No one in their right mind thinks the ballet stage needs any more dancing sweets, yet there was something irresistible about the announcement that American Ballet Theatre Artist-in-Residence Alexei Ratmansky planned to resurrect Richard Strauss’ 1924 two-act ballet “Schlagobers” (Whipped Cream) with sets and costumes by the inimitable Mark Ryden. … [Read more...]
Premium Snow: Are the Luxe New West Coast Nutcrackers Worth the Bucks ?
Two highly anticipated, top-draw Nutcracker productions that premiered on the West Coast last season -- Peter Boal’s new setting of “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” at Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, and Alexei Ratmansky’s 2010 “The Nutcracker” for American Ballet Theatre, now relocated to Costa Mesa -- had somewhat soft landings their … [Read more...]
Top 10 Must-See Dance Concerts in L.A. this Year
If you count carefully, you'll actually find 16 concerts listed here. I expanded the roundup I wrote for the OC Register -- which highlights the great companies that Orange County's deep-pocketed Segerstrom Center and Irvine Barclay can bring in -- to add a few more affordable offerings in Los Angeles and beyond. It's a good year for dance: read … [Read more...]
The Balance of Tension in Ratmansky’s new ABT “Firebird”
Igor Stravinsky’s sensational “Firebird” ballet demands a vivid design, and Simon Pastukh’s scorched, metallic forest (ignited by Wendell Harrington’s projections) along with Galina Solovyeva’s haute-goth costumes delivered a strong pop vision to Alexei Ratmansky’s new ballet for American Ballet Theatre. But on opening weekend at the Segerstrom … [Read more...]
Ratmansky’s “Firebird” for ABT Debuts Tonight in Costa Mesa
I can't wait to see what Alexei Ratmansky does with Stravinsky's "Firebird," premiering tonight during ABT's national tour. I keep thinking of the way Dumbledore's blood-red phoenix bursts into flames -- how fantastic is the mixture of avian hauteur with exploding flame. I'm also thinking of an amazing recreation of "Firebird"'s intensity at the … [Read more...]
Benjamin Millepied talks Dance on Film
[this piece originally ran in the L.A. Times] Dancer Benjamin Millepied, 33, comes off as a bit of a highbrow pawn in "Black Swan," Darren Aronofsky's award-winning ballet-horror film. One imagines his character's pale hands, lifting Natalie Portman, as dull and mean and clammy. Off-screen, however, Millepied has the world in a wide, warm embrace. … [Read more...]