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JUNE 2004
in this issue
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interviews
 Kenneth
Kvarnström, Artistic Director of Dansens Hus: Working with Female
Choreographers
by Jan-Peter Kaiku
Kenneth Kvarnström
is one of the mainstays of contemporary dance in the Nordic countries.
Here he talks about his balancing act between Sweden and Finland and his
new position as the artistic director of Dansens Hus.
read more...
 Leading
the Way: Septime Webre, Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet
by Carol Herron and Dani Crawford
"The company
tackled “Serenade” in the Fall of ’02; that, in all
honesty, for me was a moment that the company rose, that all elements
of the company’s artistic life melded into a defining moment and
it became clear, certainly to me, that the company was dancing at a new
level."
read more...
Choreographer
Nicolo Fonte in conversation with Otto Neubert
by Francis Timlin
Asked to describe
his preferred style, he referred to it as "contemporary ballet" -- that
is, utilizing ballet training as a tool for the enhancement of expression.
While the movement may seem "modern," it is really deconstructed classical
movement and requires a high level of classically trained virtuosity to
execute.
read more...
Renaissance
Man: Glenn Tetley at 78
by Karen Webb
Tetley’s
transition from dancer to dancer/choreographer came about as the result
of his realization that he wanted to do not someone else’s movement
but his own. He had been trained by both celebrated modern dancers and
celebrated ballet masters (most of whom also choreographed and many of
whom disowned even other choreographers on their own side of the wall)...
read more...
company focus
ballet frankfurt
Image Gallery
| Featured Articles |
| Interview
with Dana Caspersen
by Holly Messitt
It would be hard to pick out particular
highlights. I’ve had the fortune to work with a group of extraordinary
artists on a large and varied series of projects throughout the
years.
read
more...
Interview
with Richard Siegal
by Donald Hutera
Siegal says he has ‘dabbled with choreography
as long as I’ve been dancing.’ Not unexpectedly, Forsythe
has supported Siegal’s steps towards step-making. ‘Bill
has been very encouraging of my choreography.’
read
more...
Review
of 'The Room As It Was,' 'Duo,' '(N.N.N.N.),' 'One Flat Thing, reproduced'
by Holly
Messitt
With some dances, you get bored
halfway through them, and then they seem to drag on. When I watched
Ballett Frankfurt during the Brooklyn Academy of Arts' Next Wave
Festival, I felt the reverse. Halfway through each piece, a voice
in my head whispered, “Don't stop.”
read
more...
Review
of 'Kammer / Kammer'
by Ramsay Burt
For me the most immediate and exciting
things about “Kammer/Kammer” were, first, the performances
by Dana Caspersen and Anthony Rizzi, and second, the sheer craftsmanship
with which this otherwise highly fragmented multimedia production
was put together.
read
more...
What
is Choreographic Style? Forsythe as an Example
by TUK
For the choreographer the act of making
dance is motivation in itself. This raises important questions of
how far technique can take the genre. If the limits of what the
dancers are physically capable of achieving were to be reached would
both the technical and stylistic possibilities be exhausted?
read
more...
Review
of 'Eidos:Telos' and 'Artifact'
by Luciania Brett
In semi-darkness they appear, some briefly
highlighted by isolated beams across the stage. One is seized by
their beauty. The dancers’ movements are simple but their
intensity is enthralling.
read
more...
William Forsythe Study Day
by Stuart
Sweeney
Autumn, 1998 was a great time for the annual Dance Umbrella
festival and the newly reopened Sadler's Wells.
read
more... |
in our forums
|
Coming
up...
· Kudelka on 'Cinderella'
· Boston Ballet's 'Swan Lake'
· Exploring South Asianness
· Regional Dance America
· Jeffrey Stanton
· More reviews
· More interviews
· More
features
|
Letter from the Editors
June once again brings a kaleidoscope of reports from around the globe, including a series of inspiring impressions of the Kirov Ballet by Associate Editor Catherine Pawlick from her new hometown of St. Petersburg. Also from Europe, we present no less than ten reviews of Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris, two of Ballet Preljocaj and a mini-feature on Ballet Rambert.
