New Wave LA marks the 4th time I have seen the Los Angeles Ballet (LAB) perform. I was lucky enough to see their debut performance four years ago when they performed The Nutcracker. They were so new on the scene they had guest dancers perform most of the important roles. This past December, I saw LAB perform The Nutcracker once again and I’m happy to report that their formative years are almost behind them. So when I saw that choreographers from the show So You Think You Can Dance—of which I am a huge fan—were also choreographing for a live show to be performed by LAB, I was delightfully surprised, and bought tickets right away.
The first number, choreographed by SYTYCD favorite Mandy Moore, was entitled “Wink.” Okay, internet dating has now infiltrated all art forms, even dance. It was very clever and sweet and did not remind me at all of the few internet dates I myself have been on. Too bad, maybe they know something I don’t. The piece opened with the dancers in a line on the lip of the stage, and each was spotted with a voiceover of their dating profile: their astrological sign, a few facts about them, etc. (to which we all got a good laugh). We then followed the different couples as they met, got to know each other, got to like or hate each other, became intimate (which is always just so pretty when interpreted by dancers as opposed to real life…), and found true love. It really was very enjoyable to watch.
The second piece was choreographed by the only non SYTYCD choreographer, Josie Walsh. Hers was entitled “Transmutation” and she described it as “the male and female energies as they provocatively interact until total integration occurs manifesting into a heightened state of balance and harmony.” Okay I’ll just say it. This piece was phenomenal. From the moment it started, the music (Paul Rivera Jr.) completely captured me and Walsh’s brilliant choreography made me want this dance to never end. It was very tribal and caveman/woman-like, but with a splash of gothic. Six dancers—three women on pointe in skin-tight red short body-suits and three men in gray matching outfits—they alternated between dancing by gender and by couple. Fast jumps and turns paired with slow and languid movements; I was at the edge of my seat. Right before it ended, the women balanced their backs on the men’s and held their legs in splits while both sets of arms moved up and down Swan Lake-style. The lighting was such (designed by Ben Pilat) that it looked ethereal. As soon as the music stopped, I immediately wanted to see it again. It was so strong and solid, and so powerful and impressive that even the old man in front of me (who was sighing loudly for the first dance) gave it a standing ovation.
The third piece was choreographed by SYTYCD former contestant, Travis Wall. When he was on the show’s second season—which he should have won but placed runner up—he was known for his contemporary dances, which were always rich with emotion (as were the ones he choreographed for the new dancers in his return in 2008). But what he does that most of the choreographers on the hit show do not do, is invent new ways of getting from point A to point B. Sometimes they are awkward and sometimes they flow, but they are always interesting. His piece in this show was entitled “Reflect. Affect. Carry On…” Eight Dancers remained on stage the entire time, all at a party, and each had a label. “The Oblivious” “The Greedy” “The Heartbreaker” “The Invisible” and so on. It was innovative but maybe had too much going on at once for me. I definitely felt the emotion there, and what each was going through. It was very interesting to watch, but I was distracted by the constant movement and wanted a focus for myself. When the piece ended I turned to my friend and said “That was so Travis.” Then I heard that sentence repeated back to me in my head. Are there such things as SYTYCD nerds?
Finally, “The Back and Forth” by SYTYCD eccentric, Sonya Tayeh. I usually like her dances on the show because they are so different, but this particular effort more traditional. Again, like in Walsh’s, it was three couples with the women on pointe. The dancers were great and the dance teetered on tango at times, but the emotion wasn’t there. It was enjoyable to watch and if it had been the second dance, I would have liked it better. But the set-up was too similar and the execution was not as powerful. It was, I suppose, not the “Sonya” I thought I knew.
As far as the talent of the dancers was concerned, LAB has an impressive company, no doubt. But unlike most ballet companies of their stature, they have not been around for decades and are not world renowned. So the crème de la crème don’t necessarily flock to LAB in the “ballet draft.” Not yet anyway. I was trying to explain this to my non-dancer friends after The Nutcracker and again tonight. In numbers where there are three sets of couples doing the same thing, almost always one couple is just a beat behind. And usually one dancer stands out as being the best instead of all being equally good. Also, sometimes their balances are shaky and they adjust the foot they are balancing on. In the opening number I even saw an arabesque held for about five seconds and the dancer didn’t bother to point her foot. It’s just these little things that make me feel like I shouldn’t be paying the same price for a ticket as I would for ABT, SF Ballet, or The Joffrey.
