Oberon's Grove

FIVE POINTS/TAKE Dance: Gallery

Some of Kokyat's images from the dress rehearsal of FIVE POINTS, a collaborative presentation of TAKE Dance and the composers of PULSE. Read about the programme here. Above: Nana Tsuda Misko.

The ensemble in Jill Echo's VIEW FROM THE INSIDE.

Milan Misko, Clinton Edward Martin

Milan Misko

Kristi Tornga in Kile Hotchkiss's THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS UNSEEN

Marie Zvosec

Sarah Mettin

Clinton Edward Martin

Nana Tsuda Misko, Clinton Edward Martin, Marie Zvosec in Milan Misko's THIS, THAT OR THE OTHER.

Marie, Clinton & Nana

John Eirich

Marie Zvosec, John Eirich

Gina Ianni, Lynda Senisi

Kile Hotchkiss in Kristen Arnold's AFTER IMAGE

Jillian Hervey, Lynda Senisi in Take Ueyama's SUMMER COLLECTION 2012.

John Eirich

John Erich, Sarah Mettin

Kristen Arnold in Takehiro Ueyama's SUMMER COLLECTION 2012

Ensemble from Jill Echo's VIEW FROM THE INSIDE.

All photos by Kokyat.

TAKE Dance: FIVE POINTS

Photo: Marie Zvosec and John Eirich of TAKE Dance. Photo: Kokyat.

Saturday December 17, 2011 - On a cold Winter's night we trekked over to one of Gotham's greatest dance shrines, the soon-to-close Cunningham Studio, where TAKE Dance and the composers and musicians of PULSE were re-uniting for FIVE POINTS. This evening of new choreography and new, live music was the second collaboration of TAKE and PULSE; last year they put on a super show at Judson Memorial Church. 

Watching the dress rehearsal earlier in the week (where Kokyat took these photos) the music felt like a five-movement contemporary symphony fusing jazz, R & B, house and veins of pure classicism. The instrumentation included accordian and trombone (played, amazingly, by the same musician, Jacob Garchik!), winds (stunningly handsome Chris Reza), Hannah Levinson on viola, cellist Mariel Roberts... and a 'Viper' which violinist Ana Milosavljevic told me is a six-string electric violin which has the sonic flavor of an electrc guitar and which Ana plays like a rockstar. Adding the layer of dance to the excellent ensemble playing of the musicians, this fusion of sound and motion was evocatively lit by Jason Jeunnette.

Kristen Arnold's lyrical andante, AFTER IMAGE, is set to music by Joshua Shneider. Making what amounts to her choreographic debut, Kristen used the space beautifully. The work has a dreamlike quality as the dancers move with fleet-footed assurance, dancing in shifting pairs and trios and then uniting in well-mapped ensembles. Above: Gina Ianni and Lynda Senisi.

Kristen knows her fellow dancers well and showed off their unique qualities to best advantage. Above: John Eirich and Kile Hotchkiss. Joshua Shneider's score was moody and persuasive, perfectly played by the sextet of musicians seated stage left. 

The symphony's scherzo comes early with THIS, THAT OR THE OTHER, a witty trio choreographed by Milan Misko to music by Jamie Begian. In this wryly comic interlude, dancers Clinton Edward Martin, Marie Zvosec and Nana Tsuda Misko appear as overgrown children wearing school uniforms. Clinton is presented with three articles of clothing: a hat, a purse and a pair of underpants.

But he is not sure how they are to be worn.

After much mirthful coaxing from the girls, he finally gets it right. Clinton's timing and quizzical expressions made this vignette really appealing and Jamie Begian's score with its whimsical clarinet melody underscored the playful and ironic qualities of Milan's choreography. 

The evening's central movement is a moderato misterioso commentary on the contemporary world of fashion with Takehiro Ueyama's SUMMER COLLECTION 2012 to a score by Melissa Dunphy. At first the models strut and stride the runway with cool self-assurance (Kristi Tornga, above)...

