Dance preservationist Norton Owen honored with ‘Dance in Focus’ award 1
Jan
25
2012
On 20 January 2012, the Dance on Camera Festival, now powering up in New York, honored Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Director of Preservation, Norton Owen, for his outstanding contribution to the dance film genre. [click on photo for detail] Said Marta Renzi, board president of the Dance Films Association, which runs the annual Lincoln center ...
What makes a Balanchine ballerina? Meet Carol Sumner. 1
Jan
25
2012
A relatively short torso astride a dauntingly long set of legs. A straight, strong, vertically held back. A house style of aggressive physical attack. All are in evidence in photos of Carol Sumner, a former soloist with New York City Ballet. She danced for Mr. Balanchine from 1958 to 1978, twenty years that she calls ...
Where industry meets the arts
E.O. Hoppé, Large Alternator, Siemens-Schuckert werk, Gartenfeld, Germany, 1928 Unknown photographer, GE Plant in Schenectady, 1934. Features Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers (Shawn at center) Hoppe photo credit: E.O. Hoppé Estate Collection, courtesy Graham Howe Shawn photo courtesy, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Archive, courtesy Norton Owen Like this? Read more: Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival ...
Jack Cole rocks Rita Hayworth’s world in “Tonight and Every Night” (1945) 1
The ditty she sings is inane (remember, it was the War!) and the costume is not her greatest. But Rita Hayworth does her thing prettily enough. Life changes when a monster-dancer joins her on stage — Jack Cole. Choreographers: Pay attention @ 1:43. That is how to make an entrance — sliding in on your ...
Julian Stanczak’s op art at the L.A. Art Show
Jan
20
2012
Capturing my eye at the L.A. Art Show opening last night, the optical art of Polish-born artist Julian Stanczak, on display by Santa Fe’s David Richard Contemporary art gallery. The show, at the Convention Center — L.A.’s own contribution to urban blight — is on through the weekend. Shifting Square, 1973 acrylic on canvas 30 ...
Amiri Baraka visits Los Angeles, raps about art
Jan
17
2012
It was inspiring to eavesdrop on Amiri Baraka, the poet, playwright, essayist, intellectual, and political activist, as he swapped kitchen table banter about life and art with his daughter, the academic and curator, Dr. Kellie Jones. The tête-à-tête took place before an SRO audience at the Hammer’s Billy Wilder Theater. It was the closing day ...
Marie Bryant put a bun in Betty Grable’s oven 5
The silken jazz dancer, Marie Bryant (1919-1978), seen here jiving with the great Harold Nicholas, was, for a time, rehearsal assistant to Jack Cole. That’s interesting. Cole’s performance group was all white. It wouldn’t be otherwise. But he clearly relied on Bryant for special tasks. Asked what she did for Jack Cole, Bryant replied, “I ...
Dueling bio-pics: right-wing ladies on parade
Jan
14
2012
While delighting in Meryl Streep’s microscopic replication of Margaret Thatcher’s facial tics and bug-eyed pronouncements in “The Iron Lady,” do not neglect a prior film, “The Reagans,” which stars the great Aussie actress, Judy Davis. “The Reagans,” a hugely fun, educational and entertaining docu-drama, dates from 2003. The massively ambitious undertaking, a made-for-television movie, traces ...
Spend a sexy evening at an Eagle Rock motel …
Jan
12
2012
… if your idea of a sexy evening is hopping, like a cockroach, between motel rooms, while listening to cool experimental music. Sounds good to me. The Welcome Inn Time Machine — series of free micro concerts in motel rooms that explore the history of local experimental music is part of the Pacific Standard Time ...
Go postal: use choreographer commemorative stamps
Finally. A great reason to use snail mail. You can smack a beloved choreographer right onto the envelope. Jim McMullan, the well known poster designer for Lincoln Center, created the images following a first lot of choreographer stamps in 2004. That group featured mini portraits of dance giants: George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Martha Graham, ...