- home
- forum
- magazine
- features
- reviews
- interviews
- events
- links
- gallery
- whoweare
- search
Subscribe to the monthly for
free!
PAST ISSUES
DEC
03
NOV 03
OCT 03
SEP
03
AUG
03
JUL
03
Advertising Information
|
![]() |
JAN 2004
interviews
Tiit Helimets: From Albrecht to Krishna
by Stuart Sweeney
"[David Bintley] sets you challenges
and will test you in many different ways for a year or two – comedy, drama,
a life story. He will try you out to see what sort of a dancer you are."
read
more...
 Jo
Strømgren: Drawn to the Tragic and the Absurd
by Jurate Terleckaite
"I lived the whole of my life
in Norway which is very civilised country without any problems at all,
no problems to resolve or to fight, unlike former Soviet artists or now
English working class artists or the Muslim population in France. They
need to make things and to show, while I have nothing of that. I
live on a different planet."
read
more...
in our
forums
company focus
Mark Morris Dance Group
Image Gallery
| Interviews |
| Mark Morris
on Lou Harrison, Léo Delibes and Bob Wills and the Texas
Playboys
by Mary Ellen Hunt -- August 2003
Milestone Enterprise -- Interview with
Mark Morris
by Donald Hutera -- October 2001 |
Reviews |
Mark Morris Dance Group - 'The Hard
Nut'
by Mary Ellen Hunt
December 20, 2003 -- Berkeley, CA
Mark Morris Dance
Group - 'Going Away Party,' 'All Fours,' 'A Spell,' 'Gloria'
by Carol Herron
October, 2003 -- Washington, DC
Mark Morris Dance
Group - 'L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato' - 'Going Away Part,'
'All Fours,' 'Serenade,' 'Grand Duo'
by Lisa Claybaugh
September, 2003 -- Berkeley
Mark Morris Dance
Group - 'Resurrection,' 'A Lake,' 'Something Lies Beyond the Scene,'
'Foursome,' & 'Lucky Charms'
by Mary Ellen Hunt
October, 2002 -- Berkeley
Mark Morris
Dance Group - 'The Hard Nut'
by Toba Singer
December, 2001 -- Berkeley
2001
Season at Jacob's Pillow - Buglisi/Foreman, Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris,
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
by Stephen E. Arnold
October, 2001 -- Becket
Mark Morris Dance Group - 'Grand Duo,' 'I
Don't Want to Love,' 'V,' 'Peccadillos'
by Lyndsey Winship
October, 2001 -- London
Mark Morris Dance Group - 'Grand Duo,' 'I
Don't Want to Love,' 'V,' 'Peccadillos'
by Odile GB
October, 2001 -- London
Mark Morris Dance Group - 'Grand Duo,' 'I Don't Want to
Love,' 'V,' 'Peccadillos'
by Jwcw2
October, 2001 -- London
Mark Morris Dance Group - 'Grand Duo,' 'I
Don't Want to Love,' 'V,' 'Peccadillos'
by Luciana Brett
October, 2001 -- London
Mark Morris
Dance Group - 'Platée'
by Lisa Claybaugh
October, 2001 -- Berkeley
Mark Morris
Dance Group - 'Four Saints in Three Acts,' 'Dido and Aeneas'
by Karen Drozda
September, 2000 -- Berkeley
|
Topics in our Forums
Mark
Morris Dance Group 2003-04
Mark
Morris Dance Group 2002-3
Mark
Morris - 2002
Mark
Morris, Hubbard St. Dance, Dayton Contemporary Dance - Irvine, Calif.
Mark
Morris - UK tour 2001
Talk
to Mark Morris
Mark
Morris Dance Group - UK 2001
Mark
Morris in London 2001
Mark
Morris' 'Platee'
Mark
Morris 2001
Mark
Morris: Fall/Winter 2000
Mark
Morris' 'Four Saints in Three Acts'
Mark
Morris
Mark
Morris in Virginia, January 4, 2000
Mark
Morris triple bill
Mark
Morris' 'L'Allegro'
Mark
Morris?
