Lists of Promise
“Lists of Promise,” a new work currently in a two-week run from March 13- 30 at the East Village cultural landmark, Theater for the New City, promised more than it delivered, at least for now.
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Staging the biographical details of someone’s life is by no means an easy task; doing so for a figure who was complex and controversial amplifies this charge to a new level. When Queensland Ballet announced that it was bringing Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s “Coco Chanel: the Life of a Fashion Icon” to Brisbane, the reception was anticipatory but hesitant. Ochoa is a skilled choreographer with a talent for narrative ballets, but could Ochoa present the celebrity of Coco Chanel while also tackling her ties to the Nazi regime during World War II? To the ballet’s credit, it addresses these issues head-on. It presents the life of a woman whom the audience can appreciate but also not agree with. It makes smart dramaturgical choices and is a strong co-production by Queensland Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, and Atlanta Ballet.
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“Lists of Promise,” a new work currently in a two-week run from March 13- 30 at the East Village cultural landmark, Theater for the New City, promised more than it delivered, at least for now.
Continue Reading“State of Heads” opens with a blaze of white light and loud clanking onto a white-suited Levi Gonzalez, part Elvis, part televangelist addressing his congregation. A pair of women sidle in—Rebecca Cyr and Donna Uchizono—dressed in ankle-length white dresses and cowered posture.
Continue ReadingThe late John Ashford, a pioneer in programming emerging contemporary choreographers across Europe, once told me that he could tell what sort of choreographer a young artist would turn into when watching their first creations.
Continue ReadingLast weekend, the Royal New Zealand Ballet hosted two nights of performance in collaboration with the Scottish Ballet at the St. James’ Theatre in Wellington, New Zealand. The bill included two works by choreographers affiliated with Scottish Ballet, and two by RNZB choreographers. There was welcome contrast in timbre and tempo, and common themes of self-actualisation and connection, through a love of dance. As RNZB artistic director Ty King-Wall announced in the audience address, the two-night only performance was in the spirit of “bringing the companies together in mutual admiration and respect.”
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