Stars of the International Ballet Stage
As seen at New York City Center, New York. Photographs by Steven Pisano
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It isn’t as mainstream as the Opera Garnier’s season opening. Facing the Théâtre du Châtelet, the Théâtre de la Ville hosts a yearly festival as fall takes its toll on yellowish leaves of Haussmann boulevards. In spite of its great media coverage by contemporary dance enthusiasts and low pricing policy, Le Festival d’automne, is something of a well-kept secret. The 2016 edition is dedicated to Lucinda Childs’ postmodern vibes, featuring her famous piece, “Dance” the evening of the premiere. When first performed in 1979, “Dance” met with mixed reception. Later, it earned the status of ‘masterpiece’ and it’s rare to read a review where Lucinda Childs is not labelled as a genius choreographer, being a powerful dance mathematician. Now, “Dance” is back in the Childs-accustomed walls of Théâtre de la Ville, in a restaged version. The projections on the monochrome grid make the dancers move along with ghostly figures, as if emerging from the past. Sadly, Lucinda Childs' emblematic aura vanished, altering the uncanny dialogue which Sol LeWitt's original film used to trigger. And what's a masterpiece without the shadow of its creator?
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Lucinda Childs' “Dance.” Photograph by Sally Cohn
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As seen at New York City Center, New York. Photographs by Steven Pisano
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Continue ReadingIn Maldonne, French filmmakers Leila KA and Josselin Carré pose eleven women side by side on a barren stage. They’re dressed in floral patterns that hearken to the 1950s. The camera zooms in to frame their faces—each woman is in a state of distress.
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