...but then cracks begin to show in their haughty veneer (Kristen Arnold, above)...

...and undercurrents of antagonism start to surface (Jillian Hervey and Clinton Edward Martin, above)...

...and inter-personal tensions simmer (Marie Zvosec and John Eirich, above). Melissa Dunphy's score is tinged with club music motifs and edgy instrumental timbres. Among the standout dancers, John Eirch's exciting solo and some effortlessly fantastic flips by Sarah Mettin grabbed our attention...

...as did a big circle of grand jetes from Brynt Beitman (above).

After the fashion show has come periloulsy close to collapsing on itself, the models summon their strength for a final saunter along the runway (Jillian, above). But as they strike a final pose while the lights go down, it's clear that Clinton Edward Martin is ready for rehab.

A darkish and turbulent andantino, Jill Echo's VIEW FROM THE INSIDE (music by JC Sanford) is an ensemble work in which shifting dynamics among the seven dancers underscore their changing perceptions of one another. An outcast (Nana Tsuda Misko, above)...

...finds a pillar of strength in Milan Misko (above).

In a sustained duet passage, Gina Ianni and Clinton Edward Martin explore their unsettled relationship (above)...

...prior to the return of the full ensemble. In JC Sanford's score, fanfare-like motifs on the trombone resonate darkly and add an unusual depth to the musical texture. Jill's work shows layers of emotional context that seemed somehow different in the performance than they had at the dress rehearsal. It's a dense work, something to be explored again.     

Above: Sarah Mettin in the symphony's final movement: Kile Hotchkiss's THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS UNSEEN, set to a very attractive score by Joseph C Phillips, Jr. In this allegro agitato Kile utilizes an all-female cast. Spurred by the restless energy of the music, the women fill the space with motion...

...pausing only rarely in more pensive attutudes (Lynda Senisi and Marie Zvosec, above) before sailing off again, each on her own trajectory. Kile's choreography caught the energy of the music's pulsing colours, and his six girls danced up a storm.

Dancers, choreographers, composers, musicians, crew and a few friends posed for this photo before the evening show. Click on the image to enlarge.

A gallery of more of Kokyat's images from this presentation may be found here.

Elizabeth Streb: Kiss the Air!

Friday December 16, 2011 - Elizabeth Streb's Kiss the Air! is at the Park Street Armory. Kokyat and I went tonight, not really knowing what to expect. The vast, high-ceilinged drill hall of the Armory was rigged out with scaffolding, with a revolving ladder (above) at one end and a three-story open-frame structure at the other. In the center, a shallow pool of water.

The Company of dancing athletes appeared in ultra-sleek fitted red body suits. There's so padding to protect them from the abuse to which they will soon be subjecting themselves. The crowd is stoked as the show begins. The cast make they entry on wires suspended over the audience, slamming their bodies into huge up-right pads. Then the circus acts begin.

The self-styled dancers fly on suspended trapeze-like rings flipping and switching in mid-air. Launching themselves from mini-trampolines, they sometimes crash (intentionally) into one another. Those who are not on the rings do crazy acrobatic tumbling and back flips. Cocky and provocative, they play to the crowd.

Propelled by automated springboards, the dancers fling themselves into the air and then body-smack onto mats. They mount the giant see-saw ladder and clamber up and down it as it spins around, leaping off spectacularly to be replaced by their colleagues on the whirling apparatus.

Moving to the 3-story structure, the dancers hurl themselves from all three levels onto the mats below. In free-fall, they land splayed out, hop up, rush back up the ladders and again fling themselves into space. Excellent practice for those planning suicide.

Finally, dropping on bungee cords from on high, the dancers romp and splash in the pool. Protective rain ponchos have been distributed to audience members in close proximity to the water and they were definitely needed. We were seated just out range.

As each feat was performed, wandering cameramen filmed the dancers in zoomy style and the images were projected on giant screens around the hall.

