If
you love ballet, please check out my season of outstanding ballet
trips in 2012-13 by clicking here.
GET
MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
5 Ballerinas talk about Tatiana
Stuttgart Ballet Principal Dancer Evan McKie talked to Julie Kent, Xiao Nan Yu, Aurelie Dupont, Maria Kochetkova, and Alicia Amatriain about their interpretations of Tatiana in Cranko's Onegin. Read the Dance Magazine article by clicking here.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Mariinsky Swan Lake casting Costa Mesa
The Mariinsky Ballet will be performing Swan Lake at the Segerstrom Centre for the Arts, Costa Mesa (Orange County) California as part of their fall 2012 US tour.
Updated casting as of September 10.
Two of the Mariinsky Ballet’s principal ballerinas, Viktoria Tereshkina and Alina Somova, have canceled their upcoming appearances in “Swan Lake” at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
Both women withdrew from the performances because they are pregnant, center officials confirmed Monday.
Tuesday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Oxana Skorik as Odette-Odile
Vladimir Schklyarov as Prince Siegfried
Wednesday, October 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Ekaterina Kondaurova as Odette-Odile
Evgeny Ivanchenko as Prince Siegfried
Thursday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Oxana Skorik as Odette-Odile
Timur Askerov as Prince Siegfried
Friday, October 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Ekaterina Kondaurova as Odette-Odile
Evgeny Ivanchenko as Prince Siegfried
Saturday, October 6 at 2 p.m.
Anastasia Kolegova as Odette-Odile
Danila Korsuntsev as Prince Siegfried
Saturday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Oxana Skorik as Odette-Odile
Vladimir Schklyarov as Prince Siegfried
Sunday, October 7 at 2 p.m.
Anastasia Kolegova as Odette-Odile
Timur Askerov as Prince Siegfried
For reviews, click here:
http://toursenlair.blogspot.ca/2012/10/mariinsky-swan-lake-us-tour-reviews.html
For casting of Alexei Ratmansky's Cinderella in Washington DC, please click here.
Updated casting as of September 10.
Two of the Mariinsky Ballet’s principal ballerinas, Viktoria Tereshkina and Alina Somova, have canceled their upcoming appearances in “Swan Lake” at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
Both women withdrew from the performances because they are pregnant, center officials confirmed Monday.
Tuesday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Oxana Skorik as Odette-Odile
Vladimir Schklyarov as Prince Siegfried
Wednesday, October 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Ekaterina Kondaurova as Odette-Odile
Evgeny Ivanchenko as Prince Siegfried
Thursday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Oxana Skorik as Odette-Odile
Timur Askerov as Prince Siegfried
Friday, October 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Ekaterina Kondaurova as Odette-Odile
Evgeny Ivanchenko as Prince Siegfried
Saturday, October 6 at 2 p.m.
Anastasia Kolegova as Odette-Odile
Danila Korsuntsev as Prince Siegfried
Saturday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Oxana Skorik as Odette-Odile
Vladimir Schklyarov as Prince Siegfried
Sunday, October 7 at 2 p.m.
Anastasia Kolegova as Odette-Odile
Timur Askerov as Prince Siegfried
For reviews, click here:
http://toursenlair.blogspot.ca/2012/10/mariinsky-swan-lake-us-tour-reviews.html
For casting of Alexei Ratmansky's Cinderella in Washington DC, please click here.
GET
MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR
Friday, July 27, 2012
Updated European Performances Calendar
I have just updated my master calendar of ballet performances in Europe 2012-13. Latest additions are: La Scala 2013 season, Mariinsky, Bolshoi, and Mikhailovsky.
Please click here: http://toursenlair.blogspot.ca/p/whats-on-in-ballet.html
Please click here: http://toursenlair.blogspot.ca/p/whats-on-in-ballet.html
GET
MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Paris Opera Ballet Orpheus & Eurydice reviews
Pina Bausch's Orpheus and Eurydice as performed by Paris Opera Ballet (Stephane Bullion and Marie-Agnes Gillot) as part of the Lincoln Center Festival in New York, NY.
Tobi Tobias, seeing things:
http://www.artsjournal.com/tobias/2012/07/glimpses-9-parisian-modern.html
Marina Harss, dancetabs.com
http://www.dancetabs.com/2012/07/paris-opera-ballet-orpheus-and-eurydice-new-york/
Alastair Macaulay, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/23/arts/dance/pina-bauschs-orpheus-and-eurydice-from-paris-opera-ballet.html
Michael Popkin, danceviewtimes.com
http://www.danceviewtimes.com/2012/07/dont-look-back.html
Tobi Tobias, seeing things:
http://www.artsjournal.com/tobias/2012/07/glimpses-9-parisian-modern.html
Marina Harss, dancetabs.com
http://www.dancetabs.com/2012/07/paris-opera-ballet-orpheus-and-eurydice-new-york/
Alastair Macaulay, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/23/arts/dance/pina-bauschs-orpheus-and-eurydice-from-paris-opera-ballet.html
Leigh Witchel, New York Post
Olivia Giovetti, WQXR
Michael Popkin, danceviewtimes.com
http://www.danceviewtimes.com/2012/07/dont-look-back.html
More
reviews will be posted as they appear.
GET
MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Travel tips for ballet lovers: Korea
If you are going to a ballet performance at the Seoul Arts Centre in the south of Seoul (where ABT recently performed and the National Ballet of Korea and Universal Ballet Korea often perform), a good place to stay is the Provista Hotel, 1677-8 Seocho Dong, Seocho Gu. Although the rack rate listed on its site for a double or twin room is 190,000 won, I was able to book it through hotels.com and expedia for considerably less than that (about $120 a night, but this may have been the low season). The rooms are very spacious (our twin also had a loft with an extra bed, so you could easily fit three people in a room). They also include a little kitchenette with a fridge, two gas burners, bowls, plates, cups, spoons, forks, and chopsticks, a saucepan and frying pan, an electric kettle, and a washer-dryer. You can rent a microwave for an extra 5,000 won a day. This means you can easily have breakfast in your room, although a buffet is provided in the downstairs restaurant, Felice, for an extra 15,000 won (a little less than $15). Wifi is free. The front desk staff don't speak English very well. Airport bus 6020 from Incheon airport (15,000 won) will drop you off at a stop ("Jinheung Apartments") just past the hotel (about 2 minutes walk) after about a 60 minute ride in from the airport. Just after the Seoul University of Education stop, let the driver know you will be getting off next. The stops are announced in English.
There are many restaurants, bakeries, and a supermarket nearby.
Although this is not a part of Seoul with lots of tourist sites, the hotel is only 3 minutes walk from the Seoul National University of Education subway stop. Two major lines go through here: Line 3 will take you in about 25 minutes to the major palaces, the Insadong street full of craft shops, the Namsangol Hanok Village open air museum, the Cheonggyechoeon stream, and the Sejong Centre for the Performing Arts (where Stuttgart Ballet recently performed). Line 2 will take you in about 10 minutes east to the Samseong station, close to the Coex shopping mall, and only 15 minutes walk from Bongeunsa temple. Going west on line 2 three stops to Sadang station, you can transfer to Line 1 three more stops to Ichon station for the National Museum of Korea, which is well worth a visit. Subway fare is incredibly cheap in Seoul, only about $1 a ride. You might be advised to practise stair climbing ahead of your visit, though, as the subways are very deep and the stairs out of them are very steep (this is true of the Tokyo subway system as well)!
From the hotel, it is also easy to get to the Korean Folk Village in Suwon. This is an open air museum where several traditional dwellings from around Korea have been relocated and you can learn about traditional Korean crafts. The Korean farmers' folk dances (at 11 am) are really entertaining. From the hotel, walk about 10 minutes east to Gangnam subway station. Turn right and you will see a centre median in the street which is reserved for southbound buses. Catch the red express 5001-1 bus (runs about every 15 minutes), which for 2100 won will take you directly in 40 minutes to the Korean Folk Village (Miksochon in Korean, but the bus will announce this stop in English).
The Seoul Arts Centre is about 25 minutes walk away from the hotel, or you can take line 3 south one stop to Nambu bus terminal where you can connect to a shuttle bus that takes you right to the theatre (or you can walk from there). But you might as well just take a taxi, as it is only about 4000 won (less than $4!) straight from the hotel. BUT make sure you have the name and address of the Seoul Arts Centre in Korean written down on a piece of paper for the taxi driver. Do not ask the front desk just to translate "Seoul Arts Centre" for you as they will get it wrong.
Although getting to Korea will probably be expensive, once you get there, it's a pretty inexpensive place to visit, as you can get great Korean food for less than $10, subway and taxi fare is cheap, and many of the sights are either free or very inexpensive ($1 or $3 admission for the palaces, for instance, and free admission to the National Museum of Korea). Tipping is not practised in Korea.
A word to the wise for tea drinkers: You can get many exotic types of tea in Korea (Job's tears, Solomon's seal, mugwort, quince, papaya...) but it is surprisingly difficult to find "ordinary" black tea in grocery stores. If you are unhappy without your morning cuppa, bring a stash of teabags with you.
Try to avoid going to Seoul in July, when there are two choices of weather on offer: incredibly hot and humid, or pouring with rain.
A final tip: If you are departing from Incheon Airports international gates 100+, make sure to find some time for the Korea Culture Museum up one floor from the gates (there is also a nice tranquil public lounge up there). It has some beautiful replicas of artifacts and a great interactive music display. You can have the attendant write your name out for you in the Korean alphabet, Hangeul. On the same level as the departure gates there is also a Korean "Cultural experience" where you can try your hand at various Korean arts and crafts.
