This article originally appeared in the Culture section of Bloomberg News on November 29, 2007. Robert La Fosse, standing second from the right, as Herr Drosselmeier, performs in the New York City Ballet production "The Nutcracker" in New York in this undated photo. Photographer: Paul Kolnik/NYCB via Bloomberg News Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- A bracing tonic for the Scrooges among us is ``The Nutcracker,'' choreographed to Tchaikovsky's captivating score by George Balanchine for the New York City Ballet. In the course of its annual five-week run … [Read more...]
Family & Friends: Personal Indulgences No. 4
November 18, 2007 by 8 Comments
When I was growing up, my mother pointed out to me that, among my aunts, uncles, and myriad cousins (along with any spouses and offspring that had accreted to them), the ones that I liked best invariably had the "worst" personalities, moral characters, and behavioral track records. At least according to the standards of our petit-bourgeois world. This was true, but not entirely true. My absolute all-time favorite family member, my mom's elder sister, Ann, was a saint--all self-effacing and genuine sweetness and tenderness. I adored her and … [Read more...]
Tel Aviv’s `Gaga’ Dancers Dance to Eno and Bach
November 16, 2007 by
This article originally appeared in the Culture section of Bloomberg News on November 16, 2007. Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Nine casually dressed women move as a unit to Brian Eno's ``Neroli,'' which hovers on the edge of silence. Their dance is called ``Humus'' (Latin for ``earth''). They're introspective and sensuous, hunkering down to sway torso and pelvis as if they were so many waves in the sea, or recumbent, stretching and folding their legs like languid odalisques. This is the most congenial section of ``Shalosh'' (``Three''), choreographed … [Read more...]
Saarinen’s Shakers Dance, Sing; Garth Fagan’s Peripheral Vision
November 9, 2007 by
This article originally appeared in the Culture section of Bloomberg News on November 9, 2007. Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Swathed in black, not an inch of flesh visible but for their faces, hands and an opening at the spine or chest, eight dancers cover the stage with a heavy, awkward gait. Outstretched arms angled, torsos canted forward, they strike the floor with their sturdy shoes, their long inky skirts flapping like the wings of wounded birds. Tero Saarinen dances with member of his company while performing "Borrowed Light" at the Brooklyn … [Read more...]
In `Misuse,’ Jasperse’s Dancers Make Virtue of Found Objects
November 2, 2007 by
This article originally appeared in the Culture section of Bloomberg News on November 2, 2007. Julieta Cervantes and John Jasperse perform in "Misuse Liable to Prosecution" in this image released to the media on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007. Photographer: Julieta Cervantes/John Jasperse Company via Bloomberg News Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- A few dancers you can barely see wander through a forest made from hundreds of suspended plastic coat hangers, lights boldly flickering among them like errant stars. It's not a dance moment, really, but it is a … [Read more...]
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Virginia on On Balanchine’s “Ivesiana”
I just returned from an afternoon at NYCB, watching Balanchine's various responses to American music. Like some of you,...Tobi Tobias on The Royal Danish Ballet in New York
Hello, Katrine, Jeanette Andersen is a long-experienced dance critic, currently living in Germany, She frequently writes about the Royal Danish...Thomas Schoff on On Balanchine’s “Ivesiana”
Ivesiana has been out of NYCB's standard repertory for many years--at least a decade, I think, and maybe more. ...Katrine on The Royal Danish Ballet in New York
I know this post was done a long time ago, but I must say, what Jeanette Andersen (who?) wrote is...Leo Greenbaum on On Balanchine’s “Ivesiana”
Thank you! I was there too.Theresa Bener on On Balanchine’s “Ivesiana”
Dear Tobi, It was with great interest that I read your detailed review of Ivesiana. Your vivid descriptions made it...Ann Allen-Ryan on On Balanchine’s “Ivesiana”
Tobi, thank you (once again) for sharing your insights and interpretations. I'm off to see this program this afternoon. While...George Dorris on On Balanchine’s “Ivesiana”
Ivesiana is indeed a remarkable work, perhaps not to be seen too often, to preserve its special feeling but also...Myra Malkin on On Balanchine’s “Ivesiana”
I'm going to a couple of performances just to see Ivesiana, and am very grateful for your description and your...Martha Ullman West on On Balanchine’s “Ivesiana”
Thank you, TT, for the blow by blow, play by play account of a ballet that is very much on...