World-class review of ballet and dance.
In his 1881 guide Our Etiquette and Social Observances, writer Hudson K. Lyverthey aims to outline the ârules for the conduct of a person in all of his relations to society.â He uses drawing rooms, street corners, social dances, and even church as settings for this discussion. His booklet, he explains, is unique because it âis designed for both ladies and gentlemen; the advantages of this plan will be evident.â
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A Russian, a Dane and a Canadianâall choreographersâmay never have walked into a bar together, but their works made for a magnificently diverse program presented by Los Angeles Ballet to kick off the troupeâs 11th season. The three dancemakers, George Balanchine, August Bournonville and Aszure Barton, represent three distinct styles, and showcased the companyâs commitment to preservation as well as being cleverly hip in the moment.
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The dancers and musicians gather on the stage, the chorus of their voices rising through the auditorium. Thereâs a Middle Eastern influence to their music, a complex layering of sound that comes from the diversity of styles choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui has brought together. Each of his dancers and musicians are experienced in different disciplines and this crossing of skills provides a rich palette for Cherkaoui to draw from. The result is a carefully crafted work that emerges from a maelstrom of music, movement, voice and image.
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In Jane Austenâs 1803 novel Northanger Abbey, seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland spends the winter in Bath, a town tucked away in the English countryside. While there, Morland finds herself at a series of balls and social dances. She also finds herself in the company of new friendsâand suitors. One is Isabella Thorpe, a society sweetheart who dealsâand delightsâin gossip. Another is her brother John Thorpe, a wealthy young man whose arrogance and entitlement is evident even when he dances. As Morland spends more time with these characters at community dances, her view of wealthy English society evolves: although society culture at...
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From the opening moments, Jasmin Vardimon's âPinocchioâ resonates with the kind of magic you only encounter in theatre. One after the other the performers rise from the floor, hand in hand, their bodies straight and stiff, mechanically tipping in turn like the wooden figurines of an old town square clock. Itâs an enduring image of this showâand it is one of many.
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Think of it as the terpsichorean equivalent of a mic dropâtimes four, or BeyoncĂ© before BeyoncĂ© (but a decided precursor to âFormationâ). However one chooses to look at it, William Forsytheâs âArtifact Suite,â performed over the weekend by Houston Ballet (who premiered it just last month), was an anarchic, jaw-dropping stunner. One third of a unique billâa trio of American ballet troupes each performing a Forsythe opusââArtifactâ is a one-act, forty-minute abstraction of the his 1984 âArtifact,â the first piece the American-born choreographer made for his now disbanded troupe, Ballett Frankfurt.
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Sixty minutes is a tricky length for a work of dance. Slot an uninterrupted hour of dance into a mixed bill and you risk an inattentive audience. But present it as a stand-alone production and you face an extra layer of critical scrutinyâis the piece truly substantial enough to carry an entire evening?
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The noise of the day drops away as I make my way to the upstairs studio of Dancehouse. I am one part of an increasingly hushed procession assembled on opening night to experience Sarah-Jane Normanâs âThe Riverâs Childrenâ (2013), and âTake This, For It Is My Bodyâ (2010) paired with âHeirloomâ (2013), and Nacera Belazaâs âThe Shoutâ (2008), presented as part of Melbourne Festival.
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2016 marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeareâs death, and the year has seen artistic tributes pour in from around the world: film festivals, art exhibitions, publishing initiatives, theatre takeovers. Birmingham Royal Ballet is responsible for one of the most extensive dance offerings: a dedicated Shakespeare Season featuring 80 performances of seven Bard-inspired ballets, including a new evening-length reworking of âThe Tempestâ from artistic director David Bintley.
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Grupo Corpo, the Brazilian contemporary company, gave one performance in Austin, sandwiched by stops in Minneapolis and New Orleans, and between engagements in New York City and Europe. I can imagine that these one-nighters blur together for the members of the group, distinguishable only by hotel and theater amenities and the receptiveness of the audience. But for Austin audiences, who have had the opportunity to see the company once every few years since 2008, thanks to programming by the University of Texas, each of these rare performances is distinct. The two ballets on this program, both created for the company...
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Down, instead of up. That is how things fall when they are dropped. But in the worlds of circus and dance, the body doesnât have to give the appearance of being a servant to gravity. In the worlds of circus and dance, the body can defy gravity. And gravity is what pulls three pieces by three different choreographers together in Les 7 Doigtsâ âTriptyque,â presented as part of Melbourne Festival at the Playhouse late on a Sunday afternoon. A swirling galaxy is made, beginning with Marie Chouinardâs âAnne & Samuel,â and Victor Quijadaâs âVariations 9.81,â before pulling up the bed covers...
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It isnât as mainstream as the Opera Garnierâs season opening. Facing the ThĂ©Ăątre du ChĂątelet, the ThĂ©Ăątre 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 dâautomne, is something of a well-kept secret. The 2016 edition is dedicated to Lucinda Childsâ postmodern vibes, featuring her famous piece, âDanceâ the evening of the premiere. When first performed in 1979, âDanceâ met with mixed reception. Later, it earned the status of âmasterpieceâ and itâs rare to read...
Continue ReadingWatching Matthew Bourne's reworked version of the âstar-cross'd lovers,â I was briefly reminded of Veronica, played by Winona Ryder, in the dark 1988 comedy by Daniel Waters and Michael Lehmann, Heathers, and her line, âmy teen angst bullshit has a body count.â Yes, this is the darker side of Bourne's repertoire,...
Continue ReadingThe choreographer Alexei Ratmansky reflects on the war in Ukraine, the connection between geopolitics and ballet, and joining the house of Balanchine.
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Beneath blue California skies, manicured trees, and the occasional hum of an overhead airplane, Tamara Rojo took the Frost Amphitheater stage at Stanford University to introduce herself as the new artistic director of San Francisco Ballet.
Continue ReadingAfter a week of the well-balanced meal that is âJewelsââthe nutritive, potentially tedious, leafy greens of âEmeralds,â the gamy, carnivorous âRubies,â and the decadent, shiny white mountains of meringue in âDiamondsââthe New York City Ballet continued its 75th Anniversary All-Balanchine Fall Season with rather more dyspeptic fare.
Continue ReadingAn âAjiacoâ is a type of soup common to Colombia, Cuba, and Peru that combines a variety of different vegetables, spices, and meats.
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