15 posts tagged “ballet”
Why do I even watch DWTS? Although I don't like ballroom very much, the earlier rounds, where some sort of rules (even if I don't understand them) are in play, generally prove to be more interesting than the schlocky freestyle dances in the finals. Last night was no exception. Hopefully Cheryl didn't blow it because she was handed the best partner she ever had and is likely to have again. Ostensibly their dance to "Flashdance," was supposed to express Gilles' personality. Other than maybe a blue collar connection, I don't get it. The number didn't really showcase either of them. They've got a healthy percentage of the heterosexual women's vote sewn up. Maybe they should have gone with a more diva-ish disco anthem (like "Last Dance") to court the coveted gay male vote. It was, however, still slightly better than Tony's disastrous choice for Melissa, which only served to remind the audience of her cheerleading background. No way they're going to win. But it could be Shawn, given America's penchant for perky, hyper-competitive entitlement cases with body issues. Again, I don't think Mark's choreography was any less cheesy than the other two, but perhaps a tad better executed by the pair. It was unfortunate that Shawn chose to wear her hair down, because with her Muppet-like size and (lack of) epaulement, from a distance it looked like a real live boy dancing with Miss Piggy.
That said, I can't wait to see some real dance LIIIIIIVE! NYCB, of course, is on the schedule, maybe even a little ABT. And we're also definitely seeing Mary Stuart! Yay!
As in my mood that is. Largely attributable to blowing off the final day of the conference altogether.
Too many obligations -- real and perceived -- piling up. This next few weeks look to be far from relaxing.
Still, I managed to work in a performance of Pacific Northwest Ballet. I don't know why I persist in attending opening night performances when the later performances tend to be better. But shouldn't the works arrive well-rehearsed on the stage? I wasn't looking forward to this program, "Broadway Festival" all that much. I'm pretty familiar with three of the works through the NYCB repertoire (and despite the fact that I am interested in musical theatre or maybe, come to think of it, because of that fact) and none is a particular fave.
Anyhow, in a nutshell: I approve of the continued policy of ACATT (All-Carla-All-The-Time), but sadly, she did not appear in Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, which could have used her commitment. Lesley Rausch was physically splendid, but vacant as the Striptease Girl. There's no character there yet, just steps, and also no emotional connection is established between her and the Hoofer. It did not help that I had seen Carla Körbes perform it at the PNB season opener with far more vividness, as well as an even more recent witty and emotional performance by Maria Kowroski just a few weeks ago back in New York (not to forget the frequently unsung, but indispensable Philip Neal). But Rausch is tremendously talented, and given the opportunities, should also develop. I grow less impressed with Carousel (A Dance) each time I see it. The steps for the couple are uninteresting and repetitive (despite rumors to the contrary, pas de deux are not Wheeldon's strength) and the stuff for the corps just tries too hard to be clever as it strains toward the final, artificially naif coup de theatre (if that term is appropriate in this context; I won't give it away for those who may not have seen it). Again, it really needed Carla (cast here against type as an innocent) to lend it any interest. I am not partial to the work of Susan Stroman either, though her Take Five ... More or Less came off the best. Made "on" most of these same dancers last year, it had the most life (although the choreography could have been assembled by a software program). And I am definitely not a fan of West Side Story Suite -- its main charm, when it first was staged over a decade ago, was the novelty of hearing "our" dancers sing, but it neither honors the original show nor works as a ballet. A big challenge for the PNB dancers (and orchestra, which, except for the Brubeck, surprisingly sucked all evening), they weren't quite there. I also sat through this one recently in New York, and, by comparison, the PNB performance looked more like a summer camp production. But then again, there was Carla in her dark wig. Not much of a belter, but giving a more Dietrichesque reading of Anita. Now, putting her in a revival of Harold Rome's Destry Rides Again (reconceiving the part of Frenchy more for a dancer than a singer) would get me excited!
I am equal parts euphoric and anxious about my upcoming trip to NYC. Eager to go, but feeling quite tense about how I'm ever going to be able to cram in half of the things I want to do (and keep up my energy to do so). Still, I feel better having connected with a few friends over the past couple of days and made some at least tentative plans. MBF is attempting to pick up some tickets for a few NYCB performances even as I bang away at this keyboard.
