The Dance Thread - Page 3

That's quite interesting. The movement is really cool. I never realized the hip hop guys can move like that. I still prefer the haunting version Dying Swan I saw with Nina Ananiashvili a few years ago.

This thread delivers. When I was younger, I used to study street dance videos for inspiration before heading out to clubs

Aqwa by Compagnie Kafig is one of the best things I've seen in a long time.

Also saw Lil Buck earlier about a week ago. Very cool.

Diaghilev was amazing in the quality and quantity of talent he brought together: Picasso, Stravinsky, Balanchine, Nijinsky, Pavlova, Fokine, Chanel, Bakst, Ravel, Debussy, Satie, Cocteau, etc. The list of truly great 20th century artists that he worked with is mind-bogglingly huge, and that's what a true impressario does. I don't think anyone today is even remotely in the same ballpark in assembling this kind of talent. The last person who did anything close was probably Merce Cunningham who worked with John Cage, and Robert Rauschenberg.

I saw this summer ABT's production of The Bright Stream. It is really the best thing they've done in years, and Ratmansky (who just signed a 10-year contract with them as choreographer in residence) is going to change this company for the better. Isabella Boylston was amazing as the Ballerina. And they're bringing Ratmansky's new Firebird next summer --- I can't remember when the last time I was so excited about ABT!

NYCB Moves was here a few weeks ago, and there are some nice pieces and truly God awful ones (Peter Martins's A Fool For You, based on Ray Charles's music), but it was so nice to see them again especially in pieces like Dances at a Gathering, Polyphonia (which reminds us why everyone was so excited about Wheeldon back in the day when he made things that had soul and mystery instead of being a caricature of himself these days), and Martins's Hallelujah Junction. That last piece should be the calling card of the company because it shows off the unique qualities of the company that isn't found anywhere else: musicality fused to speed and virtuosity. No other company in the world has that same combination of attributes, and that's why they're special.

I also got to see for the first time Tiler Peck and Sara Mearns, and now I understand what all the fuss is about. Tiler has amazing musicality and can make anything look profound. Sara is like this super-intense performer who is perfect for all the Balanchine leotard ballets. We also saw Wendy Whelan (who is also just an absolute sweetheart) in Wheeldon's Polyphonia and After The Rain, and it was great to see her in what might be her valedictory years.

Two extremely skilled turners:

Osiel Gouneo, National Ballet of Cuba (whose school is famous for turning out great turners):


Adeline Pastor (another product of the BNC school):

The Bright Stream was a lot of fun, much better than I expected. I thought Osipova and Reyes were better matched than Bolyston and Kent when they were dancing together. I heard it was fun to watch Hallberg dance in a tutu but I didn't get to see his cast. Simkin on point gives many ballerinas a run for their money.

I got to see the Volpi premier at the ABT gala this week. There were certain parts I liked a lot while other parts lost me. The guitar music was fantastic.

FYI Baryshnikov is acting "In Paris" at the Broad in Santa Monica next year. I'm so jealous.

I saw Sara Mearns dance the Ocean's Kingdom premier. A friend of mine mentioned she is best in Swan Lake (but I'm yet to see the NYCB version). I saw NYCB dance Polyphonia at Fall for Dance last Saturday. It was nice but I wasn't blown away. The cast was fantastic though. The best I've seen at NYCB this year was Apollo in the spring. It was the first time Chase Finlay danced Apollo (as a corps member, before his promotion to soloist) and had a raw innocence to him. He had at least 7 curtain calls. What an unbelievable debut.

I saw Chase Finlay, too, and along with Sara Mearns, was one of the dancers I'd heard so much about, and was really looking forward to seeing. I didn't see anything particularly distinguished or undistinguished about his dancing, but perhaps the rep they did didn't allow him to shine out here. He also looks like he's 12 years old.

Sara wasn't very flattered by Dances at a Gathering, but she really came alive in Polyphonia. I think she'd be great in 4Ts. Tiler on the other hand was amazing in everything, and the revelation of the tour for me.

In The Bright Stream, I saw the Boylston, Reyes, Simkin cast (Hammoudi was the other male lead). Daniil has really great comic timing, and there were lots of great little details in his sylph costume, like the elastics sticking out, untied from his pointe shoes. I can also imagine Hallberg putting more than a few ballerinas to shame.

Findlay just looks like the personification Apollo. I think there was something about raw his first performance that was not as refined as other dancers. My friends tell me his other performances of Apollo didn't have that special something, perhaps because he became more comfortable in that role. I have seen him in other roles, but I think Apollo is still his best.

Daniiil was hilarious, especially when he was running across stage pretending to be a slyph or some like creature.

Live from Lincoln Center broadcasts New York City Ballet's Nutcracker starting on Wednesday, December 18. Check your local listings and set your DVRs!

http://www.pbs.org/programs/live-from-lincoln-center/

They are also showing this in movie theaters next week on Tuesday, December 13:

http://www.fathomevents.com/details.aspx?eventid=1048&d=12/13/2011

I saw the Nutcracker theater broadcast last night. There were things to carp on, but Ashly Bouder is freakin' incredible, and her performance alone is worth watching the whole thing. Kelly Ripa is kind of scary.

BTW, the TV broadcast is a separate performance than the theater broadcast, but with the same cast and with Chelsea Clinton as the host instead of Ripa. It's actually live tonight, but some places (like us in SoCal) are getting a delayed broadcast later.

A reminder that San Francisco Ballet's production of The Little Mermaid is on in most places tomorrow night:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/the-little-mermaid-from-san-francisco-ballet/about-the-program/1215/

It is definitely not for little kids as the story treatment is actually quite tragic. Just what we need for the holidays!

I recently saw Fela! again in SF. Saw it in NY last year. My wife and I totally love afrobeat. We went to an after party at a club in Oakland and got busy.

Fela! cast on Colbert Report (from '09)