Mark
Morris' Hard Nut
Mark
Morris' 'The Hard Nut'
SF
Ballet Stern Grove performances
Versions
of the Nutcracker?
SF
Ballet's "Raymonda" and "Sandpaper Ballet"
SF
Ballet Gala 1/24/01
SFB's
2001 Season
SFB
Prog 4 - 'Prodigal Son,' 'A Garden,' 'Raymonda, Act III'
San
Francisco Ballet 2002 Season
San
Francisco Ballet - Program 7
ABT
Spring 2001
What
is a good intro to ballet for those new to the art?
Memorable
Moments/Performances: 2000-2001 Season
American
Ballet Theatre 2001-02 US Tour
Thirteen/WNET's:
"Born To Be Wild"
ABT
Studio Company - Fall/Winter 2001-2002
Joanna
Berman
San
Francisco Ballet Gala 2002
San
Francisco Ballet 2002 Prog 5 - 'A Garden,' 'Chi-Lin,' 'Black Cake,'
'Later'
Boston
Ballet 2002-2003 Season
San
Francisco Ballet 2002 Prog 7 - 'Silver Ladders,' Possokhov Premiere,
'Sandpaper'
Cal
Performances 2002-2003 Season
Oregon
Ballet Theatre 2002
San
Franciso Ballet at Stern Grove Summer 2002
San
Francisco Ballet 2002 Orange County Appearance
San
Francisco Ballet in New York City October 2002
Boston
Ballet 2002-03 Prog 1: 'Maelstrom,' 'Sharp side of Dark,' 'In The
Middle...'
"The
Leading Men of ABT"
San
Franciso Ballet 2003 Rep Programs 1, 2 and 3
Boston
Ballet 2003-04 Season
San
Francisco Ballet 2003-2004 Season
Cal
Performances 2003-2004 Season
San
Francisco Ballet tour to Los Angeles, Fall 2003
The
new Mark Morris Dance Group centre in NY
Barry
Alterman-General Director, Mark Morris Dance Group
ENB
mixed programme with Mark Morris piece
Mark
Morris wins 2 major Awards
Laura
Jacobs on Mark Morris
Mark
Morris' Dance Center
SFB
Gala in London
SFB
Mixed Bill
San
Francisco Ballet in Paris
News
from the Royal New Zealand Ballet
Geneva
Grand Theatre Ballet
SFB
à Paris
Tournée
du San Francisco Ballet en Angleterre
|
| Coming
up...
· Interview with Cloud Gate's Lin Hwai-Min
· Jiri
Kylian at the Paris Opera
· Hamburg Ballet tours the US
· Bill T. Jones comes to BAM
· New York City Ballet's Winter Season
· More reviews
· More interviews
· More features |
|
|
features
 Dance
of the African Diaspora: Why Black Dance Matters
by Beverley Glean
Dance in multi-cultural Britain is
key to developing good inter-cultural and inter-racial relations.
read
more...
 DanceUK/Dance Umbrella Symposium: Living in a Political World
Can dance comment on political issues or influence world events?
Do artists have a responsibility to engage with political and social issues, making works of contemporary political resonance and relevance?
read
more...
 The
Martha Graham Company in London: Thoughts on the Panel Discussions
by Thea Nerissa
Barnes
November 2003 -- London
For Capucilli, Graham works are one of
the last bastions of human sensitivity, and as Martha would have encouraged,
it is the dancer's responsibility to discover, listen and be alive with
that sensitivity. Sketches from the "Chronicle" (1936) section,
"Steps in the Street", with music by Wallingford Riegger speaks
of 20th century urban despondence but has a resonance for today's 21st
century spiritual desolation.
read more...
| DANSER EN FRANCAIS |
|
l'Opéra National
de Paris - 2003 Concours: Surprises et confirmations
par Catherine Schemm
23 décembre 2003 -- Opéra de Paris, Palais Garnier,
Paris
Faute de peu
de places à promouvoir, sept au total et en l'absence d'un concours
de premier danseur, le concours débutait à 9h00 par les quadrilles
filles.
