“Persona Non Grata is rappers Ill-O and Ivo Dinero, both 19, and Heedi Blacc, 18, all of Brownsville, Brooklyn. They are part of a wave of hip hop in which Web-savvy teens with an ear for catchy music can create and control their own fame. In this case, fame centers on a song that begat a dance that begat an Internet sensation.”
Category: dance
Of Dance And Sexuality
Even now, in our knowing post-postmodern age, it seems that the issue is still a troubling one.
Peter Martins Inducted Into Dance Hall Of Fame
“Mr. Martins, a former principal dancer with the company, joins nearly 40 other members of the Dance Hall of Fame, including George Balanchine, his mentor and a founder of the New York City Ballet.”
Romeo & Juliet Without Sympathy
“Shakespeare has always been up for grabs, and choreographers have every right to use him any way they choose. But if they’re going to give us an alternative version of a story, they have to justify it by the originality and conviction of what they bring to it. The big question is why the ultra-intelligent Mark Morris put so much effort into a story for which he obviously has so little sympathy?”
How the Other Tango is Danced
On either side of the Rio de la Plata, a kind of tango-rivalry brews between Argentina and Uruguay: “while Buenos Aires’s tango scene has partly gone the way of dinner shows and canned street acts, in Montevideo tango remains intimate and gloriously authentic.”
“Doughy” Dancer Calls Out The New York Times, Nicely
A globe-trotting internet star–with a fascinating blog–points out several errors in his recent profile. Is “doughy” the best descriptor here? How about “lucky”?
The Royal Ballet’s Biggest Audience Ever (Thankyou China)
“It’s a global world, and one or two companies will be brand leaders. So, the most significant audience for The Sleeping Beauty was not the one inside the NCPA, but the millions watching it on Chinese television the next night. The company awaits viewing figures, but is confident this was the biggest audience in its history.
Dancing To Get Old
Gavin Webber’s new work, Remember Me, is wildly ambitious. It aims to link young dancers to the emotional lives of a group of people growing old with grace and cheerful dignity, and to have those dancers not only represent but embody those emotions.
Sexy Dancing (OK?)
“In today’s politically correct world, what happens when the body not only talks, but seemingly shouts? In other words, when the female figure has, throughout history, been sexualized, fetishized, worshipped, and, in some cases, derided, is it cool to be sexy onstage these days–or is it sexist?”
Renovation Plans Playing Havoc With NYC Dance
“City Center’s ever-shifting plans for renovation have started to take a toll on the schedules of New York dance institutions, forcing American Ballet Theater to decamp to Mexico and Avery Fisher Hall in fall 2009 and leaving the Paul Taylor Dance Company in uncertainty.”