A Tale of Woe
There is probably no more beloved ballet, by audiences and dancers alike, than “Romeo and Juliet.”
PlusWorld-class review of ballet and dance.
To Vaslaz Nijinsky, the circle was the embodiment of a complete, perfect movement from which everything in life could be based.[1] The intersection of two circles form an almond-like shape,[2] and express the interdependence of opposing yet complimentary forces—life and death, heaven and earth.[3] In Nijinsky’s intimately proportioned drawings on paper with crayon and pencil, you can see these two shapes repeated over and over. The complete line that is the circle, the circular curve that is an organising principle, contain an energy that belies their scale, and they speak of Nijinsky, not solely as an artist, but as a person. All the more so because they were drawn not long before he retired from dance, between 1918 and 1919. Criss-crossing back in time, they have a dynamism, and a rhythm. So, too, John Neumeier’s “Nijinsky,” which faithfully, soulfully, like the drawings, through recurring motifs and a retracing of steps, delivers a powerful blow. As he lays bare the fragility of Nijinsky, Neumeier lays bare the same said fragility of the human condition. Into a two-hour ballet, told over two acts, Neumeier reveals Nijinsky as a dancer and choreographer, and Nijinsky as a person.
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There is probably no more beloved ballet, by audiences and dancers alike, than “Romeo and Juliet.”
PlusIn 2017 Virginie Mécène reimagined the lost Martha Graham solo “Ekstatis.” A review from that Martha Graham Dance Company premiere ended with a strong vote of confidence from critic Gia Kourlas: “Ms. Mécène should keep going.”
PlusOn one of the first spring-like days this year in NYC, I arrive at Barnard College to observe rehearsal for John Jasperse’s new piece, “Tides,” which will open the LaMama Moves! Dance Festival on April 10.
PlusBooks are banned, DEI scuttled, and Africanist studies scaled back. Yet, the irrepressible spirit of African American artists is not extinguished.
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