Yes, ridiculous: now that all the nuts are cracked, I get around to posting these. It was an especially bountiful Nutcracker season here in New York. Besides the glorious perennial, New York City Ballet's Balanchine production, Ratmansky mounted his very own version for ABT and Mark Morris's Hard Nut made a rare (too rare, I say) East Coast appearance. The Ratmansky excited me so much, I hardly … [Read more...]
Archives for December 2010
Monday December 27
The Ailey legacy, misinterpreted by the founder's own company … [Read more...]
The yearly Ailey surprise
Because Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has tended to extrapolate badly from its founder's aesthetic and ethos, I forget every year what a strong craftsman Ailey was. Even when he was tired, the work had merit. Revelations is always my first reminder of his craft--and, no, he wasn't tired for that--followed this year by Cry, Night Creatures, and the final section of Three Black Kings. In fact, … [Read more...]