I'm a bit disappointed at the ballet programming, or, not so much the programs themselves this time, but the repetitiveness (i.e. not only the same program, but the same cast each time). I probably will only be able to go two performances. It seems more worthwhile at this point to use the rest of the time to do other things rather than sitting through the same thing more than once. But we shall see. It looks as if NYCB is moving away from the dreaded "block programming" in its spring schedule.
Meanwhile, I will be going to the ballet here again tonight. Same program as last week, but with an entirely different cast. The PNB production of Jewels even has drawn the (favorable) attention of the New York Times. I'll wait until I've had a chance to see this other cast to compare/share notes.
The latest post on the PNB Director's Blog pretty well summarizes many of my own thoughts and feelings about last week's Emeralds coaching session/lecture demonstration, so I'll just include it here rather than do the heavy slogging. It was exciting to be that close to the dancers as they were working. At one point Ariana Lallone and Karel Cruz (doing the Mimi Paul/Francisco Moncion pas de deux) passed by and the rustle of her skirt, etc. felt very otherworldly -- as if the dinosaur exhibit at the Museum of Natural History had come to life. I also enjoyed Mimi Paul's anecdote about Balanchine offering her a choice of music for her variation, but she chose the first piece, after listening to only a few bars, without even hearing the other because it was familiar to her from a morning radio program. I think it must have been WQXR, which my father always listens to. I don't think they use that same piece of music anymore (Faure's Shylock?) or even have the same morning program (and certainly not the same announcer). I remember hearing the program though, many years later, after having become familiar with the ballet, and thinking that Balanchine's work may have brought it to prominence, but it's interesting to see that wasn't the case at all.
Life resumed its thuddingly routine dimension immediately after the inauguration euphoria. I was in an awful mood yesterday and felt evil. I think I picked up something either from the communal viewing of the inauguration or the (mild) partying with co-workers after work. I'mstill trying to fight it off. I feel a bit better today, but yesterday I felt horrible, with sore throat and chills in the evening. My dire physical condition was probably compounded by my predictable pre-conference panic attack. I think I'm over that bit by now; hopefully the flu or whatever it was will keep at bay.
Denver in January?
So far the weekend has been going well and it's nice to know that there still is an extra day off. I wish I could be more reflective about the holiday, but, at this point, I am most sincerely grateful to have the opportunity to sleep a few hours more and relax a bit.
Yesterday we went to a cat show, which was small but sweet (I guess I had gotten used to the big one at Madison Square Garden). The demographics of cat shows frequently boil down to big boned women (usually in bulky cat sweaters or sweatshirts), developmentally challenged adults, and children (not sure what that says about me). This event also featured a healthy smattering of enthusiastic bunheads of all ages (probably because the venue was beneath the Pacific Northwest Ballet School). Because it was a relatively small affair, it did give one a chance to get to know the competitors both offstage and on.
They also vigorously promoted a local no-kill shelter, which is also a good thing. There were a few tempting cats up for adoption, but the Significant Other and I had to regretfully pass on cat parenthood yet again. Will we ever have the "right" apartment or situation, I wonder. Friends continue to nag me about it and the topic has occupied more than its due share of therapy sessions.
We eventually made our way downtown and, after some fretful wavering, ended up in the International District, where we had a soothing and pretty good Chinese meal. Did some shopping here and returned home to pick up a yet another jigsaw puzzle in neighborhood store. I don't know what to make of this current addiction. It's been helpful for the S.O. (who has been suffering from back troubles) to have something to do during his bouts of sleeplessness and discomfort, but my own mania is less easy to understand. I was so into it last night, I sat up through the entire episode of Saturday Night Live (playing in the background), something I haven't done in a long, long time (and the show, in spite of whatever positive impact it may or may not have had on the presidential election, still sucks). The one we're working on now is pretty difficult, though we seem to be getting through it fairly quickly.
