Nureyev – the man, the dancer – in a stimulating documentary 1
A rich companion piece to the soon-opening feature film, The White Crow (our review here), is the cleverly constructed new documentary, Nureyev, co-directed by BAFTA-nominated directors Jacqui Morris and David Morris. This doc, with its very unusual structure, was made with the support of the Nureyev Foundation. Released by CineLife Entertainment, Nureyev is a reworking ...
THE WHITE CROW: Getting Rudik right 2
WHITE CROW director Ralph Fiennes sets up museum shot for Oleg Ivanko as Rudolf Nureyev My headline news: dance people will absolutely love The White Crow. Most everything — in dance terms — about this rapturous feature film depicting the early life of ballet’s dark prince, Rudolf Nureyev, is spot on. (The film, based on ...
Gwen Verdon to critic: Don’t overlook my choreographer
Apr
1
2019
Gwen Verdon, a woman with values, in a handwritten note from September 1958, mildly protests to Los Angeles Times film critic John L. Scott about a crazy oversight in his review of the film Damn Yankees. [Hover to pause the slide show for easier reading.] Scott was sufficiently impressed by Verdon’s message that he saved ...
Jerry’s beach house … 1
This lovely Bridgehampton cottage, a creative, restorative retreat for its former owner, Jerome Robbins, can now be yours. It is for sale by the Jerome Robbins Foundation. According to Forbes.com, His two-bed, 2 ½ bath wooden-shingle cottage on an acre along the Hamptons oceanfront was the perfect spot, with a wraparound deck and views of ...
Death of a dancer: Lawrence Rhodes
Mar
31
2019
Lawrence Rhodes, Brunilda Ruiz in “Time Out of Mind” – Harkness Ballet 1965 Michael Avedon photo courtesy Finis Jhung I first saw Lawrence Rhodes (1939-2019) dance with the Pennsylvania Ballet. Growing up in Pittsburgh, the company was a point of pride. The below photo is very much how I remember Rhodes’s dancing. His elegance, power, ...
Cunningham, 100, at CAP
Mar
29
2019
We’ve heard of the Land of 1,000 Dances. But what is the ‘Night of 100 Solos‘? It is a global celebration of the centennial of a great dance genius, Merce Cunningham, the exceptional dance-advancing artist who was born on April 16, 1919, in Centralia, Washington. Mighty Los Angeles is part of it! In Night of ...
REVIEW: Diana Wyenn, theater in her veins 2
First, I squirmed. Then I squiggled. I crossed my legs, then re-crossed them. Drawing a deep breath, I wondered at one point if I might faint. Talk about visceral theater! Diana Wyenn’s one-woman show, Blood/Sugar, seen last night at the wonderful Bootleg Theater, goes granular, right down to the grains of sugar your pancreas is ...
REVIEW: ‘I Married An Angel’ at City Center’s Encores!
Sara Mearns, Mark EvansRodgers & Hart’s I Married an Angel Director-Choreographer Joshua Bergasse Over the past few seasons Sara Mearns has found a home at City Center for projects outside of (and sometimes very far removed from) her “day job” as one of New York City Ballet’s leading ballerinas. At Fall for Dance she has ...
Ouchy! on jitterbugger Matt’s neck
Extreme jitterbugging is on view in The Marine’s Come Thru (1938), as the jitterbug contest first prize goes to Matt and Dolly. As well it should. Matt puts his full body into it. He puts his brain to the challenge. This morsel of eccentric dancing comes from our friend Hilary Knight. We’ve got the moment ...
A grandaughter’s devotion: Mariana de Moraes at the bluewhale
Mar
19
2019
photo courtesy mariana de moraes In her upcoming performance at the Little Tokyo jazz club, bluewhale, chanteuse Mariana de Moraes is admirably fronting an evening of Brazilian samba, bossa nova, Brazilian jazz, Afro-Samba, and poetry. And she is doing more. She is honoring her grandfather, Vinícius de Moraes (1913-1980) a giant of Brazilian culture history. ...