Above photo by Erin Baiano from The Winger.
MY FRIEND TAYLOR GORDON IN THE NEW YORK TIMES
There’s an interactive feature with my friend, dancer Taylor Gordon, in the New York Times today. She talks about her career as a freelance ballet dancer – from performing in Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular to taking extra work in ABT Met season productions, to venturing into jazz and contemporary roles. Yay Taylor!
And here is the full article by Claudia La Rocco.
Photo above by Rosalie O’Connor, taken from Explore Dance.
SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE WEEK 5, OR POST ALEX, SOB!
Photo from Jonathan (which Alex posted on Twitter).
Uh-oh, where’s Ashley? Oh, another injury – a rib problem. So, she’ll be in the bottom three tomorrow night, could suffer same fate as Alex.
First on is Lauren dancing a Tahitian dance with Mark Kanemura. Wow, fun costumes. And music! At first I couldn’t take my eyes off of him, and then I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. It was repetitive movement — knees shaking for the man, hip shaking both side to side and front to back for her. It looked simple but that kind of movement takes precision and concentration to pull off because it is so repetitive and so fast. It’s the type of movement that could look really sloppy if you lose your concentration, you know? Mia says Lauren looked like a “duck in heat.” Hmmm.
Next, Adechike and Anya dance salsa. Wow, some really difficult lifts – I think this is the first overhead one we’ve seen this season, and perhaps even on the show? I mean that was a full-out overhead lift, like you see in classical ballet. And that opening throw and catch with a double twist in the air. It was really exciting to me, but I think the tricks kind of took over and made it difficult for Adechike to concentrate on getting his basic movement right. He was fine and he did all of those crazy tricks right and well, but the hips weren’t all there. It just wasn’t the sexy salsa I’m used to in competitions and in clubs.
Next, Jose and Courtney do a Broadway routine. Well, he did a jump in the air with a multiple turn that was exciting. But that was all to me, unfortunately. He just didn’t have the polish, there was no pizzazz with those jazz hands, the line wasn’t there – his barrel turn was just not a proper barrel turn at all. I mean, he looked like a regular person dancing that. As the judges said, it just showed how little dance training he has.
Now, Robert and Allison do a contemporary routine. Wow, well that’s the first time Allison has really blown me away.
Continue reading “SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE WEEK 5, OR POST ALEX, SOB!”
SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED
I don’t know what I’d do without my Facebook friend and longtime reader Jonathan! He sent me this link announcing the schedule for the upcoming SYTYCD tour. (Thank you, as always, Jonathan, and so nice to meet you the other night at ABT!)
So looks like they’ll be at Radio City Music Hall for one night, which good because if I decide to go I don’t have to schlepp all the way out to Nassau Coliseum again.
UPDATE: Here’s another website where you can keep updated on tour dates.
IS SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE "CULTURALLY RADICAL"?
Here’s an interesting perspective from the Huffington Post’s Miles Mogulescu on So You Think You Can Dance:
“Here, the culture wars of the past 30 years appear over, at least for an hour or two, and the progressive side–which has stood for racial equality, gender equality, and gay rights–is the undisputed winner, without the need even to overtly comment about it. I’m not sure what Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, or the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal would have to say if they were watching. But then, Rupert Murdoch has never been known to let his conservative political views get in the way of making a buck.”
I’m not sure that I agree with him that the show represents a huge but unspoken triumph for women’s or gay rights but I find the race issue interesting because I’ve had several people comment on my own Huffington Post pieces on the show saying how great it is that blacks and whites and Asians and Latinos are all dancing together without issue. I guess I never even noticed because it’s so ridiculous to think that it should be any other way. And it’s not, in New York. Is it still in other parts of the country??? I mean, really, both on the concert dance stage and in social dance clubs there just doesn’t seem to be a race issue, unless I really have my head up my butt…
I WRITE LIKE … NABOKOV?!