Today it was sunny out and a bit warmer. Reluctantly we went downtown again (after ruling out a trip to Tacoma -- it seemed too late and too long a bus ride by the time we were ready to set out). I stopped in at Macy's and bought a couple of pairs of pants at bargain prizes. We wandered around the (very crowded) Pike Place Market for a little while, stopping for lunch at the Three Girls Bakery (which somehow always epitomizes for me the best of Seattle). Took a longish walk back home and stopped in for (what else?) coffee and conversation about some promising future plans.
Not originally in the short term plans, but more improvised, (spurred on by sale fares), we managed unexpectely to find a time to squeeze in a quick trip back to NYC (he gets to stay a bit longer). I haven't told them at work yet, but it shouldn't be a problem. I'm excited to catch a teeny bit of the NYCB winter season, which I was beginning to fear I'd have to forgo entirely. The rep isn't a dream (or, rather, the repetition of the same program over the few days I'm there), but it's better than nothing. I also am very much looking forward to the upcoming Jewels at PNB. The lecture demonstration was as good as I hoped it will be; I'll write about it separately, if I don't get too lazy again.
Well, maybe change did happen in other ways too (or I'm just getting weak), but I found the ballet performance far more enjoyable than I was anticipating. Mark Morris' A Garden was pleasant and, as might be expected, stronger in the group sections than the variations (if you can call them that). But then again, the same could be said of the other pieces. Kiyon Gaines' M-Pulse showed impressive use of the stage. I didn't care for the commissioned score all that much (school of John Adams and all that) -- it sounded like the soundtrack for a movie I didn't want to see. The biggest surprise was Benjamin Millepied's 3 Movements (Steve Reich music, urgh) -- the first one of his pieces that I actually liked (though I'm having a hard time remembering exactly what I liked about it). Only the ending is a bit weak, but the music never really resolves into an ending either, so I guess that's understandable. It perhaps was too soon to see William Forsythe's One Flat Thing, reproduced yet again, but it still held one's attention and the dancers clearly enjoy doing it. I'm not sure why the audience doesn't seem to "get" it or is even offended by it. For the first time I noticed the absence of Noelani Pantastico, who brought a sort of insouciance and buoyant sexual energy. The usually excellent Kaori Nakamura seemed a little too dour and cheerless here. Maybe it's the height situation. I couldn't help thinking what if Linda Hunt had played Anybodys in West Side Story (did she?)
It may not be Fall for Dance, but the ballet season out here officially kicked off with a lecture demonstration by Twyla Tharp to promote the upcoming All Tharp program at Pacific Northwest Ballet.
I was groggy and jet lagged after still trying to recover from my recent trip to New York (more about that in future posts), a day full of work, and thinking about my dinner (the program was at an ungodly early hour) but it was fun to see some dance again. Most especially to see the Divine Carla back on stage and looking to be in great form.
Tharp gave props to archives (her own, anyway) more than once. She spoke briefly at the beginning (in a nice touch mentioning the money nobodies for their support, but not by name) and presented two of the new pieces on the program straight through (with the dancers in practice clothes and live music). There was time for a brief (but probably not brief enough) Q & A at the end.
I won't say much about the new works until I see them in a real performance next week. One was set to a Brahms quintet (Opus 111) and the other, Afternoon Ball, to a piece by (still living) minimalist composer, Vladimir Martynov. I preferred the former to the latter, which was kind of inscrutable, but featuring what I first thought was a "jester" figure (bad enough), but in her discussion later, Tharp referred to the "clown" tradition (even worse). I didn't get a good view of what the set was supposed to be from the side of the auditorium in which I was sitting, so I'm probably missing something about the significance of the ending. More when I have had another viewing and time to digest.
She also tried to peddle some bullshit re: the second ballet about its connection to the world of the absurdists, Beckett, et. al and The Little Match Girl. I saw the "alienation" she mentioned clearly enough, but never would have come up with TLMG from that. Strange the fascination with that story (and H. C. Andersen's own with ballet) and the various artists it has inspired. When I read in a theatre program that Martyn Jacques was working on a new version with the Tiger Lillies a few years ago, I thought he was just taking the piss, but apparently it did happen. The somewhat creepy, yet undeniably moving, Hollywood cartoon version from the 1930s, however, probably is definitive. And, interestingly, uses Brahms, I think. Watch it for yourself!
