Category: dance

“The vast majority of contemporary dance groups operate within their own present moment, developing individual styles and audiences; thanks to the drive and spirit of Marie Rambert, this company has deeper roots; plus some of the world’s best dancers. It’s always surprising to me how many people recognise the Rambert name. If there’s a national brand in British contemporary dance, this is surely it.”

“Who are these dancers scraping by on their earnings? A new, short cinéma vérité documentary, We Live This, shines a light on the world of one crew, whose four young members perform on the J train. They are talented, hardworking, committed, and full of dreams, the film shows. But for some, the obstacles are high, and the alternatives slim.” (video)

“It occurred to me, watching Jones move, that, like all great attempts at artistic expression, his art manages to model compassion for the spectator — to make us feel what it’s like to be dealing with an intense feeling not our own, but one that becomes ours to deal with. When we add in the way in which Jones’s mind and body are changing, the dances themselves take on a new sort of vulnerability, a new riskiness far from the formalism of the ’70s.”

“In a drama of epic proportions, Thailand and Cambodia are feuding once again after simultaneously claiming ownership of the traditional elaborate masked dance known as Khon in Thailand and Khol in Cambodia.”

“In Sky Magic, from Japanese advertising company MicroAd, 20 drones with LED lights attached to them dance in a choreographed light show against the backdrop of Mount Fuji. Shamisen players serve as their orchestra.” (video)

“Adding to Rambert’s troubles was the prejudice, still strong among the British public, that ballet was a foreign art form: Russian with a dash of Italian and French. A homegrown ballet company could only be an amateur aberration.”

“The bodies that represent an art form are female, but the minds moving those bodies around on stage — for the last century and in the coming one — are mostly male. Dancers come and go. Choreographers can enjoy a kind of eternal life, and immortality shouldn’t be granted to one gender but withheld from another.”

“Although Côté has staged short dance pieces before, Le Petit Prince‘s world premiere on Saturday marks his full-length ballet debut as a choreographer. Carrying a hefty $2-million price tag (covered by a single private donor), it’s also the first new full-length production by a Canadian choreographer that the National Ballet has staged in a decade.” (includes video clips)

“Oakland Ballet Company Artistic Director Graham Lustig, who has run the company part-time since his appointment in July 2010, will join full-time in September. The expansion of Lustig’s role signals an improvement in the financial position of the respected but beleaguered company, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015.”

“Webre will curate the S&R Foundation’s new performance series, titled Halcyon Stage, which will present music, dance and lectures on the arts, said Kate Goodall, the foundation’s chief operating officer.”