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To Hell and Back

August 6, 2011 by 2 Comments
Herakles (Pete Simpson rescuing Alkestis (Tymberly Canale), Photo: Christopher Duggan

To be and not to be.  That is a different question. It hovers above Big Dance Theater’s The Supernatural Wife, Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar’s absorbing re-envisioning of the myth behind Euripedes’ Alkestis. Already seen in Europe and appearing at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’ Next Wave Festival in November, the work’s U.S. premiere took place in Jacob’s Pillow’s Doris Duke Studio Theater from July 27 through 31. As is always the case with Big Dance Theater productions, The Supernatural Wife bounces apparently dissimilar texts … [Read more...]

08/6/11 3:27 PM | filed under: dance theater |

Korean Dancing: Ancient and Very New

August 1, 2011 by 9 Comments
Jinyuk Ryu (L.) and Insoo Lee in Lee’s Modern Feelings Photo: Christopher Duggan

Fifteen years ago, I decided that the Korean salpuri was one of the world’s great dances. For some time, smitten by a performance in an early black and white film, I had corralled graduate students from Korea to perform a salpurifor the dance history class I taught. They managed it with varying degrees of skill and spirituality. Then, in 1996, in Seoul, I saw a version of this solo (which derives from a shaman ritual) danced by a small, quite aged woman with the status—as I remember—of a Living National Treasure. That was the … [Read more...]

08/1/11 3:16 PM | filed under: New Dance from Abroad |

Dark Matters in Summer Spaces

July 20, 2011 by 2 Comments
Peter Chu and frenemy in Cristal Pite's "Dark Matters." Photo: Christopher Duggan

  I like New York City in summer. Outdoor performances, picnics in the park, sidewalk cafes, late sunset strolls beside the Hudson or on the High Line. On the other hand, if you can swing it, not much beats lying on the lawn at Tanglewood and listening to music; it seems to be coming from the galaxy above. Another venerable Berkshire institution, Jacob’s Pillow, draws dance aficionados and culture seekers. There’s something satisfyingly summery about dining (or picnicking) on the grounds and taking in a free performance on an … [Read more...]

07/20/11 2:02 PM | filed under: New Dance from Abroad |

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