Tag Archives: Black Swan

“The Suspect” Now in the Kindle Store

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Tonya

Hey Everyone — Just to let you know, my new short story, “The Suspect,” is available now in the Kindle store for 99 cents. I plan to put it up, in ebook form, in other online bookstores shortly. It’s my … Continue reading →

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Marcelo Gomes to Dance with Cisne Negro

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Tonya

Although we’re on late-summer hiatus from ballet season here in NYC, SLSG favorite Marcelo Gomes will be performing at the Joyce Theater on August 15th, with the Brazilian modern dance company, Cisne Negro (which means Black Swan in Portuguese). I’ve … Continue reading →

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Former NYCB Dancer Sophie Flack Signs Her Debut Novel, BUNHEADS, at BEA

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Tonya

My apologies for my lack of blog posts this week. I spent Monday through Thursday at Book Expo America, the largest book industry trade fair in North America, held every year in NY at the Javits Center. (Nevertheless, I did … Continue reading →

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Alina Cojocaru and Polina Semionova Guest Star in ABT’s DON QUIXOTE

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Tonya

Over the weekend, two European star ballerinas – Alina Cojocaru from the Royal Ballet in London, and Polina Semionova from the Berlin State Opera Ballet – guest starred in American Ballet Theater’s Don Quixote as Kitri.  Cojocaru danced with Jose … Continue reading →

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American Ballet Theater Spring 2011 Opening Night Gala

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Tonya

Last night was ABT’s Spring 2011 opening night gala. Dreary, rainy night … but what else is new for New York these days? Once inside, I really enjoyed the show though. (I’m hoping to receive photos soon, which I’ll post). … Continue reading →

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Jose Carreno in “Swan Lake” on Dancing With the Stars

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Tonya

Did you guys see it last night? I don’t know who choreographed but it’s obviously a version created for fans of Black Swan the movie, showing both black and white swans vying for Prince Siegfried’s attention, and shortened for the … Continue reading →

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More BLACK SWAN Controversy, and The Paris Opera Ballet’s COPPELIA

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Tonya

I’m still crazy busy but just wanted to point out two things. First, if you haven’t already heard, there’s now a storm of controversy over how much dancing Natalie Portman actually did in Black Swan. Dance Magazine EIC Wendy Perron … Continue reading →

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“Sassy Gay Friend Saves Black Swan” Video

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Tonya

So this video was posted on Huffington Post. It’s by the Second City people. Viewers seem to be liking it. When I saw the title I expected it to be really funny. But I don’t find any humor or intelligence … Continue reading →

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Natalie Portman’s Black Swan Acceptance Speech at the Oscars

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Tonya

So what did you guys think of it? I tried to find a YouTube video but couldn’t find a free one. Interesting that companies are going to start charging for subscriptions for that kind of thing… Anyway, I love that … Continue reading →

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Misty Copeland on Tavis Smiley

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Tonya

Apropos of our recent discussion on race and ballet, ABT’s Misty Copeland was recently on the Tavis Smiley show. She talks about race, ballet, elitism, her training, her recent appearance onstage with Prince, the immense difficulty of ballet, and of … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance Criticism / Discussion / Reviews / Blogs, Dance on Television, Film / DVD / YouTube / Livestreams, Interviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Moonlight on the Beach

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Tonya

Happy President’s Day everyone! I’m spending the week in South Carolina at my cousin’s timeshare – I needed a few days away from New York and the ocean is  my favorite place. (If I ever have money, I’m definitely buying … Continue reading →

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This Week at New York City Ballet

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Tonya

I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend, and happy belated Martin Luther King Day! Tonight begins the Winter season at NYCB. Highlights for the season will be a world premiere by Susan Stroman on January 28th, and Peter Martins’ … Continue reading →

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Natalie Portman’s Black Swan Golden Globe Acceptance Speech

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Tonya

Did you guys watch last night? I thought she looked radiant, and her speech was really sweet. She seemed genuinely happy about both the film and her personal life. She still seemed to be in a state of blissful shock … Continue reading →

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Jim Carrey as “The Black Swan” on SNL

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Tonya

How much do I love this?! Did you guys see it last night? I hardly ever watch Saturday Night Live anymore, but I kept the TV on after watching the Jets game (go Jets!!!). And I was so glad I … Continue reading →

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British Ballet Stars on “Black Swan”

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Tonya

“You can tell they did some research. Some of the smaller details, like the broken toenails and the way Nina works on her ballet shoes [scoring the soles, breaking down the blocked toes], were accurate. And I’ve seen dancers get … Continue reading →

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Is Ballet A Dying Art?

