11/6/15 O&A NYC Shall We Dance Friday: Le Jeune Homme et la Mort- Rudolf Nureyev or Mikhail Baryshnikov? You decide

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Le Jeune Homme et la Mort (1946) choreography by Roland Petit, set to Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582, with a one-act libretto by Jean Cocteau. The story of a young man driven to suicide by his faithless lover. Two of the most memorable interrupters of the male role (both stage and film) have been Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov.  Continue reading

7/14/15 O&A Inspirational Tuesday: Misty Copeland- Dancing Her Dreams

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Misty Copeland stopped by The View on July 6th to discuss her promotion to Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theatre. Copland becomes the first African-American dancer to achieve principal status. In addition O&A NYC Magazine includes Copeland’s 60 Minutes Interview. Continue reading

5/1/15 O&A Shall We Dance Friday- Encore Performance: Le jeune homme et la mort by Roland Petit (Zizi Jeanmaire & Rudolf Nureyev)- 1966

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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

2/27/15 Shall We Dance Friday: Diana Vishneva in Moses Pendleton’s F.L.O.W. I, II and III

Shall We Dance

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Diana Vishneva is a Russian ballet dancer who performs as a principal dancer with both the Mariinsky Ballet (formerly the Kirov Ballet) and the American Ballet Theatre. Vishneva’s repertoire includes Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, La Bayadère, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, The Firebird and Giselle. She also performs the works of modern choreographers, especially those of George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Martha Graham, Roland Petit and Moses Pendleton. Continue reading

12/4/14 O&A Shall We Dance: Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland- Nutcracker Grand Pas de Deux

Shall We Dance

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During the Christmas season of 1977, CBS brought his highly acclaimed American Ballet Theatre production of Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet The Nutcracker to television. The production has remained to this day the most popular and most often shown television production of the work in the U.S.  Mikhail Baryshnikov performed the title role, with Gelsey Kirkland as Clara.
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11/20/14 O&A Dance: Complexions Contemporary Ballet Celebrates 20 Years (Part Two)- Christina Johnson Interview On Restaging Ave Maria

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O&A NYC video interview with Original Complexions Contemporary Ballet member Christina Johnson on restaging Dwight Rhoden’s duet Ave Maria. The duet was originally choreographed on Johnson and Donald Williams in 1995. American Ballet Theatre soloist Misty Copeland and Complexions Contemporary Ballet Artist in Residence, Clifford Williams will perform the work at the Thursday, November 20 Gala performance.  10392506_10152549376453892_4574420590891863747_n Continue reading

11/14/14 O&A Shall We Dance Friday: Anthony Dowell and Natalia Makarova

Shall We Dance

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These two great artists perform excerpts from three works; Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon, Sir Frederick Ashton’s  A Month In The Country and Act 3 Swan Lake Continue reading

10/21/14 O&A Inspirational Tuesday: Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina

Inspirational-Tuesday

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The extraordinary memoir of Michaela DePrince, a young dancer who escaped war-torn Sierra Leone for the rarefied heights of ballet. Michaela DePrince was known as girl Number 27 at the orphanage, where she was abandoned at a young age and tormented as a “devil child” for a skin condition that makes her skin appear spotted. But it was at the orphanage that Michaela would find a picture of a beautiful ballerina en pointe that would help change the course of her life. Continue reading

9/26/14 O&A Shall We Dance Friday: Eric Underwood

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Eric Underwood is a Soloist with The Royal Ballet. He was born in Washington, D.C., and trained locally under the direction of Barbara Marks. After only eight months (there were no other boys at the school) Eric moved to the School of American Ballet in New York. Continue reading