designed to introduce children to the ballet, as they do every year. The Metropolitan Opera House was full of excited young ones. I had a running commentary from a boy of about 4 years old, sitting next to me on his father's lap. It is a performance composed of excerpts from several ballets.

On Saturday morning, May 20, 2017, ABT gave an hour length performance designed to introduce children to the ballet, as they do every year. The Metropolitan Opera House was full of excited young ones. I had a running commentary from a boy of about 4 years old, sitting next to me on his father's lap. It is a performance composed of excerpts from several ballets.