Remember history class in high school? The teacher presented a lecture and told us how exciting a certain historical period had been, going on to incessantly bore us because we had no recourse other than to take indecipherable notes we couldn't understand later, finally coming to the conclusion that history was, and always would be, a painstaking bore, better consigned to the college professors we were bound to meet sooner or later on our educational journey to adulthood and, hopefully, a job. That's very much what I thought about the American Ballet Theater's new production of Alexei Ratmansky's 'Sleeping Beauty.' I hate to sound churlish, but so much ink, not to mention so many dollars, have been lavished on this production, that, beyond some more extra performances and, probably, a showing on Great Performances, it will disappear within two years. At least it will be in the archives for future generations to watch.
Marius Petipa first staged Don Quixote for the Imperial Bolshoi Theater in 1869 to great acclaim, and it immediately entered the ballet canon. Almost every ballet enthusiast has seen a version of this work--new productions run the risk of seeming stale and mundane. This general familiarity made The Royal Ballet's decision to open its American tour with the U.S. premiere of Carlos Acosta's Don Quixote daring. The gambit paid off, however, as this production proved to be a fresh take on an old warhorse.
Vienna Festival Ballet is currently in the midst of its 35th Anniversary Gala UK tour which celebrates their extensive repertoire and wonderful performers. I had the privilege of speaking to the company's principal female dancer, Emily-Joy Smith, who is presently enjoying performing some of her favourite characters all in one show!
This year's Jacob's Pillow Dance Award, a prestigious honor carrying an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize, will be presented to contemporary choreographer Liz Gerring in recognition of her talent and outstanding contributions to the dance field. Active in the dance world for nearly 20 years, Gerring regularly garners acclaim for her 'enthralling and important' works (Alastair Macaulay, The New York Times) that also 'reveals the dancers as the splendid athletes that they are' (dance critic Deborah Jowitt). Gerring will accept the Award and members of Liz Gerring Dance Company will perform at the Pillow's Season Opening Gala on Saturday, June 20 in the Ted Shawn Theatre. The company will return to perform the evening-length work glacier in the Doris Duke Theatre August 19-23. Previous recipients of the Jacob's Pillow Dance Award include tap artist Michelle Dorrance, the legendary choreographer Merce Cunningham, 2013 MacArthur Fellow Kyle Abraham, and Tony Award winner and director of New York Live Arts Bill T. Jones, among others.
According to the Guardian, OLIVER! is heading back to the big screen! British choreographer Matthew Bourne revealed that a new movie version of the 1960 musical is currently in the works. Bourne told the Guardian: 'We're reviving The Car Man - based on Carmen. There's also a film of Oliver! in the pipeline. Cameron Mackintosh is hoping to follow up LES MISERABLES with Oliver! and I've never really worked on a major film so that's exciting.'
Queens Theatre (QT) is pleased to announce that their 2014-2015 Season Dance Series will begin with performances by the world-renowned Martha Graham Dance Company today October 11 at 2pm & 8pmand Sunday, October 12 at 3pm at Queens Theatre (14 United Nations Avenue South, Flushing Meadows Corona Park). Tickets are available at queenstheatre.org and range from $25-$42.
Queens Theatre (QT) is pleased to announce that their 2014-2015 Season Dance Series will begin with performances by the world-renowned Martha Graham Dance Company on Saturday, October 11 at 2pm & 8pmand Sunday, October 12 at 3pm at Queens Theatre (14 United Nations Avenue South, Flushing Meadows Corona Park). Tickets are available at queenstheatre.org and range from $25-$42. (Photos for Queens Theatre events are available here:http://bit.ly/QT_Photos)
An important display of portraits by Snowdon from the 1950s to the 1990s has opened at the National Portrait Gallery, London, it was announced today, Friday 26 September, 2014.
The display includes portraits from his recently announced gift, one of the largest in its history, of 130 original prints to the gallery, of some of his most iconic photographs. Highlights include from 1978 actor Terence Stamp dramatically clothed up to his neck in a cape and Dame Maggie Smith photographed with a cigarette and script in hand rehearsing the title role in Ibsen's Hedda Gabler for Ingmar Bergman in 1970.
Snowdon has given 130 original prints of some of his most iconic photographs to the National Portrait Gallery, London, one of its largest gifts, it was announced today. Several of them will be shown at the gallery for the first time in an important display this autumn.
Snowdon has given 130 original prints of some of his most iconic photographs to the National Portrait Gallery, London, one of its largest gifts, it was announced today. Several of them will be shown at the gallery for the first time in an important display this autumn.
The art of the dance movie poster is celebrated at Jacob's Pillow this summer with GOTTA DANCE!, an extraordinary exhibit of vintage posters from throughout the world. The posters, which feature stars such as Gene Kelly, Rita Hayworth, Cyd Charisse, Eleanor Powell, and Astaire & Rogers, were selected from the personal collection of one of the genre's foremost experts, award-winning campaign designer and producer Mike Kaplan. GOTTA DANCE! includes a special six-poster salute to Marge and Gower Champion on the occasion of Marge Champion's 95th birthday.
