Dance Beat: Dutch, Crawl, Emily, Dance Dangereuse

January 25, 2012

Photo by Chris Nash

Going Dutch. There was gouda arancini, smoked mackerel potato salad, red cabbage with smoked sausage and apples and slavinken, all signature dishes of the Netherlands and meticulously prepared by Meat & Potatoes restaurant. Yum Well, if Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s upcoming Distinctly Dutch Festival is as tasty as the food, we’re all in for a treat that will take us through the spring. I have loved the Trust’s previous festivals (Montreal, Australia, International Festival of Firsts), which gave us the opportunity to explore different cultures without leaving home. Of course we already knew that that the Pittsburgh Dance Council will be presenting Dance Works Rotterdam/Andre Gingras, which will open the festival Feb. 18, and Last Touch First, co-choreographed by Michael Schumacher and Jiri Kylian (a national and international choreographic treasure). But there will be plenty more to sample. For theater buffs, there will be Detroit Dealers, which is oddly set against the American car industry, Diespace, an interactive multimedia performance set against the Internet, and Jean Cocteau’s La voix humaine, featuring one of Holland’s foremost actresses. Halina Reijn. Music lovers can catch The News, a video/opera, or Dutch Women of Jazz. Girls ‘N’ Guns and Global Navigators will enhance the Pittsburgh art scene and Dudes and World of Rhythm will be geared to families. Accompanying it all will be workshops, wine tastings, a tulip display (of course) at the Phipps, film and more, including menu offerings at local restaurants. Hungry?  Intrigued? (I am and will attend as many events as possible.) For more information, click on Distinctly Dutch.

Crawl-ing. The Trust also sponsors the Gallery Crawl four times a year, a great (and free) way to explore the Cultural District. This go ‘round on January 27 will feature Maddy Landi’s kNOTdance transferring your own drawing of a dream into a dance. Also interact with a digital installation, Summer Sky Eternal, and see how your personal movement affects it (604 Liberty Ave.). Or interact with a partner at Arthur Murray Dance Studio, with free lessons and demos (salsa at 7:30 p.m., tango at 8 p.m., swing at 8:30 p.m.) Much, much more, from Norwegian artist HC Gilje at Wood Street to a Cell Phone Disco. A real bonus — Chatham Baroque rocks the Trust Arts Education Center with three performances. From 5:30 – 9 p.m. Click on Gallery Crawl.

Emily Kitka. The Pittsburgh dancer, who joined the corps of New York City Ballet last fall, got her first real review in The New York Times. Congrats, Emily!

Risky Business. Top Dating Sites website has posted 10 Dances You Should Only Attempt if You Are a Pro. Really? How do you actually become one? See for yourself when you click on Dangerous Dance.

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Dance Beat: KST/Alloy, Pillow, NYCB, Maribeth and Aimee

January 3, 2012

It’s time to catch up on a few things that popped up over the holidays –

KST Alloy. It’s official. Pennsylvania’s Attorney General approved the merger between the Kelly Strayhorn Theater and Dance Alloy Theater in mid-December. KST executive director Janera Solomon and staff are “pleased to have pass this final step in completing the merger with Dance Alloy Theater (DAT). Since the Kelly Strayhorn assumed responsibility for DAT operations, we have been able to support contemporary dance performers and choreographers in Pittsburgh with additional Master Classes, residencies for choreographers that enable them to develop and showcase their new works and we continue to offer popular community classes for students of all ages.” KST will continue to strengthen its commitments to the Pittsburgh dance community, a real plus. As for the three decade-old Alloy company itself, I’m sure its resurrection will be a continuing story throughout 2012.