In America we invite you to read about “Sylvia,” Mark Morris’ first full-length ballet, commissioned by San Francisco Ballet, and celebrations of Balanchine, Ashton, and Tchaikovsky from Seattle, San Francisco, and New York.
As Ballet Frankfurt makes its swansong tour, we celebrate the choreographic genius of its American artistic director, William Forsythe, with interviews, reports, and reviews from the forums of CriticalDance. An extra generous image gallery completes this month’s Ballet Frankfurt Company Focus!
As always, we love to hear what you think. Please post your comments in our
Magazine Feedback Discussion Topic in the CriticalDance forum. And,
if you want the magazine delivered right to your inbox, subscribe!
The Editors of
Ballet-Dance Monthly
P.S. If you're enjoying
this issue of Ballet-Dance Monthly, please forward it to a friend!
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features
Impressions
from the Royal Opera House Season Launch Press Conference
by
Petra Tschiene
Although the ROH's
new season press releases always offer very detailed information, I
found it especially interesting to get the first impression directly
from the source -- in this case, from Tony Hall, Antonio Pappano, Monica
Mason and Deborah Bull.
read more...
 Bombay
Dreams - The Perfect Recipe
by
Preeti Vasudevan
How
can a three-hour melodramatic formulae of a native film industry be
presented to an uninitiated western audience? Do we need an original
formula to access an exotic culture still viewed through its immigrant
minority populations?
read
more...
Balanchine
on Film: A Pacific Northwest Ballet Special Event
by
Francis Timlin
"La Valse"
was a made from a pirated film taken on a hand-held camera at a performance
at Jacob's Pillow in 1951 by Carol Lynn. The dancers are Tanaquil LeClercq
and Nicholas Magallanes. The piano was added at Sony Music Studio in
New York by Dianne Chilgren after arduous study of the footage and many
adjustments were made to synchronize tempo and inflection.
read
more...
Boston
Ballet - 'Swan Lake' Preview
by
S.E. Arnold
May 2004 -- Boston, Massachusetts
Nissinen also
seeks to ‘purify’ the formal aspects of the "Swan Lake":
“The story,” he went on to say, “has to be told very
clearly. I wanted to do it in two acts, but couldn’t because of
the scenery change- the third and fourth act is so massive.
read
more...
 DeKeersmaeker,
Adorno, and the Laban Cube: Improvisation and the Ballet (Part
2)
by
Maria Technosux
I also suspect
that De Keersmaeker's sudden interest in jazz has less to do with the
improvisatory nature of the music, but more to do with De Keersmaeker's
documented Forsythe-fandom and the Corbett-P.A.R.T.S. connection.
read more...
 Access
Denied - Ramallah Dance Theatre, a small miracle
by Maggie Foyer
It is always exciting to be there at the birth
of something new. This new baby, was no squawking infant, but like Bottecelli’s
Venus, arrived both fully formed and very appealing to the senses. It
was particularly heartening to see how the local people cheered their
home team on.
read
more...
Sadler's Wells 25-29 May 2004
 Music
made visible - Ashton's 'Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of
Isadora Duncan'
by Jane Pritchard
'Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora
Duncan' , choreographed by Frederick Ashton, is an evocation of
the dances of the American-born Isadora Duncan (1877 – 1927),
one of the great pioneers of modern dance, whom Ashton described
as a dancer of ‘grace and power’.
read
more...
 Rambert
Dance Company - 'Linear Remains,' 'Five Brahms Waltzes,' 'Reflection,'
'A Tragedy of Fashion'
by
Thea Nerissa Barnes
May 25, 2004
-- Sadler's Wells, London
Rambert’s presentation
at Sadler’s Wells...celebrates the narrative ballet and the personalities
of past extraordinary artists, and with a selection from two twenty
first century choreographers, illustrates the current trend for
more aggressive investigations into the unfathomable possibilities
of pure movement.
read
more...
 Rambert
Dance Company - 'Linear Remains', 'Five Brahms Waltzes...', 'Reflection',
'Tragedy of Fashion'
by
Stuart Sweeney
25 and 28th May, 2004 -- Sadler's Wells, London
This
visit brought us two abstract contemporary pieces, one a re-working
and one new and, as part of the Ashton centenary celebrations,
the revival of a solo and the premiere of a large-scale homage
to the master choreographer.
read
more...
