IT’S HARD TO RECALL the last time I heard someone say Balanchine’s name aloud. Since his death in 1983, more and more ballet companies around the world have fueled their repertories with his visionary neo-classical dances, yet it feels like his legacy could be much stronger. If he’d had kids, for example, there’d be someone around to bear (or … [Read more...]
Jeanine Durning was the Best Thing Ever in 2017
In 2017 I wasn't able to get out to the theater often (so I reviewed film and book and other events as well). I maybe saw 10 concerts, including the big bubbly premiere of American Balllet Theatre's "Whipped Cream," the new Alexei Ratmansky creation replete with 3-D ferret-giraffes and Abe-Lincolns from artist Mark Ryden. Many of my friends … [Read more...]
To Live and Dance in New York
"Girl Through Glass," Sari Wilson's debut novel about the 1970s New York ballet world, focuses on the imprint of George Balanchine on the young dancers in the city. Yet the novel's tone and shape reveals both the casual nastiness & darker underbelly of the ballet aesthetic that Antony Tudor has come to represent. Such a pleasure to review the … [Read more...]