Twyla’s Interpretation of Heaven & Hell

Ethan works with Herman Cornejo and other dancers from American Ballet Theater at Lincoln Center’s Opera House to convey a balletic journey through a “post-modern idea of the world.” Bloomberg News called the latter part of the ballet “too long and too diffuse” and concluded there was “nothing new.” Worse, the score is by Danny Elfman, who is really not my favorite.

But who cares? Even the same old Twyla Tharp is still Twyla Tharp, and even an Ethan “no longer Mr. Perfect” is still Ethan frikkin’ Steifel. As I’m going to be in the NYC area over the July 4th weekend, I plan on going – so stay tuned for my own review!

image courtesy of Newscom

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Alexei Ratmansky

In the New York Times Chip Brown has written a piece about the very young artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, Alexei Ratmansky. At 39 he has become “one of the most sought after choreographers in the world.” Instead of plotting his escape from totalitarianism, the article describes how he calmly waits for visa approval in order to bring his style to America.

The piece is in-depth, not only describing his creative process but also the environment that he lives in – like some other brave performers, the new Russia is sometimes a quite tumultuous place to be an artist.

Carlos Acosta

For those looking for more thorough summer reading, one of the greats of the ballet world has written a memoir that has movie written all over it. Carlos Acosta is a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet – and like other greats such as Nureyev, he was born under a communist regime: Cuba.

The story of his fantastic rise from street urchin breakdancing to Michael Jackson bootlegs all the way to premiere ballerino makes for fascinating (if at times hyperbolic) reading, according to the New York Times book review. Still, it might be just the thing for those of us recovering from the end of Dancing with the Stars…

images courtesy of Newscom

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And then you have days like today, when I can talk about how the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre performed part of its signature ballet Revelations on Dancing with the Stars. I have to say, this is one of the best reasona I can think of for shows like this. Aside from the fact that it popularizes dance for the masses (something with direct benefits to me, as a professional dance instructor) it also exposes people to fine arts that are otherwise missed. I think there’s a huge benefit to presenting AADT in the same program as Kylie Minogue, as if to say “Look, these are both arts, and you might enjoy both; don’t think of ballet as high-brow, it’s still an enjoyable art!”

Now if we could just get rid of Adam Carolla instead of nice guys like Steve Guttenberg...

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But all of these examples are not really examples of dancing for the camera; they’re examples of people who have used their dance training to augment the fight choreography of their scenes in movies. Of course, there are also rumors that Joss Whedon is working with Glau on a new movie purely about dance…

Until that happy day, I am thrilled to see the writers for the Sarah Connor Chronicles on FOX come up with a perfectly legitimate reason that the Terminator played by Summer should be a highly-trained ballet dancer…in fact, it uses the act of dancing as a foreshadowing of some impending changes in the robotic killer, and in the end the delightful little pas de chat is more menacing than anything else. Take a look:

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I’m not surprised that the power of the blogosphere is spreading, though. I think that the tech world figured it out first, as people like Robert Scoble gained power and influence through nothing, really, save the power of their ideas. This was followed by the political world, where Howard Dean really found out how much could be gained – and lost – with a strong web presence. The military has had to clamp down on blogging, because it is perceived as a threat to their operations and morale. It’s not surprising, then, that the performing arts would gradually catch up to the effect. I think it will continue, although I believe that the term “blogger” will become less easy to hold – some people will have more cachet than others, and just as “reporter” might have certain stereotypes associated with it, “blogger” already is getting a reputation both sublime and ridiculous.

This is the kind of thing my friend Amy Gahran is obsessed occupied with much of her time. Me, I just wish I lived closer to Cedar Lake…

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“…I’ve never in my life seen more people with less dance training seeking to become “stars.” They sang their hearts out and wiggled their butts and seemed in all honesty to have no clue that ass wiggling did not constitute dance…and so looked like monkeys.”

I don’t know that I’d go that far – again, this is a show not about dancers but about what kind of team Bruno and Carrie can craft. But I actually came to the review via Natalia of the “Shimmyblog“, and she mentioned another critique that, while accurate for the show, leads into a dangerous stereotype:

“I will just say this point blank: If you are dancing to music, but your movement ignores the music – then go home and work on your musicality. It does not matter how perfect your technique is if you can’t figure out how to fit that movement to your music. And don’t even try to say, “that’s the choreographer’s job” Sure it is, but it’s your job too. “

I’m sorry, but coming from a Modern dance background and training – well, first of all, most of our training was not to music. I recall how uncomfortable I was after two years of Modern dance training to come to a jazz class where everything was right-on-the-beat .

My comp teacher, Jin-Wen Yu, taught me this better than anyone. He had the class sit down and told us he was going to be doing a solo for us. He then stood in the center of the room, full of composure and presence (you have to see this man, if you get the chance, just to feel him on the stage) and signaled for the music to begin.

A guitar started wah-wahing, and a funky little drum beat started, and the class started giggling – it was the BeeGees singing “Stayin’ Alive”. Not what you’d expect a world-class dancer to use in his modern dance composition class.

