nyc.dancr
Had fun watching Arrowhead, a new musical come to life at Feinstein’s/54 Below last night.
Also enjoyed seeing up-close the stars from some of my favorite shows!!
Bravos Bonnie Milligan and Amber Ardolino of Head Over Heels, Lauren Zakrin of the Great Comet and Cruel Intentions, and Nikhil Saboo of Mean Girls.
APEX faculty and student showcase at Peridance.
Great job Sam Label on “Lash Out”! What an uplifting choreo with jubilance, genuine happiness, and packed with personalities.
Also, beautiful dancing by Sam Label, Jasmin Levin, and Shana Fung. Bravos!
Complexions Contemporary Ballet was AMAZING at the Joyce Theater last night. What an incredible group of talented dancers with so much artistry and such impeccable techniques.
Star Dust was still the same stunning, energetic, over-the-top, rock-n-roll ballet concert that captured my heart for the past two years. The piece is set to fourteen songs by David Bowie, as a tribute to the singer.
Bach 25, a world premiere, consisted some of the finest and most beautiful ballet movements.
Thanks for a wonderful evening, Complexions. Go see them at the Joyce Theater from now till March 3rd!
Love Pretty Woman the Musical!
Samantha Barks was the perfect Vivian Ward. I had thought it’d be impossible to reinvent the role of Julia Roberts from the original movie, but Samantha gave the character an even more captivating personality. She was charming, lovable, playful at times, graceful when the occasion called for it, and yet retained the same allure of the original pretty woman. Bravos!
Andy Karl was amazing as Edward Lewis. I love the chemistry between the two leads. The attraction felt so natural, so genuine.
Also, major shoutouts to Eric Anderson as Happy Man and Mr. Thompson, whose roles gave the story so much extra excitement.
On the other hand, reflecting on the original movie from thirty years ago and what’s happening today…
As much as I loooove how Samantha brought out the most wonderful version of Vivian Ward that I could possibly think of, we still do live in a society where…
(1) Women are often valued for their beauty, style, grace, and smile. The movie/this musical reinforces that.
(2) Thirty years ago, Edward Lewis made his riches through ruthless financial schemes without “building anything” and without “making anything.”
Thirty years later, hedge fund managers are still ripping apart news rooms, hospitals, depressing working-class wages, while making $billions per day themselves. Meanwhile, the United States has lost much of its manufacturing capabilities, sending the country into a political crisis. So really, aside for paying $3,000 for a hooker’s time, what have the Edward Lewises contributed to the society, to their country, to their fellow citizens?
What have *WE* learnt in the past thirty years?
Alice by Heart: Preview tonight at the MCC Theater.
Looooooove the choreography by Rick and Jeff of Kuperman Brothers. I would go back and see the show again just for the movements. WOW!! ❤️
Every single scene is filled continuous movements large and small… from “Chillin’ the Regrets” where the entire cast came together to become a caterpillar… to simple arm gestures that conveyed the affection between Alice and the White Rabbit in their duets.
The choreographies seamlessly incorporated the stage design, all kinds of props, creative costuming… as well as the vertical space. The cast told their stories on ladders, sang while climbing up and down poles, were continuously lifted over each other, and pulled through and under each other.
Gorgeous movements filled the 90+ minute show: Giving the characters an extra dimension to express their emotions. Setting the scene of a mysterious wonderland where caterpillars, birds, flamingos, turtles, lobsters, the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, and the Red Queen’s trial came to life.
By creating a whole new world through bodies and everyday objects, the choreographies allowed the audience to go inside of Alice… and see what she sees.
I also love the chemistry between the two leads Molly Gordon as Alice and Colton Ryan as Alfred. They showed us love, care, friendship, innocence, moments of happiness, and grief all at once.
I really enjoyed the script (the writing started nine years ago!) that overlaid the story of Alice and Alfred on top of Alice in Wonderland. The juxtapose aded yet another layer of mystery to the wonderland.
Finally, the multi-talented ensemble was absolutely amazing. Bravos to Mia DiLena, Zachary Downer, Noah Galvin, Zach Infante, Andrew Kober, Grace McLean, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Catherine Ricafort, Heath Saunders, and Wesley Taylor. Thank you for giving us a wonderful show!
#alicebyheartmcc
Had a blast seeing all the great work and talented dancers at DanceBreak yesterday.
Each of the six choreographers were tasked with creating two musical numbers, with no more than 10 dancers and in under 12 hours of rehearsal times. It’s incredible to see what they were able to accomplish.
Some of my favorites…
“I’ve just seen a face” by Paul McGill. Love the cloudy dreamy feel of the piece that’s filled with technical movements and lifts.
“You can call me Al” also by Paul McGill.
“Buenos Aires” by Avihai Haham is filled with energy.
“And so it begins” by Stacey Tookey about the auditioning. As Stacey describes it, you go through every audition three times: On the way there, at the audience, and on the way back.
“Run” by Marc Kimelman about belonging and connecting.
Merrily We Roll Along by Roundabout Theatre Company
Love the show!!
A story about friendships. The promises, hopes, and camaraderie of a budding friendship… but also its unraveling, unrequited love between friends, and the eventual loss of the friendship.
I especially like the script and the unique decision to tell the story backwards in time.
Superb acting by the cast brought the show to life… including several key but difficult scenes when the characters were distressed, drunk, emotional, if not all at once.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Part II. ❤️❤️❤️
Still cried, still laughed my head off, and still wow’ed by this incredible show even though I have already seen it in London.
I like how the Lyric Theatre has been transformed. It’s bigger than the Palace Theatre (for the London production), so the main stage is grander and the seats *much* roomier. I also like small design details like the staircases and the patronus artwork.
Nederlands Dans Theater at the New York City Center. Bravos for a spectacular opening night!!!
Some of the most incredibly-trained dancers executing some of the most precise and insane choreographies.
What caught my eyes the most were the unbelievable torso movements. I don’t even have the vocabulary to begin to describe the many ways the dancers rolled, isolated, twisted and shaped their torsos.
Across the four works, male dancers received a lot of attention in the choreos including solos, and distinctive movements and scenes.
“Wir sagen uns Dunkles” was a short light-hearted piece danced to the piano. “Sad Case” and “mutual comfort” brought out NDT’s unique movement vocabulary, and in some parts, explored comedy through abstract movements.
“SH-BOOM!” was my favorite of the night with creative and unique staging unlike anything else I’ve seen.