Category: dance

No more sweet village maiden, caddish duke, or white-clad dancing spirits. “Khan’s Giselle has a new score, new décor and costumes, a contemporary setting — migrant laborers in ghostly abandoned factories — and above all a new kind of dancing, which draws on kathak and ballet, on contemporary dance and everyday gesture, on animals and machines.” – The New Yorker

That would be John Heginbotham, a Mark Morris alumnus who now has his own company. The show is director Daniel Fish’s revisionist Oklahoma! Gia Kourlas talks with the choreographer about what he did with the dream ballet, which is now (after a few other versions) a 13-minute solo. – The New York Times

“Modern dance companies dedicated to a single choreographer generally have audiences ready to invest in the artist — even when not successful — as much as the art,” but it’s not so simple for classical ballet companies. “What happens when a choreographer of stature misfires? Should the work remain in the repertory? And what about a work that fails on some levels but not others?” Hanna Rubin talks to the leaders of a couple prominent ballet companies about the issue. – Dance Magazine

Karole Armitage: “Merce did not talk to anyone, ever. He gave no corrections, no communication.” Michael Cole: “He never admonished anybody. … We rehearsed completely in silence.” Valda Setterfield: “He always said: ‘I don’t tell people what to do. If they don’t ask me questions, they’re not ready to hear the answer.'” – The Guardian

At the Youth America Grand Prix, says founder/artistic director Larissa Saveliev, “You don’t have to win to get the prize. The real prizes are the scholarships. And for those, you just have to be noticed by one director. We are the biggest matchmaker operation in the ballet world.” – The New York Times

Yes, it’s true: none of the dancers in the Night of 100 Solos for the Cunningham centennial were ever members of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Gia Kourlas reports on how the performers were chosen and how they’ve gone about learning Merce’s dance vocabulary. – The New York Times

“One night. Three cities. Seventy-five dancers. And three unique sets of 100 solos, all choreographed by Merce Cunningham.” And if you can’t be in London, New York, or Los Angeles to watch in person, here’s how to stream them live. – Dance Magazine

OK, that’s pretty cool – here’s an explainer on what she picked, and why. – The New York Times