The Pillow. Not our local Pillow Project, but the national historic landmark, Jacob’s Pillow, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary. What’s not to celebrate? History-making contributions to dance. Opportunities to discover new things about dance. Companies from nine countries and continents (The Joffrey Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Morphoses, Vertigo Dance Company). Once-in-a-lifetime engagements (week-long homage to founder Ted Shawn with an all-star, all-male cast). “Back by Popular Demand” (Tero Saarinen’s “Borrowed Light,” seen here at the Dance Council, Crystal Pite (seen at PDC, but not her “Dark Matters”) Doug Elkins (not seen in a long time at PDC, but a hit at the Pillow with “Fräulein Maria,” yes, his own take on “Sound of Music”). For more information, click on Jacob’s Pillow.

New York City Ballet “Nutcracker”

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut. New York City Ballet joined the simulcast dance wave. The Metropolitan Opera started it all with its popular film series, beamed into select movie theaters. International opera houses followed. The first to pick up the ball in dance were international ballet companies – Bolshoi Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, as well as other European companies. Apparently NYCB had the facilities and equipment in place to do the same. It finally worked out all the kinks and shared its opening night cast of George Balanchine’s “Nutcracker.” (I hear Pittsburgh Youth Ballet dismissed its dancers early from rehearsal to catch it.) More, please. Click on Carmike Cinemas, The Oaks and Ballet in Cinema, although — warning! –  the websites can be a little confusing.

On a Personal Note. Adding to the Pittsburgh dance community’s growing family, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s director of marketing and communications, Aimee DiAndrea, recently promoted, had to miss some “Nutcracker” performances because of her previously scheduled marriage and honeymoon. And former Alloy dancer Maribeth Maxa is looking radiant after her autumn marriage to Randy Fukas and making future plans. (Think costume design for one.)

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On Screen: Miami City Ballet Does Mr. B and Ms. T

October 28, 2011

Maybe you could say THIRTEEN’s Great Performances traded apples (New York City Ballet) for oranges as the Miami City Ballet showed its Balanchine wares on the latest installment of public media’s award-winning series. The Florida company has long based its repertoire on a long list of the ballet master’s works, usually supplemented by contemporary choreography with a Latin flair, a good match given its location.

Of course Edward Villella’s group was called to perform a pair of historic Balanchine pieces, “Square Dance” and “Western Symphony.” But they served as bookends for Twyla Tharp’s “The Golden Section.”

Villella was always noted for his athletic approach to prowling the stage, a dancer with real American star power, and his dancers reflected that kind of confidence. The company has had its financial ups and downs, but never lost sight of its style (or its touring). Recently it has had considerable success in dance capitals like New York and Paris.

So the invitation to dance was perfectly timed to show how Balanchine’s urban artistry translates to Florida.

“Square Dance” was presented in front of a sweeping cloud-filled sky similar to a Texas plain, but without the original trademark calls (“Two little ladies, up the track, sashay over, sashay back…”).

This was the 1976 revival that added more Corelli to the mainly Vivaldi score and tipped the scales in favor of the classical steps that permeated the choreography. It also included a poetic Corelli Sarabanda for the lead male, tall and pole-thin (there was no listing of the individual dancers, an unfortunate oversight). He adopted a soft, almost princely air to the phrasing, full of curly cues that rippled through his torso.

Then there were beats and more beats — and the Miami City dancers peeled them off, their feet like the wings of hummingbirds. Some of the patterns may have come from dance folklore, but it was elevated to a sophisticated court dance with an American twist.

The inimitable Mr. B. had a real penchant for the American West and famously wore, as Villella reiterated here, string ties. “Western Symphony,” with its rollicking Hershey Kay score, nabbed a whole passel of familiar tunes that would leave any audience shuffling its way out the door.

But this was meant to be viewed at home, which could inspire a rabble-rousing sing-along. It was a veritable stampede of fun-filled steps, the women like dance hall girls and the men like cowboys, that is, unless the women were imitating a team of horses.

“Western Symphony” has one of the most exhilarating finales in the ballet repertoire, an escalating series of pirouettes where the curtain falls on a whirly gig of a cast, then rises, the stage still full of pirouettes, and falls again. How would they do it? Well, by collapsing in a heap — perfect.

