Tag: American Ballet Theater

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First Nutcracker Since Childhood :)

Was feeling a bit stressed yesterday — so so SO many work deadlines (why does Christmas have to be at the end of the year!), writing deadlines, and just the stress of cocktail parties (of which I had my first Saturday night, hosted by a friend from college, who’s a corporate lawyer and hence knows A LOT of corporate lawyers — at one point, we went around the circle and by way of introduction announced what we ‘covered’ — which, in in-house corporate lawyerese, I soon realized meant hedgefunds, foreign investments, mergers, etc. etc. When we got to me, I shrugged and said in a low voice, “Uh, I cover poor people.” Everyone laughed, but I did get several looks of pity. And one woman, in-house counsel for Donna Karan, began a discussion about her awesome finds at the latest Jimmy Choo sale, then suddenly stopped herself, glanced at me, and asked if anyone had read any good books recently… Which I thought kinda funny… just because I’m a public defender doesn’t mean I don’t have any interest in fashion (!), although I have to say, I do prefer book discussions :)).

Anyway, after beginning three projects at once yesterday and realizing none was going to get finished as I was going to have a nervous breakdown, I decided to take a walk. My walk ended up at Lincoln Center, where I decided to buy my Fourth Ring Society membership for the upcoming NYCBallet season, and figured while I was at it, I’d buy a ticket to the evening’s Nutcracker performance as well. I’m so glad I took the evening off. It was so much fun. As much of a ballet fan as I am, I actually haven’t seen the Nutcracker since I was a child. I remember my mom used to take me and my childhood friends, Debbie and Tammy (I have no siblings), to Phoenix Symphony Hall at least once every holiday season to see the ballet. I always loved the “It’s a Small World After All” aspect of it, with the Spanish and Arabian and Russian dancers, and of course, like all little kids, I loved the “fat lady” who harbored all the children within her skirt. And afterward we would always go for dessert at either The Sugar Bowl or Farrell’s. I remember I was always so conflicted over which one I preferred, as The Sugar Bowl was more off the beaten path, quieter, and had very cute tables and chairs in amusing heart and other such shapes, and smaller, but more spirited-looking dishes. Farrell’s was far more crowded and noisy, but they had absolutely ginormous sundaes. My friends always wanted Farrell’s, but I always wanted to at least take a peek in S.B. I guess even at 10, I was inclined to be the weird one!

Anyway, Megan Fairchild and Joaquin DeLuz were my sugarplum fairy and her cavalier yesterday. They were adorable together. Megan has such a sweet face, and, since seeing Joaquin in Jorma Elo’s ‘Slice to Sharp’ last season, he is now one of my favorite men in NYCB. Sterling Hyltin was a gorgeous Dewdrop. From the back of the Fourth Ring, she reminded me of ABT’s Michele Wiles, but if I was closer I might not have thought so. Perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Here’s a pic of the lovely ‘performing arts’ Christmas tree (notice the violin and pointe shoes ornaments) at the Lincoln Center Plaza:

While on the Nutcracker theme, here is a very charming couple of blog entries by Ariel, a David Hallberg and Winger fan, upon meeting him backstage when he guest-performed this past weekend with her sister’s company, the Mobile Ballet.

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Safe Stretching Space

bathroom

Ugh, my apartment is soooo cold. Really puts a damper on my winter. Not that I don’t love how beautiful it can be outside, especially after the first fluffy snow of the season when the air is so crisp and fresh and the park is filled with the laughter of children on sleds and snowboards. But I hate not having a warm place to come into. When your apartment isn’t sufficiently warm, everything just sucks. And every year, I seem to have less heat. I spent all day yesterday shopping for, then pasting up, storm window sheets, air conditioner covers, and insulating tape, all to make it a whole whopping two degrees warmer. So it’s now 66 instead of 64 in my place. Well, every little bit helps, I guess… The worst of it is, though, that I really can’t stretch when I’m not sufficiently warm, and, being from Phoenix, 66 is definitely not warm enough to keep me from shivering. Last spring, I tore my adductor muscle while stretching on the floor of my apartment when it was too cold, and, despite physical therapy, it’s still not completely healed. The leftover scar tissue still tightens up, especially when it’s cold, preventing me still from going all the way down into the splits. Which is precisely why I need to keep stretching it — I definitely need, and want, to be flexible for my Tharpy foxtrot routine with Jacob. So, I’ve taken to stretching in the only place in my dwelling where I can have some control over the temperature — my teensy tiny miniscule little bathroom, where I can steam up the place and create a veritable sauna. At least I have hot water, knock on wood…

