Haglund's Heel

observations 11-21

The Aussies are going to love, love, love our Yuriko Kajiya as Aurora in tomorrow's matinee performance of Sleeping Beauty with The Australian Ballet in Sydney. Such a complete, completely glorious, and gloriously honest artist... Click on Nicola Curry's I-gram link to read about her long history with Yuriko that now spans three continents.

 Here's a clip of a recent stage rehearsal. Video by Nicola. 

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Meanwhile back at the dude ranch, it appears that ABT is going to completely ignore Jerome Robbins during his official Centennial Celebration that is being held worldwide. What, they didn't make enough money off of Fancy Free -- that is, when they had a complete cast who could dance it? It might have been interesting to see the 1946 Facsimile that Robbins, Nora Kaye and John Kriza premiered on Broadway to music by Leonard Bernstein. Or perhaps the (1947) Summer Day PdD that he created and danced with Annabelle Lyon could have made a one-time appearance. Really, ABT doesn't have any reason to join in the worldwide Robbins Centennial Celebration, really? Not one kind word? Not one single moment of special recognition?

PERFORMANCES (other than NYCB)

HAMBURG BALLETT

      The Concert, Dances at a Gathering: 17 September 2017

MIAMI CITY BALLET

      Circus Polka, The Cage, In the Night, Other Dances, West Side Story Suite: 12 January 2018

STUTTGART BALLETT

      Dances at a Gathering: 13 January 2018

NEW YORK THEATRE BALLET

      Rondo, Septet, Concertino: 16 March 2018

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET

      The Cage, Fancy Free, Opus 19, Other Dances: 20 March 2018

PITTSBURGH BALLET

      Fancy Free, In the Night, West Side Story Suite: 3 May 2018

THE MUNY

      Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, 11 - 17 June 2018

LES ÉTÉS DE LA DANSE

Tribute to Jerome Robbins featuring companies from around the globe (TBA): 25 June 2018

BOSTON BALLET

      Fancy Free, Glass Pieces, Interplay: 6 Sept 2018

DUTCH NATIONAL BALLET

      Dances at a Gathering: 11 Sept 2018

PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET

      Afternoon of a Faun, The Concert, In the Night, Other Dances: 21 Sept 2018

      Dances at a Gathering, Interplay, West Side Story Suite: 28 Sept 2018

PARIS OPERA BALLET

      Afternoon of a Faun, Fancy Free, Glass Pieces: 28 Sept 2018

BAM / FISHMAN SPACE

      Watermill: cast TBA: October 2018

HOUSTON BALLET

      The Concert, Glass Pieces, In the Night: 7 March 2019

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Here's some good news:

Pennsylvania Ballet has a brand new New York Friends of Pennsylvania Ballet patron category that is going to let New Yorkers know early about casting so that we can make travel plans more easily and save money by buying early on Amtrak. New York Friends will have the opportunity to purchase early for Angel Corella's February 9th Art of Coaching event in Manhattan. That will surely be packed. Nobody wants to miss a chance to feel that Angel energy even if he is coaching instead of dancing.

Check out this link to become a New York Friend of Pennsylvania Ballet.

Pennsylvania Ballet just appointed Shelly Power as its new Executive Director. Previously the Academy Director for Houston Ballet and most recently the Artistic Director and CEO of Prix de Lausanne, she will start with PA Ballet in December. 

Pennsylvania Ballet 3/30 & 4/1Here we go again...The angst & yank of contemporary ballet

Almost 21 years ago, Angel Corella made his celebrated debut with American Ballet Theatre as the Bronze Idol in La Bayadere. The following year Angel was named a principal dancer, the first and as yet the only Spaniard to reach that rank at ABT. We don’t remember any big ballyhoo being made about that at the time. Back in the good ole days, an artist’s dancing on stage spoke for itself – honestly and unedited.