There are many restaurants, bakeries, and a supermarket nearby.
Although this is not a part of Seoul with lots of tourist sites, the hotel is only 3 minutes walk from the Seoul National University of Education subway stop. Two major lines go through here: Line 3 will take you in about 25 minutes to the major palaces, the Insadong street full of craft shops, the Namsangol Hanok Village open air museum, the Cheonggyechoeon stream, and the Sejong Centre for the Performing Arts (where Stuttgart Ballet recently performed). Line 2 will take you in about 10 minutes east to the Samseong station, close to the Coex shopping mall, and only 15 minutes walk from Bongeunsa temple. Going west on line 2 three stops to Sadang station, you can transfer to Line 1 three more stops to Ichon station for the National Museum of Korea, which is well worth a visit. Subway fare is incredibly cheap in Seoul, only about $1 a ride. You might be advised to practise stair climbing ahead of your visit, though, as the subways are very deep and the stairs out of them are very steep (this is true of the Tokyo subway system as well)!
From the hotel, it is also easy to get to the Korean Folk Village in Suwon. This is an open air museum where several traditional dwellings from around Korea have been relocated and you can learn about traditional Korean crafts. The Korean farmers' folk dances (at 11 am) are really entertaining. From the hotel, walk about 10 minutes east to Gangnam subway station. Turn right and you will see a centre median in the street which is reserved for southbound buses. Catch the red express 5001-1 bus (runs about every 15 minutes), which for 2100 won will take you directly in 40 minutes to the Korean Folk Village (Miksochon in Korean, but the bus will announce this stop in English).
The Seoul Arts Centre is about 25 minutes walk away from the hotel, or you can take line 3 south one stop to Nambu bus terminal where you can connect to a shuttle bus that takes you right to the theatre (or you can walk from there). But you might as well just take a taxi, as it is only about 4000 won (less than $4!) straight from the hotel. BUT make sure you have the name and address of the Seoul Arts Centre in Korean written down on a piece of paper for the taxi driver. Do not ask the front desk just to translate "Seoul Arts Centre" for you as they will get it wrong.
Although getting to Korea will probably be expensive, once you get there, it's a pretty inexpensive place to visit, as you can get great Korean food for less than $10, subway and taxi fare is cheap, and many of the sights are either free or very inexpensive ($1 or $3 admission for the palaces, for instance, and free admission to the National Museum of Korea). Tipping is not practised in Korea.
A word to the wise for tea drinkers: You can get many exotic types of tea in Korea (Job's tears, Solomon's seal, mugwort, quince, papaya...) but it is surprisingly difficult to find "ordinary" black tea in grocery stores. If you are unhappy without your morning cuppa, bring a stash of teabags with you.
Try to avoid going to Seoul in July, when there are two choices of weather on offer: incredibly hot and humid, or pouring with rain.
A final tip: If you are departing from Incheon Airports international gates 100+, make sure to find some time for the Korea Culture Museum up one floor from the gates (there is also a nice tranquil public lounge up there). It has some beautiful replicas of artifacts and a great interactive music display. You can have the attendant write your name out for you in the Korean alphabet, Hangeul. On the same level as the departure gates there is also a Korean "Cultural experience" where you can try your hand at various Korean arts and crafts.
Monday, July 16, 2012
First Position YAGP Ballet doc Canadian screenings
Opening July 20, 2012
Toronto – Bell Light Box
Montreal – The Cineplex Forum (till August 2)
Opening Early August, 2012 (exact date and venues TBD very soon)
Vancouver Opening August 17, 2012
Ottawa – Bytowne Opening Aug 17-23
Waterloo – Princess Cinema starts August 28
Follow in the inspirational footsteps of six talented ballet dancers (ages nine to nineteen) as they struggle to maintain form in the face of injury and personal sacrifice on their way to one of the most prestigious youth ballet competitions in the world. First Position is a feature length documentary about a love of dance and a drive to succeed that trumps money, politics and even war.
With unprecedented (and exclusive) access to the Youth America Grand Prix, the largest competition that awards full scholarships to top ballet schools, First Position takes audiences on a yearlong journey around the world. At a time when art, music and dance for children are severely under-funded, the film reveals the struggles and success, the pain and extraordinary beauty of an art form so many children across the globe are determined to dedicate their lives to…despite the odds.
First Position recently had its World Premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and was named the audience choice’s first runner up for Best Documentary. It also won the Jury Prize at the San Francisco Documentary Festival and the audience award at DOCNYC.
For a review, click here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/film-reviews/first-position-a-grand-jet-by-two-young-dancers/article4428117/
Toronto – Bell Light Box
Montreal – The Cineplex Forum (till August 2)
Opening Early August, 2012 (exact date and venues TBD very soon)
Vancouver Opening August 17, 2012
Ottawa – Bytowne Opening Aug 17-23
Waterloo – Princess Cinema starts August 28
Follow in the inspirational footsteps of six talented ballet dancers (ages nine to nineteen) as they struggle to maintain form in the face of injury and personal sacrifice on their way to one of the most prestigious youth ballet competitions in the world. First Position is a feature length documentary about a love of dance and a drive to succeed that trumps money, politics and even war.
With unprecedented (and exclusive) access to the Youth America Grand Prix, the largest competition that awards full scholarships to top ballet schools, First Position takes audiences on a yearlong journey around the world. At a time when art, music and dance for children are severely under-funded, the film reveals the struggles and success, the pain and extraordinary beauty of an art form so many children across the globe are determined to dedicate their lives to…despite the odds.
First Position recently had its World Premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and was named the audience choice’s first runner up for Best Documentary. It also won the Jury Prize at the San Francisco Documentary Festival and the audience award at DOCNYC.
For a review, click here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/film-reviews/first-position-a-grand-jet-by-two-young-dancers/article4428117/
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Paris Opera Ballet Giselle NY reviews
Marina Harss, dancetabs.com
http://www.dancetabs.com/2012/07/paris-opera-ballet-giselle-new-york/
Alastair Macaulay, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/16/arts/dance/paris-opera-ballets-giselle-at-lincoln-center.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimesarts&seid=auto
Apollinaire Scherr, artsjournal.com:
http://www.artsjournal.com/foot/2012/07/the_integrity_of_paris_opera_b.html
Leigh Witchel, NY Post
Leigh Witchel, danceviewtimes.com
http://www.danceviewtimes.com/2012/07/to-the-manor-born.html
Robert Johnson, The Star-Ledger
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2012/07/giselle.html
Tobi Tobias, artsjournal.com
http://www.artsjournal.com/tobias/2012/07/a-ballet-romance.html
Marina Harss, thefastertimes.com (Dorothee Gilbert)
http://www.thefastertimes.com/dance/2012/07/19/impressions-dorothee-gilbert-in-paris-opera-ballet%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cgiselle%E2%80%9D-or-when-the-eyes-dance/
Joan Acocella, the New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/07/doom-in-pink-shoes.html
Wendy Perron Dance Magazine
http://www.dancemagazine.com/blogs/dance-glance/4530
Interview with Marie-Agnes Gillot, Pointe Magazine
http://www.pointemagazine.com/issues/aprilmay-2010/reverence-maverick-star
Jocelyn Noveck, AP, Huffington Post
Robert Greskovic, Wall Street Journal
Robert Gottlieb, NY Observer
Margaret Fuhrer, Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/margaret-fuhrer/paris-opera-ballet-new-york_b_1704337.html
More reviews will be posted as they appear.
http://www.dancetabs.com/2012/07/paris-opera-ballet-giselle-new-york/
Alastair Macaulay, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/16/arts/dance/paris-opera-ballets-giselle-at-lincoln-center.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimesarts&seid=auto
Apollinaire Scherr, artsjournal.com:
http://www.artsjournal.com/foot/2012/07/the_integrity_of_paris_opera_b.html
Leigh Witchel, NY Post
Leigh Witchel, danceviewtimes.com
http://www.danceviewtimes.com/2012/07/to-the-manor-born.html
Robert Johnson, The Star-Ledger
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2012/07/giselle.html
Tobi Tobias, artsjournal.com
http://www.artsjournal.com/tobias/2012/07/a-ballet-romance.html
Marina Harss, thefastertimes.com (Dorothee Gilbert)
http://www.thefastertimes.com/dance/2012/07/19/impressions-dorothee-gilbert-in-paris-opera-ballet%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cgiselle%E2%80%9D-or-when-the-eyes-dance/
Joan Acocella, the New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/07/doom-in-pink-shoes.html
Wendy Perron Dance Magazine
http://www.dancemagazine.com/blogs/dance-glance/4530
Interview with Marie-Agnes Gillot, Pointe Magazine
http://www.pointemagazine.com/issues/aprilmay-2010/reverence-maverick-star
Jocelyn Noveck, AP, Huffington Post
Robert Greskovic, Wall Street Journal
Robert Gottlieb, NY Observer
Margaret Fuhrer, Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/margaret-fuhrer/paris-opera-ballet-new-york_b_1704337.html
More reviews will be posted as they appear.
If
you love ballet, please check out my season of outstanding ballet
trips in 2012-13 by clicking here.
GET
MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR
Travel tips for ballet lovers: Vienna
Vienna
I have stayed at three hotels in Vienna, all of which I would recommend. Nearest to the Staatsoper of these was the Pension Residenz, Ebendorferstrasse 10
A-1010 Wien, Österreich
Telefon: +43/1/406 47 86 0
Fax: +43/1/406 47 86 50
E-Mail: info@residenz.cc,
rooms 70 or 80 euros for a single, including breakfast.
