Sleeping Beauty wakes up a little creaky, but wait till she's had some coffee!

Since I've been babbling about the American Ballet Theatre's "The Sleeping Beauty" in excited anticipation, I thought I'd share my Newsday review.

A bunch of critics aren't liking this production. The complaints have centered around the relation between the canonical material and the new interpolations--that the effect is too much of a stylistic mishmash.

I find that hard to judge: for critics and devoted balletgoers, the canonical material is so much more familiar that ANYTHING else will likely seem glaring and weird. Even when I squint, I'm not sure what it would look like if I didn't have various other versions dancing in my head. Once I've seen it more times, it will either establish entire dominion over my imagination--or not. Really can't tell now.

Also--and somehow I didn't manage to adequately explain this in my review--part of the beauty of this version is the way it shifts keys, suddenly descending into a gluey dream-time and a different quality of movement. You can call that a stylistic mishmash or you can call it magic--or can once the timing is better. The production is still working itself out technically, with currently enough comic glitches to pull you out of whatever state of mind it's working toward. I have faith they'll figure all this out--though probably not until next year.


[A month later.... a more complete, and sober, reflection on the ABT "Sleeping Beauty"]

June 4, 2007 10:22 AM | | Comments (0)

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Monday August 2: a bouquet of summer dances--and reviews
Tuesday July 13 Apollinaire opens mouth especially wide--to give the Dance Critics Association's keynote address. Foot in Mouth readers get special reduced ticket price. 
Thursday July 1 Intergalactic Savion and his ancestors on earth: Tap goings-on this month.
Saturday, June 19 Ashton, contemporary ballet premieres, Graham and John Jasperse: dance all around town 
Friday May 28: Pathos and bathos: Baryshnikov and Lady of the Camellias
Monday May 24: 19th century ballet, contemporary ballet, and postmodern dance: a week in May
Saturday May 1 Stephen Petronio mesmerizes
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Eva Yaa Asantewaa 

has written dance journalism and criticism since 1976, published most notably in Dance Magazine, Soho News, The Village Voice, The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Gay City News, and on her own blog, InfiniteBody.

Paul Parish 

is a regular contributor to Danceviewtimes and San Francisco magazine, and has contributed to many other publications. He was a Rhodes Scholar same time as Bill Clinton. He lives and dances in Berkeley.

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