Pilobolus at Pepperdine — to the max
Jan
18
2018
It’s a ‘best-of’ show — to the max. For 45 years, the clowns, tumblers, acrobats and very good dancers of Pilobolus have tested the limits of human physicality to explore the beauty and the power of connected bodies. Pilobolus also connects with key influencers, thinkers, and creators of our world. A current tour show soon ...
The wow factor: Paul Steffen Dancers in Italy, 1964 4
Jan
7
2018
After a European tour circa 1950, Jack Cole dancer Paul Steffen — a member of Cole’s resident dance company at Columbia Pictures who performed in Cole’s Rita Hayworth pictures and more — settled in Italy for the rest of his life. There he made this work — a great youtube ‘find’ for this researcher. The ...
Death of a dancer: Karin von Aroldingen (1941-2018) 3
Jan
5
2018
If you love ballet … as I do … then it is with choking sadness (it is unbearably sad) to learn that we have lost the magisterial Balanchine ballerina Karin von Aroldingen who passed away at age 77 on January 5, 2018. She should not die. She was so utterly in control, at the same ...
Kicking off 2018: Kyle Abraham
We like the always-evolving look of dancer/choreographer Kyle Abraham, who torques into a back layout dressed half-James Bond/half-garage mechanic in his camel-colored jumpsuit. A photo-portrait of Abraham by Los Angeles photographer Tatiana Wills got souped-up treatment on Facebook by J.G. Bocella. Fancy! Work the jumpsuit, Kyle. Jump!
Boom boom boom boom! New Year’s 2017 with Fred & Barrie 2
I like the way you walk … I like the way you talk … .. and I LOVE the way you dance. Hollywood dancer Barrie Chase (who was also a stunning clothes horse) wears an impeccable pink mini-dress as she traipses the stage of The Hollywood Palace with His Majesty, Fred Astaire. The date of ...
A bubbly New Year’s Day ‘Salute to Vienna’ concert
Vienna, we salute you! The timeless tunes of Johann Strauss, Franz Lehar and Emmerich Kálmán will bubble like champagne around the mellifluous chamber of Walt Disney Concert Hall in a traditional Viennese New Year’s Day afternoon concert. A mix of operetta, ballroom dance, and the delicate beauty of ballet with acclaimed European singers and dancers ...
Danny Ezralow opens hearts, minds through dance around the world
Choreographer Daniel Ezralow is a global citizen. The Los Angeles native speaks fluent Italian, and a smattering of Russian and Japanese, having directed and choreographed projects in all three countries — the massive 2015 Sochi Olympics Opening Ceremony and Japanese Men’s Rhythmic Gymnastics among them. He’s currently a judge on a new Italian TV talent ...
Queen Carmen reigns, at the Kennedy Center Honors
arts·meme sends well wishes and sincere fashion envy to the great, the magnificent Empress of Modern Dance, our beloved Carmen de Lavallade who poses here in a sensational mauve gown designed by American designer B Michael A M E R I C A. Queen Carmen fits perfectly in that swank setting, doesn’t she? She has ...
REVIEW: The Suzanne Farrell Ballet’s farewell bid @ The Kennedy Center 1
Forever Balanchine: Farewell Performances The Suzanne Farrell Ballet Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington, D.C. December 7 – 9, 2017 The repertory for “Forever Balanchine” – the final, bittersweet four-performance season of The Suzanne Farrell Ballet – resonated deeply and on many levels. At the Saturday matinee (the same program as Thursday’s opening night, but with ...
Yes, ABT, we like sugar plums. But also ‘Nutcracker’ cookies!
Dec
11
2017
Where cookies are concerned, we discreetly morph from ‘fussy critic’ to the more relaxed mode of ‘indiscriminate gobbler.’ Gosh, these ballet-themed cookies (photos mixed with those of our favorite ABT dancers) make our mouths water. They are the charming creation of Blackmarket Bakery whose award-winning chef Rachel Klemek celebrates American Ballet Theatre’s production of “The ...