Ballet

Glorya Kaufman’s contribution to dance in Los Angeles, and specifically at the Music Center, has already begun to impress.  They recently presented the Joffrey Ballet’s Cinderella and up next, on February 16 – 17, we Angelenos have a chance to see the critically acclaimed Kings of the Dance at the Ahmanson Theatre.

If you haven’t heard of Kings of the Dance, you’ve more than likely heard of its components (hint: some of the world’s most phenomenal male dancers) like Guillaume Cote, Marcelo Gomes, David Hallberg, and Denis Matvienko.  Spoiled as we are in Southern California, and now by Glorya Kaufman and her welcomed and generous contribution, the performances will also include special guest appearances by Desmond Richardson, Jose Manuel Carreno, Nikolay Tsiskaridze, and Joaquin DeLuz.  These dancers have graced the stage with some of the world’s most prestigious companies like the American Ballet Theatre, Kirov Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, and New York City Ballet.

Admittedly, when you think of ballet, the first images that come to mind are of pointe shoes, beautiful ballerinas in tutus in a perfect arabesque, or dancers with their hair pulled into tight buns and wearing enviable tiaras.  Finally recognizing the beauty and strength of male dancers, Kings of the Dance celebrates these virtuosos in some of dance’s most incredible choreography by such inspiring artists as Roland Petit, Sir Frederick Ashton, Christopher Wheeldon, and Leonid Jacobson.

Because we’re so generous (and because we want to have someone to gush over the performance with), we’ve got tickets to give away!  Enter below to win a pair of tickets to the performance on February 17 at 7:30pm and then let us know what you thought after – we’ve got a good feeling your email will be filled with exclamation points and many synonyms for amazing.

Here are some Extra! Extra! details you’ll want to keep in mind here: by entering into this giveaway, you’re also entered into our next three giveaways! All we need is your first name, last name, and email address, and voila – you’re a connoisseur of dance.  Or, at the very least, you’re on your way to watching some of ballet’s most muscular (er, talented) examples at the height of their careers.

(Click here if you feel like you need to witness what’s on stage and can’t risk the whole giveaway thing.)

I headed downtown, sniffling and sneezing the whole way, determined to revel in the magic of the Joffrey Ballet’s production of Cinderella at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.  With a pounding sinus headache and hot soup calling my name, I knew that if there was one reason to leave the house on Thursday evening, this performance was it.  A ballet dancer through most of my life, I had never seen Cinderella performed and more importantly, this was the Joffrey!

To say that the Joffrey’s performance is a delight would be a gross understatement.  The inexplicable energy that comes from an impenetrable technique and preparation was abound on opening night; you focused not on the choreography itself, instead you were invited to focus on the story the choreography was telling.

As Cinderella, Victoria Jaiani was convincingly transformed from poor maiden to princess – her first scene having been dressed by her fairy godmother was performed with a shopoholic level of excitement.  The new, white, sparkling tutu redefined her as a veritable, although expiring, princess in every sense of the word.  It seemed her posture even improved.  In a refreshingly aggressive move during the famous “glass slipper” scene when the prince approaches Cinderella’s stepsisters first, Victoria practically throws her partnering shoe at the Prince to prove herself – quite unlike the demure, embarrassed display of politesse in the book.

One of the more joyous characters of the ballet, and simultaneously one of the most scarily talented on the stage, was undoubtedly the Jester, played by an enormously flexible Derrick Agnoletti.  Prior to the roar of applause given to him by the audience, he moved us through each scene at the Prince’s ball with huge leaps and great comic timing.  Likewise, the two gentlemen (yes, men) playing Cinderella’s stepsisters are so entertaining and flailing, it convinces you that while their roles are significant, these dancers aren’t being used to their full potential as stepsisters.

To put it plainly, the style of ballet performed in Cinderella is a kind of anomaly, at least when it comes to ballet performed in Los Angeles of, say, the last 5 to 10 years.  It does not fall into either of the most widely performed styles of ballet: Russian and Balanchine.  (Yes, balletomanes, I am generalizing.)  Choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton, who was born in Ecuador and whose Cinderella premiered with Sadler’s Wells Ballet at the Royal Opera House in London in 1948, the style and movement has much more fluidity than Russian choreography, but isn’t nearly as esoteric as a George Balanchine choreographed work.  It’s accessible, comedic, and yet no less impressive.