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Jean-Claude
Gallotta – Trois générations
Par Lili
Représentation du 21 mai, Paris,
Théâtre National de Chaillot
Dans "Trois générations",
trois groupes de danseurs se succèdent sur scène
en interprétant la même chorégraphie. Il
y a d'abord le groupe des enfants (huit enfants qui ont environ
10 ans), ensuite les danseurs de la compagnie de Gallotta qui
ont une vingtaine d'années, et enfin le groupe des "anciens."
read
more...
Ballet
de l’Opéra de Paris - 'Giselle' de Mats Ek
Par Isabel da Silva
Représentation du 18 mai 2004, Paris, Garnier
Ce ballet, que je voyais pour la première
fois en intégralité, est une oeuvre très
forte, très riche de contenu et de d'inventivité
chorégraphique. Il est passionnant de le voir peu après
avoir vu la Giselle originale; il aurait d'ailleurs été
très intéressant de programmer les deux ballets
en réelle alternance.
read
more...
Ballet
de l’Opéra de Paris - 'Giselle' de Mats Ek
Par Catherine Schemm
Représentation du 18 mai 2004,
Paris, Garnier
Fougueux interprètes !
Nous avions eu la chance de voir la Giselle classique en début
d'année, cette fois-ci nous en voyons la relecture extraordinaire
qu'en a faite Mats Ek. Rarement ballet fut réinventé
avec autant de bonheur. Ici, Giselle est une jeune femme naïve,
simple d'esprit qui ne pense qu'à danser, et à
flirter sur une ile où l'amour est roi !
read
more...
 Emio
Greco - 'Rimasto Orfano'
Par Anne-Marie Baptista
représentation du 7 mai 2004, Paris, Théâtre
de la Ville
Dès l’entrée du spectateur
dans la salle, la musique est présente en un son monocorde
et un peu assourdissant ; sur la scène plongée
dans la pénombre, la silhouette d’une danseuse
se devine par le jeu d’une rampe de lumières blanches
installée à même le sol. La danseuse avance
très lentement presque imperceptiblement.
read
more...
Sidi
Larbi Cherkaoui - 'Foi'
Par
Anne-Marie Baptista
Représentation du 28 avril 2004--Paris,
Théâtre de la Ville
Foi
est un spectacle déroutant à plus d’un titre. Tout d’abord
par son côté baroque : Cherkaoui mêle ici chants polyphoniques
du 15e siècle et mise en scène violente comme peut-être pour
mieux nous faire ressentir les contradictions dans lesquelles
nous vivons en permanence.
read
more...
Sidi
Larbi Cherkaoui - 'Foi'
Par
Frédéric Baron
Représentation du 28 avril 2004--Paris,
Théâtre de la Ville
Elle
comprend en principe 11 danseurs. Ce soir Erna Omarsdottir était
présente mais, étant probablement blessée, certains de ses passages
ont été dansés par Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui lui-même.
read
more...
Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris - Soirée Nijinska, Taylor, Bombana
Par Estelle Souche
Représentation du 26 avril 2004--Paris, Palais Garnier
J'ai
bien aimé Noces , que je n'avais vu jusqu'ici que dans
la vidéo avec Kader Belarbi et Elisabeth Platel. J'avoue avoir
un peu du mal avec ce genre de musique (en particulier le côté
"chanté") mais on s'y fait, et il y a une certaine
austérité générale (aussi dans les costumes et les décors).
read
more...
Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris - Soirée Nijinska, Taylor, Bombana
Par Valérie Beck
Représentation du 23 avril 2004--Paris, Palais Garnier
Je
découvrais pour la première fois Noces qui m'a énormément
plu : j'ai beaucoup aimé la façon magistrale qu'a Nijinska pour
sculpter l'espace; c'est vraiment une avant gardiste. Noces
est l'une de mes partitions préférées et j'ai vraiment
été fascinée d'un bout à l'autre par toutes ces figures qui
se dessinent sur le sol.
read
more...
