I love this post by Counter Critic. Jacob’s Pillow (the esteemed summer dance festival held in Massachusetts) accepted his friend’s work but then asked her to delete some parts because the venue at which the company was to perform was deemed “for family.” CC covers all the bases: what is “family,” why accept a work then ask the artist to censor herself, why are adults even so hysterical over their children hearing the word “sex,” etc. Taylor mentioned she was attending a discussion tonight held as part of the New York Fringe Festival on issues involved in gearing dance performances to “families.” I wonder if this kind of thing will be discussed…
Pas De Deux With Dying Body
I found this short story by Alfred Doblin about a ballerina’s struggle with her body in Words Without Borders, whose current issue is devoted to psychiatric themes. (via Maud)
Yay!!!!!
I won’t spoil it for people on the west coast, but I’m so immensely over-the-top ecstatically thrilled for that one 😀
Update: My HuffPost piece on the finale is now up.
Except for "Trepak" Pretty Blah Finale…
I thought tonight’s finale was rather eh. Nothing blew me away; last week was so much better. Well, that’s not entirely true — I loved Twitch and Joshua’s Hip Hop / Russian thing choreographed by Youri Nelzine. At first I thought the choreographer was calling it a Chekhov dance; I was like, Chekhov choreographed? Then I realized he was saying “Trepak,” as in the Russian Dance from The Nutcracker. I thought it was actually pretty ingenious of him to combine Russian folk and Hip Hop like that, playing on both dancers’ strengths — Twitch’s amazing thigh muscles and all that movement close to the floor, and Joshua’s crazy jumps. Loved the splits jumps, that twisting corkscrew of a jump. I wonder if we’re going to see a Nutcracker this year somewhere with those two performing that dance, like we saw Sabra and Neil do last winter…
Anyway, too much fun, those guys. I really want one of them to win. Twitch grew on me this week, so now I’m divided between him and Josh.
I was also impressed by Courtney, who I think has improved tremendously. She’s standing out so much more now. She really has become so theatrical. She’s become a real actor, and her movements are so much sharper than before. I don’t think she’ll win — I think the others still have more overall clout by this point, but I think she should be very proud of herself.
The two last dances were the worst, unfortunately. The Jive totally lacked energy and bounce and height. The kicks and the sailor shuffles, and just all the fancy footwork — not there at all. That’s what’s so fantastic about jive — the lightening-fast footwork, the crazy fun, the electric charge of the dance, not the aerials — which were excellent by the way, but it’s like they saved their energy for those. And what was that Mia Michaels number in the end? It looked like Shakers who’ve been kept from society for a little too long and have gone a bit haywire. I liked the very beginning though, with the unfolding of the satiny-looking crimson sheets. But that’s the only part I liked…
Anyway, my post on the results should be up on HuffPost on Friday.
Who do you guys think will win??? I predict Josh or Katee.
Olafur Eliasson’s Intriguing But Controversial "Waterfalls"
When I was downtown on Monday I finally had a chance to walk over to the eastern seaport to see the newish public art installation by Olafur Eliasson, Waterfalls. It’s a series of four man-made waterfalls set up at various points on the East River.
There’s been some controversy over the high expense of the project, whether it’s a waste of a precious natural resource, and even what the purpose of public art is, for example, how the installation compares to The Gates in Central Park a couple years ago. Go here for a good discussion of those issues led by blogger / NYTimes writer Claudia LaRocco.
And go here for Claudia’s updated post on the falls in which she sites some other artists’ “ironic” responses to Eliasson’s work.
I actually found them pretty breathtaking. Above are the two I could see from where I stood on the Manhattan side of the river. There are two more, one further uptown, and another by Governor’s Island. Of the two I saw, the one under the Brooklyn Bridge was shorter and wider, its proportions made to fit right underneath the structure of the bridge as if it was an outgrowth of its architecture. The other one, along the Brooklyn side of the river, was taller and more narrow, also seemingly in alignment with the height of the buildings behind it.
What was interesting to me was how the waterfalls are obviously man-made, obviously fake, yet they completely blend in with their environment, almost in a Frank Lloyd Wright-ish way. Or maybe it’s kind of a reverse of Lloyd Wright: his buildings blended in with the natural environment — the desert, the surrounding rock formations; whereas these supposedly naturally-occuring phenomena are artificially constructed to be part and parcel of our vast steel high-rises, what we’ve come to know as our “natural” environment.
