My most treasured book on dance is Leon Harris’ 1970 black-and-white photo essay, The Russian Ballet School. Though the school environs reek with Soviet-era drabness (stained floors, stitched clothing, barren concrete buildings in snowfields), there is also an elegant, Tsarist quality to the faces of the young dancers — haughty girls; handsome, … [Read more...]
Bruno Beltrão’s Grupo de Rua
At On the Boards, Fri - Sun Jan 28 - 31, 2010 @ 8pm. This ghostly, washed-out photo of Grupo de Rua, the contemporary Brazilian troupe run by Bruno Beltrão that's performing at On the Boards this weekend, is actually a good indicator of the luminous cinematic quality of H3, a 50-minute dance work for nine men. (Check Seattle Dances soon for a full … [Read more...]
“La Danse” is Palatial
Even before I sat down to watch Frederick Wiseman's "La Danse," I asked NWFF executive director Lyall Bush if I might have the movie poster when the run was done. A few days later, Lyall said "Yes" (for a small contribution, natch). I love the poster, but it's misleading. Wiseman framed shots of isolated body parts less than a handful of times … [Read more...]