This is just off the Ringstrasse near the Rathaus and the University, about 20 minutes walk or a very quick tram ride to the Staatsoper.
A little further away is the Pension Excellence, single rooms starting at 61 euros including breakfast buffet. On the second floor they also have apartments complete with kitchenettes which you can stock from the nearby Billa grocery store, Vienna Comfort Apartments, starting at 97 euros per night, breakfast 9 euros extra per person. This is closer to the Volksoper if your ballet performance happens to be there. You can walk to the Staatsoper in about 25 minutes, but tram service is also excellent.
The Gartenhotel Gabriel, Landstrasser Hauptstrasse 165, 1030 Vienna, Austria, Tel.: +43 1 712 32 05,
single rooms starting at 47 euros including a great breakfast buffet, is not within walking distance of the theatre but is on a tram line with frequent service that will get you there in 10 minutes. Its great advantage in addition to the budget price is that it is very close to the Sanct-Marx S-Bahn station for the airport train, which is very helpful if you have to catch an early flight.
There are so many fabulous cafes in Vienna that it's impossible to list them all but my favourites include:
Cafe Central for its sheer beauty
Heiner Wollzeile 9, 1010 Wien: This is my all time favourite, possibly the best cakes I've ever eaten in a truly "gemuetlich" atmosphere. There are other Heiners, particularly one on the busy Karntnerstrasse pedestrian street, where the cake is equally good, but as this one is slightly off the tourist beaten path and doesn't seem to be listed in the guidebooks, you will find yourself in the company of Viennese people and families who have just popped in for their fix of coffee and cake. It also offers nice light lunches. While you're there, head down the street and around the corner and check out the Jesuitenkirche, which will blow your mind with its baroque extravagance.
Demel just down from the Hofburg is overrun with tourists but you just have to go there for your Viennese experience to be complete, and the cakes are wonderful.
Cafe Schwarzenberg not far along the ring from the Opera House at Schwarzenbergplatz (the terminus of the tram from the Gartenhotel Gabriel) is a good place for an inexpensive dinner of classic Austrian cuisine before a performance. The cafe at the opera house itself also offers inexpensive light meals.
After the show, if you find you need even more cake, it may be hard to find places open, but the Cafe Mozart (it really has been there since Mozart's time) in Albertinaplatz opposite the back of the opera house is open till midnight.
When you go to visit Schonbrunn castle, the Oberlaa cafe in Hiezing is very pleasant.
If by now you think I have eaten cake in every cafe in Vienna, you are probably right!
I have stayed at three hotels in Vienna, all of which I would recommend. Nearest to the Staatsoper of these was the Pension Residenz, Ebendorferstrasse 10
A-1010 Wien, Österreich
Telefon: +43/1/406 47 86 0
Fax: +43/1/406 47 86 50
E-Mail: info@residenz.cc,
rooms 70 or 80 euros for a single, including breakfast.
This is just off the Ringstrasse near the Rathaus and the University, about 20 minutes walk or a very quick tram ride to the Staatsoper.
A little further away is the Pension Excellence, single rooms starting at 61 euros including breakfast buffet. On the second floor they also have apartments complete with kitchenettes which you can stock from the nearby Billa grocery store, Vienna Comfort Apartments, starting at 97 euros per night, breakfast 9 euros extra per person. This is closer to the Volksoper if your ballet performance happens to be there. You can walk to the Staatsoper in about 25 minutes, but tram service is also excellent.
The Gartenhotel Gabriel, Landstrasser Hauptstrasse 165, 1030 Vienna, Austria, Tel.: +43 1 712 32 05,
single rooms starting at 47 euros including a great breakfast buffet, is not within walking distance of the theatre but is on a tram line with frequent service that will get you there in 10 minutes. Its great advantage in addition to the budget price is that it is very close to the Sanct-Marx S-Bahn station for the airport train, which is very helpful if you have to catch an early flight.
There are so many fabulous cafes in Vienna that it's impossible to list them all but my favourites include:
Cafe Central for its sheer beauty
Heiner Wollzeile 9, 1010 Wien: This is my all time favourite, possibly the best cakes I've ever eaten in a truly "gemuetlich" atmosphere. There are other Heiners, particularly one on the busy Karntnerstrasse pedestrian street, where the cake is equally good, but as this one is slightly off the tourist beaten path and doesn't seem to be listed in the guidebooks, you will find yourself in the company of Viennese people and families who have just popped in for their fix of coffee and cake. It also offers nice light lunches. While you're there, head down the street and around the corner and check out the Jesuitenkirche, which will blow your mind with its baroque extravagance.
Demel just down from the Hofburg is overrun with tourists but you just have to go there for your Viennese experience to be complete, and the cakes are wonderful.
Cafe Schwarzenberg not far along the ring from the Opera House at Schwarzenbergplatz (the terminus of the tram from the Gartenhotel Gabriel) is a good place for an inexpensive dinner of classic Austrian cuisine before a performance. The cafe at the opera house itself also offers inexpensive light meals.
After the show, if you find you need even more cake, it may be hard to find places open, but the Cafe Mozart (it really has been there since Mozart's time) in Albertinaplatz opposite the back of the opera house is open till midnight.
When you go to visit Schonbrunn castle, the Oberlaa cafe in Hiezing is very pleasant.
If by now you think I have eaten cake in every cafe in Vienna, you are probably right!
If
you love ballet, please check out my season of outstanding ballet
trips in 2012-13 by clicking here.
GET
MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Travel tips for ballet lovers: Stuttgart
 |
| Stuttgart Opera House -ballet is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow |
Another longtime fave of mine is the City Hotel, Uhlandstraße 18, rooms starting at 79 euros including a great buffet breakfast. It is only 9 minutes walk from the theatre, not quite as convenient for the main shopping streets and train station (both still walkable) or airport as the Astoria, but as Stuttgart has a fantastic public transit system it is definitely not difficult to get where you're going.
There is a good Italian restaurant, La Piazza, just down Uhlandstrasse from the hotel, on the corner of Urbanstrasse.
Make sure you stop in for Kaffee and Kuchen at the Grand Cafe Planie (the big yellow building on one corner of Charlottenplatz). Their cakes are fantastic!
If
you love ballet, please check out my season of outstanding ballet
trips in 2012-13 by clicking here.
GET
MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR
Friday, July 13, 2012
Travel tips for ballet lovers: Japan
Japan
If you're going to a performance at the New National Theatre (home of the National Ballet of Japan), a great place to stay that won't break your budget is the Hotel Rose Garden in Shinjuku, about 25 minutes walk from the theatre, only 8 minutes walk from the Shinjuku train station from which you can go almost anywhere, and right beside the Nishi-Shinjuku subway station. I recently stayed there for 4 nights for just over $400 Cdn (it would have been less if I had chosen a room with a single bed instead of a double bed). Internet access is free but bring your own cable. A generous buffet breakfast was only 1000 yen (approx $13 Cdn) extra. There is a very modestly priced Italian restaurant on the second floor, or if you're really minding your budget, you can buy a meal for under 500 yen at the Family Mart convenience store next door.
Another perfectly adequate affordable hotel which is even closer to the New National Theatre is Sun Members Shinjuku. You may want to book this over a hotel booking site as the hotel's own website reservation page is in Japanese only. It is across the street from the Washington Shinjuku hotel, where the airport bus from Narita has a dropoff and pickup point. The breakfast here is more expensive and not that appetizing, so you can save money by buying food at a bakery or convenience store. All Japanese hotels provide kettles to boil water for tea or coffee. Sun Members also has a good and reasonable Italian restaurant, and there's a great noodle shop just across the street.
The New National Theatre also has an Italian restaurant of its own which offers tasty and good value three-course prix fixe meals. Surprisingly though, their menu is in Japanese only, but they may be able to provide an obliging waitress who can translate for you.
If your Tokyo ballet performance is at the Bunka Kaikan in Ueno park, a convenient place to stay is Asakusa, just a few stops along the Ginza subway line. It is also a convenient place to stop if you are coming in from Narita Airport on the N'ex airport express train (you have to change to a local train at Ushida). Asakusa has a great, if touristy, market. I stayed at the Toyoko Inn, a chain that has many hotels throughout Japan with very affordable prices (starting at 5980 yen, or about $80 Cdn a night) for nice rooms, and a free Japanese breakfast (miso soup and cold rice) included. There is also a Toyoko Inn near the theatre in Yokohama.
If you're going to a performance at the New National Theatre (home of the National Ballet of Japan), a great place to stay that won't break your budget is the Hotel Rose Garden in Shinjuku, about 25 minutes walk from the theatre, only 8 minutes walk from the Shinjuku train station from which you can go almost anywhere, and right beside the Nishi-Shinjuku subway station. I recently stayed there for 4 nights for just over $400 Cdn (it would have been less if I had chosen a room with a single bed instead of a double bed). Internet access is free but bring your own cable. A generous buffet breakfast was only 1000 yen (approx $13 Cdn) extra. There is a very modestly priced Italian restaurant on the second floor, or if you're really minding your budget, you can buy a meal for under 500 yen at the Family Mart convenience store next door.
Another perfectly adequate affordable hotel which is even closer to the New National Theatre is Sun Members Shinjuku. You may want to book this over a hotel booking site as the hotel's own website reservation page is in Japanese only. It is across the street from the Washington Shinjuku hotel, where the airport bus from Narita has a dropoff and pickup point. The breakfast here is more expensive and not that appetizing, so you can save money by buying food at a bakery or convenience store. All Japanese hotels provide kettles to boil water for tea or coffee. Sun Members also has a good and reasonable Italian restaurant, and there's a great noodle shop just across the street.
