Barnett Serchuk - Page 8

I went to see a program with Ariel Rivka's Book of Esther at the Ailey Citigroup as the dance centerpiece and emerged from the performance with admiration for the world premiere of Take...Taken...Taking, by Alan Obuzor, named by Dance Magazine as one of the 25 choreographers of 2013 to watch, and watch I did.

Daniel Mantei joined American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company in 2002 and became a member of American Ballet Theatre in 2003. Through his work, Mantei aims to explore themes of humanism by infusing classically inspired movement with an intention of anatomical and kinetic awareness. In his latest work, he collaborates with the Ensemble of the Romantic Century (ERC) representing some of the Tchaikovsky's balletic works through dance both choreographed and performed by Mantei.

Stephanie Saland entered The School of American Ballet just before her 15th birthday. Three years later she was invited by George Balanchine to join the New York City Ballet for the remarkable Stravinsky Festival. In a 21year career with City Ballet, she was showcased in leading roles under Balanchine's direction, as well as principal roles in Jerome Robbins' repertoire. Before moving to Seattle in the fall of 1993, she taught movement for student actors at Playwrights' Horizons and helped develop a body-awareness class for actors with theater teacher Caymichael Patten.

The choreography of David Parsons has always been a mystery to me. He has ideas and a vision, yet they never gel. This was apparent to my colleague and me when we attended the David Parsons gala on January 14. While not exclusively dedicated to Mr. Parsons-there were tributes to Paul Taylor in whose company Parsons danced, and Robert Battle, who performed in the Parsons company--we came away feeling that if this is what we have to show for modern dance today, it needs some rejuvenation-and thought. Why are these works being done when there is little that they say?

As we approach the end of 2013, Broadwayworld Dance pays tribute to the many artists who enriched, inspired, and captivated us as dancers, teachers, musicians, painters, producers, photographers, writers, historians, and philanthropists.

It's always a pleasure watching developing dancers. You can say you knew and saw them when. That's was my reaction after watching Juilliard Dance: New Dances Plus Edition 2013 this past Sunday. On the other hand, my response to the dances themselves did not propel me into critical encomiums, and I place the blame on Lawrence Rhodes, a truly outstanding dance educator. He didn't do anything bad-he just made a mistake.

As I was leaving the theater after watching a live Bolshoi Ballet production of Sleeping Beauty, the purple fairy of civility appeared and asked to speak with me. As we could not find a restaurant fit for royalty, we adjourned to a nearby Dunkin' Donuts and sat down to chat. The following is a live transcription of our talk.

The world-renowned Joffrey Ballet School presented Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker this past weekend with 355 dancers - the largest cast in the school's 60-year history

Katya Stepanov, a Brooklyn-based actress, dancer, choreographer, and musician, was born in Minsk, Belarus, raised in New Jersey and recently graduated from Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama. She is a founding member of IN THE BASEMENT THEATER Co, an Andrew Carnegie Scholar, a performer and a developing poet. Her work has been published in The Oakland Review and several other literary magazines. Her curiosity pulls her towards as much travel as possible, as she derives her inspiration for choreography in experiencing and observing the traditional dances of different cultures, gesture, and studying the emotional/psychophysical qualities of communication and movement.

Kitty Lunn is something of a phenomenon in the dance world. A former principal dancer with the Washington Ballet, she was a relatively new arrival in New York. She had just gotten into her first Broadway show when she slipped on a piece of ice at the top of a staircase and suffered a violent fall down the stairs, breaking her back and rendering her paraplegic. After years of surgeries, physical therapy, and physical and emotional adjustments, Kitty decided to continue her dance career. She remains a beautiful, poised, and glamorous performer and, in addition to performing, she teaches a method which she devised over the years for disabled people. She is also an advocate for persons with disabilities--she sued no less than Lincoln Center and Radio City Music Hall to make improvements for disabled folks in their facilities. Kitty's Infinity Dance Theatre will appear at Theater for the New City, December 6-8, featuring repertory performances with choreography by Lunn, Peter Pucci, Alice Sheppard and Carla Vannucchi.

First the good news. Alexei Ratmansky's Piano Concerto #1, set to the Shostakovich piece of the same name, is as bracing as ever. Now, the bad news. Ratmansky's The Tempest, set to a Sibelius score, is in a state of choreographic disorder. It sets out to tell a Shakespearean play in 45 minutes, and even with the input of dramaturg Mark Lamos, the ballet can't dance, let alone move.

You know that song from A Chorus Line, Everything was Beautiful at the Ballet. Well, at Christopher Wheeldon's new version of Cinderella, the costumes and scenery are exquisite, as is much of the dancing. As for the ballet itself, it is a muddle, which I attribute more to the music of Sergei Prokofiev than anything else.

Spartacus is like camp. Not summer camp, but Susan Sontag camp, who wrote in that brainy, immortal essay , 'Camp helps account for the fact that opera and ballet are experienced as such rich treasures of Camp, for neither of these forms can easily do justice to the complexity of human nature. ' This could easily describe Spartacus, which, for all its breathtaking dancing, is reminiscent of a silent movie that could have starred Ramon Novarro, Theda Barra, Lillian Gish and Douglas Fairbanks Senior. To my knowledge, the only Spartacus on film is the 1959 version starring Kirk Douglas who, if he had been known by his birth name, Issur Danielovitch Demsky, would have been thrown to the lions along with the other slaves accompanying Spartacus.

Kyle Froman has made the extraordinary transformation from dancer for America's premier dance company to one of the country's best -known dance and theater photographers.

I wanted to read Kafka's Metamorphosis before attending the Royal Ballet's production bearing the same name. But my own Kafkesque world intervened, so I never had the chance to follow Gregor and his transformation from human being to bug. I can only judge the production on its own merits, and not compare it to the book which, I think, is only fair.

That Roberto Bolle is the body beautiful, not to mention gorgeous, extraordinaire, beyond belief, is not to be questioned. If he took just one step to the right, you might call it exploitation or something closely resembling that. Mr. Bolle, wisely, did not take that slippery path. He remained an amiable, charming and silent host to the evening that bore his name, Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala. So, if he did take every opportunity to present his buff technique, there was nothing to do but sit back and enjoy it, or carp frequently at what was going on.

Stephen Pier has achieved a uniquely rich and varied career as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. His credits as a performer include many years with the Jose Limon Dance Company where the New York press hailed him as '...one of the most gifted dancers on the modern dance scene today.' He went on to become a leading soloist with the Hamburg Ballet in Germany, performing the title roles in John Neumeier's Othello and Saint Matthew's Passion, and creating numerous other major roles during his nine years with the company. As a member of the Royal Danish Ballet for six years, Mr. Pier had the privilege of dancing leading roles in works of Bournonville, Balanchine, MacMillan, Bejart, and collaborating with many of Europe's finest contemporary choreographers.

Sonya Tayeh, an undeniable force in the dance world, recently received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Choreography for her work on Fox's 6-time Emmy-winning show, 'So You Think You Can Dance.' Sonya creates strong, jarring, aggressive and powerful choreography with an underlying sense of angst, which she attributes to her Detroit roots. Her uniqueness and loud presence has made her a favorite among the judges and fans of the hit show, now in it's 10th season.