read
more...
l'Opéra National
de Paris - 'Ivan le Terrible'
par Laure-Myriam Jouilli
16 décembre 2003 -- Opéra de Paris, Bastille, Paris
J'ai baillé !!! Pour la première
fois, à l'Opéra! Que dire de plus, après
cela ? Car cet acte à lui seul traduit le sentiment ressenti
(qui fut bien le seul) au cours de ces deux heures de représentation
: l'ennui ! Cette représentation m'a profondément
déçue, car je n'y ai vu qu'une super production
à défaut d'y voir une superbe production.
read
more...
l'Opéra National de Paris
- 'Soirée Balanchine/Robbins'
par Jean-Luc Donay
Soirée du 6 décembre 2003, matinée -- Opera
de Paris, Palais Garnier, Paris
... Ce ballet est (pour moi) le plus musical des
ballets de Balanchine. Aussi, les interprètes danseurs
se doivent de connaître parfaitement la musique, chacun
d'entre eux étant sensé être associé
à une ligne musicale ou à un instrument. Laetitia
Pujol a été correcte, sans être franchement
intéressante. Je n'ai pas vu de fautes techniques, mais
sur l'interprétation il manque vraiment quelque chose;
elle aligne les pas sans être concernée.
read more...
l'Opéra National de Paris -
'Pavane,' 'Glacial Decoy,' 'Trait d'Union,' 'Liebesliederwaltz'
par Catherine Schemm
Soirée du 22 décembre 2003 -- Opera de Paris, Palais
Garnier, Paris
Merveilleuse
alternance. Pavane nous permettait de revoir une des créatrices
du rôle à savoir Céline Talon entourée
de Gil Isoart, lui aussi participant de la création et
Alessio Carbone. La chorégraphie prend un nouvel essor
avec ce trio, car Céline apporte une puissance fantastique
à cette oeuvre toujours aussi courte..
read more...
l'Opéra National de Paris
- 'Pavane,' 'Glacial Decoy,' 'Trait d'Union,' 'Liebesliederwaltz'
par Catherine Schemm
Soirée du 17 décembre 2003 -- Opera de Paris, Palais
Garnier, Paris
Une soirée
bizarre malgré des interprètes hors pairs.
Sur le papier, la soirée était déjà
étonnante, mais cela se confirme sur scène et le
sentiment qui en résulte est mitigé, la soirée
n'est ni contemporaine, ni classique, ni emballante, ni totalement
ratée.
read more...
Christine
Bastin: Choses inhabituelles dans le hip-hop
par Lili
2 décembre 2003 -- Le Vesinet
Faute de peu
de places à promouvoir, sept au total et en l'absence d'un concours
de premier danseur, le concours débutait à 9h00 par les quadrilles
filles.
read
more... |
For Critical Dance's complete coverage of the
Kirov's Tour, visit our KIROV USA TOUR
page.
US tour
reviews
Kirov
Ballet - 'Nutcracker'
by
Dani Crawford
December 23, 2003 -- Kennedy Center, Washington D.C.
...seemingly flawless
technique and execution. They look powerful, commanding and
beautiful. Their bodies are expressive and they do create
a stunning visual experience.
read more...
|
editors' picks
Los Angeles
· Les
Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal - 'Minus One'
Jan 30-31, Cerritos Center, Cerritos. The dance troupe from Montreal
brings a tribute to choreographer Ohad Naharin.
· State
Street Ballet - 'Tango and Malombo'
Feb 7-8, Lobero Theater, Santa Barbara. A South American-themed
program in collaboration with Gisele Ben Dor.
Philadelphia
· Hubbard
Street Dance Chicago
Jan 29-31, Zellerbach Theatre, Philadelphia
Hubbard Street Dance returns to Philly with a program including a new
work by Christopher Bruce and the east coast premiere of "Diphthong"
by company member Brian Enos.
·
DanceBoom!
Jan 21 - Feb 8, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
The third annual DanceBoom! festival, a platform for exciting new, independent,
and innovative performances, begins on Jan 21 and continues for three
weeks.