The New National Theatre also has an Italian restaurant of its own which offers tasty and good value three-course prix fixe meals. Surprisingly though, their menu is in Japanese only, but they may be able to provide an obliging waitress who can translate for you.
If your Tokyo ballet performance is at the Bunka Kaikan in Ueno park, a convenient place to stay is Asakusa, just a few stops along the Ginza subway line. It is also a convenient place to stop if you are coming in from Narita Airport on the N'ex airport express train (you have to change to a local train at Ushida). Asakusa has a great, if touristy, market. I stayed at the Toyoko Inn, a chain that has many hotels throughout Japan with very affordable prices (starting at 5980 yen, or about $80 Cdn a night) for nice rooms, and a free Japanese breakfast (miso soup and cold rice) included. There is also a Toyoko Inn near the theatre in Yokohama.
If
you love ballet, please check out my season of outstanding ballet
trips in 2012-13 by clicking here.
GET
MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR
Paris Opera Ballet Mixed Program NY reviews
Leigh Witchel's facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/danceleighwitchel/posts/442907509073898
Marina Harss, dancetabs.com:
http://www.dancetabs.com/2012/07/paris-opera-ballet-suite-en-blanc-larlesienne-bolero-new-york/
Alastair Macaulay, New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/arts/dance/the-paris-opera-ballet-at-the-david-h-koch-theater.html?_r=3&smid=tw-share
Robert Johnson, Star-Ledger:
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2012/07/the_paris_opera_ballet_triumph.html
Tobi Tobias, Arts Journal
For Chicago reviews, please click here:
http://toursenlair.blogspot.ca/2012/07/paris-opera-ballet-mixed-program.html
Video of Aurelie Dupont in Bolero :
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xs5iyv_l-opera-national-de-paris-de-retour-a-new-york_news
Joel Lobenthal, CityArts
More reviews will be posted as they appear.
https://www.facebook.com/danceleighwitchel/posts/442907509073898
Marina Harss, dancetabs.com:
http://www.dancetabs.com/2012/07/paris-opera-ballet-suite-en-blanc-larlesienne-bolero-new-york/
Alastair Macaulay, New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/arts/dance/the-paris-opera-ballet-at-the-david-h-koch-theater.html?_r=3&smid=tw-share
Robert Johnson, Star-Ledger:
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2012/07/the_paris_opera_ballet_triumph.html
Tobi Tobias, Arts Journal
For Chicago reviews, please click here:
http://toursenlair.blogspot.ca/2012/07/paris-opera-ballet-mixed-program.html
Video of Aurelie Dupont in Bolero :
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xs5iyv_l-opera-national-de-paris-de-retour-a-new-york_news
Joel Lobenthal, CityArts
More reviews will be posted as they appear.
If
you love ballet, please check out my season of outstanding ballet
trips in 2012-13 by clicking here.
GET
MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Travel tips for ballet lovers: Hamburg
While the official Tours en l'air trips tend to stay in higher-end
three-star and four-star hotels, for those of you who are happy with a
more modest hotel for one of your own trips to see ballet, here are my
recommendations.
Hamburg
A true find if you're visiting the Hamburg Ballet is the Hotel Pension Fink, run by the charming Korean Han family, Rothenbaumchaussee 73 | 20148 Hamburg | Tel. 040 / 44 05 71 | Fax 040 / 45 71 62 | eMail hotelpension-fink@web.de. This former 19th century villa in the leafy Rotherbaum area of Hamburg has the most stunning rooms with beautiful painted ceilings, and prices starting at 49 euros for a single and 70 for a double including breakfast. It's a while since I stayed there, but I think I recall the room I stayed in did not have an ensuite bathroom. It's steps from the Haller U-Bahn station which connects to the airport bus in one direction and to the Staatsoper and downtown in the other (which is about 20 minutes walk away, past the beautiful botanical garden). As I recall, one's Hamburg ballet ticket is valid also for public transit on the evening of the show. If you're visiting Hamburg, you definitely don't want to end up in some of the seedier areas, near the Hauptbahnhof or the Reeperbahn, and this is about as unseedy as you could possibly imagine. Hamburg is a surprisingly beautiful city, and it's got a great ballet company, so seize the opportunity to go there if you can, especially in June each year when they have their ballet-every-night "Ballet Days".
Hamburg
A true find if you're visiting the Hamburg Ballet is the Hotel Pension Fink, run by the charming Korean Han family, Rothenbaumchaussee 73 | 20148 Hamburg | Tel. 040 / 44 05 71 | Fax 040 / 45 71 62 | eMail hotelpension-fink@web.de. This former 19th century villa in the leafy Rotherbaum area of Hamburg has the most stunning rooms with beautiful painted ceilings, and prices starting at 49 euros for a single and 70 for a double including breakfast. It's a while since I stayed there, but I think I recall the room I stayed in did not have an ensuite bathroom. It's steps from the Haller U-Bahn station which connects to the airport bus in one direction and to the Staatsoper and downtown in the other (which is about 20 minutes walk away, past the beautiful botanical garden). As I recall, one's Hamburg ballet ticket is valid also for public transit on the evening of the show. If you're visiting Hamburg, you definitely don't want to end up in some of the seedier areas, near the Hauptbahnhof or the Reeperbahn, and this is about as unseedy as you could possibly imagine. Hamburg is a surprisingly beautiful city, and it's got a great ballet company, so seize the opportunity to go there if you can, especially in June each year when they have their ballet-every-night "Ballet Days".
If
you love ballet, please check out my season of outstanding ballet
trips in 2012-13 by clicking here.
GET
MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR
Paris Opera Ballet US tour pictures
Lincoln Center has posted on their facebook page some great pix of Suite en Blanc (including Mathieu Ganio doing some amazing barrel jumps in a perfect attitude which I saw with my own eyes in Chicago) , L'Arlesienne (Isabelle Ciaravola and Jeremie Belingard), and Bolero (Nicolas Le Riche)
All pix by Stephanie Berger.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151091009324047.493271.105493364046&type=1
Pix of Giselle (Paquette, Ciaravola, Gillot) here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151095465674047.493723.105493364046
All pix by Stephanie Berger.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151091009324047.493271.105493364046&type=1
Pix of Giselle (Paquette, Ciaravola, Gillot) here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151095465674047.493723.105493364046
If
you love ballet, please check out my season of outstanding ballet
trips in 2012-13 by clicking here.
GET
MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR
NY City Center Fall for Dance Festival Program
- All Tickets $15
- Tickets go on sale Sun, Sept 9 at 11am.
- September 27 - October 13, 2012
- New York City Center is located on West 55th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues in midtown Manhattan.
- http://www.nycitycenter.org/events/
The ninth annual Fall for Dance Festival, now expanded to 12
evenings, includes some of the most groundbreaking and breathtaking
dance in the world today. With tickets to this year’s Festival, you can
sample a diverse lineup of 20 companies and experience everything from
hula to ballet, flamenco to tap. Please scroll down for more detailed info about each program at end of schedule.
Fall for Dance’s annual DanceTalk series
will offer pre-performance panel discussions in the New York City Center
Studios (130 West 56th Street). Each discussion is free and open to the public.