In its entirety, New Wave LA was a great night for dance. It’s exciting that LA finally has their own dance company and I look forward to seeing many more LAB performances. But something about their shows is just not top notch yet.
- By Deidre Moore
New Wave LA runs next weekend as well at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica. For more information, please call 310.477.7411, or visit www.losangelesballet.org.
Generally, creative innovation in any field is thought to have a kind of narrative. When young, the pull toward radical exploration and experiment is bright, vigorous, and hardly noticed by the establishment; that is until a little bit later when these once controversial methods start to become accepted by the mainstream, tauted as revolutionary, and before you know it, the avant-garde becomes the old guard—wisdom and tradition taking precedence over innovation.
But what if this narrative is in itself a kind of trap? What if the possibility for newness, for regeneration never peters out, even in death?
For the late master, avant-garde choreographer and dancer Merce Cunningham, this was essential. From his early 1950’s collaborations with such ground-breaking artists as Robert Rauschenberg and John Cage, up until his death at age 90, Cunningham was constantly striving for the future. As late as last year, he could be found hosting a weekly webcast series called “Mondays with Merce,” where he invited the world to see the inner-workings of his 57-year-old, world-renowned company, the Merce Cunningham Dance Company (MCDC).
And after his death in July of 2009, his innovation lives on. He, himself, arranged for a post-humous outline for his company called the “Legacy Plan”—a way for his work to continue to grow for future generations. As a part of it, the MCDC has embarked on its final, two-year-long international tour, where they will premiere brand new pieces by Cunningham for the very last time.
This is where FineArtsLA comes in. We have managed to score two tickets to see the Saturday, June 5th performance of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, where they will be premiering to the world the reconstructed Roaratorio, featuring music by John Cage. And yes, we’re giving them away to you, our loyal followers. This is literally beyond a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: all you have to do is enter your first name, last name, and e-mail address into the form below, and you will be eligible to receive two free tickets to see the 7:30 PM world-premiere performance of Merce Cunningham’s Roaratorio, as performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall by the Merce Cunningham Dance Company on Saturday, June 5th. Not only that, but you will be automatically entered into the running for our next three ticket giveaways.
Cunningham liked to leave his work up to chance, but if you just want guaranteed tickets, you can buy them here.
From May 15 to May 30, the Los Angeles Ballet finishes its fourth season with the unveiling of four contemporary world premieres by acclaimed guest choreographers Mandy Moore, Travis Wall, and Sonya Tayeh of the FOX hit, So You Think You Can Dance, and LA’s Josie Walsh. Titled “New Wave LA,” the program presents cutting edge, innovative movement from some of the brightest beacons on the choreographic horizon.
LAB Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary have commissioned new works each season – but presenting four world premiere dances on a single program is all but unheard-of for a classical ballet company. That three of the four young choreographers featured in LAB’s production come from the hit TV show, So You Think You Can Dance is no accident. In 2008, dancers from Los Angeles Ballet made an impressive appearance on the series, and last July, Thordal Christensen choreographed the first-ever classical ballet piece for the show. That some of the show’s resident choreographers return the favor seemed natural.
Mandy Moore’s caffeine-infused, witty “Wink” opens the show. Moore was inspired by “the world of Internet dating – profiles, coffee dates, second dates,” she writes in her program notes,”and all the awkwardly beautiful moments along the path to finding true love.”
In an early rehearsal at the company’s vast West Side studios, two dancers catch each other’s eyes in passing and chuckle, and Moore hollers, “Keep it!” Her rehearsal is focused and disciplined, yet full of humor. “Dance is so silly to me when people don’t react to each other,” she tells her dancers. “Don’t just ignore them – especially if they’re cute!” One of the choreographers for Celine Dion’s “Taking Chances” World Tour, Moore’s eclectic style has delighted viewers regularly on So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol.
