Promethean Fire (2002) is my favorable Paul Taylor work and a fitting tribute to the genius of modern dance’s Gentle Giant. Continue reading
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Category: Dance History
7/26/18 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY ENCORE PERFORMANCE: Le jeune homme et la mort by Roland Petit (Zizi Jeanmaire & Rudolf Nureyev)- 1966
Le Jeune Homme et La Mort was choreographed by Roland Petit choreographed in 1946 to Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582, with a one-act libretto by Jean Cocteau. It tells the story of a Young Man driven to suicide by his faithless lover. Sets were by George Wakhevitch and costumes variously reported as being by Karinska or Cocteau. Continue reading
7/25/18 O&A NYC DANCE: The Prodigy- Olga Smirnova (Bolshoi Ballet)
Short profile of Olga Smirnova a rising star in the Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow. Continue reading
7/20/18 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene – Featuring Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun
Balcony scene from John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet featuring Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun with music by Sergei Prokofiev. Continue reading
7/14/18 O&A NYC ITS SATURDAY- ANYTHING GOES: Nureyev- Dance to Freedom
In 1961, on tour in Paris, Rudolf Nureyev- the Kirov Ballet’s star made a historic dash from his KGB bodyguards into the arms of French police. Was there more to his defection than meets the eye? Continue reading
5/24/18 O&A NYC DANCE: Natalia Makarova & Ivan Nagy (with Itzhak Perlman & Lynn Harrell) – Swan Lake
Natalia Makaova, and one of her favorite partners, Ivan Nagy, dancing the White Swan Pas de Deux from “Swan Lake.” They are accompanied on-stage by violinist Itzhak Perlman and cellist Lynn Harrell. Continue reading
5/13/18 O&A NYC DANCE: Mother (Isadora Duncan c. 1923)
Loretta Thomas performs Mother featuring choreography by Isadora Duncan (c. 1923) with music by Alexander Scriabin. Duncan bore two children, both out of wedlock. The first, Deirdre Beatrice (born September 24, 1906), by theatre designer Gordon Craig and the second, Patrick Augustus (born May 1, 1910),by Paris Singer, one of the many sons of sewing machine magnate Isaac Singer. Both children drowned in the care of their nanny in 1913 when their runaway car went into the Seine River in Paris.
Mother (Isadora Duncan c. 1923)
In her autobiography, Duncan relates that she begged a young Italian stranger, the sculptor Romano Romanelli, to sleep with her because she was desperate for another baby. She became pregnant by him, and gave birth to a son on August 13, 1914; the infant died shortly after birth.
5/4/18 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Maya Plisetskaya Dances Bolero, And The Dying Swan
Maya Plisetskaya, Prima Ballerina Assoluta of the Bolshoi Ballet, danced Maurice Bejart’s Bolero set to the famous Ravel score in 1975. Plisetskaya created a stunning theatrical experience. What makes the piece so compelling is that although Plisetskaya may be accompanied by dozens of other dancers mirroring her movement, the first and only focus is on the prima ballerina herself. Continue reading
4/24/18 O&A NYC DANCE: : George Balanchine- Who Cares?
George Balanchine’s fun romp set to the music of George Gershwin performed by Het Nationale Ballet. Continue reading
4/18/18 O&A NYC DANCE: Afternoon Of A Faun- Tanaquil LeClercq and Jacques d’Amboise
In Afternoon Of A Faun (1953) Jerome Robbins‘ genius take on the old Debussy/Nijinsky ballet. A 1955 Canadian broadcast of the two legends of the NYC Ballet (and the original ballerina in this) Tanaquil LeClercq and Jacques d’Amboise (Francisco Moncion original danseur). Continue reading
