Fall preview 2004.You may have heard a rumor that dance tours are in peril, that halls are scarce, Euros are up, dollars are down, and entry visas for foreign artists are expensive and subject to political whim. So? The reality is that, all over the map, this tall season brims with prospects for great dance experiences--from the serenely classical to the confrontationally postmodern to the vibrantly multicultural. During the next four months, dance will rock and rule across the American landscape. For some of the giants in the dance world, the year 2004 is a round number year, and the major anniversaries will prompt major tours in the coming months. Let's start with New York City Ballet New York City Ballet, one of the foremost American dance companies of the 20th cent. It was founded by Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine as the Ballet Society in 1946. . Because of home season commitments to Lincoln Center, the company's performances in the United States are customarily restricted to the Eastern seaboard. But this is the centennial of co-founder George Balanchine, and NYC NYC abbr. New York City NYC New York City Ballet will celebrate by traveling to the West Coast for full-week engagements at both the Orange County Performing Arts Center The Orange County Performing Arts Center is a performing arts complex located in Costa Mesa, California. It is the home of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Opera Pacific, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale. and the Los Angeles Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center (which is one of the three largest performing arts centers in the United States). The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt Disney Concert Hall. . They're bringing primo dances: Balanchine's complete Jewels, Stars and Stripes Stars and Stripes nickname for the U.S. flag. [Am. Hist.: Brewer Dictionary, 8567] See : America , Symphony in C Symphony in C may refer to a number of symphonies written in the key of C Major:
The Paul Taylor Dance Company Paul Taylor Dance Company, is a contemporary dance company, formed by Paul Taylor, an American choreographers of the 20th century. One of the early touring companies of American modern dance, the Company has "performed in more than 500 cities in 62 countries"[1] , one of the world's most exhilarating, is marking its fiftieth anniversary with an ambitious, eighteen month project--to perform at least once in all fifty, states. The troupe will add ten more, from Idaho to Alabama, to the list this fall. The repertoire features recent works, including the ominous, ritualistic Dante Variations and the choreographer's mordant mordant (môr`dənt) [Fr.,=biting], substance used in dyeing to fix certain dyes (mordant dyes) in cloth. Either the mordant (if it is colloidal) or a colloid produced by the mordant adheres to the fiber, attracting and fixing the colloidal version of Petrushka, which he calls Le Grand Puppetier. Expect, too, a substantial helping of Taylor classics, like Esplanade, Aureole aureole, in physics aureole (ôr`ēōl'), in physics, luminous circle seen when the sun or other bright light is observed through a diffuse medium, i.e., smoke, thin cloud, fog, haze, or mist. , and Company B. Mention Paul Taylor and it leads logically to Martha Graham, in whose troupe the ex-college swimmer got his professional start. With copyright squabbles resolved, the Martha Graham Dance Company is again touring the land. The repertoire this fall is choice Graham--Appalachian Spring, Diversion of Angels, Errand Into the Maze, Lamentation lamentation, n a prayer expressing affliction or sorrow and requesting defense, retribution, or comfort. , Cave of the Heart, and El Penitente--which means a crash course in American modern dance. In some cities (Davis, CA, for one), live music will accompany the movement (Graham commissioned several enduring scores). For many ballet lovers, the not-to-be missed event this fall will be the first American tour of the Bolshoi Ballet (with Bolshoi Orchestra) under the direction of young Alexei Ratmansky, who joined the Moscow company in January. Traditionalists may feast on the Don Quixote and Raymonda, choreographed, respectively, by Ratmansky predecessors Alexei Fadeyechev and Yuri Grigorovich. For many Bolshoi watchers, however, the highlight of the tour will be a new Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet star-crossed lovers die as teenagers. [Br. Lit.: Romeo and Juliet] See : Death, Premature Romeo and Juliet archetypal star-crossed lovers. [Br. Lit. , supplanting the old Leonid Lavrovsky staging that made America fall in love with this powerhouse company. Symbolizing the changing of the guard, the new version is directed by England's Declan Donnellan (who rims the theatrical troupe Check by Jowl jowl 1 n. 1. The jaw, especially the lower jaw. 2. The cheek. jowl 2 n. ) and choreographed by Radu Poklitaru from Moldova. No pointe shoes, and Prokofiev is heard only in bits and pieces. The Muscovite audience was reportedly mystified mys·ti·fy tr.v. mys·ti·fied, mys·ti·fy·ing, mys·ti·fies 1. To confuse or puzzle mentally. See Synonyms at puzzle. 