Compagnie
Rosas - 'Bitches Brew-Tacoma Narrows'
Par
Anne-Marie Baptista
Représentation du 6 avril 2004--Paris,
Théâtre de la Ville
La
création Bitches Brew-Tacoma Narrows de Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker
s’ouvre sur le décor d’un lieu qui s’apparente à un studio de
danse : méli-mélo de néons suspendus au plafond dans une espèce
de corbeille à papier de bureau jaune….
read
more...
Ballet
de l’Opéra de Paris - 'Don Quichotte, Une belle représentation
Par
Catherine Schemm
Représentation
du 26 mai 2004--Paris, Bastille
Après
la matinée de dimanche qui voyaient les débuts de Dorothée Gilbert
et d'Emmanuel Thibault dans le ballet, devait avoir lieu ce
soir, la première de Delphine Moussin. Celle-ci blessée a cédé
sa place à Eleonora Abbagnato aux côtés de Karl Paquette.
read
more...
Ballet
de l’Opéra de Paris - 'Don Quichotte', Une vision de rêve
Par
Catherine Schemm
Représentation
du 23 mai2004--Paris, Bastille
Cette
matinée était attendue par l'ensemble des balletomanes car elle
voyait les débuts dans les deux rôles titres de deux "stars"
de la compagnie parisienne.
read
more...
Ballet
de l’Opéra de Paris - 'Don Quichotte', Une matinée triomphale
Par
Jean-Luc Donay
Représentation
du 23 mai2004--Paris, Bastille
Cet
après-midi, la représentation rassemblant Dorothée Gilbert et
Emmanuel Thibault était fort attendue des balletomanes. L'ambiance
électrique qui régnait nous l'a rappelé dès qu'on pénétrait
dans le théâtre!
read
more...
Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris - 'Don Quichotte', Une étoile en devenir
Par Catherine Schemm
Représentation
du 14 mai2004--Paris, Bastille
Cette
série de Don Quichotte s'avère passionnante, car elle renoue
avec la tradition, très en vogue sous Noureev, de programmer
les jeunes espoirs du corps de ballet dans des rôles titres.
read
more...
Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris - 'Don Quichotte', Une soirée quelque peu ennuyeuse
Par Catherine Schemm
Représentation
du 11 mai2004--Paris, Bastille
Depuis
1980, l’Opéra de Paris possède la production Noureev de Don
Quichotte . Créée dans les décors et costumes de Nicholas
Georgiadis, elle subit une seconde naissance lors de son passage
à Bastille en 2002...
read
more...
|
editors' picks
Los Angeles
· Raiford
Rodgers Modern Ballet - 'Wishes and Turns' and 'In C'
June 19, 2004, Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Cal State Los Angeles
Rodgers brings his company to the Luckman for only one appearance of
his super cool choreography.
· Laban
International Movement SocietyBiennial Conference - Defining, Developing
and Marketing LMA: Building Bridges, Crossing Boundaries, Strengthening
Bonds
June 18-20, 2004 - Cal State Long Beach, Long Beach, California
Speakers, panels, lectures, and workshops from the 2004 biennial conference
of the Laban International Movement Society.
New York
· Ashton
Celebration
July 6-17, 2004, Lincoln Center Festival, New York
Twelve Ashton ballets performed by Birmingham Royal Ballet, the Royal
Balle of Londont, the Joffrey Ballet, and K-Ballet.
· McCaleb
Dance - ' The Impersonation of Mr. Peacock (Part 1 – The Liar),' "Verdigris'
June 16-19, 2004, Dance Theater Workshop, New York
Nancy McCaleb is intimately involved with the contemporary media-saturated
landscape. In 'Peacock' she collaborates with visual artist Francis
Alÿs.
Washington, DC
· Ballett
Frankfurt - 'The Room As It Was,' 'Duo,' (N.N.N.N.),' 'One Flat Thing,
reproduced'
June 17-19, 2004, Kennedy Center Opera House
Under the helm of American-born Artistic Director William Forsythe,
Ballett Frankfurt is one of the world's leading avant-garde dance companies.