New York
· New
York City Ballet
Jan 2004, New York State Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York
Winter schedule begins Jan 6. Jan22 is Balanchine's 100th birthday celebration.
·
Altogether
Different, Joyce Theater
Jan 6-18, Joyce Theater, New York
This year the annual showcase includes John Kelly & Company, Ben
Munisteri Dance Projects, Rebecca Stenn/PerksDanceMusicTheatre, Margie
Gillis, and Peter Pucci.
San Francisco Bay Area
· Oakland
Ballet - 'Lone Woman,' 'Sightings,' 'Thirsting'
Jan 22-25, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco. For their
first performnce in San Francisco in 20 years, Oakland Ballet boasts
works by local choreographers Robert Moses, Margaret Jenkins and Robert
Henry Johnson.
· San
Francisco Ballet - Opening Gala
Jan 28, War Memorial Opera House, SF. Although the showstopper duets
from the company's stars will get the crowd going, there are also sure
to be plenty of debuts from the up-and-coming favourites as well.
London
· New
Adventures/Matthew Bourne- 'Play Without Words'
Jan 4-24, National Theatre. "Play Without Words," winner of
Olivier Awards for Best Entertainment and Best Theatre Choreographer,
returns to the National by huge public demand.
· Protein
Dance - 'The Banquet'
Jan 15, Bonnie Bird Theatre, Laban.
Blending high drama with comic insight, Protein Dance is fast making
its mark in contemporary dance with sly and subversive humour.
· Royal
Ballet - 'Giselle'
Jan 12 to Feb 7, Royal Opera House.
Sir Peter Wright's unfussy staging of an old favourite ballet.
Paris
· Opéra
de Paris, Palais Garnier
Ballet du Bolchoi du 7 au 24 janvier 2004
- 'Le Lac des cygnes,' du 7 au 11 janvier 2004
- 'La Fille du Pharaon,' du 15 au 18 janvier 2004
- 'Clair Ruisseau', du 21 au 24 janvier 2004
·
Opéra
de Paris, Bastille
'Ivan le Terrible' du 2 au 7 janvier 2004
·
Théâtre
du Châtelet
'Fosse,' comédie musicale
Du 9 janvier au 14 février
Tallinn, Estonia
· Estonian
National Ballet - 'The Nutcracker' (Murdmaa)
Jan 4, 10, 11, at 12.00, Estonia Opera House. Mai Murdmaa's production
with art nouveau designs and fine choreography.
· Descendance
(Australia)
Jan 9, 2004 Estonia Concert Hall
Descendance preserves and promotes Aboriginal culture and represents
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performers from many diverse tribes.
Leipzig
· Leipziger
Ballett / Uwe Scholz- 'The Rite of Spring'
Jan 22, 24, 31, Feb 6, Opera House. Scholz's daring double version of
Stravinsky's classic in a provokingly personal solo interpretation by
stupendous Giovanni di Palma and a drastic ensemble choreography with
fragile Kiyoko Kimura in the solo part.
Rome
· Conference
by Richard Haisma
Jan 17, at 11.00 a.m., Teatro Ateneo, "La Sapienza" University.
A conference open to everybody, not only ballet goers, coordinated by
Vito De Bernardi, professor of History of Dance, at Siena University
|
![]() |
reviews
 New
York City Ballet - 'The Nutcracker': The
View from the Fifth Ring
by Mary Ellen Hunt
December 27, 2003 -- New York State Theater, New York City
From this lofty vantage
point you can see everything. Who really points their feet when in those
spectacular arabesques? Are those lines and patterns actually straight
when seen from above? And most importantly, who acknowledges those dance
aficionados in the cheap seats with even a glance up to the fifth ring?
read
more...
'The
Wind in the Willows': Return to Riverbank has Flair
by Stuart Sweeney
December 23, 2003 -- Linbury Studio Theatre, London
Best of all is the fine ensemble
playing with Matthew Hart as the hyper-kinetic Toad, producing giggles
whenever he appears. Will Kemp as Ratty finds a level of detail and subtlety
-- an arched eyebrow here, a dramatic pose there -- that marks him out
as an exceptional performer.
read more...