Tharp’s “The Golden Section” was just that — a cast of beautiful dancers in burnished gold swimsuits, regaling against a starry sky. It was a terrific vehicle to show the dancers’ versatility and their ability to move from the upright balletic style to a slouchy abandon.

It was also another way to show off the MCB dancers’ great footwork in another style and to underscore their Balanchine confidence in Tharpian fashion. You could call it a new way to view ballet’s six degrees of separation.

(And by the way, since there was time left over, stay tuned for an extended commercial about NYCB’s School of American Ballet.)

Viewings: Fri. at 9 p.m. and Mon. at 4 a.m., but check your local listings.

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Dance Beat: Andrew, Daniel, Pearlann, Zafira and More…

September 22, 2011

ANDREW. Former Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre member Andrew Blight gave us the move and now he is starting the ballet. For those who don’t like lower case titles, that would be The Move and The Ballet. the move (you see my problem) brought us a premiere by Alonzo King and a North American premiere by Jean-Christophe Maillot. It seems that Andrew has similar ideas with his new company, harboring plans to bring a Ulysses Dove ballet for the inaugural production of the ballet. Despite the small lettering, Andrew likes to think big. To help get it all up and running, Andrew is sponsoring a screening of New Export: Opus Jazz, a famed 1958 ballet in sneakers by Jerome Robbins, lovingly recreated for film by members of the New York City Ballet. “the event” will take place Oct. 22 at the Melwood Screening Room. Tickets: $25, which includes popcorn and a drink and admission to an informal after-party with free wine and beer. Stay tuned for more information.

DANIEL. Our friend Daniel Ulbricht, New York City Ballet principal dancer who brought his “friends” here last year to an enthusiastic Pittsburghresponse, alerted me that he and his buddies are headed to Santa Fe, New Mexico this year. The program has that Pittsburgh flavor with Tarantella, Apollo (excerpt), Who Cares?, Diamonds Pas de Deux, Bournonville’s Flower Festival Pas de Deux and the iconic Ulbricht solo by Serve Gallardo. Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain add a new twist. Once again he has some of NYCB’s brightest dancing stars in Teresa Reichlen, Craig Hall, Sterling Hyltin and Jonathan Stafford, with new additions in Robert Fairchild, Rebecca Krohn, Ana Sofia Scheller and Lauren Lovette. Daniel will also conduct a free master class and two lecture demonstrations there. Lensic Theater, Oct. 27-28. Click on SantaFe Concerts for more information or Santa Fe Poster.

PEARLANN. Pearlann Porter always thinks ahead. Already she’s announcing a Postmodern-Jazz 5-Day Winter Intensive at the Space Upstairs, Wednesday Jan. 4 at 3 p.m. to Sunday, Jan. 8 at 11:30 p.m. As they say in the traditional jazz vernacular, dig those times! It’s for both the serious and casual performing artist, “focusing on The Pillow Project’s ‘non-fiction’ approach to dance bending towards an imperfect, recognizable physicality rather than a technical virtuosity or athleticism while meaningfully contributing to the music first and foremost.” Check it out on Facebook.

ZAFIRA. So we have some things beginning, but Zafira is bringing things to a close as we know it. Packed with guests (see Listings), the local belly dance company will wind things up at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater on Tuesday at 7:30. But don’t despair, Maria, Christine and Olivia will continue their sinuous ways in a solo format and will be around at Zafira Dance Studios.

MORE… Well, I guess that congrats are in order. CrossCurrents has registered over 100,000 hits in a little over two years and still climbing. Thank you!

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On Stage: Two By Two

August 2, 2011

I was waiting to exhale. That happens as soon as I move through Chautauqua Institution’s main gate into the soul-satisfying serenity of this lakeside community just across the Pennsylvania border in western New York State.

