Buglisi Dance Theatre. May 2nd at the Alvin Ailey Theater.
My favorite is “Bare to the Wall Suite” with its beautiful movements, costuming, and over all set/scene design.
Buglisi Dance Theatre
NYCB: All Balanchine
New York City Ballet. April 25th at the Koch Theater.
The highlight of the night goes to Tiler Peck and Joaquin de Luz‘s Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux. I can’t even begin to describe how absolutely incredible Tiler and Joaquin were. So, here are screenshots of Tiler’s own words about their partnering. When Tiler says they went for [the leaps], you know it’s going to be out-of-this-world stunning. Yes, we had as much fun watching you as you did on stage!
The rest of the “All Balanchine” program featured Apollo, Le Tombeau de Couperin, and Symphony in Three Movements.
Lar Lubovitch Dance Company
Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. Performance and post-show talk on April 18th at the Joyce Theater.
Lar was originally a painter who got his inspiration from music. Painting was his way of visualizing music. Not surprisingly, as a choreographer, he paints music with his dancers.
For anyone who knows me, I personally believe movement should come before music. Dance as a field should be able to stand on its own without music. We are not a derivative of another art form.
Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed Lar’s work. His unique choreographic touch was evident in tonight’s program of “The Legend of Ten”, “Something about Night”, and “Men’s Stories”. His dancers moved across the stage like brush strokes building up elaborate and dynamic scenes.
Martha Graham at City Center
Martha Graham Dance Company. April 14th at the New York City Center.
My favorites tonight were “Ekstasis” and the “Rite of Spring”. The former is the most incredible articulation of the human hip movement. The latter is an emotional journey constructed as much from body movements as from the sound of bodies impacting the floor.
Martha Graham at City Center
Martha Graham Dance Company. April 13th at the New York City Center.
My favorites of tonight’s program were “Mosiac” by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui that mixed various dance genres and “The Legend of Ten” by Lar Lubovitch where the dancers flowed across the stage like ocean waves… gentle yet powerful at once.
Master Class with Ballet Hispánico
Joyce Master Class with Ballet Hispánico. April 13th at Gibney Dance.
I had an amazing time learning from Michelle Manzanales. We worked on an excerpt from “Con Brazos Abiertos”.
What I remembered the most were the subtle cultural significance in the piece, Michelle’s emphasis on connecting with other dances, and her reminder to relax. No tension on stage. Not even in our eye brows.
Ballet Hispánico at the Joyce
Ballet Hispánico. April 11th at the Joyce Theater.
Tonight’s program featured two of my all-time favorite choreographies.
The bold and visually stunning “Línea Recta” by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. During the curtain chat, the discussion focused on the contrast between Ballet Hispánico’s strength in partnering and the lack of contact in Flamenco (based on which the piece was created). I thought it was fascinating that Annabelle was able to create the connection between her dancers with limited physical touch.
The powerful story of “Con Brazos Abiertos” by Michelle Manzanales. Ive seen the piece four times, and am still touched by its narrative and feel empowered by its ending. Every single time.
Both of the new works required additional interpretation at the post-curtain chat, for me to appreciate their significance.
“Waiting for Pepe” had several unusual and beautiful choreographic moments. However, without knowing the play “The House of Bernarda Alba” on which the dance is derived, I had trouble following the story arc (e.g., Why is there a chicken lit in neon lights above the stage???), until it was explained by the choreographer Carlos Pons Guerra afterwards.
Similarly, “Espíritus Gemelos” told the story of two Spanish artists, Federico García Lorca and Salvador Dalí. I didn’t grasp the significance of their relationship, until after the curtain chat.
Anna Karenina by Eifman Ballet
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Giselle by Dada Masilo
Throwback to a few shows that I enjoyed this year, but haven’t had a chance to write about…
“Giselle” by Dada Masilo and the Dance Factory was amazing!!!
The dancing was energetic and powerful. The alternate ending was how I always imagined the story of Giselle should have ended. Bravos for creating a character and a story that’s believable!!
April 5th at the Joyce Theater.