Jack Cole rehearses Marc Platt, Rita Hayworth in “Down to Earth”
Jack Cole (seated, pointing) rehearses Marc Platt & Rita Hayworth for “Down to Earth” (Columbia, 1947) in the photo at left. Platt executes the move in costume and a (bad) wig, at right. Cole was very big on gladiators; judging by the look on Platt’s face, the dancer was perhaps less so. [click on ...
Dance a big part of L.A. County holiday celebration!
Dec
15
2012
It’s time for the 53rd Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. More than 20 choirs, music ensembles and dance companies from the many neighborhoods and cultures of L.A. celebrate the season during this free three-hour extravaganza. You can attend part of the show or all of it and it’s full of ...
Jack Cole, Hollywood director 4
On the camera crane works Jack Cole (in white sweater, click photo for detail), directing “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend,” exactly as he did for all four GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (1953) dance numbers (Two Little Girls From Little Rock, Ain’t There Anyone Here for Love, When Love Goes Wrong, Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best ...
An easy nut to crack: City Ballet of Los Angeles in “The Nutcracker Swings”
Dec
11
2012
City Ballet of Los Angeles (CBLA) continues its mission to reflect the diversity of its city and bring classical ballet to new audiences with its winter program, The Nutcracker Swings, a twist on the holiday favorite set in 1942 Los Angeles during World War II. The Nutcracker Swings is CBLA’s tribute to the classic tale ...
BODYTRAFFIC to share wares at Jacob’s Pillow
Dec
5
2012
Some hugely happy news, we’ve learned that L.A.’s hard-dancing, home-grown repertory dance troupe, BODYTRAFFIC, now in its fifth year, will perform next summer at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. The Pillow, whose tony hilltop campus in the Berkshires houses two theaters, a summer dance program, picnicking grounds and a wonderful archives, has hosted a huge swathe ...
Jack Cole, superlative night club dancer, 1940s 1
Dec
5
2012
Photo of Jack Cole costumed for his seminal night club act (photo by Maurice Seymour). Like so much related to Cole, the pose is spectacular and unique. What other dancer would opt for this unusual, asymmetric position? With one leg turned out, and the other in parallel position? It was never seen before nor since. ...
His Royal Greatness. Michael Jackson in “Another Part of Me,” Wembley Stadium, July 1988 1
Like this? Read more: MJ dances — a dance critic’s manifesto to Michael Jackson
Thanksgiving with MJ
By any stretch of a writer’s imagination, a good day this Thanksgiving Day. My advance piece about Trey McIntyre Project got front-page Calendar section placement in the L.A Times. But sharing the page with my writing, an even more exciting dance story (sorry, Trey!). It concerns tonight’s ABC-television broadcast of Spike Lee’s documentary “Michael Jackson: ...
Trey McIntyre, the pride of Boise and beyond
Nov
22
2012
Trey McIntyre seems to have it all going for him. He’s talented, a gentleman, personable, accessible, friendly to all, hugely handsome and hey, he’s tall. Six foot six to be exact. Interviewing the Boise-based choreographer for a piece in the Los Angeles Times we conferred with a friend of arts·meme, Nancy Wozny, a long time ...
Judy Morr’s Thanksgiving weekend weight-loss program
Nov
20
2012
In as fine a pairing as Pinot Noir with turkey, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts executive vice president (and its dance doyenne for the past 26 years) Judy Morr has booked the all-American dance tribe, Trey McIntyre Project, for performances on Thanksgiving weekend. The TMP shows not only offer an alternative to football and ...