This year's Jacob's Pillow Dance Award, a coveted honor carrying a $25,000 cash prize, will be presented to choreographer John Heginbotham in recognition of his talent and outstanding contributions to the dance field. Heginbotham, an alumnus of The School at Jacob's Pillow, has garnered critical and popular acclaim for his contemporary works, eclectic and rich with “movement that exhibits sharpness, energy, formality and, yes, oddity” (Alastair Macaulay, The New York Times). His company, Dance Heginbotham, will perform the evening-length world premiere of Chalk and Soot in the Doris Duke Theatre July 30-August 3. In Chalk and Soot, Heginbotham joins forces with composer Colin Jacobsen to create a work featuring imaginative, theatrical choreography, live music performed by superstar string quartet Brooklyn Rider, the vocal stylings of Shara Worden (lead singer of My Brightest Diamond), and singer/songwriter Gabriel Kahane on harmonium.
Venetia Stifler, Executive and Artistic Director of the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, has announced the Newberry Library as the 2014 recipient of the Ruth Page Center for the Arts Distinguished Service Award. Presented for the first time in 2013, the Distinguished Service Award is given to an individual or organization that demonstrates extraordinary service and leadership in advancing the mission of the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Newberry President David Spadafora will be presented with this award at the annual Ruth Page Center for the Arts Gala held Saturday, May 10 at the Chicago Yacht Club, 400 E. Monroe St.
As I was going to the Paul Taylor performance I saw a woman wearing a mink coat and my brain retreated to my early teenage years when all those Blackglama ads were in vogue. You remember them: 'What becomes a legend most?' Among those featured in the advertisements were Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, and Martha Graham, among the many icons.
'The Perfect Partnership', starring Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn, is an outstanding documentary that features never before seen footage, interviews and dance selections between two of the greatest classical dancers to ever grace the world's stages - many critics will say the most magnificent and technically brilliant pair to dance the classical repertoire.
The Passion Nureyev is the perfect name for this film, shown as a part of Dance on Camera and Dance Films Society at Lincoln Center. Via film clips of performances, rehearsals, trainings, and interviews, it was Rudolph Nureyev's great passion for ballet, his work, and his life which resonated throughout.
SEATTLE, WA-Pacific Northwest Ballet's 2013-2014 season continues with the perfect Valentine and a happily-ever-after experience for all ages, Ronald Hynd's The Sleeping Beauty. From fairies that really fly to the Prince's wakening kiss and an imperial wedding celebration, each moment of The Sleeping Beauty faithfully portrays the beloved fairy tale with grand storytelling, Tchaikovsky's beloved score, magnificent sets and costumes, and over 30 leading roles. Long regarded as the ideal classical ballet, The Sleeping Beauty's fairytale world was crafted to mirror the splendor of the Imperial Czars, its first patrons. Although this production is as discernibly English as its choreographer, the ballet remains true to Marius Petipa's 1890 original and each act - from the evil fairy Carabosse's flying entrance in the Prologue to the Rose Adagio's spectacular balances to Act III's celebrated Bluebird pas de deux - offers rich opportunities for dancers to demonstrate technique and artistry, and take star-turns. Ultimately, however, the pivotal brilliance of Beauty rests with Princess Aurora; she must captivate as a teenager, inspire a Prince's love as a vision, and awaken a queen, all while mastering some of the most technically grueling choreography in classical ballet's cannon - a genuine mark of distinction for a great ballerina. The Sleeping Beauty runs for nine performances only, January 31 to February 9, 2014 at Seattle Center's Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street. Tickets may be purchased by calling the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, online at pnb.org, or in person at 301 Mercer Street.
"The Perfect Partnership", starring Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn, is an outstanding documentary that features never before seen footage, interviews and dance selections between two of the greatest classical dancers to ever grace the world's stages - many critics will say the most magnificent and technically brilliant pair to dance the classical repertoire.
SEATTLE, WA-Pacific Northwest Ballet's 2013-2014 season continues with the perfect Valentine and a happily-ever-after experience for all ages, Ronald Hynd's The Sleeping Beauty. From fairies that really fly to the Prince's wakening kiss and an imperial wedding celebration, each moment of The Sleeping Beauty faithfully portrays the beloved fairy tale with grand storytelling, Tchaikovsky's beloved score, magnificent sets and costumes, and over 30 leading roles. Long regarded as the ideal classical ballet, The Sleeping Beauty's fairytale world was crafted to mirror the splendor of the Imperial Czars, its first patrons. Although this production is as discernibly English as its choreographer, the ballet remains true to Marius Petipa's 1890 original and each act - from the evil fairy Carabosse's flying entrance in the Prologue to the Rose Adagio's spectacular balances to Act III's celebrated Bluebird pas de deux - offers rich opportunities for dancers to demonstrate technique and artistry, and take star-turns. Ultimately, however, the pivotal brilliance of Beauty rests with Princess Aurora; she must captivate as a teenager, inspire a Prince's love as a vision, and awaken a queen, all while mastering some of the most technically grueling choreography in classical ballet's cannon - a genuine mark of distinction for a great ballerina. The Sleeping Beauty runs for nine performances only, January 31 to February 9, 2014 at Seattle Center's Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street. Tickets may be purchased by calling the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, online at pnb.org, or in person at 301 Mercer Street.