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Carnival Carnival!

funny feminist bed pic

Not that carnival, unfortunately (though I really really REALLY wanna go to that one…)

I just saw this link today on a fave website of mine, which was timely, in light of Natalia‘s mention of a dance blog carnival. I hadn’t known what one was. This is a feminist blog carnival — looks to me like mad blog fun, with days and days of insightful reads! I think a dance carnival is definitely in order! And, hey, at ours we CAN have Samba…

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Dance Teacher Gifts

harmonie impact dance belt

Oh what to get Jacob and Pasha for little holiday gifts?… What to get, what to get? I hate getting presents for people — I suck at figuring out what would be just the right thing!

Chimene, from the Winger board, posted the above pic of our favorite male dancer 🙂 and I asked jokingly if it came in steel (dance belt, not David Hallberg) for my teachers (b/c of my little problems). Chimene suggested I buy this Harmonie Impact belt, which is currently on sale, and have it bronzed, like baby shoes. He he he, I love Chimene — what would the Winger board be without her 🙂 🙂 🙂

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No Blog Award Category For Dance!!!!!

I just saw this on Konagod’s blog. Congratulations, Konagod, for making finalist in the best new blog category! But what stunned me is that there is a category for just about everything under the sun, except dance. Yet another instance of dance not being taken seriously in our culture. Yet there is an increasingly large number of blogs by dancers, choreographers, and dance enthusiasts and advocates, and there are a few excellent dance blog / websites that provide an invaluable service to the dance community, such as The Winger. Upon closer inspection, I found that the arts in general were profoundly underrepresented. I find this very disturbing; a society without a strong arts life is greatly lacking.

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I Am A Dedicated Reader, Of Course Of Course:)

What Kind of Reader Are You?

Your Result: Dedicated Reader

You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader

Another quiz I found from Konagod. Fun for avid readers, and likely designed by one judging from some of the answer choices, which I could have come up with verbatim. You mean there are people who don’t have at least two books — one fiction, one non — on them at all times, who don’t carry at least three in their carry-on when traveling, whose apartment floor is not sagging from the weight of their three floor-to-ceiling bookcases?? Who are such people and what planet do they come from? Ha ha. Well, I’m a wanna be writer, so it makes sense that I’m a crazy, insanely obsessed reader — almost as much as I’m a crazy, insanely obsessed dance fan…

If you wanna, take the test here.

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Money-Hungry, Who Me?

birthday quiz

***Your Birthdate: May 8***

Watch out Donald Trump! You’ve got a head for business and money.
You’ll make it rich some day, even if you haven’t figured out how yet.
A supreme individualist, you shouldn’t get stuck in a corporate job.
Instead, make your own way – so that you can be the boss.

Your strength: Your undying determination

Your weakness: You require an opulent lifestyle

Your power color: Plum

Your power symbol: Dollar sign

Your power month: August

Ha ha ha — I don’t know about this? It’s partly true — I am determined, want badly to be my own boss, and am a “supreme individualist” (and I think, with this trait, I greatly annoy and worry friends and family by traveling and going to theater alone, etc., as well as dance teachers who try to dictate to me my styling and costumes, etc. 🙂 ). And I guess I do require just a bit of opulence, seeing as how I absolutely need: 1) to sit in the front orchestra at ABT so as to have the perfect view of all my wonderful men; 2) to travel to exotic places, like Rio where I can witness real Samba, and Blackpool for real ballroom dancing; and 3) to take ballroom-dancing lessons (by far the greatest cost of the three!!!!!) But I don’t really consider myself on a money power trip?… Although, maybe, this sheds light on some of my previous dating posts… Oh no, I am not a gold-digger, I swear!!!