2. To make obscure or mysterious. ; more progressive Americans, no doubt, will respond differently. From Moscow to St. Petersburg, look for the Kirov Ballet to steal into the Kennedy Center in December with Cinderella. Ballet companies visiting from abroad will include the National Ballet of Canada National Ballet of Canada, the leading Canadian ballet company. Based in Toronto, it was founded (1951) by Celia Franca (1921–2007) and modeled on Sadler's Wells (now the Royal Ballet). , which travels to Detroit and Berkeley with artistic director James Kudelka's Firebird, and There, below, and The Four Seasons (a signature work) and yet another staging of Balanchine's Apollo, which has been revived by virtually everybody this year. Closer to home, the Kennedy Center-based Suzanne Farrell Ballet will return with fare by Balanchine, appropriate since many consider Farrell the choreographer's muse for the last twenty years of his life. Of special interest will be an all-duet program and an excerpt from Balanchine's long unseen Don Quixote, which Farrell, who was the Dulcinea of the choreographer's dreams, will revive complete in 2005. American modernists will be on the go much of the fall. After a revival of Platee at the New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is based in Philip Johnson's New York State Theater at Lincoln Center. The company was founded in 1944 with the aim of an opera company that would be financially accessible to a wide audience, innovative in its choice of repertory, and a home , the irrepressible Mark Morris is Dance Group heads to Berkeley for a two-week stay highlighted by a world premiere and the West Coast premiere of Violet Cavern, set to a commissioned jazz score. Garth Fagan Dance is out there with its unique brand of soulfulness; the music is by Lebo M (a Fagan collaborator on Lion King) and the Jazz Jamaica All Stars; the fare includes a tribute to the great African American visual artist, Romare Bearden. The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company celebrates its twentieth anniversary with The Phantom Project: Still/Here Looking On, which weaves older choreography with the new. Expect the always controversial Jones to do it again with Reading, Mercy and the Artificial Nigger. Ralph Lemon is back, too, with the final part of his long-evolving Geography Trilogy. In Come Home Charley Patton, the choreographer focuses on the American South, investigating intergenerational memories and narratives of African Americans. The Krannert Center (Urbana, Ill.) produces the premiere in September; Brooklyn Academy of Music Brooklyn Academy of Music, performing arts center located in the borough of Brooklyn, N.Y. and popularly known as BAM. Founded in 1859 and opened in 1861, it is the oldest such institution still in operation in the United States. sees it in October during the Next Wave Festival. The piece combines spoken text and documentary film with movement. Chicago's Columbia College gets the premiere of Fall Moon, by Eiko and Koma, who fuse German dance theater with the Butoh Butoh (舞踏 butō) of their native Japan. Expect it to be slow and compelling. Jane Comfort will turn to the Greeks for her multidisciplinary dance theater opus, Persephone, which unfurls in a sea of neon. John Jasperse returns with the new CALIFORNIA, a 60-minute piece for five dancers. This offers a massive, pliable decor by Ammar Eloueini and an original score by Jonathan Bepler, and presents an idiosyncratic id·i·o·syn·cra·sy n. pl. id·i·o·syn·cra·sies 1. A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group. 2. A physiological or temperamental peculiarity. 3. vision of the Golden State. The European modern scene will be well represented on American stages this season. Pina Bausch and her Tanztheater Wuppertal returns to BAM Bam (bäm), town (1996 pop. 70,100), Kerman prov., SE Iran, on the intermittent Bam River. Located on the western edge of the Dasht-e Lut, Bam is a trade center in a henna-growing region. Dates and other fruits are also grown; camels are raised. with the stateside premiere of the intergenerational Fur die Kinder von gestern, heute und morgen (For the Children of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow). Then, there's the inflammatory Angelin Preljocaj, whose recent Near Life Experience divided audiences and critics in Europe. God or fraud? Judge for yourself. A work for twelve dancers to a score by French band Air, it plays BAM (U.S. premiere) and UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX . Sweden's renowned Cullberg Ballet makes it first visit to this count' (to San Francisco) under its new artistic director, the brilliant young choreographer Johan Inger, whose work and that of his predecessor, Mats Ek, will be featured. National Ballet of Canada will send a revival of Jean-Pierre Perrault's multimedia Joe, considered a landmark in its homeland. Wim Vandekeybus and his company, Ultima Vez, return after several years. The Belgian's intensely physical choreography can be seen in the stateside premiere of Blush. This one is a melange of live action, film, and music. Do the dancers still wear kneepads? Then, Shen Wei Dance Arts will be traveling with its much-discussed version of The Rite of Spring. The increasing popularity of world dance will also be reflected on the fall schedule. From Australia comes Stephen Page's Bangarra Dance Theatre Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Indigenous Australian contemporary dance company founded in 1989 by Carole Johnson, an African-American and founding director of National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA). Bangarra is the Wiradjuri word meaning 'to make fire'. , the continent's leading indigenous company. In linked vignettes, Bush recounts the history and traditions of the native