Over the course of Angel’s 17 years with ABT, it was not the contemporary ballets that brought the throngs to his performances. It was his energy and commitment to the 19th & 20th century classics that raised the audience’s euphoria to illegal levels. There were novelty exceptions, of course. Who can forget when the audience’s reaction to Angel tearing through David Parson’s strob-sensation Caught disabled the Richter Scale for a time, but his individual draw was mostly in the craft-heavy & discipline-heavy ballets that espoused the classical vocabulary and form.

Therein lies the source of some discontent over Angel’s program choices for Pennsylvania Ballet’s visit to the Joyce Theater this week. His fans have shown up in healthy numbers, but his fans are diehard classical ballet fans who remember their idol in masterpieces. In contrast, the contemporary program being performed through Sunday represents the angst and yank of the current choreographic trend that hybridizes ballet with gymnastics, social dance, anti-social dance, and anything physical that runs contrary to the schools of classical ballet. It’s not a case where someone is bringing new ideas to the ballet table. They’re bringing old ideas to the ballet table because, for the most part, they lack the command and skill to use the traditional vocabulary needed to advance a concrete idea. If one is trying to converse in Spanish but is not fluent, one’s substitution of Persian or German words isn’t going to help make one understood – or appreciated.

We’ll get back to this idea the next time another good ballet company brings too much dismal choreography here with the idea that it makes them and their art relevant.

While watching Matthew Neenan’s Keep, a series of PdDs for four couples and two men to the string quartets by Borodin and Risky-Korsakov, Haglund's mind kept wandering and wondering, “How long is it going to take Angel to acquire Tippet’s Bruch Violin Concerto?" These dancers would look phenomenal in his classical work that has Balanchine’s influence swirling through Tippet’s own vivid imagination. Lillian DiPiazza in the dark violet tutu, Mayara Pineiro in the red, Oksana Maslova in the light blue – it could not be more obvious that this company would rekindle the beauty of Tippet’s ballet and could quickly claim it as a signature piece.

At both performances, the highlight of Neenan’s work was the match-up of Lillian DiPiazza with Arian Molina Soca – his gallant partnering and smoldering Cuban charm drew her own sensuality to the surface. She wore a long yellow dress while the other women were in shades of red/dark pink puffy skirtish tutu-ish dresses or in one case a shorter version of DiPiazza’s costume. We have no idea what this ballet was about or what the title meant, but there was definitely some spark between these two dancers that made you realize that there was an interesting conversation going on between them. True, each couple had a different level of angst in their relationship. But if Neenan was aiming to show differences akin to the couples in Tudor’s Leaves Are Fading or in any of Robbins’ dances that do the same thing, he missed the target by a wide margin. The couples must have made up internal stories that prompted them to show emotion while twisting their limbs about, spinning on a stool, etc., but we haven’t a clue why they were doing what they were doing. It was pretty much a waste of the extraordinary dancing talents of Amy Aldridge, Francis Veyette, Lauren Fadeley, Ian Hussey, Jermel Johnson, Evelyn Kocak, Alexandra Hughes and Andrew Daly.

Haglund enjoyed the Trey McIntyre Project many years ago at the Joyce Theater. The company had an identity and was easy to watch in much the same way that David Parsons’ company is easy to watch. The Accidental, a dance made by McIntyre for Pennsylvania Ballet in 2014, was not easy to watch. Dancers skipping around, doing triplets in parallel, yanking and vaulting to Rocky Mountain High type vocals sung by a John Denver aspirant was the low point of the evening.

The Accidental fully employed the current trend of gymno-dancing in gymnast’s leotards which, by the way, always make the legs look squatty and the fannies swollen no matter how thin the dancer. The dance relied on feigned emotions toward an abstract idea that wasn’t revealed through the choreography. Haglund wouldn’t mind seeing the Parsons company take this on, but he hates seeing the hard fought-for skills of accomplished ballet dancers wasted on this stuff.