This time I was there to review North Carolina Dance Theatre’s “An Evening of Pas de Deux,” which can be seen in The Chautauqua Daily. There were other stars to be seen, though. Former American Ballet Theatre prima ballerina  Cynthia Gregory was there, perhaps to scout some dancers for her latest role as artistic advisor of Nevada Ballet Theatre and director of the Cynthia Gregory Center for Coaching in Las Vegas? (By the way, it’s a small world. She was once married to Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre artistic director Terrence Orr.) And a Pittsburgh favorite, Daniel Ulbricht, was on hand for his annual teaching stint, giving back to the school that helped turn him into the principal dancer he is today at New York City Ballet.

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Dance Beat: PBT, Daniel, DAT

April 26, 2011

EN POINTE. It was PBT’s season afterparty, with music by DJ Ed Cyphers and plenty to eat and drink in the exposed brick space above Bossa Nova. Best of all, PBT invited the orchestra members, a terrific idea, and it looked like a number of the musicians took the company up on the invitation. Costumier Janet Groom created a sensational ball gown for the silent auction and versatile corps member Nick Coppula donated a number of his photos. A good time had by all!

A GOOD CAUSE. New York City Ballet principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht continues on a busy path after his successful appearance here in Pittsburgh last October. He put together Dance Against Cancer, a benefit for the American Cancer Society yesterday at the Manhattan Movement and Arts Center. The event was inspired by his mother who was diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2007 and had a relapse early in 2010. The star-studded list of dancers included NYCB’s Wendy Whelan, Maria Kowroski, Craig Hall, Janie Taylor, Sterling Hyltin, Amar Ramasar, Robbie Fairchild, Tyler Angle and Daniel, of course, plus Alvin Ailey’s Matthew Rushing, Lar Lubovitch’s  Attila Joey Csiki, Top 10 Finalist of So You Think You Can Dance Alex Wong and Keigwin + Company. You can still contribute at http://community.acsevents.org.

JUICED UP. Dance Alloy Theater member Jasmine Hearn is turning into a budding Greer Reed-Jones. She has been seen around town at performances, dancing with The Pillow Project and, earlier this month, expanded her own improv jam into The Citrus Project at DAT’s main studio. While a visit at the 8 p.m. start showed more improvers than audience members than, that was okay because the whole concept probably evolved, at a later hour, into an event where audience and performers were one and the same. Jasmine and friends decked the space with lights and rearranged the platforms with cushions, encouraging the informal approach, so suitable for a whole array of young Pittsburgh dance artists who have the urge to move all night long.

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On Stage: A World of Dance in Black and White

April 15, 2011

Photos by Paul Kolnik

New York City Ballet held court at Kennedy Center last week, not with traditional story ballets, but an array of black-and-white masterworks by George Balanchine. It was good to see Daniel Ulbricht again — he looked superb in “Symphony in Three Movements.”  Even artistic director  Peter Martins, sitting with wife, former ballerina Darcy Kistler, let out a gasp at the height and distance of his opening jump, legs tucked underneath him. Read about it in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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Dance Beat: Tome, Roberto, Alloy, Attack

February 17, 2011

STRO! An update on Pittsburgher Tome Cousin, who often sets Susan Strohman’s “Contact” around the world. On Feb. 28, he will be participating in a star-studded salute to the award-winning choreographer, working with Boyd Gaines and the cast of “Contact.” Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane host with an array of Broadway stars, including Karen Ziemba, Veanne Cox, Craig Bierko and others. Set for the Millenium Broadway Hotel, it’s surprising to see tickets coming in at $75, $125 and a “limited number” at $300. Below you’ll find Tome in a green shirt and brown pants with Boyd and Deborah Yates on the “Tonight!” show.