And they complement the environment not just visually but figuratively as well. Practically all of New York is man-made, including even the very land most Manhattanites live and work on. Ralph Fiennes (don’t ask me how in the world I know, or remember this) once gushed about this city, on his first viewing of it, as being this breathtaking visual testament to what human beings are capable of building, and the British actor is not exactly known for his love of America. So, sure they’re industrial-looking, but why not celebrate that? Ingenuity in industry and commerce are what NYC is, right?
And I think there is a certain natural beauty, particularly the way the water falls. With the high structure, the water looked almost like feathers at the top, foam near the bottom.
And the shorter one looked really cool when a breeze picked up; looked almost like a head of long, cascading hair billowing about in the wind.
As for the argument that the falls are destroying a precious natural resource, maybe I don’t understand the machinery very well, but it seems that they’re only recycling the river water (and according to the information on the website, there are nets to keep fish from getting caught in the spokes).
Anyway, if you’re in NY and happen to go out and see them, let me know what you think. They’re on display through October 13. If you want an up-close view, there are Circle Line boats that are giving little tours, complete with headsets bearing the artist’s mission statement and other information. Or, if you’re a ‘traveler’ and not a ‘tourist’ :), according to the press release, the free Staten Island and Governor’s Island ferries will take you pretty close to the southernmost two falls.
Monica Bill Barnes' Site-Specific "Game Face"
Yesterday I went to see Monica Bill Barnes’ site-specific dance Game Face, showing as part of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Sitelines series. I’ve seen Barnes’ work before and have liked her in the past, and I found this one very amusing — along with the rest of the audience (comprised both of people who’d come for the show and unsuspecting tourists in the area to catch an optimal view of the Statue of Liberty), but I’m not sure if she met her stated aim.
The flyer states that the dance “compares the show business motto of ‘the show must go on’ with the current perception of finance as being an all-consuming self-sacrificing business. Exploring a performer’s endurance and ‘do or die’ attitude as an illustration of Wall Street’s reputation for tireless work, this new work is bizarre, exhausting, and boldly funny…”
I thought it was bizarre and funny, but I couldn’t see what it really had to do with Wall Street or the financial industry. It took place at the Robert Wagner Park, which is in the northeast corner of Battery Park, sandwiched between a restaurant and the Museum of Jewish Heritage. The park, as I said, offers a lovely view of the Statue of Liberty, and a large grassy area for children to play, so it’s a good area for tourists, especially with kids.
If she’d wanted to make a statement about Wall Street and financial workers, it might have been better placed at the little cobblestoned, pedestrian-only intersection of Wall Street and Broadway. Or, if that was too crowded and they couldn’t get a permit, there’s a spacious area in front of the Chase Manhattan building, where I’ve seen other dance performances; they could have even had it in Liberty Park, where another Sitelines performance was held last year — all of which are centrally located in the Financial District, set among the high buildings and rushed business people. Held here, it seemed to be making more of a statement about tourism.
First, two dancers, Deborah Lohse (wearing the green Statue of Liberty cap) and Barnes, holding her up, asked a woman — presumably a tourist — to take their picture with the Statue of Liberty in the background, in typical tourist fashion. The woman complied, not knowing she was part of the performance, as it was just about to begin.
Next, some Elvis music began playing over a couple of speakers, while four women dressed either as tourists or in athletic work-out garb danced in unison along a back wall, while Lohse began to lean on Barnes in various poses. At first, she leaned due sideways, the two women making an interesting triangular shape. Then Lohse began to lose her form, becoming almost a bag of bones, while Barnes struggled to hold her up. Eventually, Barnes picked her up and carried her off. The whole time, Lohse was facing the Statue of Liberty, and her expressions of awe at it, along with her touristy hat, indicated she was mesmerized, entranced. But too much so. Like Barnes was saying people get carried away with their worship of landmarks, of a meaningless idol, of what New York stands for, without considering what really goes on here, what Lady Liberty stands for. It could also have been making a statement of the collapsing of the American dream or something, but I think it was too light-hearted for that.
