REVIEW: ‘Mayerling”s tornado at the Chandler
Kiss of Death: Natalia Osipova as Mary Vetsera, Ryoichi Hirano as Rudolf in Mayerling at the Royal Opera House. Photograph: Helen Maybanks Last night, at 8:20 pm, most of Los Angeles experienced a 7.1-magnitude earthquake. But those viewing Kenneth McMillan‘s sprawling historic dance-drama, Mayerling, performed by the Royal Ballet at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of ...
David Hallberg grew up obsessed by Fred Astaire
Dec
18
2011
Studying tap dance as a kid, before he got proper shoes, says David Hallberg, “I taped nickels on the bottom of my penny loafers.” Hallberg explains this charmingly in a marvelous profile that aired today on CBS’s News’s “Sunday Morning” program. The premier dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet and principal at American Ballet Theatre more ...
David Hallberg, Moscow movie star
When we last saw David Hallberg—the first American to join the prestigious ranks of Bolshoi Ballet principal dancers—he was clamoring through modern works by Nacho Duato and Mauro Bigonzetti as a guest artist in “Kings of the Dance” at Segerstrom Hall in Orange County. That was just a few weeks ago. This Sunday November 20, ...
Natasha & her men 1
Nov
7
2011
Natalia Makarova, the divine, visiting Costa Mesa, California, from New York City, saunters backstage at “Kings of the Dance,” and announces “Well, I want to meet the Kings of the Dance.” The great exiled Russian ballerina faces off with five of the top guys in global ballet world. Marcelo Gomes immediately retorts “Well, you’re the ...
All hail the “Kings”!
Oct
6
2011
Courtesy of my Facebook Friend, Marcelo Gomes, here’s Gene Schiavone’s marvelous portrait of the dancing dudes, their Royal Heinesses, er… Highnesses, THE KINGS OF THE DANCE. You gotta love these kingly kreatures … Impresario Sergei Danilian clearly does, as he’s producing ballet’s premier testosterone showcase for a fourth time.I’ll be there, opening night in Costa ...
What David Hallberg seeks 1
Sep
30
2011
This video excerpt from Russian television broadcast of the Bolshoi Theatre shows what David Hallberg wants more of … detailed personal coaching on Russian ballet classicism. He’s had a taste of it, and he’s going back for more. Apparently ABT could not offer him this. Otherwise why would he go? But you gotta laugh at ...
Dueling ballet headlines: ABT vs. Bolshoi 4
Sep
28
2011
You cannot make this stuff up. You just can’t. Dueling headline news … first from the Bolshoi Ballet, then from American Ballet Theatre … Bolshoi Theatre via RIANOVOSTI Sept 28, 2011 The Bolshoi Ballet picks up an American accent Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater has broken new ground by inviting David Hallberg, of the American Ballet Theater ...
News: David Hallberg Bolshoi contract details leaked!
Sep
24
2011
Our top-secret Russian connections have reported back to arts·meme global headquarters with little-known details of the David Hallberg/Bolshoi Theatre contract. It’s all in the fine print! While bringing the boyish blonde bombshell into the Bolshoi Ballet fold, there have been, shall we say, glitches. The Russians expressed skepticism, yes, ~ suspicion, distrust ~ about the ...
Tutu Taylor
It was a hell of a week for ballet. Our most brilliant male ballet dancer, a true wunderkind, a homegrown wonder, David Hallberg, got a job offer from the Bolshoi Ballet, better, obviously, than his current gig with American Ballet Theatre. So off he goes. Hallberg’s young, 29, he doesn’t speak the language, and Russia ...
Backward-leaning Bolsheviks, er…Bolshoi men
The hiring of David Hallberg by the Bolshoi Ballet, founded in the late 18th century, is being trumpeted as a sign of Russian openness and progress. But an arts·meme investigation indicates that rather than Hallberg moving the stodgy Russians forward, they are already pulling him back. Please refer to the image at left in which ...