9/27 8:00 p.m
Program 1
Jared Grimes
Dancing the Tap
Choreographed by Jared Grimes
Fang-Yi Sheu & Artists
3 Movements and 4 Repeats
Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
TBD
TBD
Choreographed by TBD
BalletBoyz
Void
Choreographed by Jarek Cemerek
9/28
Fri
8:00pm
Program 1
Jared Grimes
Dancing the Tap
Choreographed by Jared Grimes
Fang-Yi Sheu & Artists
3 Movements and 4 Repeats
Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
TBD
TBD
Choreographed by TBD
BalletBoyz
Void
Choreographed by Jarek Cemerek
9/29
Sat
8:00pm
Program 2
Juilliard Dance
Fortune
Choreographed by Pam Tanowitz
American Ballet Theatre
Sinatra Suite
Choreographed by Twyla Tharp
The Hong Kong Ballet
Luminous
Choreographed by Peter Quanz
Martha Graham Dance Company
Chronicle
Choreographed by Martha Graham
9/30
Sun
7:00pm
Program 2
Juilliard Dance
Fortune
Choreographed by Pam Tanowitz
American Ballet Theatre
Sinatra Suite
Choreographed by Twyla Tharp
The Hong Kong Ballet
Luminous
Choreographed by Peter Quanz
Martha Graham Dance Company
Chronicle
Choreographed by Martha Graham
10/2
Tue
8:00pm
Program 3
Ballet West
Grand Pas from Paquita
Choreographed by Elena Kunikova
TU Dance
High Heel Blues
Choreographed by Uri Sands
Nan Jombang
Tarian Malam (Night Dances) (adapted for Fall for Dance)
Choreographed by Eri Mefri
Moiseyev Dance Company
Moiseyev's Classics
Choreographed by Igor Moiseyev
10/3
Wed
8:00pm
Program 3
Ballet West
Grand Pas from Paquita
Choreographed by Elena Kunikova
TU Dance
High Heel Blues
Choreographed by Uri Sands
Nan Jombang
Tarian Malam (Night Dances) (adapted for Fall for Dance)
Choreographed by Eri Mefri
Moiseyev Dance Company
Moiseyev's Classics
Choreographed by Igor Moiseyev
10/4
Thu
8:00pm
Program 4
Shantala Shivalingappa
Shiva Ganga (adapted for Fall for Dance)
Choreographed by Shantala Shivalingappa
Pacific Northwest Ballet
Pas de deux from Carousel (A Dance)©
Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
Jodi Melnick
Solo, (Re)Deluxe Version
Choreographed by Jodi Melnick
Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka La
Hula Kane: The Ancient Art of Hawaiian Male Dance
Choreographed by Kumu Hula KaleoTrinidad
10/5
Fri
8:00pm
Program 4
Shantala Shivalingappa
Shiva Ganga (adapted for Fall for Dance)
Choreographed by Shantala Shivalingappa
Pacific Northwest Ballet
Pas de deux from Carousel (A Dance)©
Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
Jodi Melnick
Solo, (Re)Deluxe Version
Choreographed by Jodi Melnick
Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka La
Hula Kane: The Ancient Art of Hawaiian Male Dance
Choreographed by Kumu Hula KaleoTrinidad
10/6
Sat
8:00pm
Program 4
Shantala Shivalingappa
Shiva Ganga (adapted for Fall for Dance)
Choreographed by Shantala Shivalingappa
Pacific Northwest Ballet
Pas de deux from Carousel (A Dance)©
Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
Jodi Melnick
Solo, (Re)Deluxe Version
Choreographed by Jodi Melnick
Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka La
Hula Kane: The Ancient Art of Hawaiian Male Dance
Choreographed by Kumu Hula KaleoTrinidad
10/11
Thu
8:00pm
Program 5
Shen Wei Dance Arts
Rite of Spring
Choreographed by Shen Wei
LDP-Laboratory Dance Project
No Comment
Choreographed by Chang Ho Shin
Circa
CIRCA: (adapted for Fall for Dance)
Choreographed by Yaran Lifschitz and Circa ensemble
María Pagés Compañía
Deseo Y Conciencia (Desire & Conscience)
Choreographed by María Pagés
10/12
Fri
8:00pm
Program 5
Shen Wei Dance Arts
Rite of Spring
Choreographed by Shen Wei
LDP-Laboratory Dance Project
No Comment
Choreographed by Chang Ho Shin
Circa
CIRCA: (adapted for Fall for Dance)
Choreographed by Yaran Lifschitz and Circa ensemble
María Pagés Compañía
Deseo Y Conciencia (Desire & Conscience)
Choreographed by María Pagés
10/13
Sat
8:00pm
Program 5
Shen Wei Dance Arts
Rite of Spring
Choreographed by Shen Wei
LDP-Laboratory Dance Project
No Comment
Choreographed by Chang Ho Shin
Circa
CIRCA: (adapted for Fall for Dance)
Choreographed by Yaran Lifschitz and Circa ensemble
María Pagés Compañía
Deseo Y Conciencia (Desire & Conscience)
Choreographed by María Pagés
PROGRAM ONE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 at 8 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 at 8 p.m.
JARED GRIMES (Festival Debut)
Dancing the Tap, a world premiere choreographed by tap phenom Jared Grimes, is a rocking, concert-style performance featuring singing, dancing and plenty of flash. The work showcases the great desire to entertain while exploring different ideas within the tap genre.
Jared Grimes is making his mark in tap and hip-hop/street jazz. He has danced alongside legends such as Gregory Hines, Ben Vereen, Jerry Lewis and Fayard Nicholas, and toured with Mariah Carey. His stage credits include Babes in Arms at the Goodspeed Opera House; Sammy, directed by Debbie Allen; Scottsboro Boys, directed by Susan Stroman; Pure Country, directed by Peter Masterson; and Vaudeville, directed by Christopher d’Amboise. Mr. Grimes was featured in the recent Encores! production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as well as in last season’s City Center/Jazz at Lincoln Center production of Cotton Club Parade. He performed with Wynton Marsalis at the Kennedy Center on the occasion of the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
FANG-YI SHEU & ARTISTS (Festival Debut)
3 Movements and 4 Repeats (2012), a New York premiere choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, was commissioned by Fang-Yi Sheu & Artists. Contemporary dancer Fang-Yi Sheu will be joined by New York City Ballet principal dancers Tyler Angle and Wendy Whelan and soloist Craig Hall.
Fang-Yi Sheu & Artists was founded in May 2007 by Fang-Yi Sheu. A native of Taiwan, Ms. Sheu received her BFA in dance from the National Institute of the Arts (now Taipei National University of the Arts), and later performed as a principal dancer for Martha Graham Dance Company. She has received numerous awards, including the 2007 National Award for the Arts (Taiwan), and she was the first Asian artist-in-residence at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Ms. Sheu has collaborated with dance groups and artists including Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, Lin Hwai-Min, Eliot Feld, Shen Wei, Akram Khan, Christopher Wheeldon, and many more. http://www.fangyisheu.org
COMPANY TBA
BALLETBOYZ
Void (2012), a U.S. premiere choreographed by Jarek Cemerek, is an adrenaline-fueled frenzy of exquisite dancing. A pulsing and sublime ensemble piece, it pushes the dancers to the limit and features haunting projections that set the backdrop to the performers’ whirlwind movements.
BalletBoyz, founded by Michael Nunn & William Trevitt in 2001, has established itself as one of the most original and innovative forces in contemporary dance, revolutionizing traditional programming formats, commissioning work, collaborating with a wide range of cutting-edge talents and building a big following through TV. Its chief aim is to challenge, excite and enlighten audiences through its body of over 30 works. The company has received numerous awards and has performed all over the U.K. and internationally. www.balletboyz.com
PROGRAM TWO
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 at 8 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 at 7 p.m.
JUILLIARD DANCE (Live Music)
Fortune (2011), choreographed by Pam Tanowitz for the Juilliard Dance class of 2013, is set to Charles Wuorinen’s complex score of the same name. The structure of the dance is prescribed by the music but not dictated by it, with movement motifs mined from classical ballet and filtered through a contemporary lens.
Juilliard Dance, under the artistic direction of Lawrence Rhodes since 2002, aims to develop true contemporary dancers who are trained equally in classical ballet and modern dance. Established in 1951, Juilliard Dance was the first major teaching institution to combine instruction in both contemporary and ballet techniques. Each year 26 dancers are accepted into the four-year B.F.A. program. The 2012-2013 season includes commissions by Camille A. Brown, Emery LeCrone, Susan Shields and Jarek Cemerek, as well as repertory highlights. www.juilliard.edu/dance
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE
Sinatra Suite (1982), a ballet for two dancers choreographed by Twyla Tharp, is set to five songs sung by Frank Sinatra.
American Ballet Theatre, recognized by an Act of the United States Congress as America’s National Ballet Company™, is one of the world’s great dance companies. Few ballet companies equal ABT for its combination of size, scope and outreach. Since its founding in 1940, ABT annually tours the United States, performing for more than 600,000 people, and is the only major cultural institution to do so. The company has made more than 30 international tours to 43 countries and has been sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. www.abt.org
THE HONG KONG BALLET (Festival Debut)
Luminous (2010), choreographed by Peter Quanz, explores the fragility of human relationships, the tension between the genders, and the qualities drawn out of us by passing alliances. This emotionally charged, sensual piece is a reflection on relationships past and present.
The Hong Kong Ballet is one of the premier classical ballet companies in Asia and is a world-class institution with an identity that reflects the unique vitality of Hong Kong. Founded in 1979, the company has evolved into a vibrant performing arts organization led by Artistic Director Madeleine Onne, with over 40 accomplished dancers, a strong repertoire, and sparkling, technically challenging productions. The company performs a repertoire that combines 19th to 21st century classical masterpieces, acclaimed contemporary works and newly commissioned ballets. Since 1997, The Hong Kong Ballet has conducted more than 20 tours to 10 countries in North and South America, Europe and Asia. http://hkballet.com
MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY
Chronicle (1936), is Graham’s stirring response to the rise of fascism in 1936 and to the unmatched power of the collective will. Chronicle is set to music by Wallingford Riegger and features sets by Isamu Noguchi and costumes by Martha Graham.
Martha Graham Dance Company, founded in 1926, is the oldest and one of the most celebrated contemporary dance companies in America. Martha Graham is recognized as a primal artistic force of the 20th century. She created 181 works and a dance technique that has been compared to ballet in its scope and magnitude. Her approach to dance and theater revolutionized the art form, and her innovative physical vocabulary has influenced dance worldwide. Since its inception, the company has received international acclaim from audiences in over 50 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. www.marthagraham.org
PROGRAM THREE
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2 at 8 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 at 8 p.m.
BALLET WEST
Grand Pas from Paquita, choreographed by Elena Kunikova after Marius Petipa’s 1881 version, premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. Petipa’s additions for Paquita survived long after the full-length ballet left the stage. Today, the Grand Pas from Act III is considered one of the most beloved and enduring classical showpieces in the world.
Ballet West was founded in Salt Lake City in 1963 and boasts a rich and varied repertoire, elegant and versatile artists, and an American style that is as dynamic, expansive and unexpected as the Rocky Mountain region it represents. Ballet West ranks among the top professional ballet companies in America. Since 2007, Artistic Director Adam Sklute has further energized and expanded Ballet West’s repertoire with works by the most renowned choreographers of today and introduced historical masterpieces from the great Ballets Russes, while continuing to preserve Ballet West’s classical legacy. Ballet West made its network television debut in May 2012 on the CW Network’s docu-drama “Breaking Pointe.” www.balletwest.org
TU DANCE (Festival Debut)
High Heel Blues (2005), a New York premiere choreographed by Uri Sands, is a sassy, playful duet based on a woman’s desire for a pair of high-heeled shoes and the salesman who helps her along the path to fulfillment.