· 2004
International VSA arts Festival
June 9-12, 2004, Various DC venues
This year's festival, with a theme of "Odyssey: DARE to Imagine..."
features peformances in comedy, opera, storytelling, puppetry, dance
music, theater, and variety (vaudeville, acrobatics, clowns, mime, juggling,
street performances, etc.).
San Francisco Bay Area
· ODC
Pilot 44: 'Here and Gone'
June 22-23, 2003, ODC Theater, San Francisco
The 44th performance of the Pilot Program will feature work by six promising
and emerging choreographers, Marielle Amrheim, Patricia Jiron, Doris
Johnson, Alexis Mian, Sean Hawkins & Terre Parker.
· Rezo
Gabriadze’s 'The Doctor and the Patient: The Forbidden Christmas'
featuring Mikhail Baryshnikov
June 16-20, 2003, Cal Performances, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley
This Bay Area premiere production, part absurdist
drama and part fantasy-allegory, utilizes such original stagecraft as
fantastically colored flying scenery to transform the tale of a late-night
sojourn by a doctor and his mentally ill patient into a moving and visually
stunning theatrical experience.
Philadelphia
·
Junto
Society Dance Series
June 12-13, 2004, Community Education Center, West Philadelphia
For two nights only, choreographers Jess Franklin, Michael Keeler, Kristen
Shahverdian, David Konyk, and Ashley Suttlar will present new works
in University City.
· Central Pennsylvania
Youth Ballet - 'The June Series'
June 23-26, 2004, Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, Harrisburg
The Youth Ballet that nurtured stars such as ABT's Ethan Stiefel and
Pennsylvania Ballet's Zachary Hench presents its best and brightest in their last
performance of the season.
London
· Lar
Lubovitch Dance Company - ...smile with my heart/Men' Stories
2nd July 2004 to 3rd July 2004 -- Queen Elizabeth Hall
First visit to London with a tribute to the Broadway composer, Richard
Rogers.
· The Soldier's Tale
15th June 2004 to 19th June 2004 -- Linbury Studio, Ballet Studio
William Tuckett's new staging with some fine actor/dancers.
Paris
· Opéra
de Paris, Palais Garnier – La Sylphide
28 juin au 15 juillet 2004
Reprise de la Sylphide dans la version historique de Pierre Lacotte.
Celle-ci permettra de voir de nombreuses prises de rôle à
savoir Aurélie Dupont, Delphine Moussin ou Agnès Letestu
aux côtés de Manuel Legris, Benjamin Pech, José
Martinez, sans oublier notre nouvelle étoile Mathieu Ganio avec
Isabelle Ciaravola, les 1er et 5 juillet.
· Théâtre
de la Ville – Pina Bausch
4 au 22 juin 2004
Venue annuelle du Tanz Theater de Wupperthal. Le grand feuilleton spectaculaire
de Pina Bausch autour du monde se poursuit avec une pièce inspirée
par la ville d’Istanbul intitulée Nefés.
Barcelona
· Théâtre
Liceu – Jewels, tournée de l’Opéra de Paris
8 au 11 juillet 2004
Tournée européenne de l’Opéra de Paris qui
présentera sa production de Jewels de Balanchine dans les costumes
de Christian Lacroix, avec les étoiles, premiers danseurs et
corps de ballet de l’Opéra de Paris
Madrid
· Théâtre
Real – Jewels, tournée de l’Opéra de Paris
30 juin au 3 juillet 2004
Tournée européenne de l’Opéra de Paris qui
présentera sa production de Jewels de Balanchine dans les costumes
de Christian Lacroix, avec les étoiles, premiers danseurs et
corps de ballet de l’Opéra de Paris
Rome
· Roma
Opera Ballet – “Giselle”
June 30, July 1 – 4 – Teatro dell’Opera
Carla Fracci’s new production of the romantic
masterpeace.
Venice
· La
Biennale di Venezia
June 11 – 30 – European companies
2nd edition of the famous contemporary dance festival.
Many different companies in different venues.
