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Fresh Pencil

Jean Lenihan: dance and other movements

Romancing a High-Low Split: John Haskell’s “The Complete Ballet: A Fictional Essay in Five Acts”

March 4, 2018 by Jean Lenihan

IT’S HARD TO RECALL the last time I heard someone say Balanchine’s name aloud. Since his death in 1983, more and more ballet companies around the world have fueled their repertories with his visionary neo-classical dances, yet it feels like his legacy could be much stronger. If he’d had kids, for example, there’d be someone around to bear (or … [Read more...]

Jeanine Durning was the Best Thing Ever in 2017

December 22, 2017 by Jean Lenihan

In 2017 I wasn't able to get out to the theater often (so I reviewed film and book and other events as well). I maybe saw 10 concerts, including the big bubbly premiere of American Balllet Theatre's "Whipped Cream," the new  Alexei Ratmansky creation replete with 3-D ferret-giraffes and Abe-Lincolns from artist Mark Ryden.  Many of my friends … [Read more...]

The Society of the Spectacle

October 19, 2017 by Jean Lenihan

Does one really need to see Swiss filmmaker Jean-Stéphane Bron’s  “The Paris Opera?” It's opening in L.A. at the Laemmle theaters this weekend. You can already imagine it, right: Venerable themes of youth and beauty and lonely artistic labor, as expressed by the bulging calf muscle and pointed toes of the student at the ballet barre? Or the … [Read more...]

The Red Shoes Are Not Tired

September 11, 2017 by Jean Lenihan

Moira Shearer's slippers worn in "The Red Shoes," from the private collection of director Martin Scorsese, who spearheaded the film's restoration in 2009.

Matthew Bourne's "The Red Shoes"  On September 15, the big-ticket fall dance season in Los Angeles begins with the U.S. premiere of Sir Matthew Bourne's award-winning 2016 ballet version of  ‘The Red Shoes,’  appearing for a  robust two-week run at the Music Center (Sept. 15-Oct.1). As with other recent Bourne visits, the luxe scenic production … [Read more...]

Phantasmic Freaks and Geeks in ABT’s Scrumptious “Whipped Cream”

March 16, 2017 by Jean Lenihan

No one in their right mind thinks the ballet stage needs any more dancing sweets, yet there was something irresistible about the announcement that American Ballet Theatre Artist-in-Residence Alexei Ratmansky planned to resurrect Richard Strauss’ 1924 two-act ballet “Schlagobers” (Whipped Cream) with sets and costumes by the inimitable Mark Ryden. … [Read more...]

Dance in L.A. Museums Unleashes the Spirits

February 22, 2017 by Jean Lenihan

If you haven't seen dance at a museum lately, some good news. Gone are the days when dancers were brought in like bulky decor to inhabit dead gallery space. Synchronicity abounds, tickets are still low cost (often free) and the payoff can be huge. In fact, some of the best dance I've ever seen has been in galleries. In the last few years, … [Read more...]

Premium Snow: Are the Luxe New West Coast Nutcrackers Worth the Bucks ?

November 25, 2016 by Jean Lenihan

Two highly anticipated, top-draw Nutcracker productions that premiered on the West Coast last season -- Peter Boal’s new setting of “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” at Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, and Alexei Ratmansky’s 2010 “The Nutcracker” for American Ballet Theatre, now relocated to Costa Mesa  -- had somewhat soft landings their … [Read more...]

To Live and Dance in New York

May 12, 2016 by Jean Lenihan

"Girl Through Glass," Sari Wilson's debut novel about the 1970s New York ballet world, focuses on the imprint of George Balanchine on the young dancers in the city. Yet the novel's tone and shape reveals both the casual nastiness & darker underbelly of the ballet aesthetic that Antony Tudor has come to represent. Such a pleasure to review the … [Read more...]

Maillot’s Botchy Look at American Dance in “Choré”

February 16, 2016 by Jean Lenihan

Though inspired by and decorated with 20th century American dance styles, Jean-Christophe Maillot's 2013 “Choré” for Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, which had its U.S. premiere at Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa on Friday, shows integrity only to Maillot’s own sleek neo-classical choreographic voice. This is not a problem unto itself – Maillot … [Read more...]

On the First Day of Christmas, ABT Brought Costa Mesa a Lovely “Nutcracker”

November 30, 2015 by Jean Lenihan

Kevin McKenzie, Gillian Murphy and others discussed Alexei Ratmansky's "The Nutcracker" with me for California's Coast magazine this month. The heralded production left the Brooklyn Academy of Music to establish a new home in Costa Mesa beginning December 10th. OC's Ballet Moment: ABT's ‘Nutcracker' finds a home in Costa Mesa On a Saturday … [Read more...]

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About Jean Lenihan

Formerly the staff dance critic for the Seattle Times, Jean Lenihan now lives in Los Angeles where she's written for the … [Read More...]

About Fresh Pencil

This blog began as an aggregation of published freelance pieces on a wide range of dance-makers and touring troupes, from Miss Prissy to ABT premieres to  Benjamin Millepied to Ryan Heffington. Nowadays I often review and write straight into this blog.

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Recent Comments

  • Jean Lenihan on Phantasmic Freaks and Geeks in ABT’s Scrumptious “Whipped Cream”: “One more quick hit: Isn’t there something in Ryden’s creatures that makes them quietly imploring? Like they’re stuffed with impossible…” Mar 17, 07:54
  • Michael Wilson on Could an L.A. Dance Hub Grow from a Mapping Tool?: “There are not nearly enough respondents to draw any real conclusions. This strikes me as a mostly pointless exercise with…” Apr 2, 19:44
  • m. beth on Los Angeles Ballet’s Notable “The Sleeping Beauty”: “I know it’s pricey, but you should REALLY go see Allynne Noelle dance the role of Aurora in The Sleeping…” Mar 10, 17:07
  • m. beth on Los Angeles Ballet’s Notable “The Sleeping Beauty”: “You are certainly right!!! The casting was amiss!” Mar 10, 16:05
  • Diana Batista on Los Angeles Ballet’s Notable “The Sleeping Beauty”: “Overall really enjoyed LAB’s Sleeping Beauty at Valley Performing Arts Center last Saturday night. I’ve also seen their Swan Lake…” Mar 3, 12:52

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