The athletes (equal split of men and women) were splendid, sexy, beautifully-built and 110% fearless. As they came to their seats on the perimiter to towel off and rosin up before the next act, they joked and flirted with us. None of them seemed the least bit fazed by the daredevil stunts they were doing and aside from a few moments of breath-catching between numbers there was no indication that they were doing anything out of the ordinary.

This high-risk entertainment was fun while it lasted (70 minutes) and although the leaping off the 3-story platforms went on much too long, the cumulative effect of the performance simply made me wish I was young and in shape. 

Gregory Dolbashian @ The Playground

Friday December 16, 2011 - Today was the last of the current sessions of The Playground at MMAC, a series of dance classes taught by a wide-ranging group of choreographers and offered to dancers at an incredible rate of $5.00. One of The Playground's founders, Gregory Dolbashian (above) taught the class today.

Gregory started his class by simply having the dancers walk around the studio. To this, gestures and improvised 'add-ons' like turns, jumps and developes were added at the individual dancer's discretion. It soon took on the aspect of a tribal ritual. Dancers moved into one another's spheres, mingled, touched and moved on.

Progressing to building a phrase, Greg drew on his experiences at his 'other job': bartending. Bartending is a dance in itself: you are always reaching, turning, stopping to listen, moving up and down your space, doing two things at once. It was genuinely fascinating to see Gregory turn this into a dance passage. The dancers (a full studio) picked up on it quickly; the rest was fine-tuning.

Gregory has a demonstrator extraordinaire today in the person of Christopher Ralph. Chris dances with Greg's DASH Ensemble and also with Nicholas Andre Dance. I've seen him dance many times, but never in this up-close situation. His moves are dynamic but smooth as silk. If I was 40 years younger, I'd want to go out dancing with Christopher every single weekend. The guy is a natural.

The room was energized; Gregory broke the group into quartets and had them work the phrase and then do it in staggered starts. This is how dances get built.

So sorry to see the end of this installment of The Playground. Above: Chris Ralph and Playground co-founder Loni Landon. Loni and Gregory are plotting a Springtime revival of The Playground; it's a great opportunity for dancers from all genres to meet, expand their movement vocabulary and their stylistic range. If only I could participate instead of watching...

Patrick Corbin @ The Playground

Thursday December 15, 2011 - I can't begin to tell you how many times I saw Patrick Corbin dancing with the Paul Taylor Dance Company both at The Pillow and at City Center; Patrick was a major force in so much of the Taylor rep, leaving his imprint on everything he danced with the Company. He has since gone on the create his own Company, CorbinDances. Patrick still dances - most recently I saw him in Martha Clarke's ANGEL REAPERS at The Joyce. 

Today Patrick gave a class at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center as part of The Playground series. The 90-minute session was part dance class, part philosophy seminar, part poetry reading with a soupcon of cursing thrown in. The room loved Patrick and Patrick loved the room right back. Above, Patrick and dancer Shannon MacDowell before class.

Starting off with a floor warm-up, Patrick told the dancers to keep their eyes open: "Expand your gaze...all we ever look at these days are computer screens!" As the dancers became aware of their bodies and their surroundings, he asked them to imagine a "vivid universe filled with warm golden light." I was falling under his spell.

To a kozmic beat, Patrick gave the class an exercise known as the "27-Point Cube" where the dancer stands in an imaginary cube and reaches, bends and sways to contact various points along each face of the shape. These movement patterns were then incorporated into standing and floor exercises which became dance-like of their own volition. Patrick's great hearty laugh revealed his sheer joy in getting people to move. "I want to hire all of you!" he yelled as the movement developed into something that seemed stage-worthy.

"If people could see your guys dancing, there would be no more war," he told the dancers as they continued working on the long phrase. Momentary lapses were shrugged off: "Frustration is when we learn."

