Archives for September 2007

Readers have liked this topic, which Eva got us rolling on a few weeks ago. Here, some really smart responses. Blogger Maria, of Time to Dance, on our second go-round, in which we debate whether a "So You Think You Can Dance" (SYTYCD) contestant might serve as ambassador for the dance world or whether the show's aims are too at odds with concert dance forms such as modern and ballet: Wow... I am … [Read more...]

Tonya Plank (a.k.a. Swan Lake Samba Girl), Eva Yaa Asantewaa, and Counter Critic all attended the informal talk at Barnard College Monday night between dance writer Mindy Aloff and Times newish dance critic in chief Alastair Macaulay. (I didn't make it.) Everyone was relieved to find he was not an ogre. I coulda told you that!--in person he's a very sweet man (all my friends who are his friends … [Read more...]

...and of the blog mode of unremitting self-promotion, here's a feature I wrote on one of the works the esteemed Claudia La Rocco referenced in her Times article about the MTVization of concert dance. The feature is on "Revolution," the rock 'n tap show opening at the Joyce Theater in Manhattan this Tuesday and running for two weeks. I really liked the show's creators; they seemed really smart and … [Read more...]

Contributor Paul Parish weighs in on the Pavarotti question we've taken up here and, earlier, here. But first, look at this! In today's "TV Viewers Discover Dance, and the Debate Is Joined," the esteemed Claudia La Rocco of the Times reports on exactly our debate, citing such players as Rasta Thomas (go, Tonya!) and Danny Tidwell. My favorite bit is the very end. Robert Greskovic, the dance … [Read more...]

From Paul Parish: Went down to Justin Herman Plaza this afternoon, the park across from the Ferry Building at the edge of the old port of San Francisco, and saw Chris Black's group Potrzebie do a sweet, goofy 40-minute piece about baseball called "Pastime." They danced it in a sunny little hollow with fancy apartments on one side and the bay on the other and tourists strolling the sidewalks. The … [Read more...]

[Ed. note, Wednesday: scroll down to where it says UPDATE for recent responses] Remember Eva's call out to readers for a Pavarotti of dance? Well, readers responded (thank you!)-- and we have responded back (of course!). EC G.: Y'all, please. If you think Judith Jamison is even CLOSE to being a household name (in the way, that is, that Pavarotti certainly was), then you need to share what you're … [Read more...]

I haven't been a big fan--until now. Whatever Janet Eilber, hired last year as artistic director, is doing to get the dancers to find the drama in the timing and the steps is working wonders. My sense is she's honoring their own hunches, and they naturally go for clarity and suggestion over cartoon. Anyway, here's my Newsday review. The New York run continues through next Sunday, September 23. … [Read more...]

Foot contributor Eva Yaa Asantewaa writes: Hearing of Beverly Sills's death this summer, I wondered if the field of dance had or could have a world-renowned, charismatic figure who, in a similar way, might serve as a much-needed ambassador to the masses. The announcement of Luciano Pavarotti's death yesterday reminded me of those thoughts: a beloved figure, bridging the gap between aficionados and … [Read more...]

Way back in May, we here at Foot wandered from the question of why opera is winning the popularity contest over ballet to why music is more likely than dance to survive recording. I asked readers if they'd seen any dance recordings that they felt survived the translation intact--or even improved on the live event. For a whole two months, the only people to take a stab at the question were Griffin, … [Read more...]