Nicolo Fonte’s Grace Action closed the program. The Philip Glass score, the lighting by Brad Fields that utilized overhead spots that picked up the moisture and particles in the air suggesting a mist, and the costumes by Martha Chamberlain (loose tops for the men in shorts; sleek leotards for the women) created a good play off of Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room. At least Mr. Fonte was imitating one of the great 20th Century master-trailblazers — and that is precisely how one learns a craft like dancemaking, poetry, or musical composition. You practice and learn how the best did it before you, and then and only then, do you exploit it with your own imagination. But one has to be careful who one imitates. Going for the likes of what is seen on So You Think You Can Dance or in pop music videos will drive the true ballet audience away faster than you can say Britney Spears.

We would be disappointed if Fonte decided that this was his only style and continued to make dances in the Tharp model. Hopefully, he will try something totally different - using a new model with lots of true ballet vocabulary.

Six couples, including Lillian DiPiazza & Arian Molina Soca and Mayara Pineiro & Etienne Diaz, flew through the hypnotizing strains of Philip Glass’ minimalist magic with an energy that often shows up in Tharp dancers. When watching the two aforementioned pairs in a quartet, one couldn’t help but notice the hunger with which the three Cubans approached the contemporary movement. The recurring reason that Cuban ballet dancers give for leaving their country and coming to the U.S. to forge careers is that they want to dance contemporary works. Meanwhile, we here in the U.S want to see them apply their superb training to the classics. Hopefully, they will happily agree to dance both, because after seeing Molina Soca’s rapport with DiPiazza, we can’t wait for the day when he breaks her heart in Giselle.

Works like those on this program don’t offer a glimpse of a ballet company’s ballet style, and it is careless to assume that since it doesn’t, the company has no discernible style. One thing is clear: the style of this company is going to broaden and become more flexible. Having recently seen the dancers in the works of Balanchine, Petipa and 21st century choreographers, it is apparent that they are able to handily meet the challenges of it all. A lot of dancers who danced directly under Balanchine danced his choreography differently and are setting it on today’s companies according to their own experiences and memories. Who is to say that is wrong?

The H.H. Pump Bump Award is bestowed upon Arian Molina Soca who drew our eye every time he stepped on stage.

Flash mob in Times Square

Some tourists were surprised yesterday around noon when West Side Story broke out unexpectedly in the middle of Duffy Square in Times Square. 

This Tuesday marks the 50th anniversary of the film West Side Story, and about 50 or so dancers, including many who danced in various productions of WSS and others who are in current Broadway productions of other shows, were brought together by the folks at DanceOn to spontaneously celebrate the anniversary.

Here's the YouTube clip.  Note the surprise of the big guy carrying the little pink gift bag.

 

NYCB – The Jerry Dancers honored – 9/30

True.  Last night's presentation of The Jerome Robbins Award to 26 NYCB ballerinas, who used their extraordinary artistry over a sixty-plus year span to bring his work to life, was not an official NYCB event.  The Jerome Robbins Foundation was given a few minutes of stage time following the second intermission to make the presentations.  Had it been an official NYCB event, the company's artistic director probably would have been on stage as well to congratulate . . . Suzanne, Gelsey, Heather among the former stars of the company.  Now that's something that would have filled every last seat in the theater.  But no, last night, it was just the ballerinas and the very big spirit of Jerome Robbins who managed to bring the less-than-capacity but passionately vocal audience to its feet.  Chita Rivera, the most famous "Anita" in Robbins' West Side Story on Broadway, hosted the event.  The fourth ring proper (rows C and above) had a few people in it but was essentially empty, and once again there were pockets - no, we should now call them pocks as in pock marks - of empty seats in the orchestra and the other rings.

When great ballerinas retire, it's hard on the audience.  It's difficult to cope with the reality that no more new memories will be made, and it's difficult to cope with the thought that maybe no other artist will ever come along who will come even close to matching the magic of the retiring ballerina.  Last night saw clear evidence standing on the stage that as ballet is passed from generation to generation, there will always be new artists who bring us something unique to cherish and value just as their predecessors did.