Are there really such things as coincidences? Tonight I am going to see the local "All Robbins" program at the ballet, which features Fancy Free. While I understand the historic significance of this work, frankly I never have been able to enjoy it. I've been reading the Deborah Jowitt biography of Robbins (mainly at home or when I don't have to lug it a great distance), hoping to jump start my appreciation. But I doubt it will make any difference.
At work, I was handed something to catalog that turned out to be a set of WWII era letters written to a (presumably) young woman back on the homefront from various friends and boyfriends while they were going through training just prior to being shipped off to war. I was pleased to be able to track down some vital statistics about some of the "ordinary" people involved with minimal effort. I felt like I hit a stumbling block, however, when it came down to the part where I had to come up with one sentence that effectively summarizes and characterizes the content of the collection. A lot of my colleagues seem to skip over this part entirely or make a really lousy job of it. An earlier description of the letters I was trying to incorporate into my own was so vague as to be laughable. What struck me in my reading was how true to the movies and other artifacts of popular culture the tone of letters seemed. Was this girl as racy, yet "nice" as the Betty Hutton character in The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (or the girls in Fancy Free)? Although the contents of the letters themselves were not super interesting, the very awkwardness with which these guys tentatively tried to express their boredom, anxiety, and fears to a girl most of them probably did not know all that well certainly was poignant. How do I render that in "neutral" language? Maybe Fancy Free will provide some inspiration after all.
Or should I even be bothering? Yesterday I received the latest issue of our weighty professional journal and came across an article in which one of our young(ish) lions (MEOW) was sagely advising his fellow archivists that we all need "to begin moving away from the idea of finding aids as finely crafted narrative documents and toward recognizing them as tools that consist of distinct data elements." I say, "fuck that shit!" But how to craft a more "professional" response?
Just returned from the Nikolaj Hübbe farewell performance at NYCB. Understandably, not quite so poignant an affair as some of the other departures over the past few seasons, but it was definitely time to break out the Kleenex nevertheless. Overall, a good feeling prevailed throughout the NY State Theater.
The program was thoughtfully selected and well put together. It started off with the full (NYCB version of) Apollo. Hübbe certainly has upped the level of his performance in this role during the latter part of his career and was splendid this afternoon. Terpsichore is not one of Wendy Whelan's great roles and she looked a bit tired here, but it was good to see a restrained Ashley Bouder do some incredible things with Polyhymnia (I was beginning to fear she was regressing back into Super Diva after a couple of recent outings). After an intermission, we were treated to the afternoon's novelty: a dose of Bournonville in Hübbe's staging of the Flower Festival in Genzano pas de deux with the excellent Kathryn Morgan and David Prottas. This was followed with a gimmicky showing of Martins's Zakouski with Hübbe and Yvonne Borree alternating their parts with Andrew Veyette and Megan Fairchild. The youngsters (at least Veyette) only seemed pallid in comparison and exposed what a bore the piece really is without a star performance. After another intermission, we got "Cool," another excerpt of an excerpt, which is not quite as electrifying out of context. The final ballet was Western Symphony, which, I must confess, I feel as if I have seen a few too many times of late. Still, Hübbe and Maria Kowroski gave it their all in the final movement. The by now traditional presentation of bouquets by former partners was particularly touching and the funky flower toss rounded out the afternoon.
Outside the temperatures had dipped significantly, as predicted. It was much colder with a light snow falling, the whipping wind making it briefly appear to be a maelstrom.
It was good to get home. Sigh.
There was a quote from Hübbe in today's paper which resonated with me. Describing his return to Denmark (to direct the Royal Danish Ballet), he remarked, "I like Copenhagen. I'm not in love with Copenhagen. I find it provincial. But there's a job, and I'm going there to do it." While my own mission may not be quite as compelling, I do feel much the same about the city to which I am returning, but excited about the possibilities.