"Freak!" Patrick hollered at dancer Betheny Merola (above) as she moved across the floor. Had she made a mistake? No, it was just Patrick's way of paying her a compliment: "She was moving like she was in a room with nobody watching."

The dancers devoured everything Patrick threw at them, and eventually they were working on another passage inspired by the recent release of dozens of exotic animals from a zoo in Ohio. Here the dancers not only took on animal-like qualities of movement, but read aloud the list of the various creatures, most of which were hunted down and killed ("...18 Bengal tigers.")

Anyone know this guy? Beautiful mover...he and Shannon were right in the line of my camera.

Playground co-founder Gregory Dolbashian (above), who performs with CorbinDances, took the class; Greg has the Corbin style down pat.

There's one more Playground class in the current sessions: Gregory will be teaching on Friday December 16th at 10:30 AM. Manhattan Movement and Arts Center is at 248 West 60th Street. The class costs $5.00. Pay at the door and get your groove on.

Adam Barruch @ The Playground

Tuesday December 13, 2011 - Ah, to be young and a dancer living in New York City. Yes, it's not an easy life and the vast majority of dancers have to work at other jobs because you just can't make much of a living out of dancing. All the more reason to admire their dedication and wish I was one of them.

Today at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center, The Playground offered a class taught by Adam Barruch. I first saw Adam's work at an Emerging Artists Showcase presentation at Dance Theater Workshop in January 2011. It's taken me this long to catch up with him again. I loved his chroeography in that Showcase performance and I thoroughly enjoyed watching his class this morning. And a star-studded class it was, with Playground co-founders Loni Landon and Gregory Dolbashian, Lar Lubovitch artists Leigh Lijoi and Nathan Madden; Brandon Cournay of Keigwin & Co and MOROPHOSES, Brynt Beitman of TAKE Dance, Yuki Ishiguro and Juan Camilo Aguirre Acosta as well as lots of other familiar faces that I could not quite put names to. Everyone looked great doing Adam's opening floor warm-up, set to music with a seductive sway.

The room was packed (Playground classes are limited to 30 participants and Adam had a full house) so it soon became necessary to do things in smaller groups. The dance phrase that Adam was setting today had a lyrical smoothness of motion: shaping and folding the body with the movement flowing naturally into and thru the arms and hands.

I love that Adam used the word 'ecstatic' as he worked with the dancers to get the desired feeling; and this Barruch quote should be carved in stone at every dance studio: "Convey a fascination with what you are doing."  As the class progressed and the dancers made the phrase more and more their own, that quality became increasingly evident.

Alas that I was not having a good day with my camera; most of my images are just swirls of movement. But I did catch Loni Landon momentarily standing still (above).

As for the choreographer, I had to 'borrow' an image of Adam Barruch (above); you can catch his Company at Dance Gotham on January 7, 2012 at Skirball Center for the Arts.

skybetter and associates @ the 92nd Street Y

Sunday December 11, 2011 - Dance has been 'at home' at the 92nd Street Y for seventy-five years, and their Sundays at Three series is currently in its twentieth season. This afternoon skybetter and associates took the floor of the venerable Buttenwieser Hall for a performance of three works from repertory as well as two previews from works-in-progress. In Kokyat's rehearsal image above, the dancers are Jennifer Jones, Jordan Isadore, Kristen Arnold and Kile Hotchkiss.

Choreographer Sydney Skybetter spoke of the autobiographical elements of the works we were seeing, each reflecting the state of his personal or professional life at the time of creation. Thus the newest pieces that were previewed deal with fatherhood: LITTLE BOY, a large ensemble work, and FOR WANT OF SLEEP seem from their titles to relate directly to the arrival of the Skybetters' son; but they are not literal works, rather they are lyrical reveries.

