[Nikolaj] Hübbe managed to instill in his protégés a command of the [Bournonville] choreography's unique charms: the calm upper body riding the fleet action of the feet; the space-grabbing leaps with their invisible preparations and pillow-soft landings; the maverick timing; and, no less important, the pervading sense of unquenchable joy. Village Voice 06/25/03 … [Read more...]
Chamber Dance Project; Zig Zag Ballet
June 18, 2003 by
Classical ballet, with its appetite for space and grandeur, calls for opera-house scale. Does that make the concept of chamber ballet a contradiction in terms? Two mini-troupes at the Kaye Playhouse in May argued persuasively that intimacy has its own charms. Village Voice 06/18/03 … [Read more...]
Flesh: “Talk to Her”– Almodovar’s Anatomy of Women
June 16, 2003 by
The gaudy, bizarre twists and turns of the film's plot, influenced perhaps by the magic realism of the Latin American novelists Borges and Garcia Marquez, are extravagant even for this film maker, who thrives on flamboyant, unlikely extremes. But there's a sober, well reasoned, and calmly paced subtext operating here too, and it has a special appeal for the dance observer. Using this trio of female figures representing three different generations, Almodovar examines an anatomical spectrum that runs from the peak of natural physical blossoming … [Read more...]
Johannes Wieland
June 11, 2003 by
Since he relocated to New York three years ago, the German-born Johannes Wieland . . . has developed a singular, striking body of work. Concise and abstract, though hinting at mood, situation, and relationships, his dances are visually handsome in a stern Bauhaus style. Their movement is tightly controlled, with ferocious outbursts that read as frustration and rage at the human condition. Village Voice 06/11/03 … [Read more...]
Ben Munisteri Dance Projects; Compañia de la Danza Narciso Medina
June 4, 2003 by
Facing the viewer straight-on with a clear-eyed gaze, handsome athletic bodies made large, clear, energetic moves that looked like metaphors for optimism. (Munisteri) The evening's most unselfconscious and engaging number, Música del Cuerpo (Music of the Body), [had] the dancers providing the audible as well as the visible rhythms. (Medina) Village Voice 06/04/03 … [Read more...]
Recent Comments
costas cacaroukas on Youth in Bloom
Very well thought out and well written, as usual, Tobi. Many thanks.Daniel Benton on Youth in Bloom
Very nice! You manage to capture the spirit of the performance and give us a larger context in which to...Michael Noga on Keeping Count
I saw this performance and enjoyed it. I have seen three of Justin Peck's works and noticed that he...Leo Greenbaum on Dvorovenko Moves On
Superb Classical technique. Beautiful woman. Will miss her.Richard Chang on Keeping Count
I so agree with you, Tobi: "... dance is not made of ideas but rather of people moving to music...Martha Ullman West on Keeping Count
"frosty abstraction that offers very little to see..." does seem to be the order of the day for a lot...Mary Cargill on Dvorovenko Moves On
"Enigma Variations", certainly, would count for married love in a ballet.Jann Parry on Dvorovenko Moves On
Apropos Onegin's mature love pas de deux: can you think of any other ballets in which a married couple express...Shelley KOLIN on Dvorovenko Moves On
I was introduced to Irina and Maxim during the Southern Ballet Theatre days with Vadim Fedotov and Irina Depler. We...Alice Helpern on Dvorovenko Moves On
I've seen a number of performances with Irina and Maxim and each of them with other partners but in the...