Oberon's Grove

Lacrime del Pescatore

Lightning genius Ingo Maurer's latest creation is a chandelier inspired by watching fishermen in Venice pull their glistening nets from the water; thus the name: Lacrime del Pescatore (Tears of the Fisherman). Crystals are suspended from shimmering netting producing a dazzling effect.

Before our visit to Lydia Johnson's dance rehearsal this past Sunday, Kokyat and I wandered around SoHo a bit and he wanted to stop by Ingo Maurer's salon. To our surprise, Ingo himself was there and he graciously let my friend photograph him (above). The artist recently talked about new developments in lighting in a New York Times article.

The brief time we spent there was like a dream, full of fantastical works: a table full of stars...

...and light bulbs with wings.

Last winter Kokyat photographed Ingo's giant star over 5th Avenue.

Click on the images for an enhanced view.

"There is a vitality..."

Dancer Jessica Sand (photographed by Kokyat, above) keep this quote from Martha Graham on her Facebook page:

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours, clearly and directly, to keep the channel open."                                    

Lydia Johnson Dance: Creative Process III

Dancers Eric Vlach and Jessica Sand in a new work being created by choreographer Lydia Johnson and set to Arvo Part's Fratres. Kokyat and I spent a couple of hours watching and photographing a Sunday afternoon rehearsal down at the Battery Dance Studio, very much enjoying being privy to the creation of something new by one of our favorite choreographers.

Lydia was setting the opening phrases of the Part score on two couples (the other dancers, Lisa Iannacito and Jesse Marks are featured in the next item down the blog) and after plotting the steps and port de bras on both couples she had each pair run it three times so she could concentrate on individual nuances.

Jessica has danced with Lydia Johnson Dance since 2004 and Eric since 2006. Both dancers also appear with Eglevsky Ballet.

Lydia Johnson Dance: Creative Process II

Jesse Marks and Lisa Iannacito of Lydia Johnson Dance rehearsing a work-in-progress choreographed by Lydia Johnson to music of Arvo Part which currently being danced as a quartet with fellow dancers Eric Vlach and Jessica Sand (in the background above). Photos by Kokyat.

Click on the images below to enhance the view.

At the rehearsal we attended Lydia had each couple run the passage separately a few times and in this series of photos, Lisa and Jesse give an idea of the shaping of the phrasing and the momentary pauses which flow over the opening pages of Part's other-worldly Fratres.

Lisa has been dancing with Lydia Johnson Dance since 2006. Jesse, formerly with Colorado Ballet, is a newcomer to Lydia's group. He and Lisa, on only their second day in the studio together, are already developing a nice rapport.

Lydia Johnson Dance: Creative Process

Sunday September 27, 2009 - Kokyat and I have become unabashed admirers of choreographer Lydia Johnson and of the dancers she works with. After getting to know Lydia's work earlier this year when we had the opportunity to watch the progression from rehearsal to dress rehearsal to her performances at Ailey Citigroup Theater we both felt like we didn't want to wait another year to see her next offerings. So I asked her how she would feel about having us eavesdrop on her work in the studio and watch the creation of a new work from scratch. Lydia very kindly agreed, and she and her dancers were warmly welcoming when we arrived at the Battery Dance Studio on lower Broadway right after lunch today. Above, the four dancers: Jessica Sand, Eric Vlach, Lisa Iannicito and Jesse Marks. Jesse is a newcomer to Lydia's troupe, having danced with Colorado Ballet.

This was their second day in the studio for the current season; the four dancers were warmed up and ready to start when we arrived. 

Lydia is working to Arvo Part's Fratres and the rehearsal today was dedicated to building the opening passage of the new work.  Lydia's musical choices are instinctive and her rehearsal is a laboratory rather than a lecture: she doesn't come in with everything mapped out in advance but rather she tries and discards options to achieve the look she has in mind.

The dancers are all fine technicians and willing to try anything. Movements that seem risky or uncomfortable are discussed and the dancers make suggestions about stance, shifting of weight, positions of support and the placement of arms and hands so that Lydia's visualizations become tangible. Some ideas are promptly discarded, others evolve into something unexpected which delights Lydia and which she decides to keep in.