 Pennsylvania
Ballet - 'The Nutcracker': Hits and Humbugs
by Lori Ibay
December 20 and 28, 2003 -- Academy of Music, Philadelphia, PA
Pennsylvania Ballet's Although some
creaky sets could be tweaked (and the Stahlbaums probably shouldn't be
getting flurries in their living room), great performances by the dancers
add sparkle to lackluster choreography.
read more...
Dance
Connecticut - 'Nutcracker': Go West, Young Woman!
by S.E. Arnold
December 20-23, 2003 -- The Bushnell, Hartford, CT
The ballet's
Sierra Nevada setting, its mid-19th century Gold Rush time frame, and
its cast of historical personages combine with its scenic wonders to move
the traditionally urbane and confectionary "Nutcracker" into
a kind of historical romance that celebrates the natural world.
read
more...
 Mark
Morris Dance Group
'The Hard Nut': Christmas With the Wacky Relatives
by Mary Ellen Hunt
December 20, 2003 -- Cal Performances, Berkeley, CA
Morris must be the master of American kitsch. Watching the act unfold,
I found my mind calling up images of everything from the curse of Carabosse
in "The Sleeping Beauty" to Steve Martin belting out "Be a DENTIST!" in
"Little Shop of Horrors."
read
more...
 American
Ballet Theatre - 'Nutcracker': ABT Returns to Please and to Puzzle
by Jeff Kuo
December 20, 2003 -- Segerstrom Hall, Costa Mesa, CA
As the Sugar Plum Fairy and Her
Cavalier, Paloma Herrera and Marcelo Gomes cut a swath through the ballet.
Herrera’s dancing seems to have become more approachable even over the
short time I have been watching ballet. Her virtuosity and technical polish
haven’t diminished one iota, and the razor edge of her glamour is just
as finely honed as always -- it's just that she seems less the balletic
version of an übermensch and more a simply great dancer.
read
more...
 Companhia
de Dança Deborah Colker - '4 Por 4,' 'Rota': Artistic Fusion at
the Barbican
by Cassandra
December 2003 -- Barbican Theatre, London
"Vases" is one
of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, a coming together of dancers
and props in a manner that is quite unique. As the dancers perform daringly
between the uniform lines of pots, a host of glittering slender pendulums
descend from above changing the landscape of the stage.
read more...
 American
Ballet Theatre - 'Nutcracker': Valiant Dancers vs. Odd Choreography
by Art Priromprintr
December 18, 2003 -- Segerstrom Hall, Costa Mesa, CA
The dancers push through McKenzie’s
undistinguished choreography admirably; McKenzie created most of this
"Nutcracker," except the Waltz of the Flowers, which was done by John
Meehan. McKenzie’s steps are overly active, filled with complicated lifts,
twists and turns that often keep the dancers rushing to complete the moves
instead of actually dancing.
read more...
 San
Francisco Ballet - 'Nutcracker': Crying for Ecochange in a Humdrum Kingdom
by Toba Singer
December 17, 2003 -- War Memorial Auditorium, San Francisco
In spite of the sagging seats, sets,
spirits, and costumes, there were some lovely moments in this past Wednesday
evening’s performance. Drosselmeyer, performed by Peter Brandenhoff, takes
on more and more of the absolutely necessary grandeur that Jorge Esquivel
has been able to confer on the character.
read more...
 Oregon
Ballet Theatre - 'Nutcracker': Balanchine's Balm for the Eyes
by Dean Speer
December 13, 2003 -- Keller Auditorium, Portland
Singling out individual performers, I thought
Yuka Iino and Alison Roper could not have been better in their respective
parts as Sugar Plum Fairy and Dewdrop, with Karl Vakili as a sympathetic
and excellent partner. Each got through the delicious yet tough choreographic
assignments with strong technique, skill, and aplomb.
read more...