TU Dance, led by Alvin Ailey veterans Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands, has quickly become a leading voice on the Minnesota dance scene. Founded in 2004, TU Dance has garnered audience and critical acclaim for its diverse repertory, versatile artists, and for performances that are engaging, dynamic and generous. Modern dance, classical ballet, African based and urban vernacular movements are combined in inventive and unpredictable ways to provide opportunities to experience the connective power of dance. www.tudance.org
NAN JOMBANG (Festival Debut)
Tarian Malam (Night Dances) (2012), a U.S. premiere choreographed by Ery Mefri and adapted for Fall for Dance, came about after an earthquake struck the city of Padang, where the dancers of Nan Jombang were rehearsing, in September 2009. Barely escaping injury when the building collapsed around them, the company members were inspired to accelerate plans for their own choreographic center and to create Tarian Malam. In it, the dancers reflect on the fortunes and endeavors of humanity through natural disasters. The haunting wails of women, deep rhythmic pounding of drums and powerful choreography all come together to create a stunning, emotive performance.
Nan Jombang was created in 1983 in Padang, West Sumatra, by choreographer Ery Mefri. The company has become renowned for its melding of traditional West Sumatran Minangkabau culture and contemporary Indonesian dance expression. Nan Jombang has been presented in Indonesia and at major dance festivals abroad, including Singapore, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Germany, Australia and Switzerland.
MOISEYEV DANCE COMPANY (Festival Debut)
Moiseyev’s Classics, a selection of works choreographed by Igor Moiseyev, includes “Tartar Dance,” “Dance of the Bessarabia Gypsies,” and “A Suite of Moldavian Dances.”
Moiseyev Dance Company was founded in Moscow in 1937 by Bolshoi Ballet soloist Igor Moiseyev, who believed classical ballet is the best foundation for all dancing. Moiseyev earned international acclaim with his theatrical blend of folk dance, classical ballet and sheer spectacle. He used classically trained dancers and his sophisticated choreography was inspired by dances of the former Soviet states, as well as dances from Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. The company’s 1958 U.S. tour was the first-ever visit by a Soviet dance group to America. Today, under the artistic direction of Elena Scherbakova, the world-renowned company continues to create new works, adding to its vast repertoire of over 200 dances. www.moiseyev.ru
PROGRAM FOUR
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4 at 8 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5 at 8 p.m.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6 at 8 p.m.
SHANTALA SHIVALINGAPPA (Live Music)
Shiva Ganga (2004), a New York premiere choreographed by Shantala Shivalingappa and adapted for Fall for Dance, is inspired by two distinct yet complementary energies, playing with each other to attain balance and the full expression of their true nature.
Shantala Shivalingappa, born in Madras, India, and raised in Paris, France, is a child of East and West. She grew up in a world filled with dance and music, initiated at a tender age by her mother, dancer Savitry Nair. Deeply moved and inspired by Master Vempati Chinna Satyam’s pure and graceful style, Shantala dedicated herself to Kuchipudi, and received an intense and rigorous training from her master. Driven by a deep desire to bring Kuchipudi to western audiences, she has performed in important festivals and theaters around the world. www.shantalashivalingappa.com
PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET
Pas de deux from Carousel (A Dance)© (2002) Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s salute to the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical distills Carousel’s theme of tragic romance. With a simple hint at the story, Wheeldon catches the sweep and emotion of the music and the poignant, doomed nature of the couple’s relationship with a tender, romantic pas de deux.
Pacific Northwest Ballet, one of the largest and most highly regarded ballet companies in the United States, was founded in 1972. In July 2005, Peter Boal became artistic director, succeeding Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, artistic directors since 1977. The company of nearly 50 dancers presents more than 100 performances each year of full-length and mixed repertory ballets in Seattle and on tour. The company has toured to Europe, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, and throughout the United States, with celebrated appearances in New York City and Washington, D.C. www.pnb.org
NOTE: Pacific Northwest Ballet will perform at New York City Center, February 13-16, 2013. Tickets go on sale September 4. The company will preview its City Center season as part of the Guggenheim Museum’s Works & Process series on September 9 and 10, 2012.
JODI MELNICK (Festival Debut, Live Music)
Solo, (Re)Deluxe Version (2012), choreographed by Jodi Melnick, is a work for four dancers with music by Steven Reker and People Get Ready. It occupies a position somewhere between written and spoken language, a living text, a series of moving ciphers that gives way to a dramatic arc. The movement is intricate, perceptive, meticulously designed and flooded with imagery.
Jodi Melnick is a two-time Bessie Award winner, a 2012 Guggenheim Fellow and a recipient of the Jerome Robbins New Essential Works Grant (2010-2011). In March 2012, Melnick presented One of Sixty Five Thousand Gestures, a solo made in collaboration with Trisha Brown, and her most recent work, Solo, Deluxe Version, at New York Live Arts (NYLA). Melnick has collaborated with a vast array of dance artists, including Twyla Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov, and her works have been performed nationally and internationally.
KA LEO O LAKA I KA HIKINA O KA LĀ (Festival Debut, Live Music)
Hula Kāne: The Ancient Art of Hawaiian Male Dance, a world premiere choreographed by Kumu Hula Kaleo Trinidad, brings the strength, grace, and history of Hawaii to life on stage. Featuring 10 male dancers and 11 female musicians, the work explores the rare movements and styles of the ancient hula of the Hawaiian Islands.
Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka Lā, celebrating seven years of work as a Hula Halau, or traditional dance school, is steeped in a hula genealogy spanning hundreds of years. Receiving top honors at the world’s most prestigious hula festivals, this company has distinguished itself by blending creativity with ritual and finesse with male athleticism. www.facebook.com/kaleoolakaikahikinaokala
PROGRAM FIVE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11 at 8 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12 at 8 p.m.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13 at 8 p.m.
SHEN WEI DANCE ARTS
Rite of Spring (2003) Shen Wei’s abstracted reinterpretation of Stravinsky’s score uses movement and scenic elements to emphasize the music’s structural form.
Shen Wei Dance Arts was founded in 2000 by Shen Wei, who is widely recognized for his defining vision of an intercultural and interdisciplinary mode of movement-based performance. His work incorporates a range of media elements such as paint, sound, sculpture, theater and video. Shen Wei was a lead choreographer for the 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies and has received numerous awards and fellowships, including an inaugural New York City Center Choreography Fellowship for the 2011-2012 season. Shen Wei Dance Arts has toured to 30 countries and 130 cities across the globe, performing at premier festivals and venues. www.shenweidancearts.org
LDP–LABORATORY DANCE PROJECT (Festival Debut)
No Comment (2002), choreographed by Chang Ho Shin, features nine male dancers prowling the stage with charged, unpredictable movement that combines contemporary dance with hip hop and martial arts. No Comment was inspired by the video-only, no-commentary news format that characterized the Iraq War press coverage in Germany, and features explosive, rhythmic music by the Serbian world-music composer Goran Bregovic and the London-based group Transglobal Underground.
LDP–Laboratory Dance Project, based in Seoul, South Korea, was founded in 2001 by graduates from the Korea National University of Arts’ Department of Dance in Seoul. LDP was the first dance conservatory in Korea and the first national university devoted to professional dance education with the support of the Korean government’s Ministry of Culture & Tourism. Its performances draw from breaking and other hip hop forms, martial arts and contact improvisation but put those raw energies in the service of smartly structured ensemble movement and striking visual concepts. www.facebook.com/ldp2001
CIRCA (Festival Debut)
CIRCA (2009), created by Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa ensemble and adapted for Fall for Dance, features daredevil acrobatics, aerial work and moving physical theater.
Circa, from Brisbane, Australia, is a bold new contemporary circus. Its works are highly innovative, genre-bending pieces that stretch the practice and perceptions of circus. Circa features a full-time ensemble, a concentrated administrative team and a dedicated circus studio. Circa’s touring program in 2011 reached more than 174,000 audiences locally, nationally and internationally. http://www.circa.org.au
MARÍA PAGÉS COMPAÑÍA (Festival Debut, Live Music)
Deseo Y Conciencia (Desire & Conscience) (2011), a U.S. premiere choreographed by María Pagés, is a poetical dance inspired by Don Quixote and the poems of Neruda, Benedetti, Machado and Baudelaire.
María Pagés Compañía, founded in 1990, has toured the most prestigious stages throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and the United States. Pagés was born in Seville, Spain and is internationally renowned for her personal esthetic concept of the art of Flamenco. She is a pioneer in conceiving flamenco as an art that is in constant evolution, modern and alive. Her works embrace cultural differences, and she believes that that artistic interaction improves understanding between human beings. www.mariapages.com
PROGRAM ONE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 at 8 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 at 8 p.m.
JARED GRIMES (Festival Debut)
Dancing the Tap, a world premiere choreographed by tap phenom Jared Grimes, is a rocking, concert-style performance featuring singing, dancing and plenty of flash. The work showcases the great desire to entertain while exploring different ideas within the tap genre.
Jared Grimes is making his mark in tap and hip-hop/street jazz. He has danced alongside legends such as Gregory Hines, Ben Vereen, Jerry Lewis and Fayard Nicholas, and toured with Mariah Carey. His stage credits include Babes in Arms at the Goodspeed Opera House; Sammy, directed by Debbie Allen; Scottsboro Boys, directed by Susan Stroman; Pure Country, directed by Peter Masterson; and Vaudeville, directed by Christopher d’Amboise. Mr. Grimes was featured in the recent Encores! production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as well as in last season’s City Center/Jazz at Lincoln Center production of Cotton Club Parade. He performed with Wynton Marsalis at the Kennedy Center on the occasion of the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
FANG-YI SHEU & ARTISTS (Festival Debut)
3 Movements and 4 Repeats (2012), a New York premiere choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, was commissioned by Fang-Yi Sheu & Artists. Contemporary dancer Fang-Yi Sheu will be joined by New York City Ballet principal dancers Tyler Angle and Wendy Whelan and soloist Craig Hall.