 

 

CHECKING IN. Former Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre ballet master Roberto Munoz was in town recently holding auditions for the Saratoga Springs Dance Intensive that he runs with wife Melinda Roy, former principal dancer with New York City Ballet. He was thrilled that he and Melinda were in demand at several local schools to teach during their stay. Teachers at SSDI will include Sean Lavery, assistant to the Ballet Master in Chief, NYCB; Jock Soto, faculty, School of American Ballet;  and NYCB principals Yvonne Bouree, Ashley Bouder, Maria Kowrowski and Daniel Ulbricht. A strong Pittsburgh connection, besides Roberto, will feature Dana Arey (Pennsylvania Ballet principal, PBT ballet master), Stephen Hanna (NYCB principal, Billy Elliot), Simon Ball (Pittsburgh native, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet) and PBT artistic director emeritus Patricia Wilde. The program runs June 20-July17. For more information, click on www.ssdiballet.com.

SUMMER FUN. Speaking of summer programs, the Jones Summer Dance Intensive has announced auditions at Dance Alloy Theater studios in Friendship on Mar. 20 from noon-2 p.m. and 3-5 p.m. Sixty students will be selected for the two week, pre-professional all-scholarship program, which will run Aug. 8-21. Students 15-25 may participate and must have a $20 audition fee. For more information and to register, call 412-363-4321.

ON THE MOVE. Attack Theatre may have finished up “Show #58,” but the workaholic  dance group subsequently took part of its “Show” on the road. They showed up at Dave Eggar’s Music on the Edge concert in “Trapped,” with music by Japanese composer Somei Satoh and subsequently traveled to New York for an encore over St. Valentine’s Day weekend at St. Mark’s Chamber Music Series. When did Dave and Chuck Palmer have time for the Grammies?

 

 

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Off Stage: Dance MVP’s 2010

January 13, 2011

It was the year for local dance companies, who went above and beyond during 2010 (click on Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). But what about the people who made it all happen, both on stage and off?

WOMAN OF STEEL. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre principal Alexandra Kochis has been flirting with her talent, which hovered on stage with her beautiful line and pristine technique, ever since she arrived at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in 2006. The only thing she needed was to authoritatively engage the audience. She lived up to that promise this year with bright and shining performances as the spunky Constance in “The Three Musketeers” and a confident Marie in “The Nutcracker.”

MAN OF STEEL. I’ll give it to Nurlan Abougaliev because he took his promotion to principal dancer so seriously. Nurlan always had a fluidity about him and a natural dance presence that sometimes seemed almost casual at times, but he now takes charge of the stage with more depth, more strength, more power.

JILL OF ALL TRADES. No, she isn’t named Jill, but Michele. De la Reza, that is. Still a compelling dancer. Always prompt with her emails. A master educator. One of Pittsburgh’s most articulate advocates for dance and the arts in general.

A BALANCING ACT. Okay, one company is enough for most people. But we have two dance administrators who have taken on more than most of us can chew. Greer Reed-Jones became the artistic director of Dance Alloy Theater and also took on the birth of August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble with both verve and style. Her strength appears to be her dance connections — bringing some of the most current choreographers to Pittsburgh. Maria Caruso began with Bodiography Contemporary Ballet, added Club One fitness classes to her schedule, then branched out to take on La Roche College’s dance program this past year.

HIP HOP HAPPENING. It’s here to stay. En route to an article about hip hop dance for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, I encountered Brian “BWEAR” Starks, whose fervor for street dance over more than 30 years was  inspiring. A self-styled promoter, he generously chronicled the history of hip hop in Pittsburgh (with long-time pal Donald “Sodda Pop Kid” Wilson) and expertly conveyed the energy of this relatively new dance phenomenon.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK. It’s definitely a trend, folks. Pittsburgh’s dance community is growing, despite the tattered American economy. During the past year, there were dance seedlings sprouting everywhere, from the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble and STAYCEE PEARL dance project to the presenting side of Three10 Moment and EVOLVE Productions (which is in the process of spawning a spin-off company), all making a mark last year. Welcome!