LITTLE BOY is performed by fifteen NYU students dancing under the collective title of Second Avenue Dance Company. Here we immediately encounter the aspects of Skybetter's work that set him among the topmost echelon of choreographers on the New York contemporary dance scene, starting with the prime directive of using music that elevates the mind and the spirit. For LITTLE BOY, Skybetter has turned to music of the contemporary Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson. This composer's music has been decribed as 'insanely gorgeous'; it resonates with folkish undercurrents but takes on an incandescent quality with shimmering textures, colorful harmonies and wide-ranging rhythmic patterns.

The young dancers of the Second Avenue Dance Company responded beautifully to the choreography which is so finely structured; there were several notable individual performances - dancers I would like to see again in this and other works. 

Above, dancers Jordan Isadore and Kristen Arnold in POTEMKIN PIECE, one of Skybetter's earliest choreographic creations. It is a work I have seen many times both in rehearsal and performance and it never fails to give me goosebumps with its achingly melodic Dvorak score and its quiet rapture of movement and expressive detail. Skybetter is so fortunate in his dancers; in addition to Jordan and Kristen...

...he has Kile Hotchkiss and Jennifer Jones (above). These four dancers 'read' the music and the choreography to us with a blend of elegance and intensity. In the graceful arcs of port de bras, a key element of the Skybetter style, the dancers let the music flow to their fingertips. 

NEAR ABROAD is a Skybetter duet created to the haunting music of Arvo Part in 2008; it was originally performed by a man and a woman (I vividly remember the first time I saw it, danced passionately by Bryan Campbell and Kristen Arnold) but it is now danced by two men, Kile Hotchkiss and Jordan Isadore (above). In this duet, the themes of finding, holding and losing resonate profoundly with me at this point in my life. 

In a question-and-answer session after the performance, audience members commented on the fraternal aspects of NEAR ABROAD and one man spoke of how the duet seemed free of sexual implications. In fact, it simply boils with passion, tenderness, longing and regret - all the elements of an intense romantic and sexual relationship. But elevated by the spirituality of the Part score, the work feels curiously 'clean'. In that paradox, the viewer will find his own frame of reference.

In the power and beauty of their performance, Kile and Jordan were nothing short of perfect.

I was very glad to have an opportunity to see the quartet TEMPORARY MATTERS again, since the first time I saw it performed it seemed somewhat eclipsed by Skybetter's HALCYON, a masterwork that ranks at the very top of my list of danceworks of the 21st century. Today, watching TEMPORARY MATTERS from two different perspectives (at the tech and then in performance) I was struck by its clarity and musicality (again, Johann Johannsson provides the music).

Above: Jordan Isadore and Kristen Arnold. At its premiere, the dancers in TEMPORARY MATTERS all wore long skirts; today they were clad in simple fitted black. This gave the piece a more severe, formal element.

Two vocal songs from Æ-music provided the basis for the closing duet for two women entitled FOR WANT OF SLEEP. I'm feeling that this will eventually be part of a larger work but even as a free-standing piece it communicates a sisterly radiance of expression from the two women, Jennifer Jones and Kristen Arnold (above).

The music, folk-like and attractively harmonized, gave the girls a movement impetus and while the style is undeniably Skybetter the tone of the piece is a bit different from his other works that I've seen. I'll be curious to see where WANT OF SLEEP takes us, and the opportunity will come in the Spring when skybetter and associates with be at Joyce SoHo from April 5th thru 22nd, 2012.

The programme could serve as a template for dance presentations in its pacing and focus, not to mention the perfection of the music. The dancing was uniformly inspired and inspiring, and in addition to Kristen, Jennifer and Kile - all of whose work I am very familiar with - I was really impressed with the potency and personality of Jordan Isadore (who recently danced with Shen Wei's company at The Armory). 

Some people have asked me how I maintain my enthusiasm for dance since I see so much of it. When it comes to Skybetter, it's never a problem.

All photographs by Kokyat. Click on individual images to enlarge.