Fang-Yi Sheu & Artists was founded in May 2007 by Fang-Yi Sheu. A native of Taiwan, Ms. Sheu received her BFA in dance from the National Institute of the Arts (now Taipei National University of the Arts), and later performed as a principal dancer for Martha Graham Dance Company. She has received numerous awards, including the 2007 National Award for the Arts (Taiwan), and she was the first Asian artist-in-residence at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Ms. Sheu has collaborated with dance groups and artists including Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, Lin Hwai-Min, Eliot Feld, Shen Wei, Akram Khan, Christopher Wheeldon, and many more. http://www.fangyisheu.org
COMPANY TBA
BALLETBOYZ
Void (2012), a U.S. premiere choreographed by Jarek Cemerek, is an adrenaline-fueled frenzy of exquisite dancing. A pulsing and sublime ensemble piece, it pushes the dancers to the limit and features haunting projections that set the backdrop to the performers’ whirlwind movements.
BalletBoyz, founded by Michael Nunn & William Trevitt in 2001, has established itself as one of the most original and innovative forces in contemporary dance, revolutionizing traditional programming formats, commissioning work, collaborating with a wide range of cutting-edge talents and building a big following through TV. Its chief aim is to challenge, excite and enlighten audiences through its body of over 30 works. The company has received numerous awards and has performed all over the U.K. and internationally. www.balletboyz.com
PROGRAM TWO
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 at 8 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 at 7 p.m.
JUILLIARD DANCE (Live Music)
Fortune (2011), choreographed by Pam Tanowitz for the Juilliard Dance class of 2013, is set to Charles Wuorinen’s complex score of the same name. The structure of the dance is prescribed by the music but not dictated by it, with movement motifs mined from classical ballet and filtered through a contemporary lens.
Juilliard Dance, under the artistic direction of Lawrence Rhodes since 2002, aims to develop true contemporary dancers who are trained equally in classical ballet and modern dance. Established in 1951, Juilliard Dance was the first major teaching institution to combine instruction in both contemporary and ballet techniques. Each year 26 dancers are accepted into the four-year B.F.A. program. The 2012-2013 season includes commissions by Camille A. Brown, Emery LeCrone, Susan Shields and Jarek Cemerek, as well as repertory highlights. www.juilliard.edu/dance
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE
Sinatra Suite (1982), a ballet for two dancers choreographed by Twyla Tharp, is set to five songs sung by Frank Sinatra.
American Ballet Theatre, recognized by an Act of the United States Congress as America’s National Ballet Company™, is one of the world’s great dance companies. Few ballet companies equal ABT for its combination of size, scope and outreach. Since its founding in 1940, ABT annually tours the United States, performing for more than 600,000 people, and is the only major cultural institution to do so. The company has made more than 30 international tours to 43 countries and has been sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. www.abt.org
THE HONG KONG BALLET (Festival Debut)
Luminous (2010), choreographed by Peter Quanz, explores the fragility of human relationships, the tension between the genders, and the qualities drawn out of us by passing alliances. This emotionally charged, sensual piece is a reflection on relationships past and present.
The Hong Kong Ballet is one of the premier classical ballet companies in Asia and is a world-class institution with an identity that reflects the unique vitality of Hong Kong. Founded in 1979, the company has evolved into a vibrant performing arts organization led by Artistic Director Madeleine Onne, with over 40 accomplished dancers, a strong repertoire, and sparkling, technically challenging productions. The company performs a repertoire that combines 19th to 21st century classical masterpieces, acclaimed contemporary works and newly commissioned ballets. Since 1997, The Hong Kong Ballet has conducted more than 20 tours to 10 countries in North and South America, Europe and Asia. http://hkballet.com
MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY
Chronicle (1936), is Graham’s stirring response to the rise of fascism in 1936 and to the unmatched power of the collective will. Chronicle is set to music by Wallingford Riegger and features sets by Isamu Noguchi and costumes by Martha Graham.
Martha Graham Dance Company, founded in 1926, is the oldest and one of the most celebrated contemporary dance companies in America. Martha Graham is recognized as a primal artistic force of the 20th century. She created 181 works and a dance technique that has been compared to ballet in its scope and magnitude. Her approach to dance and theater revolutionized the art form, and her innovative physical vocabulary has influenced dance worldwide. Since its inception, the company has received international acclaim from audiences in over 50 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. www.marthagraham.org
PROGRAM THREE
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2 at 8 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 at 8 p.m.
BALLET WEST
Grand Pas from Paquita, choreographed by Elena Kunikova after Marius Petipa’s 1881 version, premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. Petipa’s additions for Paquita survived long after the full-length ballet left the stage. Today, the Grand Pas from Act III is considered one of the most beloved and enduring classical showpieces in the world.
Ballet West was founded in Salt Lake City in 1963 and boasts a rich and varied repertoire, elegant and versatile artists, and an American style that is as dynamic, expansive and unexpected as the Rocky Mountain region it represents. Ballet West ranks among the top professional ballet companies in America. Since 2007, Artistic Director Adam Sklute has further energized and expanded Ballet West’s repertoire with works by the most renowned choreographers of today and introduced historical masterpieces from the great Ballets Russes, while continuing to preserve Ballet West’s classical legacy. Ballet West made its network television debut in May 2012 on the CW Network’s docu-drama “Breaking Pointe.” www.balletwest.org
TU DANCE (Festival Debut)
High Heel Blues (2005), a New York premiere choreographed by Uri Sands, is a sassy, playful duet based on a woman’s desire for a pair of high-heeled shoes and the salesman who helps her along the path to fulfillment.
TU Dance, led by Alvin Ailey veterans Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands, has quickly become a leading voice on the Minnesota dance scene. Founded in 2004, TU Dance has garnered audience and critical acclaim for its diverse repertory, versatile artists, and for performances that are engaging, dynamic and generous. Modern dance, classical ballet, African based and urban vernacular movements are combined in inventive and unpredictable ways to provide opportunities to experience the connective power of dance. www.tudance.org
NAN JOMBANG (Festival Debut)
Tarian Malam (Night Dances) (2012), a U.S. premiere choreographed by Ery Mefri and adapted for Fall for Dance, came about after an earthquake struck the city of Padang, where the dancers of Nan Jombang were rehearsing, in September 2009. Barely escaping injury when the building collapsed around them, the company members were inspired to accelerate plans for their own choreographic center and to create Tarian Malam. In it, the dancers reflect on the fortunes and endeavors of humanity through natural disasters. The haunting wails of women, deep rhythmic pounding of drums and powerful choreography all come together to create a stunning, emotive performance.
Nan Jombang was created in 1983 in Padang, West Sumatra, by choreographer Ery Mefri. The company has become renowned for its melding of traditional West Sumatran Minangkabau culture and contemporary Indonesian dance expression. Nan Jombang has been presented in Indonesia and at major dance festivals abroad, including Singapore, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Germany, Australia and Switzerland.
MOISEYEV DANCE COMPANY (Festival Debut)
Moiseyev’s Classics, a selection of works choreographed by Igor Moiseyev, includes “Tartar Dance,” “Dance of the Bessarabia Gypsies,” and “A Suite of Moldavian Dances.”
Moiseyev Dance Company was founded in Moscow in 1937 by Bolshoi Ballet soloist Igor Moiseyev, who believed classical ballet is the best foundation for all dancing. Moiseyev earned international acclaim with his theatrical blend of folk dance, classical ballet and sheer spectacle. He used classically trained dancers and his sophisticated choreography was inspired by dances of the former Soviet states, as well as dances from Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. The company’s 1958 U.S. tour was the first-ever visit by a Soviet dance group to America. Today, under the artistic direction of Elena Scherbakova, the world-renowned company continues to create new works, adding to its vast repertoire of over 200 dances. www.moiseyev.ru
PROGRAM FOUR
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4 at 8 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5 at 8 p.m.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6 at 8 p.m.
SHANTALA SHIVALINGAPPA (Live Music)
Shiva Ganga (2004), a New York premiere choreographed by Shantala Shivalingappa and adapted for Fall for Dance, is inspired by two distinct yet complementary energies, playing with each other to attain balance and the full expression of their true nature.
Shantala Shivalingappa, born in Madras, India, and raised in Paris, France, is a child of East and West. She grew up in a world filled with dance and music, initiated at a tender age by her mother, dancer Savitry Nair. Deeply moved and inspired by Master Vempati Chinna Satyam’s pure and graceful style, Shantala dedicated herself to Kuchipudi, and received an intense and rigorous training from her master. Driven by a deep desire to bring Kuchipudi to western audiences, she has performed in important festivals and theaters around the world. www.shantalashivalingappa.com
PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET
Pas de deux from Carousel (A Dance)© (2002) Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s salute to the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical distills Carousel’s theme of tragic romance. With a simple hint at the story, Wheeldon catches the sweep and emotion of the music and the poignant, doomed nature of the couple’s relationship with a tender, romantic pas de deux.
Pacific Northwest Ballet, one of the largest and most highly regarded ballet companies in the United States, was founded in 1972. In July 2005, Peter Boal became artistic director, succeeding Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, artistic directors since 1977. The company of nearly 50 dancers presents more than 100 performances each year of full-length and mixed repertory ballets in Seattle and on tour. The company has toured to Europe, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, and throughout the United States, with celebrated appearances in New York City and Washington, D.C. www.pnb.org
NOTE: Pacific Northwest Ballet will perform at New York City Center, February 13-16, 2013. Tickets go on sale September 4. The company will preview its City Center season as part of the Guggenheim Museum’s Works & Process series on September 9 and 10, 2012.
