9/1/17 (REPOST) O&A NYC Shall We Dance Friday: Jennifer Gelfand in Vortex Section from Alvin Ailey’s The River

 Shall We Dance

Jennifer Gelfand performs the Vortex section of Alvin Ailey’s The River. Originally set on American Ballet Theatre in 1970 the work was performed by Gelfand during a tour entitled  Vortex section of Alvin Ailey’s The RiverFernando Bujones and Stars of the Boston Ballet in 1993. The work was set to music by Duke Ellington.  Continue reading

Shall We Dance Friday: Le Jeune Homme et la Mort – Mikhail Baryshnikov

Shall We Dance

White-Nights

White Nights is a 1985 American film directed by Taylor Hackford and choreographed by Twyla Tharp and stars Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines, Jerzy Skolimowski, Helen Mirren and Isabella Rossellini. The movie opens with an abridged version of Roland Petite’s Le Jeune Homme et la Mort. The ballet was given the full Hollywood treatment. Continue reading

Shall We Dance Friday: David Parsons- Caught

Shall We Dance

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David Parsons’ stroboscopic masterpiece, Caught, features more than 100 leaps in six minutes by a solo dancer who is repeatedly trapped in mid-motion by the strobe lights, to create an illusion of flight.  After thousands of performances, worldwide, for nearly thirty years, Caught continues to thrill audiences at every performance. Continue reading

(REPOST) O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Maurice Bejart: Bolero featuring Jorge Donn

Shall We Dance

Maurice Bejart choreographed Bolero in 1960 for the Ballet du XXe Siècle (Ballet of the Twentieth Century). In Bolero Béjart returns to the spirit of his 1959 Rite of Spring, by negating the easy choices of a picturesque exterior in favor of a stripped down simplicity. He gives the central role, the Melody, to a solo dancer and the ensemble is described as the Rhythm. Argentinian dancer Jorge Donn was best known for his work with Bejart. His theatricality and androgynous attack epitomized the 80’s.

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