In this way the four dancers progressed in the building process; the couples danced in staggered counts or in unison, and then each couple ran the sequence separately a few times while Lydia diagnosed any potential problems. The dancers were not merely tireless and patient but seemed - even at this early stage of development - to be making the steps and patterns look meaningful and putting the movement in an emotional context.

Kokyat was padding around the studio in his bare feet, climbing onto the window sill at one point to get interesting angles. It was a dull day outside so he was reliant on the rather bland studio lighting.  But the dancers generated a beautiful atmosphere.

So here are the first photos from the day, and there will be two more sets coming up - one page for each couple. We are hoping to be able to get to the studio frequently over the next few months to watch and document the progress of this work and to see what else Lydia cooks up.

Kokyat and I want to especially thank the dancers for their generosity of spirit.

In The Studio With Eryc Taylor - Part II

Friday September 25, 2009 - Dancer Rachel Hamrick works on SoloTango, a new piece created on her by choreographer Eryc Taylor in preparation for an evening performance at Ailey Citigroup Theater on Tuesday October 6th. Kokyat and I watched parts of three works in rehearsal, including EMINENT DOMAIN. 

Set to music by the Gotan Project, the solo shows off Rachel's technical security and her sweeping extension. Contemporary in feeling, this work is deeply rooted in pure classical technique. Click on images to enlarge.

Mirror image: Rachel Hamrick in SoloTango.

Another work in preparation is GINGA, a duet danced by Jenna Dannenberger and Carly Mayer (above) to music by Katy Perry; thedance is based on the Brazilian capoeira - a blend of martial arts and dance. I had just heard the word 'capoeira' for the first time last week as there are ads everywhere in my neighborhood for capoeira classes.

Carly and Jenna slipped off their toe shoes (worn in EMINENT DOMAIN) and seemed equally as ease in their bare feet. Eryc had them run thru the duet...

...which has competitive and even combative elements...

...but ends peacefully.

Rachel and Eryc discuss scheduling at the end of the rehearsal. All photos: Kokyat.

In the Studio with Eryc Taylor

Friday September 25, 2009 - Kokyat and I went to the White studio at Dance Theater Workshop to watch and photograph Eryc Taylor and his dancers rehearsing in preparation for their performance at Ailey Citigroup Theater on October 6. Last Spring I saw part of Eryc's EMINENT DOMAIN at the 92nd Street Y which piqued my curiosity about the choreographer's work. This evening we had an opportunity to observe at his work close range. Above: Eryc with dancer Erin Ginn in the background. All photos by Kokyat. Click on the images to enlarge.

EMINENT DOMAIN is a work for six women on pointe. Above: Isa Fernandez, Erin Ginn and Jenna Dannenberger.

EMINENT DOMAIN Hope Kroog, Isa, Erin and Jenna.

EMINENT DOMAIN Hope, Jenna, and Carly Mayer.

EMINENT DOMAIN ensemble.The piece displays both the individual and collective strength of the six women. Solos are interspersed with group passages. The pointe work is steely and gives the dancers an imperious quality. I'm looking forward to seeing this work fully staged and lit.

More photos from Eryc's rehearsal to follow.

 

Fall for Dance 2009 - #2

Above: Martha Graham and Bertram Ross, photographed by Carl van Vechten.

Friday September 25, 2009 - After spending some time at Dance Theater Workshop with Kokyat photographing Eryc Taylor's rehearsal, we went up to see another programme at the Fall for Dance festival at City Center. Tonight's offerings were:

Martha Graham Dance Company
Diversion of Angels
 
Tangueros del Sur
Romper el Piso
 
Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company
Softly as I Leave You
 
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal
Noces
 

The evening commenced with Martha Graham's aspects of love work, DIVERSION OF ANGELS. Just as the Paul Taylor dancers looked so fresh and vital earlier in the week, so tonight did the Graham troupe seem charged with luminous, passionate energy. Andrea Mohin's wonderfully caught moment in the photo above gives an idea of what we saw: the grandeur and joy of the human body in motion. The ensemble of leaping, cart-wheeling men and wafting women bring to the stage an urgent message from Martha Graham: love is all, at any time...at any age...in any place.