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Tonya

I must confess I haven’t yet read Jennifer Homans’ acclaimed but controversial history of ballet, Apollo’s Angels. I’m working hard on my second novel and have been knee deep in prison and cop memoirs and haven’t had time for much … Continue reading →

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SLSG’s Dance Highlights of 2010

Posted on December 31, 2010 by Tonya

Instead of trying to remember which were my favorite performances of the year, I’m just going back through my blog archives from January of this year and linking to the most memorable posts. More fun that way! A lot happened … Continue reading →

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American Ballet Theater’s Original New Nutcracker

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Tonya

More photos coming soon. This one (of Gillian Murphy and Catherine Hurlin as the two versions of Clara) is taken from culture.wnyc.org. Last night was the official opening of ABT’s much awaited new Ratmansky-choreographed Nutcracker at BAM. I loved almost … Continue reading →

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BLACK SWAN = SHOWGIRLS!!!! HAHA!!!

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Tonya

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! All throughout watching this movie, I kept thinking, damn, this is really on the same level as Showgirls. Actually, more like Showgirls meets Valley of the Dolls meets Mommy Dearest. Apparently, others had the same thought. Thank you!!!! And … Continue reading →

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Jenifer Ringer Talks About Her Weight on the Today Show

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Tonya

If you guys haven’t seen this yet, Jenifer Ringer was on the Today Show talking about Sir Alastair’s criticism of her weight, her past eating disorder, and the struggle to be thin for ballerinas in general. I hadn’t known, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Body Image, Dance Criticism / Discussion / Reviews / Blogs, Dance News, Film / DVD / YouTube / Livestreams | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Roberto Bolle & Robert Wilson’s “Perchance to Dream” Scared the Crap Out of Me

Posted on December 11, 2010 by Tonya

My friend, Oberon, told me about this exhibit – a video installation by Robert Wilson showcasing Roberto Bolle, showing at Center 548 in Chelsea, as part of Milano New York Isaloni. So I went to check it out yesterday. Scared … Continue reading →

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Gillian Murphy Critical of “Black Swan”

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Tonya

Apparently, Gillian Murphy gave an interview to the L.A. Times in which she called Black Swan unrepresentative of the ballet world and said she was a little disturbed by its intentionally overdone darkness. She says in her experience the lecherousness … Continue reading →

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My Take on BLACK SWAN

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Tonya

I saw it over the weekend. Overall, I thought it was hilarious. Totally campy and just plain funny. Way too silly to be scary though. And I think Aronofksy was going for both. So, to me, it failed to that … Continue reading →

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Black Swan-Inspired Fashion

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Tonya

I was flipping through Marie Claire and saw this spread on current fashions inspired by the Black Swan movie: They also had a spread on fashions inspired by Burlesque, the new film starring Cher and Christina Aguilera: And then as … Continue reading →

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NATALIE PORTMAN'S "BLACK SWAN" WILL PREMIERE AT THE VENICE FILM FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER 1

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Tonya

Visit the Examiner for more details and a slide show including a few more pics from the movie. Photo above looks rather creepy imo … which I guess goes along with the genre.

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NATALIE PORTMAN AND BENJAMIN MILLEPIED ARE ALLEGEDLY DATING

Posted on January 10, 2010 by Tonya

I’ve been hearing rumors about this for a while now, but now that the celeb gossip mags are starting to pick it up, I feel authorized to post about it. Millepied is doing the choreography for the upcoming film Black … Continue reading →

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GEORGINA PARKINSON HAS DIED

Posted on December 20, 2009 by Tonya

Former Royal Ballet ballerina and current American Ballet Theater mistress Georgina Parkinson has died of cancer. She was 71. In addition to her work with ABT, she was apparently coaching Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis for their dance roles in … Continue reading →

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BENJAMIN MILLEPIED CHOREOGRAPHING FOR "BLACK SWAN" MOVIE

Posted on November 26, 2009 by Tonya

There were rumors swarming around that NYCB’s Ben Millepied would be choreographing for the upcoming film starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, and they appear to be true. Says Director Darren Aronofsky: “My sister was a dancer growing up and … Continue reading →

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WINONA RYDER & NATALIE PORTMAN IN MOVIE BASED ON NYCB DANCER

Posted on November 10, 2009 by Tonya

Oh cool — apparently, Winona Ryder, Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis are to star in a film called Black Swan, a thriller that follows the story of a fictitious NYCBallet dancer who may or may not be having delusions about … Continue reading →

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LAURA JACOBS' THE BIRD CATCHER, AND WHY THOSE MARTHA GRAHAM MEN WEAR SUCH SKIMPY COSTUMES

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Tonya

_____ “Well I’ve only been twice,” Margret answered, realizing her mouth wasn’t working so well. “I mean, the one about Oedip … Oedipus.” The wine was warping her consonants. “Night Journey,” he prompted. “Is that the one? It was like … Continue reading →

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