And as these ballerinas, retired or near retirement, were individually introduced and walked very proudly to the center of the stage to be acknowledged, some still had new memories to make for us.  Suzanne Farrell and Gelsey Kirkland held hands.  Kyra Nichols and Patricia McBride brought with them on stage what could only be described as an aura of warmth and generosity.  Allegra Kent, only slightly unsteady without her cane, hesitated to leave the stage with the others without taking one last bow.  But the memory that Haglund will probably hold the longest from last night is that of Violette Verdy, who surely must be the most glamorous NYCB ballerina of all time – well, she's French, you know – entering the stage with the authoritative grace of a dignitary and embracing the audience with her arms in the grand style of a Delibes anthem.  She will soon turn 78 years old but still has the energy and skip of someone half her age. 

The Playbill for the evening included an insert prepared by the Jerome Robbins Foundation in which each of the living honored ballerinas offered a few words about what it was like working with Robbins.  Suzanne Farrell said that Jerry was always polite, helpful, and accommodating.  Jilliana recalled how she put purple makeup under her eyes to make her look tired with the hope that Jerry would cut short an early morning rehearsal.  Melinda Roy told how Robbins allowed her to use hats of her own creation in performances of The Concert.  Yvonne Mounsey remembered how after being cast as the Queen in The Cage, Robbins began calling her "Queenie."  Gelsey Kirkland recalled when Robbins enlightened her that a Pas de Deux had two people, not just one, and while working on The Cage, he told her how impressed he was with the intensity of her attack on the male species.

While the presentation of the Jerome Robbins Award was the highlight of the evening, there was some fine dancing on the stage as well in an all-Robbins program.  2&3 Part Inventions included an especially lovely interpretation by Lauren Lovette whose beautiful, curving arabesque line was on display throughout. 

In Memory of... was danced by Wendy Whelan, Charles Askegard, and Jared Angle.  The major appeal of this ballet is – come on, admit it – the title, in particularly, the ... .  But to be truthful, this ballet has a whole lot of walking around in it that doesn't do a lot to evoke anything but, well, walking around... 

The evening closed with a superb performance of West Side Story Suite with Chase Finlay, Robert Fairchild, and Amar Ramasar as Tony, Riff, and Bernardo.  Jenifer Ringer, Lauren Lovette, and Gretchen Smith were Anita, Maria, and Rosalia.  Fairchild, Ramasar, and Finlay were an impressively strong trio who led the cast with exceptional dancing and drama.  Great story.  Great steps.  Great theater.  But the star of West Side Story is and always has been the Leonard Bernstein score.  The NYCB orchestra, conducted by Clotilde Otranto, gave the music all the punch, tenderness, and rhythm needed to shake the spirits in the house and make them smile.

Haglund bestows this stunning multi-colored Yves Saint Laurent Pump Bump Award to the "Jerry dancers" honored last night by the Robbins Foundation.

NYCB – A grand reunion

Together – unbelievably.

Helene Alexopoulos, Alexandra Ansanelli, Merrill Ashley, Yvonne Borree, Maria Calegari, Suzanne Farrell, Judith Fugate, Jillana, Allegra Kent, Gelsey Kirkland, Darci Kistler, Maria Kowroski, Sara Leland, Lourdes Lopez, Kay Mazzo, Patricia McBride, Yvonne Mounsey, Kyra Nichols, Jenifer Ringer, Melinda Roy, Stephanie Saland, Margaret Tracey, Violette Verdy, Heather Watts, Miranda Weese, and Wendy Whelan. 

The rafters of the theater will surely be tested on Friday, September 30th when all of these magnificent ballerinas gather together on stage during NYCB's evening performance to accept the 2011 Jerome Robbins Award. 

Imagine.  You really don't want to miss this.