people. From Eastern Europe, look for the Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company, an exuberant exhibition of Pavlo Virsky's athletic, folk-derived choreography. From Brazil, Grupo Corpo comes back with its sensuous, beat-driven fusion; and Bale Folclorico de Bahia will visit, too. India sends the music, dance, and rituals of Kerala in the sacred drama of the theyyam. For a different kind of movement experience, sample the Whirling Dervishes of Damascus with Sheikh Hamza ham·za also ham·zah n. A sign in Arabic orthography used to represent the sound of a glottal stop, transliterated in English as an apostrophe. Shakkur and the Ensemble al-Kindi. So, we're almost into December. Make the transition to the holiday season with the American premiere of Matthew Bourne's 1995 Nutcracker! the predecessor to the English choreographer's male Swan Lake and Blitzkrieg-era Cinderella. The tour starts in Berkeley on Thanksgiving weekend. Dancers' Choice Interviews by KATE LYDON With a plethora of exciting performances this fall, how do you decide what to see? Seven professional dancers tell what not to miss. Dancers: JODI MELNICK City: New York, NY Company: Freelance Top Season Picks: Merce Cunningham Dance Company, The Joyce, December; John Jasperse Company, BAM, December; New York City Ballet, New York State Theater The New York State Theater is part of New York City's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex. The theater occupies the south side of the main plaza (at Columbus Avenue & 63rd Street) that it shares with the Metropolitan Opera House and Avery Fisher Hall (home of the New , November; and anything at DTW DTW Dynamic Time Warping DTW Dance Theatre Workshop (New York, NY) DTW Depth to Water (denotes depth to water in monitoring wells) DTW DoDIIS Trusted Workstation DTW Development Technology Workshop , The Kitchen, St. Mark's Church St. Mark's Church may mean:
Merce Cunningham is an icon and a craftsman. The juxtaposition of his work and his dancers, who so are interesting and idiosyncratic--like Jonah Bokaer--makes the choreography shine for me. And the work he did with John Cage is so experimental. Even at his age today, he seems interested in the world and it shows in his work still. I would love to see NYCB's gala. It's fascinating to see ballet because it is so different from what I do. Being in a huge theatre with a live orchestra adds to the whole experience. To see a Balanchine program, to see Serenade or Concerto Barocco, there are always images in there that are startling and stunning. Dancer: KATIA GARZA City: Orlando, FL Company: Orlando Ballet Top Season Picks: Lyon Opera Ballet and The Bolshoi Ballet, The Jackie Gleason Theater; Orlando Ballet, Bob Carr Performing Arts Center A performing arts center, often abbreviated PAC, is a multi-use performance space that can be adapted for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music and theatre. ; all in October Lyon Opera Ballet does classical ballets but with a new language of movement. A lot of dancers think Swan Lake or Giselle should not be changed, but they do change it. I want to see how the dancers move, their energy, and how they look. My husband and I are choreographing a tango pas de deux pas de deux (French; “step for two”) Dance for two performers. A characteristic part of classical ballet, it includes an adagio, or slow dance, by the ballerina and her partner; solo variations by the male dancer and then the ballerina; and a coda, or that will be part of Orlando Ballet's evening-length program called Ballet to Tango, Latin & Jazz with the Orlando Philharmonic. It's great because our audience will get to see tango, salsa, jazz, classical ballet--everything mixed--all the styles. And I just think the music is going to be so cool. Dancers: MURIEL MAFFRE City: San Francisco, CA Company: San Francisco Ballet San Francisco Ballet, or SFB, is a San Francisco, USA based ballet company, founded in 1933 as part of San Francisco Opera Ballet. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, where it is directed by Helgi Tomasson. , Principal Dancer Top Season Picks: Mark Morris Dance Group, October; Bolshoi Ballet, November; The National Ballet of Canada, September; Shen Wei Dance Arts, September; all at Zellerbach Hall. Cullberg Ballet, Yerba Buena Center for the Performing Arts, October. I want to see the Mark Morris Dance Group because I've worked with Mark many times and I love him. For me, Mark is a scientist and a poet at once. There is so much fantasy onstage. What interests me about the Cullberg Ballet is the history but also the heritage that Mats Ek left. Ek is not the artistic director anymore but his work is still a major part of their repertoire. I am fascinated by his insight and the way he builds his ballets. I just saw the Paris Opera Ballet The Paris Opéra Ballet is the official ballet company of the Opéra national de Paris, otherwise known as the Palais Garnier, though known more popularly simply as the Paris Opéra. dance his Giselle. It's incredible--he doesn't completely turn his back to tradition, but he allows us to see it under a different light. I would love to dance his work. I want to see the Bolshoi under the directorship of Alexei Ratmansky, with whom I worked two years ago. I love Russian dancers for their schooling and for the expansiveness of their dancing--the epaulement and all of these things. I want to know where James Kudelka is on his creative journey and to see his company, The National