Down the hall in another studio, Los Angeles native Josie Walsh is working with another group of dancers. Walsh danced with the Joffrey Ballet, Zurich Ballet, and Oregon Ballet Theatre, before returning to LA to found MYOKYO Renegade Rock Ballets in 2000. Her ballet, “Transmutation,” was developed from a piece originally commissioned for LAB’s first choreographic workshop last summer. It evokes the visceral interplay between “the male and female archetypal energies,” she explains, “the friction of opposition creating balance. If we didn’t have opposition, we’d be looking for it, for the wisdom of the middle road.”
Walsh creates movement organically, empathically on the dancers, making changes as she works to achieve integration of body, mind, and spirit. “I don’t like to dictate,” she says. “I use what IS, in the moment. My intention is to cultivate the Presence of each individual dancer.” The music – specially created for this ballet by Walsh’s husband Paul Rivera, Jr – inexorably throbs and pounds, ultimately leading to transcendent stillness. Award-winning contemporary choreographer Travis Wall left home at 12 to appear in The Music Man on Broadway. Runner-up on season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance, Wall later returned to the show as a featured choreographer. This year he was assistant choreographer and dancer for the Academy Awards show, and created a piece featuring New York Ballet principal ballerina Tiler Peck for ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.
Wall’s “Reflect. Affect. Carry On…” for LAB is a bittersweet love story inspired by Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” U2’s “With or Without You,” and Sigur Ros’s “Samskeyti.” His unique style is a seamless hybrid, melding elements of classical ballet and contemporary dance. As he shares his very individual dance vocabulary with the dancers, I am struck with the sense that this remarkable 22-year-old may be the Bob Fosse of his generation.
Her stylized movement relying substantially on aggressive one-on-one physical contact, Sonya Tayeh directs “combat jazz” and contemporary dance as a choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance. Her dances incorporate a personal, quirky style with the essence of contemporary technique, producing startlingly original combinations.
In “The Back and Forth,” Tayeh has created a flamboyant, show stopping finale for “New Wave LA.” With huge appreciation for their virtuosity, Tayeh’s shrieks of “Yes!! Yes!!” goad her six dancers into reckless, dangerous flight to Piazzolla’s “Libertango.” She is completely collaborative with the three couples, igniting fire and passion in their dancing. “When the matador meets the bull, the back and forth begins,” she says.
- By Penny Orloff
Performances of “New Wave LA” are on Saturday, May 15 at 7:30 pm at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center; Saturday, May 22 at 7:30 pm at Glendale’s Alex Theatre; and Saturday, May 29 at 7:30 and Sunday, May 30 at 2 pm at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica. For more information, please visit www.losangelesballet.org or call 310.998.7782.
Yoko Ono’s bio on her Twitter accounts reads: “I love dancing. I think it’s better to dance than to march through life.”
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, though not directly affiliated with Ono, abides by the same theory, and since their inception in 1977 as a small, jazz-influenced repertory outfit with a penchant for entertaining the elderly at Chicago-based neighborhood centers, the now world-renowned, genre-blending company has never forgotten its roots. At a performance in New York in 2001, dancers ended the show by randomly bringing up audience members on stage. And to this day, any one of the seventeen dancers in the main ensemble can be found teaching kids in local school districts the healing art of movement.
That is when not on tour to places like the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles from April 9th – 11th; a short run to be sure, but Hubbard, in its ever-humble and inviting fashion, has been gracious enough to provide Fine Arts LA with two tickets to see the dazzling, opening-night performance. We thought about hiding this fact, but that wouldn’t be very Hubbard of us, now would it?
So, beginning at 7:30 PM on April 9th, be the lucky winner of two free tickets to see the eclectic mix of some of the world’s most talked-about, modern-dance choreographers—including Jirí Kylián, Nacho Duato, Ohad Naharin, William Forsythe and Daniel Ezralow—instill their visions into the bodies of the most audience-connected dancers you’re apt to see anywhere. Simply enter your first name, last name, and e-mail address into the form below, and not only will you be eligible to receive tickets to see Hubbard Street Dance Chicago on April 9th, but the next three shows in which we give away tickets as well. Who knows? You might be sitting next to Yoko Ono.
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 hereif 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 orclick here.
Click hereto 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, pleaseclick 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!
Yoko Ono
I headed downtown, sniffling and sneezing the whole way, determined to revel in the magic of the 
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