Lydia Johnson: Dancing to Golijov

Friday December 9, 2011 - Normally when Kokyat and I visit dance companies in the studio it is planned well in advance; but today we were able to respond to what amounted to a last-minute invitation from Lydia Johnson to have a look at the nearly-completed work she is creating to music of Osvaldo Golijov. We saw an early rehearsal of this piece in October where - though still early in the developmental process - it already seemed destined to hit my list of top ten danceworks of the 21st century.

While the work evokes visions of Matisse, of Nijinsky's FAUN, of Isadora Duncan's sweepingly feminine dances and of Martha Graham's rituals, it has its own atmosphere which is rooted in the wide-ranging textures of Golijov's music. Straight-forward dance rhythms steeped in folksong have meshed with the spirituality of the composer's sacred literature to create a piece that is rooted in the Earth and reaching for the heavens. Danced by five women, themes of sisterhood and female solidarity are explored in lyrical patterns while each of the girls has opportunities to express herself both individually and as a collective thru the choreographer's gracefully fluid style of movement.

The dancers are Laura DiOrio, Lisa Iannacito McBride, Jessica Sand, Sarah Pon and Kaitlin Accetta. They danced the piece straight thru, then broke it down into segments for polishing, and then danced it again. Their quiet dedication matches their talent; Lydia's works always look so good because they are always so beautifully danced. 

As the hour sped by, I thought: "I can't get any closer to dance without actually dancing." Lydia and her dancers were so generous and the studio was filled with an atmosphere of creativity inspired by the Golijov music. At the appointed time of the rehearsal's end, the girls bundled up to go rehearse for various NUTCRACKERs elsewhere in the City.

The light in the studio was especially lovely this afternoon and Kokyat silently padded around the space, capturing various aspects of the work. Here is a gallery of his images; click each panel to enhance.

Laura DiOrio

Lisa Iannacito McBride

Jessica Sand

Sarah Pon

Lisa

Laura in the foreground

One of the things Lydia was doing today was attempting to create a 'suite' from the work - which lasts about 15 minutes - to show at the upcoming APAP event which allows each choreographer only an 8 minute time frame. As it stands, the full Golijov seems like an organic whole from which it would be difficult to edit anything out; yet the longer the dancers worked on it certain motifs, both musical and danced, almost seemed to choose themselves as representative of what the entire work has to tell us.

All rehearsal photos by Kokyat.

NYCB NUTCRACKER 2011 #3

Thursday December 8, 2011 - Tall ballerinas rule! This evening at New York City Ballet, some of the Company's most glamorous gams were on display as Maria Kowroski (above) and Teresa Reichlen appeared as Sugar Plum Fairy and Dewdrop respectively. When I saw this casting announced I knew I wanted to be there.

Maria's radiant dancing of the solo that opens Act II set the tone for the festivities ahead; later the ballerina looked regal and serene as Tyler Angle escorted her onstage for the pas de deux. Their performance showed equal measures of dazzle and finesse, with Tyler's presence and partnering marking him as heir to the Philip Neal/Charles Askegard tradition. Maria's queenly extension looked wondrous as she sculpted the various prima ballerina poses that Mr B has given her. 

But to start at the beginning, Adrian Danchig-Waring's elegant, Old World styling of Dr. Stahlbaum was well-matched by by his lovely spouse, Marika Anderson. They both had their hands full with their crafty little son, played by Gregor McKenzie Gillen. I've been enjoying Gregor's interpretation this season; he looks like a placid little angel but all the while he's plotting his next bit of mischief. Claire Abraham was the pretty Clara and Jeremy Wong a dapper little Prince. Stephanie Zungre was an adorable Grandmother with the affable Taylor Stanley as Grandfather. Likolani Brown and Jenelle Manzi danced the Harlequinade duet gracefully and Vincent Paradiso subtly puts an extra beat on his entrechats as the Soldier.

