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Foot in Mouth

Apollinaire Scherr talks about dance

Who woulda thought? A lovely Bejart ballet

November 30, 2007 by Apollinaire Scherr Leave a Comment

The European philosopher-choreographer-king Maurice Bejart died on Thanksgiving (in case you live in a cave), and a week later the Alvin Ailey troupe premiered his “Firebird” at their gala. Which meant even at Newsday, where reviews have come to be frowned upon, a piece was in order.
What a hapless task! What was I going to do if I didn’t like the dance–which seemed more than likely, given how I’d felt about pretty much every other Bejart ballet I’d seen? I believe in honoring the dead, and whatever you might think of Bejart’s choreography he’s always seemed as sweet and kind a man as an artist could be.
Well, I needn’t have worried. “Firebird” is a lovely thing–dated in the nicest way, with such innocent and liberating homoeroticism. The Ailey dancers have done better by the choreographer than his own dancers ever did. I make a case for why.
The magnificent Clifton Brown as the Firebird. Photo by Paul Kolnik. (The other standout in the cast–and all night: Linda Celeste Sims, far right.)
Maurice%20B%C3%A9jart%27s%20Firebirdreduced.%20Paul%20Kolnik.jpg

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Apollinaire Scherr

is the New York-based dance critic for the Financial Times. She has written regularly for The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Newsday, as well as SF Weekly and the East Bay Express, in the Bay Area. She has contributed to... Read More…

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