Flowerbomb has uploaded Tuesday night's episode on Vimeo. Not many dance clips this week but there are a few lovely moments of the 2nd cast Aurora, Tonia Looker, in one of her variations. The sets and costumes are fab - and that dragon...! Love the "Where is Greg?" moment. Must say that the sizes of these dancers' apartments in New Zealand are impressive. Does no one live in 300 sq ft with a shower stall?
Last August, Stella Abrera and Gennadi Saveliev performed the Bedroom PdD from Le Corsaire at the grand opening of The Tarkington Theater at The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana. The theater is named after author Booth Tarkington who happens to have been one of Haglund's relatives.
This is a stunning debut for Stella, who in this clip creates Julie Kent-like lines and elegance from the first note to the last.
The theater is small and not able to accommodate large horizontal movement, but the dancers managed to compact the PdD without making the movements look too small. The video and audio of this clip are really out of sync but all-in-all a lovely, lovely debut for Stella and a super partnering job by Gennadi.
So, instead of seeing this impossibly gorgeous, beautifully classical-in-the-ABT-tradition, and unique dancer in the role of Medora this spring, why do we have to put up with the unclassical, unaesthetic Osipova who of late has been dancing more grossly with her mouth hanging open like she's trying to be a Kardashian? And every time she opens her mouth, she's less than a ringing endorsement for Russian dentistry.
Here are the lovely Stella and gallant Gennadi:
After initially viewing, to replay the clip at the begining of the PdD, either refresh the entire page or return the clip to the 32'55" mark.
This is what Manitoba looks like this week where Jared Matthews will debut as Albrecht in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's production of Giselle on March 7th opposite the company's principal ballerina, Vanessa Lawson. The picture is off of the CTV.ca website which today includes an interview with Ms. Lawson who expressed her enthusiasm for Jared's Albrecht and praised his abilities as an amazing partner and a very strong artist. Jared will dance the role of Albrecht in ABT'sGiselle for the first time in Chicago with the debuting and miraculous Yuriko Kajiya on March 25th. Here's hoping that the beautiful snow stays in Manitoba and doesn't mess with Haglund's travel, brunch, and ballet plans on the 25th.
Listen up, Chicago! Sunday March 25th is going to be a historic Giselle that you will not want to miss - the first performance of what could well be the Giselle pairing that will shortly shoot to the top of the hot ticket list everywhere ABT goes. Take a hint from the many people who are making the trip from New York to Chicago just to see this performance and do not miss it!
The fashion and culture website Thread reports that Larry Keigwin's world premiere for the Royal New Zealand Ballet deserved its standing ovation:
Who knew what to expect from the second piece – described in the programme as “athletic and rigorous.” From the beginning, Larry Keigwin’s Final Dress enthralled: the curtain opened to backstage lay bare, dancers in leotards and/or semi-nude. Drawn into the dancers’ world, this was like an artistic interpretation of The Secret Lives of Dancers: their beauty, grace, strength, and skill up front and central. The audience was delighted – and a standing ovation was well deserved. Lucy Balfour was delightful in her vintage dress from Hunters and Collectors in Cuba St, drawing us in with her smile and those amazing arms.
This was a hard act to follow – and while 'Who Cares?' by the two American greats Balanchine and Gershwin was beautifully executed and again displayed Gillian Murphy’s enormous talent, we kept harking back to the astonishing, moving, sexiness of Final Dress.
NZ's TheatreView says Final Dress was the highlight of the evening:
Showing dancers behind the scenes before the performance, Larry Keigwin has created this piece on the RNZB and this clearly comes across. The personalities of the dancers are reflected in the dancing and they look the most comfortable in this work. The music is intriguing and compelling, the overall effect is immersing and the audience gets lost in it.
Here's a news clip with good footagefrom the final dress rehearsal of Final Dress including interviews with Keigwin and a couple of the fabulous dancers.