Sometime between Tuesday and Thursday, Adam Hendrickson must have visited Dmitri Hvorostovsky's hairdresser: his hair went much greyer. Perhaps Adam's trying out diffferent looks for the upcoming telecast. Either way, his performance of Drosselmeyer is first-rate: detailed, magical, and responsive to all his fellow actors. 

The violin interlude, which Kurt Nikkanen must have played hundreds of times over the years, held the audience's attention tonight; conductor Paul Hoskins then brought a nice sense of grandness to the music of the Snow scene, working up to a brisk galop near the end.

Savannah Lowery and Ask LaCour led the Spanish dance in expansive, space-filling style. Then Gwyneth Muller (speaking of long-legged ballerinas) made the most of Arabian's hypnotic music. Harrison Ball was a very lanky Tea, dancing superbly, and Sean Suozzi's innate theatrical sense made his Candy Cane more than just an exercise in jumping thru a hoop. Alina Dronova's Marzipan looked fine; a small faux pas at the end of her solo was saved in an instinctive flash. As the corps de ballet girls emerged for the Waltz of the Flowers, my opera glasses were poised to follow their two delectable leaders: Rebecca Krohn and Amanda Hankes. I think the Waltz should be danced twice at every performance, once so I can follow Flower 'Left' and again to watch Flower 'Right'.

Teresa Reichlen (above) was the Dewdrop, sweeping along thru the waltz motifs and embellishing her large-scale dancing with delicate nuances of gesture and expression. It's nice to see a tall woman in this role, and Tess - with her truly grand grand jetes and floated attitude turns - is a delight. 

Portraits of Maria and Tess by Henry Leutwyler.

THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 8, 6 PM (Conductor: Hoskins+)

SUGARPLUM: Kowroski; CAVALIER: T. Angle; DEWDROP: Reichlen; HERR DROSSELMEIER: Hendrickson; MARZIPAN: Dronova; HOT CHOCOLATE: Lowery, la Cour; COFFEE: Muller; TEA: Ball++; CANDY CANE: Suozzi; MOTHER GINGER: Dieck; FLOWERS: Hankes, Krohn; DOLLS: Brown, Manzi; SOLDIER: Paradiso; MOUSE KING: J. Peck; DR & FRAU STAHLBAUM: Anderson, Danchig-Waring

For such a fine performance it was truly dismaying to see all the empty seats in the House today. The central section of the 4th Ring was very sparsely peopled for Act I; after the intermission some folks moved over from the side sections. Of course the 5th Ring, a favorite haunt for NUTZ devotees in the past, stood forlorn and abandoned. Empty seats on every level reminded me of the first seasons after 9/11 when people stopped going to opera and ballet. Many NYCB regulars are skipping NUTCRACKER altogether this season; myself, I'm hoping to go to another performance or two of the Balanchine classic, but it's just so expensive.

Catching Up With Nejla Yatkin

Wednesday December 7, 2011 - Over the past couple of years I've been meeting fascinating people from the realm of dance; one woman who I find particularly intriguing is Nejla Yatkin. I first saw Nejla dancing at a Dancers Responding to AIDS gala and was spellbound by her power and grace as a dancer. This led me to contact her and find out more about her work. One of her most recent projects was WALLSTORIES which I got to see in the studio and which Kokyat later photographed in performance.

Now Nejla is preparing OASIS (Everything you ever wanted to know about the Middle East) and I stopped by at the DANY studios today to watch her working on the opening segment of the piece: a duet that she is dancing with Korhan Basaran (photo above), followed by a dynamic and expressive solo for Korhan. They rehearsed for a few minutes, with dancer Fadi Khoury also learning Korhan's part. Then Nejla and Korhan donned blindfolds and ran thru the duet and solo.

OASIS will explore the beauty, mystery, violence and poetry of Middle Eastern cultures; I'm looking forward to watching Nejla and her dancers - who I so admired for their work in WALLSTORIES - as the new work develops. You can help support the creation of OASIS here. Even at this early stage I can see (and hear) that it's going to be a work that will resonate on many levels.