DANCE, DANCE EVERYWHERE. Dance was a featured player in the Performing Arts Exchange (which we like very much) that was held in Pittsburgh for three days in September. PAE is a presenting organization that covers the Eastern and Southern parts of the United States and is an important cog in the touring machine. It was great to see the performing arts at work and congratulations are due to the Pittsburgh community for helping to make it such a success. Loved seeing the artists super-sized on the screen at PNC Park!

DANIEL ULBRICHT. He’s the real deal — an artistic entrepreneur. A top-level principal dancer at New York City Ballet, Daniel has had a relationship with Pittsburgh since he was in his early teens. This past year he came back with a thoughtful, mostly Balanchine program and a cast of home-grown dancers from NYCB (Faye Arthurs, Stephanie Zungre and Stephen Hanna), along with other young talents from the company. But he did so much more by teaching classes at  four different locations around the city and making himself accessible, something that the audience at the Byham Theater loudly appreciated. His company bosses must have been watching — they are forming a smaller touring group, New York City Ballet Moves, to access smaller American cities that couldn’t support the full company. And yes, Daniel will be one of the performers.

MOVING ENCORE. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre did a private performance of segments from its “Light/ The Holocaust & Humanity Project” production in the studios this past fall, proving once again that dance in the studio has its own aura. The cast, led by the singular emotional quality of Julia Erickson, inhabited their characters with even more vivid portrayals this time around.

ONE IS THE ONLY NUMBER. If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? I came close to that philosophical riddle when I (and only I) attended one performance of The Pillow Project’s “Paper Memory,” a delectably intimate production about a writer. And if I wasn’t there, Pearlann Porter declared that the admirable cast and crew would have done it anyway.

MY NEW FAVORITE THING. See international dance greats without leaving the Pittsburgh city limits. Visit the Oaks Theater, where the Oakmont film house started new dance and performing arts series, beginning with the Royal Ballet in December and continuing into 2011 with the Bolshoi Ballet, Bill T. Jones and Gene Kelly. Enjoy.

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Opinion: Oh, Alastair…

December 18, 2010

Most of you have read about New York Times dance critic Alastair MacAulay’s inappropriate comments concerning New York City Ballet principal Jenifer Ringer in the annual “Nutcracker,” where he said Jenifer “looked as if she’d eaten one sugarplum too many.” And maybe you’ve heard about Jennifer’s delayed response on the Today Show where she said that she didn’t want an apology.

Having written about dance for over 40 years, I have learned to judge a dancer by the quality of his or her dancing and not by the body type, overweight or underweight. Bill T. Jones taught me that a long time ago when he hired Larry Goldhuber at 200 pounds plus.

So you say that is modern dance — ballet is a whole other animal. Alastair’s commentary, however, was nothing less than smarmy. Yet it wasn’t a question of Jenifer’s open admission of weight problems in the past.

I believe that  it isn’t a critic’s place to write about the limitations of a dancer’s body. Egad — no dancer is perfect and most principals have a physical fault, from stubby feet (Dame Margot Fonteyn) to broad shoulders (Darcy Kistler) that they can still turn into pure gold. If the performance is indeed affected by a perceived weight gain, it is much better for the writer to talk about the quality of the dance. The point will still be well taken.

Once you get into the topic of physical proportions, you open up a whole can of worms. I’ve even reviewed dancers, both modern and ballet, who were pregnant and sometimes I knew before they told me. I still stuck to the quality of the dance and whether they could execute the choreography. It invariably turned out that they actually had a definable glow (and sometimes even their partners — I’m thinking of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre principal Ying Li, who performed through her fifth month with husband Jiabin Pan a few years back).

The decision of timing — when to take a leave — at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre came from the ballerina and her doctor (and I give artistic director Terrence Orr a gold star for that).

Similarly, a ballet dancer knows when she (or he — I also disagree with the comment about Jared Angle) is at optimum dancing weight. I, for one, will still occasionally note the beauty of a dancer’s feet or a lovely arch of the back. But, on the whole, I will keep my eyes on the real prize — the ultimate impact of a performance.

 

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