According to the Korea Times, Hee Seo has (finally!) been promoted to soloist at ABT! 😀
MEDALISTS ANNOUNCED IN USA INTERNATIONAL BALLET COMPETITION
Medalists in this year’s USA International Ballet Competition, held in June in Jackson, Mississippi, have recently been announced. This is one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world. People from all over the world compete, as you can see by this list of winners and their home countries. It has launched the careers of many current greats, including, probably most famously, Jose Carreno, whom I just blogged about in my last post.
So, congrats to these winners, many of whom I’m sure we’ll be seeing in the future.
Photo above of Cao Shuci, from China, gold medalist in women’s senior division, by Richard Finkelstein.
WHEN CRITICS BECOME PART OF THE PERFORMANCE
Top photo of Glover taken from here, photo of Macaulay from here.
The other night on the stage of the Joyce Theater, tapper Savion Glover launched into a short tirade against Sir Alastair in response to this. (Leigh Witchel, the author of the Post piece linked to above made clear on his Facebook page that Glover’s words were spoken onstage, during his performance). Haha!
NATALIA OSIPOVA MUGGED
I really hesitate to post this in case my mom still reads my blog. She’s an avid Law and Order watcher and she’s always thinking if I go for 24 hours without calling or emailing her it must be because something’s happened to me like what happens to everyone on Law and Order, and because L&A is on every day and I live in the same city, every day, every hour in New York City people must be getting attacked and going missing and what not…
Anyway, according to the New York Times, none other than Natalia Osipova, the Bolshoi dancer guest starring with ABT this season, whom everyone and their dog – including me – is going on and on and on about being the greatest dancer extant, was mugged yesterday after watching a performance of Sleeping Beauty at ABT. The Times isn’t specific about exactly where she was attacked, but apparently it happened near the Met, as she was crossing Amsterdam Avenue, in the early morning. Two men came up behind her, hit her in the face and ran off with her bag, which contained pointe shoes and a small hammer she uses to shape them. Thankfully, she seems to be okay and will still dance Sleeping Beauty this weekend and Romeo and Juliet in two weeks.
It’s just crazy though. This is what New York used to be like in the Dinkins era, pre-Guiliani, like over 15 years ago, when I first moved here. Now we’re reverting. I guess the effects of the recession have finally hit.
Thank you to reader Roksolana for sending me the link.
Photo by Gene Schiavone.
CONGRATS TO BILL T. JONES FOR HIS 2010 BEST CHOREOGRAPHER TONY
For Fela! (which I said before and will say again, is one of the best Broadway musicals I’ve ever seen).
Also, Memphis (the show Danny Tidwell danced in) won for best musical.
DANNY TIDWELL AND "BAD BOYS" OPEN USA INTERNATIONAL BALLET COMP
Danny Tidwell, who’s currently performing with Rasta Thomas’s Bad Boys of Dance, carried the Olympic-like torch last night in the opening ceremonies of the USA International Ballet Competition, in Jackson Mississippi. Later in the evening, he performed there with Bad Boys (who are in the midst of an Australian tour). The prestigious competition – which I was invited to and really wanted to go – continues through June 27th.
Photo taken from Rickey.
OH NO ROBERTO!!!
For those who haven’t heard, Roberto Bolle is injured and will be out the rest of the ABT summer season. That means there will be no stalking expedition guided tour of the bowels of the Met at the end of Romeo this year.
Oh well. We may have to organize a field trip to Europe next year. Maybe he’ll be dancing Mats Ek’s Giselle again?
In the meantime, here is this bottled water commercial. I think I posted it last year because it looks familiar but blog reader and Facebook friend Jonathan has sent it to me (and it is very good!) so I am posting it again. If I remember correctly, I think last year Haglund and I were trying to figure out where to buy the water in the U.S. I wonder if Haglund ever found it?…
And I will have to be satisfied with my IPPY man… Hehe, seriously, IPPY winners who attended the award ceremony two weeks ago were just sent their photos. They had an attractive female and male presenter to pose for your award photo with you — if you’re a female winner, they gave you the guy; if you’re male, they gave you the girl. I didn’t notice it at the time but doesn’t this guy kind of look like Roberto! Okay, I can dream!
Anyway, SLSG favorite Marcelo Gomes will be replacing him in Swan Lake — Odette / Odile is Veronika Part, so that will be a must-not-miss. And his Romeo replacements are Marcelo (whose Juliet will be Paloma Herrera) and Cory Stearns (dancing with Irina Dvorovenko). Check schedule here.
Get well soon Roberto.
WISEMAN’S LA DANSE ON PBS
The Frederick Wiseman documentary La Danse, about the Paris Opera Ballet, which I loved (particularly the parts with Laetitia Pujol), is going to air in several segments on PBS beginning on June 16th. Excellent!
BARYSHNIKOV DANCING IN L.A. FOR $350+ PER TICKET
Monday night Baryshnikov will be dancing in a one-performance-only show in Los Angeles. Ticket prices range from $350-$1,000 (top end includes a dinner with the man himself). Wow. Good thing we got him for only $20 a pop of BAC! It’s for a good cause though — proceeds go to the Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation (it’s actually their annual gala, and Baryshnikov is dancing a Cunningham piece set to John Cage).
DAVID HALLBERG AWARDED BENOIS DE LA DANSE PRIZE
GET WELL SOON, ROBERTO!
There’s been a casting change for ABT’s La Bayadere tomorrow (Saturday) night. Roberto Bolle (above, with Julie Kent) is injured and is being replaced by Cory Stearns (below). This will be Cory’s debut as Solor. Veronika Part is still dancing Nikiya. I hope the injury’s nothing serious; speedy recovery Mr. Bolle!
All images from ABT‘s website.
THE LEGACY OF LUCIA CHASE ON WNYC
Listen to Alex C. Ewing, the son of Lucia Chase, founder of American Ballet Theater, discuss his mother’s legacy with Kevin McKenzie and Leonard Lopate on WNYC here. Ewing’s enlightening biography of his mother came out late last year and is part of ABT’s celebration of its 70th anniversary this year.