Yo Martha, Martha Graham! Yvonne Rainer wants to teach you something. 1
May
11
2011
Graham was featured as a Google “Doodle” on her birthday today Happy Birthday Martha Graham born in Pittsburgh on May 11, 1894, 117 years ago
The lucidity of Lucinda Childs
Kudos to choreographer Lucinda Childs, whose pristine and rigorous “Dance” — a glorious work of minimalist art from the late 70s — we so enjoyed Friday night at Royce Hall. Set to the music of Philip Glass, the reconstructed hour-long piece powers forth in real time, while, concurrently, a huge video projection displays giants performing ...
Mark Morris loves the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
The choreographer whose troupe, the Mark Morris Dance Group, opened a four-day run last night at the Music Center, shared his affection for the theater when I interviewed him in 2007: “It’s fabulous to be performing at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion,” he told me then. “I just love the mid-century-modern touches,” he said, indicating the ...
“L’Allegro,” set to Handel, at the Music Center tonight
May
5
2011
Nostalgia reigns at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion as we prepare to see Mark Morris’s landmark full-evening work from 1988, L’Allegro Il Penseroso ed il Moderato, set to an oratorio by Handel. The piece was made when the Seattle-born choreographer was 32 years old. The co-production with L.A. Opera features live orchestral accompaniment. A lovely preview ...
Movie musical talk with George Chakiris
I had the wonderful good fortune to interview singer/dancer/actor George Chakiris at TCM Fest this weekend. The resulting Los Angeles Times piece here. A few leftover niblets to follow… His passion for musicals when growing up: I used to love every movie musical I saw. There was one that stood out, The Barclays of Broadway ...
Chatting with Chakiris today … 2
I’m interviewing the great actor/dancer George Chakiris today. I only can use a sound bite from him and, believe me, it’s going to be devoted to his memories of working for Jack Cole! Read Chakiris’s stellar curriculum vitae … He was one of the dancers in Marilyn Monroe‘s “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” number ...
My favorite brother of seven, Matt Mattox 3
Last night at TCM Fest: my first big-screen viewing of Stanley Donen’s “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” Especially fun since Jacques d’Amboise was just in Los Angeles on a book talk. He spoke quite a bit about making the film. Indeed d’Amboise’s name, well-known considering he’s “just” a dancer, buzzed around the TCM Fest screening ...
Marilyn Monroe gets her very own Russian ballet
Of the many ballets included in the epic-length “Tour de Force II” program at Segerstrom Performing Arts Center in Orange County this Thursday night, one in particular caught our eye. It’s the West Coast premiere of one act from Boris Eifman‘s “Who’s Who” (2003), which was, according to the description, inspired by Some Like It ...
Melissa Hayden hops a train — just as she hopped into the arms of Jacques d’Amboise 2
Apr
26
2011
A characteristic shot of the inimitable New York City Ballet ballerina Melissa Hayden (1923-2006), nee Mildred Herman, a nice Canadian Jewish girl (who knew?) who wanted to be a champion swimmer, or so we learned from Milly’s habitual partner, Jacques d’Amboise, at an ALOUD book talk last week. D’Amboise reveled in stories about the extroverted, ...
David Dorfman’s late-hour conversation with Sly Stone saves “Prophets of Funk” performance
It was a harrowing few days for Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, CA, a sound man named Sam Crawford, eight members of David Dorfman Dance, and the choreographer himself, as the key underpinning of David Dorfman’s touring show “Prophets of Funk ” — the right to use a multi-song sound score by Sylvester ...