Anyway, Konagod always comes up with these fun / goofy quizzes. If you’re dying to know what your birthday means, take the quiz here.

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Rocka My Soul!

Alvin Ailey performance at City Center

It’s Christmas time in the city! Which means, in addition to shopping till you drop … Alvin Ailey season! They opened last week, but I was still in North Carolina for their opening night gala, so today’s matinee was my first Ailey experience this season. And, as always, it was an amazing one. Above is the cast following Revelations — a ballet that for me, no choreographer will ever outdo. It will always be my favorite, will always bring tears to my eyes. And, really, you know you are a crazed, obsessed nutter of a dance fan when you are neither black nor have ever lived in the south, yet you know all of the words of the ‘negro spirituals’ sung to that ballet by heart, and can’t seem to help yourself from unconsciously singing along during the performance 🙂 … and you cannot then sit still and refrain from at least bopping your head all about during the last song, Rocka My Soul! Everyone was clapping along to that one, so my nuttiness wasn’t so noticeable 🙂 Clifton Brown is definitely my favorite (he’s from Arizona 🙂 ), and Matthew Rushing and Glenn Allen Sims (whom I’ve noticed before) both really impressed me as well this time in a lovely little pas de trois called “Solo” set to a staccato piece by Bach, and choreographed by the dutch choreographer Hans van Manen. Very playful but very lyrical and beautiful. I also saw for the first time Tharp’s The Golden Section, a very fast-paced piece much like The Upper Room, with some very difficult jumps and lifts — some jumps directly into a lift, and set to some great David Byrne music. The dancers got a standing ovation for that one, which they definitely deserved. And the final piece this afternoon was Witness, another of Ailey’s spiritual pieces. Renee Robinson gorgeously danced this solo, which was set in a church pew with a candlelit background. I’ll be seeing Revelations at least twice more this season, as well as Ailey’s other classics, and Pas de Duke, a piece that was originally choreographed for Baryshnikov and Judith Jamison and that is being revived, I think for the first time since then. Can’t wait!

After I left the theater, prompted by an H&M ad on the back of Time Out New York advertising a dress that looked very cute and very me and was discounted only today, I headed over to their store on Fifth Avenue. There, I found exactly what other bloggers have been talking about — the insanity of the New York Christmas crowds, which I hadn’t yet seen since returning from N.C.

Christmas crowds on Fifth Ave.

It was true madness. And many of the buildings are decorated. Here’s Cartier, wrapped with red ribbon, like a giant present:

Cartier building

Ugh. Glad I braved the crowd though, because, amazingly, the Fifth Ave. H&M actually had the dress in stock, which I bought 🙂
H&M sale dress

The one advertised was gold with a brown lacey overlay, but this one looked better with my coloring. Okay, it’s not Chanel, but hey, not bad for $24.90 right?

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Confident Little Me Versus Unconfident Big Me

before tap routine in Phx

While visiting my mom recently, I was searching through photo albums and came across this picture of myself. It was right before my dance school’s recital at Phoenix Symphony Hall. I was six years old. We performed a tap routine to “You’re a Grand Ole Flag”. Kristin Sloan had invited Winger readers to send in a piece about their first performance, which is what had prompted me to search through old photo albums. My mom even remembered part of my childhood tap and ballet performances being on home video. So we watched them. Unfortunately, I couldn’t write about this first experience because I have no actual recollection of it. But, interestingly, on the video I looked soooo much more at ease, so much happier, more confident, more like I was just having a load of fun bouncing around on that stage smiling widely. And, in this pic, I look so excited to go out there on stage in front hundreds, without a care in the world. Such an enormous difference from my experiences performing as an adult. I showed my mom a recent video of Pasha and me doing our rumba routine at the DTS showcase and I’m so appalled at how terrified and self-questioning I look. I think a good 90% of the problems I had with my rumba — bad lines, missed steps, near slips — were due to plain and simple nerves. What is it that you lose of yourself in adulthood — you’re so much more inhibited, so much more conscious, and afraid, of what others think of you. Not that questioning yourself is always bad — it can prevent you from making mistakes sometimes. But when it turns into self-doubt it can lead to a serious inability to act, and that’s a shame. Ugh. I want the little, confident me back!