 Oregon
Ballet Theatre - 'Nutcracker': Panache in Portland
by Francis Timlin
December 13, 2003 -- Keller Auditorium, Portland, OR
Balanchine's choreography for what can often be a deadly
dull party scene in many Nutcracker versions (lots of milling about ad
libitum, milling about, posing, random bits of movement) is refreshingly
immediate and engages everyone onstage.
read more...
State
Street Ballet - 'Hollywood Nutcracker'
by Andre Yew
December 13, 2003 -- Lobero Theater, Santa Barbara, CA
If anyone could steal
a scene from cute little girls in equally cute polka-dot dresses, it was
Sergei Domrachev en travesti as Mae West and Children (set to
music for Mother Ginger). Dancing with great verve and humor, Domrachev
was improbable as an old lady dancing with male ballon and power (in character
shoes!) with multiple fouette turns and jumps.
read more...
Matthew
Bourne's 'Nutcracker!': A Vote in the 'Frumpy Underdog Campaign'
by Emma Pegler
December 2003 -- Sadler's Wells, London
The cleverness of the monotony of
the first act is revealed in the second act when the curtain raises to
reveal a pink powder-puff Kingdom of the Sweets -- the contrast is delightfully
cheery and one's fixed grin of approval doesn't waver for the next 45
minutes. Bourne's adaptations always have a social utility.
read more...
Von
Krahl Theatre - 'The Swan Lake': Deconstructing Petipa
by Holly Messitt
December, 13 2003 -- Dance Theater Workshop, New York
The creators of the work, Peeter Jalakas and
Saha Pepelyaev, set out to question the use of the ways traditional Russian
ballet, and in particular the original Swan Lake , provided ideological
messages about beauty and behavior in the former Soviet Union.
read more...
 ODC
San Francisco - 'The Velveteen Rabbit': Real Rabbits, Real Dancing, and
Real Tears
by Lisa Claybaugh
December 6, 2003 -- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco
Brian Fisher takes some death-defying dives
into his oversized pillow and throws several mini-tantrums on his hands
in a beautiful show of physical prowess and juvenile obstinacy.
read more...
Parsons
Dance Company with the Ahn Trio - 'Rise and Fall,' 'Caught,' 'Slow Dance,'
'Swing Shift'
by Lewis Whittington
December 4-6, 2003 -- Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
McRae is "caught" midair,
advancing like a spectral being; her jetes traversing the entire stage,
and her hovering position making it seem like she was being punched through
another dimension.
read more...
 Anhui
Acrobatics Troupe - 'Za-Ji': A Feast of Feats
by Stuart Sweeney
November 17, 2003 -- The Peacock Theatre, London
This is a delightful show and the primary reason is the
brilliance of the artistes as they balance and spin in a series of remarkable
acts. Overall the women impress more than the men, showing that precision
and elegance score more highly than sheer power. Maybe that is why
London's dance critics were out in force for the press night.
read more...
Letter
from the Editors
In December we foretold Nutcrackers a’plenty and this month
our prediction is realised with a host of “Nut” reviews. If
only we were as good at forecasting horse races we’d make a fortune.
However, alternatives keep springing up, including the entertaining “The
Wind in the Willows” and “The Velveteen Rabbit."
The universality of “The Nutcracker” -- and for that matter,
of dance itself, represents a form of globalisation. Continuing on this
theme, our interviews this month feature Tiit Helimets, an Estonian working
in England and Jo Strømgren, a Norwegian interviewed in Lithuania
and we have a feature on the Association of Dance of the African Diaspora.
On the wider political arena, we report on the seminar, “Dance and
Politics,” and you can give your views on this topic in the first
of our collaborations with Dance Europe magazine.
In January we also celebrate a great dance-maker, Mark Morris, with
a range of articles, discussions and eighteen glorious images.
If dance has inspired you lately, now’s the time to share your
experiences and views in our forum including our
January Magazine Feedback Discussion Topic.
The
Editors of Ballet-Dance Monthly
P.S.
If you enjoy “Ballet-Dance Monthly," why not e-mail the link
to a friend and if you want the magazine delivered right to your inbox,
subscribe!
|
|