On for two more performances (well, three if you hurry), Cinderella is a gorgeous display of how well technique, set and costume design, and wit come together on stage for such a grabbing, beautiful, and entertaining performance.  Even the little girls sitting with their parents were on the edge of their seats at the end to see the prince and his princess walk off into the gold and glittering future.  As was I, actually, which was impressive considering my sickly condition pre-performance.  My evening had ended happily, after all.

Cinderella is on for three remaining performances: Today (Saturday) at 2pm and 7:30pm and tomorrow (Sunday) at 2pm at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.  For more information, please call (213) 972-0711 or click here.

Click here to watch a Joffrey Ballet produced video introducing their Cinderella.

If you still haven’t felt the holiday spirit this year, you’re a little late on the uptake.  The weather isn’t helping much – listening to “White Christmas” as you peel off your unnecessary scarf, for example, doesn’t encourage drinking hot chocolate and singing carols.  Well, where the weather disappoints (in a way), our fair city’s art scene comes to the rescue.

The quintessential ballet experience known far and wide as The Nutcracker is upon us again and Los Angeles Ballet’s production will be on view at Royce Hall and Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center in the coming weeks.  Click here to check out our behind the scenes look at what goes into such a magical production as theirs with Sugar Plum Fairies, Snow Flakes, Fighting Mice, and Princes to delight your child’s (and your inner child’s) every whim.

Musically, there’s nowhere that does the holiday season like the LA Philharmonic.  On Sunday, December 20, you can warm up those vocal chords for a Messiah Sing-Along with the Los Angeles Master Chorale.  Then on Tuesday, December 22 at 8:00pm, they’re presenting Holidays with Sweet Honey in the Rock – aka not your mama’s holiday songs, followed by Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s A Creole Christmas on Wednesday, December 23 at 8:00pm.  Those are also, not your mama’s holiday songs. Unless your mama is Creole.  If you’re at a loss for what to do on New Year’s Eve, spend it with the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at Disney Hall.

Not everything that puts you in the holiday spirit has to scream Santa Claus, little elves, and red ribbons.  There are some films that put a smile on your face regardless of the time of year and two of them are on view at the Egyptian Theatre on Saturday, December 26 – maybe to take your mind off the family dysfunction from the night before.  Singin’ In The Rain and An American in Paris make up the double feature starting at 7:30pm.

Did we mention that Christmas can also be funny?  The Largo at the Coronet has an All Star comedy show on Monday, December 21 at 9pm benefiting St. Jude’s Christmas Charity.  It can also be whimsical if you get yourself to Royal/T in Culver City.  Now through December 31, their Winter Wonderland pop up shop

It is a shame that, in Los Angeles, a ballet company has yet to survive for a full decade.  Don’t the powers that be realize that little Angeleno children need to experience the spectacle that is The Nutcracker year after year?  With Los Angeles Ballet comes the glimmer of hope that indeed children lucky enough to be born in the city of angels will get to see the magical world of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker year after year.  Now kicking off their fourth season with their annual production of The Nutcracker, Los Angeles Ballet is becoming a staple of our city – finally.

While the company has seen a great many changes in the past four years – the good including their new rehearsal and office space as well as the introduction of new dancers, the bad including the loss of some truly gifted company members – all seems to be going well in their favor.  And they’re set to change a few more children’s lives this winter with Colleen Neary and Thordal Christensen’s beautifully choreographed Nutcracker.  Find me one little girl or boy who sat through The Nutcracker with grandma at the tender age of 7 and didn’t beg for ballet lessons for Christmas.
We recently snuck our camera into their studios (and their opening night performance) to get a sneak peak at what’s on offer this year.  Catherine Kanner’s set design and Mikael Melbye’s costumes enhance the magic inherent in this classic ballet that ignites a holiday spirit in a way that nothing else can.  Their schedule includes four performances at Royce Hall on Dec 19 and 20 followed by three at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on Dec 26 and 27.  Plenty of opportunities to remember what the holidays are all about – sugar plum fairies, harlequin dolls, fighting mice, and little toy soldiers.

Los Angeles Ballet’s The Nutcracker performs at Royce Hall on Dec 19 and 20 and at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on Dec 26 and 27.  For more information, please click here.

Click here to have a listen to Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite…

As a young ballet student, it’s not easy to forget the first time you see an unparalleled performance – on tape, on stage, or in the studio.  I won’t forget the first time I saw the pointed toes, spectacular leaps, and turns of one Mikhail Baryshnikov, easily classified as unparalleled in every sense of the word.  Sitting in the ballet studio all huddled around the TV in tights and ballet shoes, we watched a video of Baryshnikov in a pas de deux, lifting Gelsey Kirkland with grace, ease, and his boyish charm.  It was one of those moments where, even as young boys and girls, we realized what we were working toward. Even those who aren’t ballet fanatics will remember fondly when they saw Baryshnikov light up their screens as the elusive artist Mr. Aleksandr Petrovksy in Sex and the City.