Then he started to move. I recognized what he was doing right away, because I was also taking an early morning T’ai Chi class from him – he was doing the Yang short form. And the contrast of the slow, deliberate motion to the music was beautiful.  What followed was some very difficult training getting us to ignore the music, no matter how steady or driving the beat, or how to impose our own rhythm on long, sustained John-Cage-type music.

Which is the best argument of all, I think. Merce Cunningham was the king of just sticking dance to whatever music – or noise, even – that was happening, enjoying the happy coincidences that occur, or that are imposed by the audience. The thing is, we are conditioned to want to see those kinds of match-ups, and will put them in whether they are there or not.

Which may be why modern dance isn’t as popular as, say, DanceWar. Because it takes a little more work to appreciate what’s going on, to really find the beauty in dissonant movement. I don’t want to make a value judgement on it – hey, I love rhythmic dancing as much as the next guy.

But just because something doesn’t fit into convention…well, that may be a good thing. It’s part of why I was so disappointed that they let Quandrell go. It’s how people grow. Watching another dance video, I heard a critic talk about how Baryshnikov had added all sorts of movements to the ballet canon that hadn’t existed before, and now all the male ballet dancers did them as if they were no big thing. “But that’s not what makes Misha great,” he added. “What makes him great is that he can stand on the stage doing nothing – and you can’t take your eyes off of him.”

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Fact is, it was a ballet.

Really. Complete with the libretto being projected pre-show, describing the time-honored tale of the mousy young fashion designer who falls for the gorgeous male fashion mogul that her boss, Cruella de Lapdance, has her eye on, and how she snares him with the oldest trick in the book – that is, inserting frames depicting herself in bondage and an “easter egg” DVD menu taking him on a tour of fetishes. You all know the story…

Well, ok, maybe not. Remember, this is based on a very successful and very explicit adult DVD, and like most adult movies it has a plot line contrived simply to make excuses for stars to start taking their clothes off. You’d never see that in mainstream cinema.

Does it matter? No, not at all, any more than the plotline of the Nutcracker. It’s an excuse to see people dance. And while there may be a bit more bumping and grinding than your average ballet, the fact is there is no nudity. None. In Vegas, in a post-9pm show, that’s almost unheard of.

There is a very tongue-in-cheek attitude towards most of the sexuality, with self-referential mockery (such as an outstanding male dancer dressed in a cheerleading outfit), including some really stereotypical songs in the soundtrack (a combination of pop rock and original works by the director, John Stagliano). Not all of it is hypersexualized or campy, though – the rapprochement scene between the lead and her lover is exquisitely beautiful and passionate pas de deux.

I have a love/hate relationship with the staging. There were large video screens throughout, and the camera became an added character well-used to draw attention or feature certain parts of the storyline (such as the creation of the “easter egg” DVD menu). On the other hand, they also worked in several aerial dance artists – really good ones – that were exquisite to watch, but which were often competing with other dancers on the stage. Even seated in the back of the theatre as we were, it was just too spread out to really be able to give the choreography the attention it deserved.

And it was good. I arrived prepared to be critical with my dancer’s eye, and it’s true, some of the eyecandy players were not the strongest dancers – but the choreographer took that into consideration, smoothly playing to their strengths and maximizing the dancers who were able to really capture the eye and hold it. Given the subject matter, there was certainly a lot of suggestive dancing – but it was worked into the rest of the choreography with skill and acted more as a spice than a main course.  Choreographer Nick Navarro should be congratulated for making a show that appeals to both the dancer and the average tourist.

I would see it again in an instant. The music and dancing was joyous, infectious, and the costumes ranged from the sublime (simple cotton dress) to the ridiculous (if the Jetsons were a fetish, what would it look like?).

The website (again, with adult-themed content, so be warned) has video previews that give a good idea of what to expect. If you’re heading Vegas way, it’s a fun evening.

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She told me she’s now dancing with the Madison Opera, and will be performing with them this Friday as they present:

The Pearl Fishers • Friday, April 13 & Sunday, April 15, 2007
by Georges Bizet

Written by the composer of Carmen, Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers brings us to the shores of ancient Sri Lanka, where two friends, once in love with the same girl, restore their brotherly bond and renounce their heart’s desire. Their beloved, in turn, renounces love. But fate, more powerful than all, intervenes to reunite the three young sweethearts with fatal results. Featuring one of opera’s most beloved duets, Au fond du temple saint, this Madison Opera premiere is not to be missed.

In their Madison Opera stage debuts, Eric Fennell, tenor, and Robert Gardner, baritone, sing the roles of Nadir and Zurga, and soprano Leah Partridge sings the role of Leila. Charles Robert Austin returns to Madison Opera to sing Nourabad. Making his American debut, the exciting young French conductor Laurent Campellone leads the cast, Madison Opera Chorus and Madison Symphony Orchestra. Stephanie Sundine serves as stage director.

Sung in French with English titles.

Conducted by Laurent Campellone
with the Madison Symphony Orchestra

I’m very excited about this. While my own meager blogger’s budget only lets me afford the nosebleed seats, with any luck I’ll get to interview Colleen about the backstage life and the rehearsal process (I’m especially interested in the life of a dancer in the world of opera).

Tags: the pearl fishers, opera, Madison, orchestra, bizet, colleen coy

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