 

 

NY Export: Opus Jazz – PBS

Sass-sational!

Program reminder: NY Export: Opus Jazz on PBS

PBS's Dance in America series will air the new Jerome Robbins documentary/performance film NY Export: Opus Jazz at the following times on New York's Channel 13:

8:00pm Wednesday March 24th
1:00am Friday March 26th
12:00pm Sunday March 28th

Check out the film's website, too!

Fancy Free spree

Since we're launching into another Fancy Free Season with performances by NYCB beginning this week and later in the spring by ABT, here are a few pictures of the dancers who originated their roles:  Harold Lang, John Kriza, Jerome Robbins, Muriel Bentley, Janet Reed, Shirley Eckl, and Rex Cooper.  For 66 years, this Robbins/Bernstein classic has been a must-have ticket wherever it has been performed.   This year we celebrate the sailor debuts of Robert Fairchild and Daniil Simkin, the return of Sascha Radetsky, and of course, the rhumba god himself, Jose Manuel Carreno.

Here are two 1944 images from the Harold Lang Memorial Website currently under construction:

 

From Life's extraordinary frame-worthy collection, a photo by Gordon Parks of the cast dancing in puddles on Broadway.

 

PBS – Jerome Robbins' NY EXPORT: OPUS JAZZ

From the first press release, slipped to Haglund by a Yankees fan, for the March 24, 2010 broadcast on PBS's Great Performances of Ellen Bar's and Sean Suozzi's film Jerome Robbin's NY Export: Opus Jazz:

(New York, NY – Nov. 4, 2009) Shot on location all over present-day New York City, NY Export: Opus Jazz takes Jerome Robbins' 1958 jazz ballet, of the same name, and recreates it for a new generation.  Created, produced, and danced by members of the New York City Ballet, NY Export: Opus Jazz (www.opusjazz.com) will air on THIRTEEN's Great Performances series on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 8 p.m. EST (check local listings).  Conceived by Ellen Bar and Sean Suozzi, New York City Ballet soloists, and directed by Henry Joost and Jody Lee Lipes, NY Export: Opus Jazz completed shooting in and around New York City at the end of September 2009.

Bar and Suozzi danced in Jerome Robbins' NY Export: Opus Jazz when it was revived by New York City Ballet in 2005.  They were struck by the themes that came out in the dancing – the energy and raw emotions of urban youth – which makes the ballet just as relevant today as it was when it was first conceived in the 1950's.  With a couple of changes – street clothes instead of costumes and New York City locations instead of a stage – they believed that a film of this ballet would be very accessible to both novices and balletomanes.

After NY Export: Opus Jazz was sanctioned by all nine members of the Robbins' Trust – not only an approval first but an immediate vote of confidence – the pas de deux, "Passage for Two," was shot in June 2007.  Filmed at the High Line (pre-renovation), it features New York City Ballet soloists Rachel Rutherford and Craig Hall and was shot in just two days.  Bar and Suozzi utilized this preliminary sequence to help raise funds for the entire film.

The film, like the ballet, is divided into five movements and was shot on location at a gymnasium in Carroll Gardens (Brooklyn), the McCarren Park Pool in Williamsburg (Brooklyn), the Imlay building in Red Hook (Brooklyn) and at the Loew's Theater, circa 1929, in Jersey City.  "It was always our intention to shoot each section in a different place because each movement has different moods and atmospheres," explains Bar.
. . . .
The original ballet was 28 minutes long.  The film includes every step of the ballet from first to last – danced by New York City Ballet dancers – but also has a narrative scene between each movement where the audience is introduced to the characters.  Accompanying the ballet on Great Performances will be a documentary, by Matt Wolf and Anna Farrell, which follows the story of the original ballet up until its adaptation for film.
. . . .

Calendar this.  March 24.  And visit the film's website.

Wouldn't it be wild if there was a simulcast large screen showing outside at Lincoln Center?!