Kicking off the Broad Stage’s second season is a performance that, like Baryshnikov himself, inspires the word  ‘unparalleled.’  Dancing with Ana Laguna, the performance will see the start of their limited engagement tour of “Three Solos and a Duet” across the US.  They’re performing new works by contemporary choreographers like Mats Ek, Alexei Ratmansky (formerly of the Bolshoi Ballet), and New York City Ballet’s Benjamin Millepied.  

If there was any way to otherwise convey my excitement about a performance as groundbreaking and enticing as this one, I’d take it.  Once you move past Baryshnikov’s casual good looks, confidence, impeccable technique, and spectacular artistry, you’ll be faced with the performance itself, which marks four premieres as danced by a living legend. Ana Laguna, truly not to be overlooked, will hold her own next to Mr. Baryshnikov with ease – she’s long been Mats Ek’s muse (and wife),  danced with the Cullberg Ballet, and staged a number of Ek’s works at the Opera de Paris and the Compania Nacional de Danza in Spain.  Her career has also been studded with awards from around the world.  I’ll reason with you – they’re not exactly lithe twenty-year-olds up on stage.  But remember how good Something’s Gotta Give was?  Enough said – certain things really are better with age (and the wisdom that comes with it.)  They say that youth is wasted on the young for a reason…

Mikhail Baryshnikov and Ana Laguna are performing their “Three Solos and a Duet” at the Broad Stage on Friday, September 4 at 8pm and on Saturday, September 5 at 7:30pm.  For more information, please call (310) 434-3200 or click here.  

Knowing how something is going to end can be a blessing and a curse.  On one hand, you’re watching a horror film and the person next to you says “she doesn’t know he’s hiding in the closet!”  Well, thank you.  Neither did I.  On the other hand, let’s say you’re reading a book about Marie Antoinette.  We all know how that ended, so it becomes more about the state of the country, the monarchy, the language, and French culture at that time rather than wondering if her head gets chopped off.  And so it is with Romeo and Juliet, being performed now at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion by the American Ballet Theatre.

Everyone knows the tragic romance of Romeo and Juliet and every generation has had their favorite incarnation – first Franco Zeffirelli’s classic film, then Baz Luhrmann’s stylized take.  Throughout the years, however, ballet companies around the world have been staging the piece and captivating hopeless romantic audiences.  Gracing the stage at the Music Center until tomorrow afternoon, American Ballet Theatre’s production is a traditional one and stays very true to the story ingrained in all of us. 

Like in any performance, there is that one spectacular scene that you wait for – in operas, there’s that particular aria and in Romeo and Juliet, you perk up a bit during the balcony scene.  ABT’s balcony scene does not disappoint.  On the contrary, it is danced in a way that makes you wish falling in love always looked like that.  It’s only too bad that all of us can’t get our arabesques that high.  Saturday’s matinee featured Cory Stearns as a confident, smiling Romeo opposite a girlish, lithe Juliet played by Hee Seo.  Stearns’ confidence convincingly shifts in the second act to become a charming lovelorn and when they marry, you almost wonder if you should applaud and throw rice.  The company’s dancing is beautiful and while not necessarily seamless, it’s memorable.   The scene in which Tybalt slays Mercutio sees the demise of one of the performance’s most dynamic dancers, played by Jared Matthews (on Saturday afternoon) who had engaged the audience with quick, easy jumps and a witty interaction with the other dancers on stage. 

When the orchestra begins to play the familiar chords of Sergei Prokofiev’s score, you begin to watch nostalgically almost on cue.  It’s the joy of knowing what’s going to happen – you start to watch for the dancing and the details.  For me, however, I always hope that some renegade has changed the ending and they live happily ever after.  But that only happens in the movies – sorry to ruin the ending!

ABT’s Romeo and Juliet is on now at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center.  Their performances end Sunday, July 19.  For more information, please call (213) 972-7211 or click here.  

Perhaps Los Angeles Ballet is trying to tell us something.  They’re ending their third season with four performances of La Sylphide – their first story ballet outside of The Nutcracker.  One of the oldest romantic ballets, La Sylphide may just be Los Angeles Ballet’s way of saying “we’re not going anywhere!”  LA has thus far been a notoriously difficult city for any ballet company to sustain itself – most attempts in the last few decades have crumbled.  This time, though, things are different: this company’s got staying power.   