Three women celebrate dimensions of love: Jennifer de Palo (in yellow) flies and swirls about the space embodying the youthful, frisky feelings of young love. She is magnificent, her gorgeous pale blonde tresses adding a sense of abandon. Then, in red, Blakeley White-McGuire revels in the passions of sensuous love - pausing in iconic balances of uncanny security and duration. Carrie Ellmore-Tallitsch in virginal white finds the calm, centered assurance of deep, enduring mature love. Their men - Samuel Pott, Maurizio Nardi and Lloyd Knight respectively - are godlike with gleaming torsos and unabashed athleticism. The supporting ensemble seems made up of stars.

I should mention that one catch of Ms. de Palo by Mr. Knight caused murmurs of delight to sweep thru the house. There were many such moments in the course of the piece. I wish I could have met Martha Graham!

What struck me most is how current DIVERSION felt; it was born the same year I was (1948) but it has the zest and vigor of youth. And the score by Norman Dello Joio (above) hasn't staled a bit since its composition because - unlike many composers from his era - he was not afraid of melody. And so, with beautifully-gowned women and bare-chested men dancing on air, this excellent evening of dance was off to a remarkable start.         

The sensational Tangueros del Sur performing a new work ROMPER EL PISO with onstage musicians held the audience in their thrall with their elegant, sensual dancing. At curtain-rise, some of the dancers are drumming during an entrada of their peasant-outfitted colleagues, seeming to indicate the folk origins of the tango. Soon they have changed into ballroom-style with stiletto heels and the men in dark outfits. A series of tangos produced one wave of applause after another as the dancers flashed thru allegro footwork with mesmerizing agility. A duet for two men verged on the sexual; later two women in long black tulle skirts had an almost funureal gleam.

The musicians were a vivid element of the production which relied on simple, dramatic lighting effects to showcase the compelling talents of the dancers. The audience ate it up.  

Drew Jacoby and Rubinald Prock (above) represented Christopher Wheeldon's company MORPHOSES in a performance of the Lightfoot/Leon duet SOFTLY AS I LEAVE YOU. These tall, enigmatic and ultra-sexy dancers have the kind of personal magnetism that commands the stage at every moment. The work begins to choral music of Arvo Part as Drew, barefooted and encased in what could be a coffin, dances a struggling solo, fighting the limitations on her physical expression. Rising light finds Rubinald slumbering on the floor. Dark and broodingly sensual, his solo to Bach displays his incredibly flexible, sinuous torso and breathtaking extension. The two dance together, to Part's familiar Spiegel im Spiegel (think AFTER THE RAIN) and as the light fades Rubinald in encased and Drew alone on the floor. The two dancers were deservedly swamped with applause and cheers as they took their bows. 

NOCES was offered by the Canadiens as part of the Ballets Russes centennial hommage which is the theme of this year's Fall for Dance series. Taking his cue from Bronislava Nijinska's original scenario, choreographer Stijn Celis expands on the nuptial theme and gives us not a single wedding but a dozen.

The Canadiens have brought a large contingent to New York, an ensemble of twenty-four who fill - but do not seem to crowd - the stage. With the wings open to the riggings, a simple backdrop like the wall of an old wooden barn would indicate the Russian village setting of Nijinska's original; but Celis has hung the hall with two crystal chandeliers. The men wear dark, baggy suits and the women white skullcaps and the torn, rumpled remnants of wedding gowns. Everyone wears white greasepaint masques, giving a touch of commedia dell'arte to the event. Evocative lighting complete the visual setting, especially nice as the chandeliers begin to glow in golden light.

Each of the two groups - men and women - dance in big unison segments, crossing the stage, merging but not melding. The action swirls and sways; benches are moved by the dancers who sometimes sit but cannot sit still for long. They seem compelled by the music to keep moving. Fitful pairings ensue but the mass frenzy prevents intimacy. Finally, exhausted, the couples pair off and slowly wander away into the shadows...to consummate, or to simply collapse.

Above, NOCES choreographer Stijn Celis. This was my second encounter with Celis's rendering of a classic Stravinsky score; his RITE OF SPRING for Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet a couple seasons back was a colorful, quirky and highly enjoyable setting of SACRE. I will look forward to seeing more of his work.