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reviews
 American
Ballet Theatre - 'Theme and Variations,' 'Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,' 'Mozartiana,'
'Ballet Imperial'
by Kate Snedeker
May 31, 2004 -- Metropolitan Opera
House, New York City
...If the test of a real principal
dancer is the ability to not just do the fancy tricks, but to do them
with control and blend them seamlessly into the rest of the performance,
than Cornejo has passed with flying colors...
read more...
 American
Ballet Theatre - 'Theme and Variations,' 'Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,' 'Mozartiana,'
'Ballet Imperial': Balanchine and Tchaikovsky Brighten ABT's Day
by Lori Ibay
May 24, 2004 -- Metropolitan Opera
House, New York City
The curtain rose on the bright
pinks and lavenders of “Theme and Variations” as the orchestra
led by Charles Barker began the score, the final movement of Tchaikovsky’s
Suite No.3 for Orchestra..
read more...
 American
Ballet Theatre - 'La Bayadere'
by Lori Ibay
May 15, 2004 matinee -- Metropolitan
Opera House, New York City
...but Act II’s Kingdom
of the Shades showcased the true splendor of the women’s corps.
The uniformity of movement was like watching a glittering white fog slowly
roll in and settle on the stage.
read more...
 American
Ballet Theatre - 'Petit Mort,' Sechs Tanze,' 'Pillar of Fire,' 'Within
You Without You': From Mozart to Harrison
by Lori Ibay
May 12, 2004 matinee -- Metropolitan
Opera House, New York City
The six women ... were more
consistent and moved together with precision and grace, whether they were
gliding across the stage behind their black evening gown facades or pulling
away from the facades to reveal their vulnerability in flesh colored unitards.
read more...
 Hong
Kong Ballet - 'The Last Emperor': Twilight of the Small
by Jeff Kuo
May 25, 2004 -- Warner Theatre, Washington,
D.C.
Dramatically, the ballet’s
narrative trajectory is a kind of Cinderella story in reverse. Told largely
in flash back in the ballet, Pu Yi lives out his fall down the years from
the Forbidden City of his youth to the confetti littered street he in
middle age must sweep.
read more...
Kirov
Ballet - 'Legend of Love'
by Catherine
Pawlick
May 24, 2004 -- Mariinsky Theatre,
St. Petersburg
At nearly three hours long, the story
of forbidden love and self-sacrifice remains a commentary on the Russian
State's voice in the arts in the late 1950's while offering a coherent
language of choreography unique to the ballet itself.
read more...
 Kirov
Ballet - 'Le Corsaire'
by Catherine
Pawlick
May 19, 2004 -- Mariinsky Theatre,
St. Peterbsurg
The Kirov Ballet's stunning
production of the full-length "Le Corsaire" is testament to
their rich 250-year heritage, offering colorful drama, coherent story
line, brightness of presentation and yes, even freshness in the dancing.
read more...
 Ballet
Preljocaj - 'Near Life Experience'
by Daniel Dui
May 22, 2004 -- Sadler's Wells, London
Climbing the Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
showed the choreographer an other kind of out-of-body experience. At 6000m
the lack of oxygen puts the body under severe stress and the mind is telling
to stop and at the same time to keep going.
read more...
 Ballet
Preljocaj- 'Near Life Experience'
by Katherine
Phillips
May 20, 2004 -- Sadler's
Wells, London
The dancing is superb as always –
strong, elegant and luminescent movements sculpt the space of an open
stage. Slow, soft, tender touches and support are followed by bullets
of precision and back arching, muscle wrenching springs.
read
more...
The
Cholmondeleys and the Featherstonehaughs -  'Double
Take': Two views of the Chums and the Fans
by Lyndsey Winship
and Stuart Sweeney
May 20 and 21, 2004 -- Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
One of Anderson's best qualities
is the ability to create radically different worlds just by changing her
dancers' gait and gestures. She can completely dissolve their personalities,
their egos and their human qualities in one twist of a torso.
read more...
Boston
Ballet - 'Swan Lake': Humanity and the Fall
by S.E. Arnold
May 15, 16, 2004 -- Wang Theatre, Boston
Although the melancholy suffered
by his essentially merry Siegfried echoes the melancholy, character, and
fate- to break a curse- of Wagner’s Senta, it is the numinous Rothbart
that shapes Nissinen’s vision of “Swan Lake” into a
retelling of Eden’s loss.
read more...