La Sylphide was choreographed in 1836 by August Bournonville for the Royal Danish Ballet and set to music by Herman Severin Lovenskiold.  The ballet tells the story of a sylph, or fairy, who kisses an engaged James while he sleeps.  James awakens and the drama begins – his fiancée arrives with her bridesmaids to begin preparing for their nuptials, but once he’s left alone again, the sylph returns to confess her love.  As the wedding begins, the sylph reappears, steals the wedding ring James plans to place on his fiancée, Effie’s, finger and rushes off into the forest with it.  When James goes after her, Effie is heartbroken. 

In the second act, as the wedding party searches the forest for James, who’s entertained by the sylph and her sisters, Effie receives another proposal – from James’ friend Gurn.  She accepts his proposal and thus the search for James is over.  Then in a time-tested twist, a witch finds James and gives him a “magic scarf” with which he can capture his beloved sylph.  I’ll leave the end for LAB to show you, but just a general reminder: witches only provide poison apples and magic scarves for their own evil pleasure – going their way never ends well.  Heading to Los Angeles Ballet’s performance, however, will definitely end well. 

Los Angeles Ballet’s La Sylphide has three remaining performances: May 23, 24 at UCLAs Freud Playhouse and May 30 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale.  Please visit their website or call (310) 998-7782.  

Many little girls have closets filled with pink tutus, tiny canvas ballet slippers, and the hope of graduating to pointe shoes some day.  While the dream changes and often times doesn’t get realized, the passion for ballet is instilled in their bones forever.  The mere mention of the Kirov Ballet can be enough to set off any young girl headed on an emotional walk down memory lane.  First Run Feature’s newest release Ballerina will be, for ex-dancers, aspiring dancers, or for those who just like seeing girls in tights, a spectacular peek into the lives of five ballerinas from the Mariinsky Theatre, formerly known as the Kirov Ballet. 

The Mariinksy Theatre is recognized across the globe as the pinnacle of traditional Russian ballet and has provided the world with such unparalleled talent as Vaslav Nijinsky, Mikhail Baryshnikov (pre-Sex and the City), and Anna Pavlova.  The five dancers profiled for this film show the rigor, dedication, athleticism, and grace that go into the creation of ballets like Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet.  Directed by Bertrand Normand, a young French director, the film will play at Laemmle’s Music Hall from April 17 –23.  The film follows Svetlana Zakharova, a young Ukrainian soloist with the Kirov, Diana Vishneva, a prima ballerina with the Kirov who has also danced with Berlin Ballet and ABT in New York, former prima ballerina Ulyana Lopatkina as she prepares to return to the stage after a two year hiatus, Evgenia Obratsova, an ambitious corps de ballet dancer, and lastly Alina Somova, one of the youngest students at the Kirov. 

What makes this film dangerous for any former dancer, though, is that this not just an interview and some footage of their performances.  This film shows their rehearsals, classes, and a look at the little girls hoping to follow in their footsteps.  You may want to bring your tissues. 

Ballerina will be screened from April 17 – 23, 2009 at the Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills.  Please call (310) 274-6869 for more information.  

Los Angeles Ballet added two George Balanchine dances to its growing repertory of the legendary choreographer’s work, for the LAB Spring ‘Directors Choice’ program at Santa Monica’s Broad Stage last Saturday. 

“The Prodigal Son,” set to music of Sergei Prokofiev, was one of the first ballets to launch Balanchine’s international reputation. Commissioned by Serge Diaghilev for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in the 1920s, the work is still very avant garde, with sharp, angular arms and legs, flexed feet, hunched postures, and unexpected lifts. Danced by permanent guest artist, Cuban-born Eddy Tovar on loan from Orlando Ballet, the central character is a portrait of recklessness, self-destructiveness, regret, and ultimate redemption. Tovar’s impeccable technique and dramatic intensity announced him as an important dancer at the dawn of what may prove to be a major career. Opposite Tovar is Melissa Barak dancing the role of the Siren.  Her arresting performance in this role is in no small measure thanks to the services of LAB Co-Artistic Director Colleen Neary’s sister, Patricia Neary.  Patricia Neary staged LAB’s performance and throughout her career, has danced the Siren countless times under Mr. Balanchine himself.