Then, the dancers all disappeared through an archway, behind a building, and emerged out on the little plaza area in front of the park. They danced briefly, to Elvis, then disappeared again, and emerged
on top of the walkway connecting a restaurant with the museum. At points they looked out at the water, standing shock still, and at points they broke into dance, all the while Elvis crooning his iconic songs. Ridiculously, the music being so iconic, I can’t even remember which songs they were; I don’t even know the names of most. One where he keeps pleading, “Believe Me, believe me…” I think “Heartbreak Hotel” was in there; the only one I remember for sure is the one they ended with, “Fools Rush In.” Anyway, this part of the dance was kind of funny in a Where’s Waldo way, losing sight of the dancers, looking around for them, seeing them pop up in a new, unexpected place.
But the best part was when a waiter at the restaurant and a seemingly random guy on a bike got in on the action, grabbing microphones and singing along with Elvis, their voices overtaking his on the speakers. I don’t know if they were officially part of the act or if Barnes had convinced them on the spot to join in, but the waiter guy looked pretty much like a genuine waiter at that restaurant.
They eventually climbed onto some benches where onlookers were seated, really belting it out. The audience went nuts with laughter.
The dancers disappeared again and re-emerged, most of them now wearing white gauzy, almost wedding-gown-looking dresses. I wasn’t sure what the significance of this was, but here they are on the little plaza again, seeming to wave at a tourist bus pulling into Battery Park.
Then they took to the grassy area.
And ended dancing, then running along the park’s cement perimeter. They disappeared and of course we continued to look for them, only knowing for certain the show was over when the words “Elvis has left the building,” came on over the speakers.
The performance was about 20 minutes altogether and it definitely had a certain charm and humor. But as a whole, I wasn’t sure what it all meant, whether it had any cohesive meaning.
If you want to check it out, it’s showing again tomorrow, Wednesday the 6th, at noon and again at 1 p.m., and Thursday the 7th at the same times, and next Monday through Thursday, Aug. 11-14, at noon and 1. It’s in the Robert Wagner park, located just north and east of Battery Park. Go here for more details.
Pain
Because my TAC headaches have not been responding so well to my regular medication, my neurologist wants me to try something different for a while. I went to the pharmacy today to pick up my new prescription. It cost $100 after my insurance copay, for 6 doses. Six doses. I hope Glaxo Wellcome are happy with themselves for finding a way to make big bucks off of human pain and suffering.
And I know I’m hardly the only one who struggles to pay for prescription meds. I know older, retired people who have credit card debt because the only way they can pay for necessary medication is to charge it. Medicare apparently covers very little.
I hope Obama makes healthcare reform a very top priority when he becomes president. One of the reasons — the main reason actually — I’d been such a Hillary supporter is that I knew healthcare was her biggest issue. I trusted that she would work tirelessly for change, as she did when her husband was in office. I really hope we can expect the same from Obama.
Keigwin + Co. Review Up
My review of Keigwin & Co, which I saw last week at the Joyce, is now up at Explore Dance.
"The Story of Forgetting" by Stefan Merrill Block a Must Read!
I absolutely loved this novel and highly recommend it. It’s about three generations of sufferers of early-onset Alzheimer’s (which can come on as early as 30, which I didn’t know). It’s partly a portrayal of the disease itself, partly a meditation on memory and its ramifications, but mostly it’s just a beautifully-written story about the need for human connection. I won’t be forgetting Abel Haggard for a long time.
Here is the author’s website. And here‘s a short autobiographical piece, equally compelling, that he wrote the Guardian.
New York in the Summer Continued: Free August Outdoor Dance Events
I went to Dance Brazil and RumbaTap at Central Park’s Summer Stage last night and damn was it crowded. The most crowded I’ve ever seen Summer Stage. I ended up only staying for RumbaTap; left before Dance Brazil because I was just too claustrophobic (in my mind they let way too many people in; I was near the top in the bleachers, my knees jutting into the guy’s back in front of me, my own back being probed by the knees of the guy behind me, serried between the man next to me and the woman on my other side illegally sitting on a bleacher step because there was nowhere to stand. They really need to turn people away next time for safety purposes). I’d already seen Dance Brazil anyway (which I wrote about here) and they were performing the same program — Ritmo — so I figured I’d let someone else get squeezed all to bits.
