Raymonda “likes” Jean de Brienne’s profile picture
In this image from Act I of the Mariinsky Ballet’s “Raymonda,” the heroine’s faraway beau, Jean de Brienne, sends his honey a Medieval version (a kind of tapestry that gets unfurled) of his Facebook profile picture. From her posture, don’t you think she seems to be giving it a “like”? I do.
Mariinsky’s massive, still relevant, “Raymonda” at Segerstrom
Sep
29
2015
A whirlwind weekend included the privilege of watching the great dancers of the Mariinsky Theatre deliver a rarity: the full three-act version of Petipa’s Hungarian-themed, “Raymonda,” which the massive dance troupe exactingly performed, a tad jam-packed, on the Segerstrom Hall stage. It went beyond a complete balletic experience; it felt like a life experience to ...
Jack Cole choreography for GILDA set to sizzle on UCLA Film Archive big screen 1
Do you enjoy this classic image of Rita Hayworth as GILDA? It’s a capture from Hayworth’s iconic high-end striptease, “Put the Blame on Mame,” choreographed by Jack Cole, the brilliant dance maker who rocked Hayworth’s world at Columbia Pictures in the 1940s. Cole’s dance numbers (“Put the Blame on Mame,” “Amado Mio“), taken together, raise ...
What a week! Los Angeles blossoms in the fine arts
I’ve inhabited Los Angeles more or less, since 1989. The city’s rich art existence, long undetected, has kept me busy and happy here. There is little doubt, however, that something arts-phenomenal is happening right now in our city. It must be true; the New York Times is sputtering about it all the time. In fact, ...
Congratulations, Raven Wilkinson, recipient of Dance/USA 2015 Trustees Award
Sep
23
2015
Two of classical ballet’s loveliest and most well-spoken ballerinas, American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland in a charming interview with a woman on whose shoulders she stands, the pioneering African-American ballerina Raven Wilkinson. Photo credit, Raven Wilkinson portrait, Andros on Ballet
Let’s honor Rudy Perez
Sep
23
2015
A very nice upcoming event at the UC Irvine’s Experimental Media Peformance Lab will honor an American modern-dance iconoclast, dancer/choreographer Rudy Perez. The free event features an appearance by Perez, world premier by the Rudy Perez Performance Ensemble as well as a short documentary on his extraordinary choreographic achievements. Mr. Perez joined the legendary Judson ...
Eugene Loring coaches Daniel Levans as “Billy the Kid”
Sep
22
2015
Ever wonder what ballet coaching does? Above, Eugene Loring (right), choreographer of “Billy the Kid” and ballet master of the American School of Dance on Hollywood Boulevard as well as founder of the dance department at UC Irvine, coaches Daniel Levans in a 1973 re-staging of his work. (Levans, sadly, just passed away.) John Kriza, ...
Goodbye, Daniel Levans 8
Sep
21
2015
Sad to hear of the loss of the versatile American classical ballet dancer Daniel Levans (sometimes ‘Levins’), who was a principal with American Ballet Theatre right when I was first falling in love with the art form — and ABT! I was delighted in recent years to be Facebook friends with Daniel. Raised in the ...
Review: Diavolo’s “L’Espace du Temps” @ VPAC
Calling Diavolo: Architecture in Motion a dance company is like calling a monster truck a nice vehicle. It’s big. It’s brash. It’s loud. Sometimes it’s brilliant. The LA-based company performed its three-part “L’Espace du Temps” at the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC) September 19 and 20. Presented in partnership with the Ford Signature Series, it ...
Splashing with Steve Koplowitz at San Diego’s “Trolley Dances”
The life aquatic visits the land-of-the-drought via dance! Choreographer Stephan Koplowitz brings his keen eye for place, space, and unusual context to San Diego’s Trolley Dances for the next two weekends. The site-specific event, staged by San Diego Dance Theater for the past 17 years (a laudable achievement) tours dance lovers — and the just ...