Anyway, I ended up sending a piece on my first adult performance since I had no recollection of this one. I’m waiting to see what she does with them all before posting anything here (though it’s mostly things I’ve already blogged on previously). I definitely encourage all Winger readers to participate though — it’s fun!

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Evil Biscuits 'N Gravy!

biscuits and gravy

I ate way too much of this over the past week! I know it doesn’t really look it, but it is just so yummy! Definitely my very favorite southern dish. I gained six pounds, in just one week … Jacob took one look at me last night and said, “okay, let’s talk about music!” He’s going to be gone next week at a competition in Las Vegas, so I have two weeks to lose it before lifts begin again! Seriously, methinks I am finding a rather not so good connection between ballet and standard ballroom involving body image. Now that I have decided to do a Tharp Sinatra Suites-esque routine with Jacob, i.e. foxtrotish waltz, rather than Latin, I just keep envisioning myself romantically floating across the floor, lightweight and feathery. Latin is more about connecting to the floor, being, not heavy, but just solidly grounded. Plus, Latin dancer bodies are usually voluptuous and curvy and buff. Standard bodies are more light and weightless-looking, like ballet. Meaning, ugh, weight consciousness time…

Anyway, Jacob cracks me up. I’d bought several Sinatra and Harry Connick Jr. CDs in North Carolina so that I could listen to them on my 11-hour train ride home, and hopefully, find a good song for our next routine. I found four possibilities on the classic Sinatra CD, which I stupidly forgot to take out of the disc player and put back into its holder, which of course I remembered to bring with me to the studio but left the disc player at home. I was so mad at myself. But Jacob simply asked me what the names of the songs were, most of which I didn’t know, then asked me to sing some of the words, hum the tune even, which I did. And he named each and every song! Even with my horrible singing! We ended up deciding on “Luck Be a Lady Tonight,” which I like because it has a few different rhythms that we can play around with, and fun, saucy lyrics that can be acted out. So, it’s not a straight, syrupy love tune. Should be fun. We started playing around with choreographing the beginning, during which he took me down about three-quarters of the way into the splits, which I surprised myself by being able to do. Guess helium-filled stomach did not affect my flexibility too much! Anyway, I think it will be a fun routine.

Here are some more pictures of my trip down south to visit Mom.

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Very Serious Trouble…

Okay, I have given up trying to steal my cousin’s internet connection on my wireless. So pics of my lovely North Carolina trip, that I downloaded onto my computer, will have to wait until my return to NYC, very shortly now.

I have been here for a week and, since there is nothing to do in a small town but eat, I am in serious trouble. I am so fat I can literally barely walk. My stomach feels like it is full of a NY-Thanksgiving-parade-balloon-sized shot of helium. My mom took me to her doctor’s office to get a flu shot today and the nurse asked if I was pregnant. I said no. She turned around and looked me up and down and said, “are you sure?” I have my next dance lesson Wednesday night. Jacob is going to SCREAM when he sees me…

Well, it’s been a delicious trip. I have eaten biscuits ‘n gravy (milk gravy, that is; I don’t eat sausage) every single morning for breakfast at this lovely local diner called “Grill Worx” here in Burlington, N.C. My mom kept wanting to take me to IHOP or Bob Evans or somewhere that she considered good, but I prefer the local joints where you can get real insight into the town denizens. And practically every evening I have had delicious Mexican food — crazily I can’t seem to find a good, down-home-style Mexican place in NY, and, I guess because of the migrant workers who came to work first on the tobacco farms, now on the large wineries that are cropping up everywhere around here, North Carolina is now boasting some excellent authentic Mexican food. Fortunately, last night my Globus (more later about this lovely choking disorder I sometimes get…) began to kick in, forcing me to hold back a bit…

Anyway, since I can’t post pics myself, let us visit another blog and view Matthew Murphy’s David. Why? Why why why did he do it? Is he trying to be black (as in Othello)? Did he get tired of people calling him Golden Boy? Is he trying to distance himself from his past as a dance thong model? Will we ever know? Will he ever post again on the Winger?