Okay, I’m having a bit too much fun with this, which I just saw on Galley Cat. When I put in a couple paragraphs from the opening pages of my novel, I got Nabokov. Which was kind of funny – thought for sure I’d get Nick Hornby or Helen Fielding or perhaps Martin Amis. But Nabokov?! But then when I put in an excerpt from one of my blog posts I got J.K. Rowling. Hmmmmm.
Try it, it’s ridiculous fun!
MORE PHOTOS OF OSIPOVA AND HALLBERG IN ROMEO AND JULIET
Some more photos of Natalia Osipova and David Hallberg in Osipova’s Romeo and Juliet debut at ABT Saturday. Both photos by Gene Schiavone. The second one shows one of the moments I wrote about loving in my review. So sweet!
CARLOS ACOSTA TURNING TO MODERN DANCE
I was just about to suggest – to beg rather – Kevin McKenzie to try to lure Carlos Acosta back to ABT since, in light of this season’s slew of principal injuries, we clearly need more big men; plus, I’ve never seen Acosta dance and am really dying to! But then my friend Susan sends me this.
ALVIN AILEY DANCERS TO PERFORM ON SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE THIS THURSDAY
I’ve just received word that Alvin Ailey dancers Jamar Roberts and Rachael McLaren (photos above by Andrew Eccles) will be appearing on this Thursday’s results show of So You Think You Can Dance. They’ll be performing an excerpt from Ulysses Dove’s Bad Blood. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that dance but have always found Dove’s work very captivating. Plus, Jamar’s one of my favorites. Exciting!
Also, for New York audiences, Alvin Ailey will be performing in Central Park’s free SummerStage series on July 23rd and 24th, both nights at 8pm. By the way, this year marks the 25th anniversary of SummerStage.
Also for NYers, the Ailey Extension is offering a buy five get one free deal on classes through the end of July in celebration of the school’s 5th anniversary. Go here for more info.
OSIPOVA AND HALLBERG IN ROMEO AND JULIET
Here are a couple of photos of Natalia Osipova and David Hallberg at curtain call yesterday after her debut as Juliet, taken by Len Zernov from The Faster Times. I’m hoping to receive more photos soon and will post them asap! Read Marina Harss’s review of Osipova (she compares Osipova with Paloma Herrera) here.
THE DUELING JULIETS: NATALIA OSIPOVA VERSUS DIANA VISHNEVA
So Saturday was another double feature for me, as for many ABT fans. And it was a fun double-header with the Russian women – the Bolshoi versus the Kirov, if you will – kind of going at each other 🙂 Natalia Osipova (top photo) made her debut as Juliet, opposite David Hallberg’s Romeo during the matinee, and in the evening, Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes took the leads.
I can’t say I liked one over the other, though they were very very different. It was Osipova’s debut and Vishneva has performed it many times so the evening Juliet was a bit more sophisticated. But Osipova will grow into it and eventually make it her own. I think Osipova’s Juliet was much more girlish, cuter, particularly at the beginning, than I’ve seen her danced before. She practically ran from Paris when her parents first introduced them. Vishneva was girlish too but not as much; she knew it was time for her to be married and she was trying to be mature and ready herself.
Osipova tried hard to act the part well though, and I love that about her. She always does that. It’s not just about the dancing; she’s an actress too. And one huge thing I love about her is how well she works with David Hallberg.
Continue reading “THE DUELING JULIETS: NATALIA OSIPOVA VERSUS DIANA VISHNEVA”
SWALLOW RECEIVES A VERY GOOD REVIEW IN THE EXAMINER!
By Maureen Linehan:
“Tonya Plank’s debut novel, Swallow, is as engaging as any book I have read. Although it does seem to be a little long at first (just over 400 pages), the character development is so appealing that once you start reading you find yourself eagerly anticipating what will come next, as you will undoubtedly sympathize with Sophie, and hope that she finds peace.”
Read the rest here!