Ballet of Canada. I enjoy the way James approaches the body equally. Not like when the legs are doing all the work and the arms are the tail end of the movement. It makes it very athletic and satisfying to watch. Dancer: TOBIN DEL CUORE City: Chicago, IL Company: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . Top Season Picks: Eiko and Koma, The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago Columbia College Chicago is the largest arts and communications college in the United States[1] Founded in 1890, the school is located in the South Loop of Chicago. , November; Joffrey Ballet, Auditorium Theatre, December; Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Symphony Center, November. When I think of Eiko and Koma, I think of simplicity. Their performances are minimal and meditative. I imagine their movement style is based on Japanese Butoh, which is so difficult. I have taken classes in Butoh before and it's a wild thing to try to move that slowly. Usually I don't go see the Nutcracker because I've seen it so much, but the Joffrey's version is really exciting and concise. Nothing is dragged out. The party scene is intelligently done, everything flows, there are little surprising moments, and the dancers are fantastic too. Dancer: WENDY WHELAN City: New York, NY Company: New York City Ballet Top season picks: Pina Bausch and Ballet Preljocaj, BAM, November; American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre, one of the foremost international dance companies of the 20th cent. It was founded in 1937 as the Mordkin Ballet and reorganized as the Ballet Theatre in 1940 under the direction of Lucia Chase and Rich Pleasant. , City Center, October-November. Pina Bausch is at the top of my list. I've seen her work before and it blew my mind. It was well-rounded--creative from all aspects, not just dance. It was a collage of ideas--music, theatricality, and dance movement, along with the set design, stage design, and lighting. It hit every sense in your system. I would love to be in the studio just to watch her work, if not to do her movement. Her women are so feminine. It's really inspiring to me. I have to say Ballet Preljocaj because I love his work and I missed them last time they were in New York. I heard it was fantastic. I've never seen the company, but I loved so much what he choreographed on our company, La Stravangaza. I wasn't in it, but would always watch it from the wings. I like the fact that ABT does more contemporary work at City Center than at the Met in the spring. They're not so costumed, I get to see their bodies more. And they do smaller pieces so I get to see more dancers--a lot of times they give younger dancers opportunities at City Center and I like to see that. It becomes a little more like our company--a little more democratic. Dancer: CALEB MITCHELL City: Houston, TX Company: Houston Ballet, corps de ballet corps de bal·let n. The dancers in a ballet troupe who perform as a group. [French : corps, corps + de, of + ballet, ballet. Top Season Picks: American Ballet Theatre Jones Hall, November; Houston Ballet, Wortham Theater Center The Wortham Theater Center is a performing arts center in Houston, Texas, United States. The Center was designed by Eugene Aubrey of Morris Architects and built entirely with $66 million in private funds. , September-November; Dominic Walsh Dance Theater's Illumination Project, DiverseWorks, December. I can't wait to see American Ballet Theatre because I have never seen them perform live. I am especially excited that they are bringing Ashton's Symphonic Variations. I remember seeing an ABT documentary that showed a clip of the ballet and it seemed so difficult. There are three women and three men dressed in Apollo-like costumes. The men wear a white unitard so your fifth positions have to be tight and your double tours and pirouettes have to be really clean. I am also interested in seeing ABT do the Kylian pieces. I've seen Sechs Tanze before but I've never seen Petite Mort and I've heard much about it. Kylian is known as the god of choreography, so I am always interested in seeing his work. Dancer: BENJAMIN JOHNSON City: Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN Company: James Sewell Ballet The James Sewell Ballet is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based ballet company of eight dancers founded in 1990 by James Sewell and Sally Rousse. Sewell has been described as a "relaxed humanist" working in the classical idiom whose dances range from more classically inspired Top Season Picks: Shawn McConneloug, Painted Bride Art Center, September; Emily Johnson, Walker Arts Center, October; James Sewell Ballet, State Theatre, September-October; The Southern Theater Benefit, The Southern Theater, November. Shawn McConneloug's show called Stand on Your Man, I'm assuming, is going to be her take on country western music. The last evening-length piece of hers was one of the best vaudeville dance shows I have ever seen. They tapped in swim fins! People sang, danced, and acted to live music. Emily Johnson's show Catalyst is going to be great. I saw her perform at the Minnesota Dance Festival a year and a half ago and I was stunned by what she was able to do with four or five light bulbs, herself, and three other women. It was very emotional and very stark. The Southern Theater Benefit is going to be an unbelievable show. The cream of the Minneapolis crop is going to be there. |
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