JODI MELNICK (Festival Debut, Live Music)
Solo, (Re)Deluxe Version (2012), choreographed by Jodi Melnick, is a work for four dancers with music by Steven Reker and People Get Ready. It occupies a position somewhere between written and spoken language, a living text, a series of moving ciphers that gives way to a dramatic arc. The movement is intricate, perceptive, meticulously designed and flooded with imagery.
Jodi Melnick is a two-time Bessie Award winner, a 2012 Guggenheim Fellow and a recipient of the Jerome Robbins New Essential Works Grant (2010-2011). In March 2012, Melnick presented One of Sixty Five Thousand Gestures, a solo made in collaboration with Trisha Brown, and her most recent work, Solo, Deluxe Version, at New York Live Arts (NYLA). Melnick has collaborated with a vast array of dance artists, including Twyla Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov, and her works have been performed nationally and internationally.
KA LEO O LAKA I KA HIKINA O KA LĀ (Festival Debut, Live Music)
Hula Kāne: The Ancient Art of Hawaiian Male Dance, a world premiere choreographed by Kumu Hula Kaleo Trinidad, brings the strength, grace, and history of Hawaii to life on stage. Featuring 10 male dancers and 11 female musicians, the work explores the rare movements and styles of the ancient hula of the Hawaiian Islands.
Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka Lā, celebrating seven years of work as a Hula Halau, or traditional dance school, is steeped in a hula genealogy spanning hundreds of years. Receiving top honors at the world’s most prestigious hula festivals, this company has distinguished itself by blending creativity with ritual and finesse with male athleticism. www.facebook.com/kaleoolakaikahikinaokala
PROGRAM FIVE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11 at 8 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12 at 8 p.m.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13 at 8 p.m.
SHEN WEI DANCE ARTS
Rite of Spring (2003) Shen Wei’s abstracted reinterpretation of Stravinsky’s score uses movement and scenic elements to emphasize the music’s structural form.
Shen Wei Dance Arts was founded in 2000 by Shen Wei, who is widely recognized for his defining vision of an intercultural and interdisciplinary mode of movement-based performance. His work incorporates a range of media elements such as paint, sound, sculpture, theater and video. Shen Wei was a lead choreographer for the 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies and has received numerous awards and fellowships, including an inaugural New York City Center Choreography Fellowship for the 2011-2012 season. Shen Wei Dance Arts has toured to 30 countries and 130 cities across the globe, performing at premier festivals and venues. www.shenweidancearts.org
LDP–LABORATORY DANCE PROJECT (Festival Debut)
No Comment (2002), choreographed by Chang Ho Shin, features nine male dancers prowling the stage with charged, unpredictable movement that combines contemporary dance with hip hop and martial arts. No Comment was inspired by the video-only, no-commentary news format that characterized the Iraq War press coverage in Germany, and features explosive, rhythmic music by the Serbian world-music composer Goran Bregovic and the London-based group Transglobal Underground.
LDP–Laboratory Dance Project, based in Seoul, South Korea, was founded in 2001 by graduates from the Korea National University of Arts’ Department of Dance in Seoul. LDP was the first dance conservatory in Korea and the first national university devoted to professional dance education with the support of the Korean government’s Ministry of Culture & Tourism. Its performances draw from breaking and other hip hop forms, martial arts and contact improvisation but put those raw energies in the service of smartly structured ensemble movement and striking visual concepts. www.facebook.com/ldp2001
CIRCA (Festival Debut)
CIRCA (2009), created by Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa ensemble and adapted for Fall for Dance, features daredevil acrobatics, aerial work and moving physical theater.
Circa, from Brisbane, Australia, is a bold new contemporary circus. Its works are highly innovative, genre-bending pieces that stretch the practice and perceptions of circus. Circa features a full-time ensemble, a concentrated administrative team and a dedicated circus studio. Circa’s touring program in 2011 reached more than 174,000 audiences locally, nationally and internationally. http://www.circa.org.au
MARÍA PAGÉS COMPAÑÍA (Festival Debut, Live Music)
Deseo Y Conciencia (Desire & Conscience) (2011), a U.S. premiere choreographed by María Pagés, is a poetical dance inspired by Don Quixote and the poems of Neruda, Benedetti, Machado and Baudelaire.
María Pagés Compañía, founded in 1990, has toured the most prestigious stages throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and the United States. Pagés was born in Seville, Spain and is internationally renowned for her personal esthetic concept of the art of Flamenco. She is a pioneer in conceiving flamenco as an art that is in constant evolution, modern and alive. Her works embrace cultural differences, and she believes that that artistic interaction improves understanding between human beings. www.mariapages.com
If
you love ballet, please check out my season of outstanding ballet
trips in 2012-13 by clicking here.
GET
MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Vasiliev Osipova live Don Quixote Broadcast
The Mikhailovsky Ballet will be broadcasting Don Quixote live over the internet on their website
http://www.mikhailovsky.ru/en/live/
on July 25th 7:30 p.m. St Petersburg time (11:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time). Ivan Vasiliev and Natalia Osipova in the lead roles. Not to be missed.
You can also watch it on the site after the live performance.
http://www.mikhailovsky.ru/en/live/
on July 25th 7:30 p.m. St Petersburg time (11:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time). Ivan Vasiliev and Natalia Osipova in the lead roles. Not to be missed.
You can also watch it on the site after the live performance.
If
you love ballet, please check out my season of outstanding ballet
trips in 2012-13 by clicking here.
GET
MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Paris Opera Ballet Giselle reviews Washington
Sarah Kaufman, Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/paris-opera-ballets-giselle-soars-at-kennedy-center/2012/07/06/gJQAbDZiSW_story.html
Oksana Khadarina, dancetabs.com:
http://www.dancetabs.com/2012/07/paris-opera-ballet-giselle-washington/
Interview with Aurelie Dupont:
http://www.timeout.com/newyork/dance/aurelie-dupont-talks-about-being-the-paris-opera-ballets-shining-etoile
For Chicago Giselle reviews, click here: http://toursenlair.blogspot.ca/2012/06/paris-opera-ballet-giselle-reviews.html
Oksana Khadarina, dancetabs.com:
http://www.dancetabs.com/2012/07/paris-opera-ballet-giselle-washington/
Interview with Aurelie Dupont:
http://www.timeout.com/newyork/dance/aurelie-dupont-talks-about-being-the-paris-opera-ballets-shining-etoile
For Chicago Giselle reviews, click here: http://toursenlair.blogspot.ca/2012/06/paris-opera-ballet-giselle-reviews.html
If
you love ballet, please check out my season of outstanding ballet
trips in 2012-13 by clicking here.
GET
MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Ballet Augsburg Carmina Burana
On our Tours en l'air trip to Germany in April, we were very privileged to attend a rehearsal at Ballet Augsburg where Korean choreographer Young Soon Hue was creating a new Carmina Burana for Augsburg's open air stage in a former Roman bath. This was to include a massive orchestra, two choirs, and the dancers, and of course the vagaries of performing in the open air were a constant concern. For instance, should the women be on pointe or not, bearing in mind that the stage would become slippery with the slightest amount of moisture? As luck would have it, the planned opening night was rained out, but the performance went on a few days later, with the results that you can see here:
You will notice how Young Soon incorporated elements of Korean traditional dance into this ballet, especially the pas de deux with the long sleeves held out by the dancer holding sticks, which is a feature of a traditional priests' dance in Korea.
Here is the set model, which we saw during our visit:
You will notice how Young Soon incorporated elements of Korean traditional dance into this ballet, especially the pas de deux with the long sleeves held out by the dancer holding sticks, which is a feature of a traditional priests' dance in Korea.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
ABT Le Corsaire reviews
Alastair Macaulay, New York Times (Murphy Gomes Stiefel)
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/04/arts/dance/le-corsaire-from-american-ballet-theater.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimesarts&seid=auto
Leigh Witchel, NY Post
Gia Kourlas, NY Times
(Osipiva,Vasiliev, Kobborg)
Ethan Stiefel’s farewell: Brian Siebert, New York Times -
Carol Pardo, danceviewtimes.com (Jared Matthews as Lankendem, Yuriko Kajiya as Gulnare, and Ivan Vasiliev as Ali, with Arron Scott making his debut as Birbanto, Johan Kobborg making his as Conrad, and Natalia Osipova as Medora.)
http://www.danceviewtimes.com/2012/07/all-at-sea.html
Eric Taub, dancetabs.com
http://www.dancetabs.com/2012/07/american-ballet-theatre-gennadi-saveliev-farewell-in-le-corsaire-new-york/
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/04/arts/dance/le-corsaire-from-american-ballet-theater.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimesarts&seid=auto
Leigh Witchel, NY Post
Gia Kourlas, NY Times
(Osipiva,Vasiliev, Kobborg)
Ethan Stiefel’s farewell: Brian Siebert, New York Times -
Carol Pardo, danceviewtimes.com (Jared Matthews as Lankendem, Yuriko Kajiya as Gulnare, and Ivan Vasiliev as Ali, with Arron Scott making his debut as Birbanto, Johan Kobborg making his as Conrad, and Natalia Osipova as Medora.)
http://www.danceviewtimes.com/2012/07/all-at-sea.html
Eric Taub, dancetabs.com
http://www.dancetabs.com/2012/07/american-ballet-theatre-gennadi-saveliev-farewell-in-le-corsaire-new-york/
GET
MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR
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