Paris
Opera Ballet - 'Don Quixote'
by Cassandra
May 24, 2004 -- Opera
Bastille, Paris
...the performance was one of those very rare occasions
when the sense of excitement and expectancy was approaching fever pitch
even before the curtain went up.
read
more...
'The
Company'
Movie Review
by Stuart Sweeney
Dance goers accept
the idea of a plotless ballet or one where relationships are indicated
with a few brush strokes and Altman has adopted this approach to the making
of the film.
read more...
Performance
Showcase 2004- Stephen Pelton, Sara Shelton Mann, Amy Seiwert & others: Tight performances in the House of God
by Mary Ellen
Hunt
May 21, 2004-- St. Aidan's Episcopal
Church, San Francisco
As a space
the newly renovated St. Aidan’s isn’t perfect, but its scalene-angled
walls and telescoping spaciousness have the appeal of a non-traditional
venue...
read
more...
Royal
Ballet - 'Celebrating Diaghilev'
by Cassandra
May 15, 2004 -Royal
Opera House, London
With the
anniversaries of the births this year of Balanchine and Ashton both being
celebrated in style, the Royal Ballet is also acknowledging the seventy-five
years since the death of Serge Diaghilev (only pointe pioneer Marie Taglioni,
born 200 years ago misses out in the memorial junketing stakes).
read
more...
 Royal
New Zealand Ballet 'Romeo & Juliet'
by
Kate
Snedeker
May 13, 2004 -- Edinburgh
Festival Theatre
Though
clearly inspired by his childhood memories of Kenneth MacMillan's classic
production, Hampson melds classical with Corleone, placing his Capulets
and Montagues in a hip 1950s Verona .
read
more...
Michael
Clark - 'Oh My Goddess'
by Lyndsey Winship
May 11, 2004 -- Sadler's Wells, London
In a witty opening, the dancers
come scurrying on lemming-like, wearing paper bags on their heads. Clark
carries off such moments of lunacy with complete conviction, which is
always the secret to getting away with it.
read
more...
 Oregon
Ballet Theatre - Modern Masters: A Study in Contrasts
by Dean Speer
May 9, 2004 -- Newmark Theatre, Portland,
Oregon
...Martuza and one of our recent
Criticaldance.com interview subjects, Artur Sultanov, were lovely in a
lovely ballet, Balanchine’s "Duo Concertant," to music
of Igor Stravinsky.
read more...
 Phoenix
Dance Theatre 2004: Reviving Everyday Life
by Thea Nerissa
Barnes
May 2004 -- Sadler's Wells, London
Henri Oguike’s "Signal"
uses the music of Masaya Takashino’s Taiko drums and Chidori: The
Ploughman’s Song as the metronome for the dancers to follow or fragment
read more...
Robert
Moses' KIN - "other gods," "Biography," "Tasogare" excerpt, "Cause": The Long and the Short of KIN
by Mary Ellen
Hunt
May 7, 2004 -- Kanbar
Hall, Jewish Community Center, San Francisco
Even more though, it bore the mark
of a very human brand of interaction in its thoughtful, yet physical duets
and quartets.
read
more...
 Stephanie
Schober & Dance Company and Stan Won’t Dance - 'Change' and 'Sinner'
by Cerise
May 7, 2004 -- Royal Festival Hall,
Purcell Room, London
Densely packed with cleverly framed
thorny topical issues, Stan Won't Dance (Robert Tannion and Liam Steel)
throw out provocative dialogue with the same ease as they throw each other
and their props across a lily-strewn set.
read
more...
Cullberg
Ballet - ''Out of Breath', 'Within Now', 'Walking Mad': Triple Bill Showcases
Inger's Eclectic Choreography
by Annie Wells
May 5, 2004 -- Brighton Festival,
Brighton, U.K.
Imbuing each work, the absurd-style
theatricality for which Inger has been noted ran through the programme
like a unifying thread
read more...