(sorry so blurry; I’m one of the few who actually obeyed the “no flash photography” rule)
Anyway, Max Pollack’s RumbaTap was good (and I recognized one of the dancers, Matt‘s sister, Carson Murphy, right off the bat because of the big hair!). They danced to a variety of Latin rhythms — Salsa, Merengue, traditional Afro-Cuban, and even some Bulgarian (which is Mr. Pollack’s heritage). It was a bit hard, though, to see from so far away (one thing that annoys me greatly about Summer Stage is that no matter how early you get there, it’s hard to get a seat up front because they reserve practically all of them), and it was very hard not to be distracted by the hordes of people trying to find a seat, buying food, talking to each other and paying no attention to the dancing, etc. etc. etc. I think tap, like ballet, is probably too small, the movement too subtle and soft, to work well on a big, open-air stage like this where you don’t have crowd control. I’m thinking Dance Brazil’s Capoeira, with all the big, flashy acrobatics, probably captivated the crowd, especially in the back, much more successfully.
The crowd waiting for Dance Brazil…
Anyway, there’s one more Summer Stage dance event, next Friday, when Jennifer Muller and Erica Essners perform. Go here for info on Muller and Essners, and go here for the rest of the Summer Stage schedule (most of which consists of music events).
One of the great things about New York in August is the abundance of free outdoor events, most of which include dance: Lincoln Center Out of Doors, held in Damrosch Park, just behind the State Theater and facing Fordham Law School, is showcasing Armitage Gone! and Noche Flamenca, among other dance companies; the Lower Manhattan Culture Council’s Sitelines is a series of site-specific dance performances all taking place in lower Manhattan which are usually pretty good; the Downtown Dance Festival, sponsored by Battery Dance Company, takes place August 16-24 also at various Financial District-area locations; and, finally, my beloved Alvin Ailey continues celebrations of their 50th anniversary with several free performances and dance workshops throughout all five boroughs, including an all-day outdoor street festival on Saturday, August 9th in front of City Center in midtown Manhattan, with free performances inside that theater throughout the day.
Speaking of City Center, don’t forget Fall For Dance coming up September 17-27. Tickets for these $10 multi-company performances go on sale at 11:00 a.m. on September 7th and sell out in days if not hours. It doesn’t appear this year’s schedule is up yet (it’s on my mind because they were passing out flyers for it last night), but I’ll post it when it is. For those who don’t yet know about FFD, I don’t think there’s any greater value– you see a variety of top-notch dance companies for only $10 a ticket ($15 if you buy online, but STILL!)
Finally, as my art historian friend alerted me to, if you’re lucky enough to be in Paris in the near future, Sotheby’s is presenting what appears to be a magnificent collection of Ballet Russes material in celebration of that dance company’s 100th birthday. Looks fabulous.
SYTYCD Gets Better Each Flipping Week!
Damn, this show is crazy amazing! Every single dance tonight I thought was some of the best choreography for that particular style I’ve ever seen. How much does that Aussie guy, Jason Gilkinson, rock! No wonder the show’s so popular down there. Best Paso I’ve ever seen on this show, and his Viennese Waltz was gorgeous too. And for once I loved Tyce Diorio. Gorgeous contemporary piece. I love Adam Shankman as a judge; he says basically everything I feel, calling Tyce, Katee and Joshua the holy trinity of SYTYCD!The man’s enthusiasm is just contagious. And Tony and Melanie’s Mambo was sexy fun, although Twitch’s performance in that was just about the only thing not completely perfect on the show. His nerves and confusion over the counts showed. And Sonya and Mark are on the same wavelength; how fun to see her create on him… I loved everything about tonight; honestly don’t want a single one of them to go home, but I especially don’t want Mark going and I’m afraid the man leaving may be him. Please not Mark, please not Mark…
Battleworks a Must See!
Again, I plan to have a full review coming soon, but just want to tell everyone to try to make it to Battleworks at the Joyce in Chelsea this week, if you can. They’re on Thursday night and Saturday (Keigwin + Co. is Friday night). I find Robert Battle’s work so engagingly complex. The meaning is complicated, but you get the definite sense there is something there, that you want to spend time thinking about, dissecting. And there’s so much emotion is his dances — dancers spin in a whirlwind toward each other, hurl themselves to the floor repeatedly, pick themselves up again, fall backward in exhaustion, do violent flips, at times seem to walk on a tightrope… emotions range from elation to anger to searching thought, to humor, to sad world weariness, and movements from African, tribal, Hip Hop, to Martha-Graham-esque modern… it’ll leave you stunned long after the show is over. Do try to go!
Go here for Philip’s review.