From Balanchine’s inspired late period, toward the end of his life, comes the “Violin Concerto” to music of Igor Stravinsky. Staged by Balanchine Trust repetiteurs Colleen Neary and Karin von Aroldingen, who danced in the first production of this work, this abstract ballet shows off the precise ensemble work of LAB’s corps de ballet. Soloists Melissa Barak, Corina Gill, Andrew Brader, and Peter Snow all offer exemplary execution of the intricate and demanding choreography.

LAB’s dedication to commissioning new ballets yields a second world premiere by local-born choreographer, Jennifer Backhaus. Her exuberant “An American Camelot” references the late 1950s and early ‘60s with its 6 movements danced to songs of Eartha Kitt, Ella Fizgerald, Dean Martin, and Count Basie. Fusing elements of classical ballet with swing and jazz, there is an unapologetic lightness and happiness about her piece. “I was going for a JFK-ish optimism, romance, and hope,” Backhaus tells Fine Arts LA. “I think it’s something everybody needs right now.” About mounting a second new work with LAB, she says, “This company is very supportive. The dancers are so open to new movement and improvisation, to the collaborative process. And their skill level means they can do absolutely anything.”

- By Penny Orloff

Los Angeles Ballet’s “Director’s Choice” closes with one remaining performance at the Alex Theatre in Glendale Saturday, March 21.  

by Penny Orloff

The press releases screamed, “Los Angeles Ballet Soars into 3rd Season with World-Class Production of ‘The Nutcracker.’” Soars. World-Class. I forgave the publicist’s hyperbole.

Having seen two LAB dance programs during the fledgling company’s 2nd season, I expected a credible, competent, well-rehearsed performance by promising young dancers, enhanced by the presence of a few Guest Artists.

Jaded and disappointed by decades of failed attempts at establishing a real ballet company in Los Angeles, nothing had prepared me for the Christmas miracle on the stage of Royce Hall Sunday night.

It’s difficult to select outstanding elements from so uniformly excellent a production. First and foremost, however, is this company’s corps de ballet. Guest artists and flashy soloists are available to any company with the shekels to hire them. What makes or breaks a ballet company is the presence or lack of the group precision and perfection on display in LAB’s Dance of the Snowflakes. Just as I was getting all teary-eyed with joy, the five-year-old on her mom’s lap behind me whispered, “Mommy, I love this!”

Even more extraordinary is the fact that ballet mistress Colleen Neary was rehearsing two new dancers into this very piece fifteen minutes before curtain. Executive Director Julie Whittaker tells me that, after the matinee, one of the corps was taken seriously ill and rushed to the hospital, while a second dancer nursed a badly swollen ankle.

Among a plethora of highlights: Prodigy ballerina Lilit Hogtanian, as Clara, whose every gesture is a poem. At sixteen, she exhibits an arresting Star Quality. One can’t begin to guess what she will be in ten years.

Melissa Barak performs the role of Marie (Sugarplum Fairy in other productions) with cool elegance and precision, marvelous balance and clarity of line. Her partner, Peter Snow, dazzles with gorgeous jetees, pirouettes, and lifts, after an off-center landing of a difficult aerial turn early in Act 2.

Guest artist Sergey Kheylik astonishes with impossible leaps and turns. Kheylik and company dancers Li Chen and Tian Tan elicit startled gasps and prolonged cheering in the Act 2 Russian Dance.

The exquisite Corinna Gill, ably partnered by new LAB soloist Drew Grant, offers a molten, sinuous Arabian Dance.  Her breathtaking extensions and lyrical ports des bras sear every phrase into memory. Soaring and world-class, indeed.

Kudos to Jonathan Sharp as Drosselmeyer, Craig Hall and Annia Hildalgo as Harlequin and Columbine Dolls, Andrew Brader as the Mouse King, and to the well-rehearsed children’s corps.

The Colleen Neary-Thordal Christensen choreography brings a theatrical freshness to the oft-told story of a little girl who dreams that her Christmas toys come alive. Their Christmas Party scene opening the ballet, for example, is the most engrossing and fun among dozens of ‘Nutcrackers’ I’ve seen during my long life.

A show curtain painted in colorful Mexican style with two angels (City of the Angels – get it?) greets the audience, rising to reveal lovely storybook sets by LA designer Catherine Kanner. Opulent costumes by Danish designer Mikael Melbye reinforce the fantasy.

My companion of the evening – a classical ballet-hater, whose sole enticement for agreeing to be dragged to this performance was the prospect of ogling exceptionally fit young women cavorting in revealing costumes – turned to me at intermission to say, “I’m beyond impressed – I’m entertained.”

LA area residents have three more chances to enjoy this magical production, at Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on Dec. 27 at 2 and 7:30, and Dec. 28 at 2.