 Gauri
Sharma Tripathi - 'Vyuha'
by Lyndsey Winship
May 4, 2004 -- Royal Festival Hall,
Purcell Room, London
She is a beautiful dancer, combining
the crowd-pleasing fast spins and stamping soles with lyrical, fluid phrases
and an incredibly expressive face. Her pleasure in performance is infectious
and the feeling of goodwill between dancers, musicians and audience is
tangible.
read
more...
The
Washington Ballet - 7x7: Love
by Carol Herron
May 2, 2004 -- England Studio, Washington,
D.C.
The setting for this
septet of dances exploring the theme of love was the Washington Ballet's
England Studio, a rehearsal studio made over into a 'cabaret' by the interior
design team of Adamstein & Demetriou, with white drapes and lanterns
and little cafe tables...
read more...
 San
Francisco Ballet - 'Sylvia'
by Rebecca Hirschman
May 9, 2004 matinee -- War Memorial
Opera House, San Francisco
This version of “Sylvia”
brought several firsts to the Opera House, including the first full-length
ballet by Morris for a ballet company; the first full-length “Sylvia”
to be shown on a U.S. stage; and initial principal roles for corps de
ballet members Elizabeth Miner and Megan Low...
read more...
 San
Francisco Ballet - 'Sylvia'
by Toba Singer
May 1, 2004 -- War Memorial Opera
House, San Francisco
The title role's character is
part muse, coquette, wood nymph, huntress, quarry, rock climber, sommelière,
and dancehall queen. Even in the most thickly confected of story ballets,
it is rare to find a role containing as many encrypted personae as does
Sylvia.
read more...
 San
Francisco Ballet - Program 7: Ashton's Assets
by Dean Speer
April 18, 2004 -- War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
Sir Frederick Ashton's ballets
are not done often enough on this side of the Atlantic, nor are they in
the repertories of many companies.
read more...
 Smuin
Ballet - Razzle Dazzle Marks Smuin Ballet's 10th Anniversary
by Catherine
Pawlick
April 30, 2004 -- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco
True to the company's razzle-dazzle style, the tenth anniversary
of Smuin Ballet was celebrated with plenty of fanfare and theatrics. Grace
and possibility are keywords to Smuin's talent, and the company displayed
both during Friday night's opening performance for their 10th anniversary
season.
read more...
 Paul
Matteson & Friends - 'Rustytime,' 'Step Touch,' 'I Simply Live Now'
by
Preeti Vasudevan
April 29, 2004 -- Symphony Space, New York
In today's
current trend of making new statements, it is refreshing to see a young
choreographer still questioning his journey and choosing intimate spaces
to bring the audience closer to his process – his journey.
read
more...
 Transitions
Dance Company - 'Three Trees Hugging,' 'Divided,' 'Intertwining,' 'Transitions,'
'trans[odiem]*'
by Julia Skene-Wenzel
April 28, 2004 -- Bonnie Bird Theatre, Laban Centre, London
With youthful enthusiasm and
relentless energy, this year's company impresses not only with a well-polished
performance, but also with its display of individual talent and the ability
to grasp and perform a variety of theatrical styles.
read more...
From
Here to Maturity - 'Raft of Reasons', 'I Close My Eyes'
by Lyndsey Winship
April 27-28, 2004 -- Purcell Room, London
Just because they're getting on a bit, doesn't mean that
middle aged dancers will pass up an opportunity to show off their still-toned
physiques. Baryshnikov did it in red trunks at the Barbican recently,
and Tom Yang followed suit tonight in fetching leopard-print briefs.
read more...
 Stars
of the 21st Century Gala
by Denise Sum
April 25, 2004 -- Toronto Centre for the Arts, Toronto
The broad display of artistry
and technique from the performers was an uplifting representation of what
the future of ballet has in store.
read
more...
Ballet
West - 'Concerto Barocco,' 'Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux,' 'Lark Ascending,'
'The Rite of Spring'
by Karen Webb
April 17, 2004 -- Capitol Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah,
Tetley's "Rite
of Spring" combines a beautiful dance aesthetic with the primal force
that had the Parisian arbiters of taste rioting in the aisles of the Théâtre
des Champs-Elysses in 1913.
read more...
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