A grand night of dance then, and my thanks to Helene Davis for making it even grander.

Alicia de Larrocha Has Passed Away

I was very sorry to read of the death of the beloved pianist Alicia de Larrocha. For several seasons her appearances at the Mostly Mozart Festival were annual events for me. Her modest, old-word charm and the warmth of her playing linger in the memory. de Larroccha plays de Falla here.

Fall for Dance 2009 - #1

Wednesday September 23, 2009 - The Fall for Dance Festival at New York's City Center this year celebrates the 100th anniversary of Serge de Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. Several of the participating companies are bringing reconstructions or re-inventions of works associated with Diaghilev's success as a ballet impresario.  Above, AFTERNOON OF A FAUN as presented by Boston Ballet/photo by Andrea Mohin.

FAUN and the story of its scandalous premiere are legendary; I've always wanted to see the 'original' setting (we are accustomed to the Jerome Robbins interpretation at NYCB) and Boston ballet tonight presented a lovingly detailed recreation of the work with Leon Bakst's magical backdrop beautifully reproduced.

The young Mongolian danseur Altankhuyag Dugaraa (above) danced the Faun with a wonderful sense of awakening; he used his expressive body to delineate the character thru Nijinsky's highly stylized movement. Dugaraa's youthfulness gave the Faun an innocent and at times slightly frisky quality which plays well into the scenario. I suppose everyone who is familiar with the story of the work's premiere was waiting to see whether the masturbatory gesture at the end would be subtly implied. And it was, though probably not as blatantly as Nijinsky portrayed it in 1912. Lorna Feijoo looked exotic in the rather brief role of the Nymph.   

Paul Taylor's OFFENBACH OVERTURES may not be exactly my cup of tea stylistically - it's pretty much a balletic souffle: tasty but not really satisfying. But my god the Paul Taylor dancers danced up a storm. While the piece is frothy and sometimes downright silly, it is technically demanding and shows off the individual Company members delightfully. Photo above by Andrea Mohin.

Jacques Offenbach (above, in caricature) produced reams of melodious, rhythmically piquant music which invites choreographic witticism; and Paul Taylor has woven together a 'suite' culled from various of the composer's stage works. Each 'movement' is just a shade too long to sustain our interest in the choreographic content but the dancers more than compensated with their lively, technically impeccable characterizations. While certain segments of the work veered close to slapstick, Amy Young's solo (which she danced so persuasively) was an oasis of genuine lyricism: beautiful port de bras from this dancer who both Kokyat and I so admire. Everyone is the cast danced superbly and I doubt any of them will begrudge special mention of Michael Trusnovec who is surely one of the most thrilling performers on the current dance scene. Although I wasn't crazy about the work itself, seeing the Taylor dancers on such peak form really whetted my appetite for their City Center season (February 14 - March 14, 2010). The troupe were received with enthusiastic whoops of delight from the packed house tonight. 

B/OLERO has been choreographed by Ohad Naharin to the Japanese composer and synthesizer expert Isao Tomita’s interpretation of Ravel’s classic score and it is a refreshing take on the thrice-familiar music. The synthesizer produced an interesting layered-effect in the music which seemed far more colourful that I would have expected and while it will never replace the orchestral version it works excellently for Naharin's rendering.

In Naharin's B/OLERO, dancers Iyar Elezra and Bobbi Smith move in sync, in mirror-image or in echo effects to the choreographer's athletic combinations. Dressed in simple black tunics, the two girls fed off the mounting energy of the score and gave Naharin's demanding physicality their all. Kokyat especially liked this and felt the image created was one of a dancer dancing with her shadow.

Savion Glover's remarkable talents as a tap-dancer are unquestionable but the excrutiating volume at which his score was played at tonight made the piece, STARS AND STRIPES FORVEVER FOR NOW seem painfully endless. Several people around me were covering their ears. I've encountered this situation with amplified live music before at City Center: someone needs to turn it down. Sure enough: this morning I have a case of disco deafness. 

One aspect of the evening that was somewhat dampening was the long pauses between the two works on each half of the programme. The din of conversation in the auditorium was deafening during these breaks and really killed the atmosphere. If you need that long between numbers you really might as well just have an intermission.