Fall for Dance: September 19, 2008
September 22, 2008
Merce Cunningham Dance Company in Sounddance, photo courtesy of MCDC image galleries
Friday evening’s Fall for Dance program at NY City Center showcased five distinct works – thematically, musically, and choreographically – that demonstrated the festival’s success at bringing together diverse dance companies and artists. The performance opened with Merce Cunningham Dance Company in Sounddance. Ten dancers entered one at a time from behind yellow drapes, and what started out as a simple bending of the knee from the lone man on stage was suddenly part of a tornado of movement. Accompanied by David Tudor’s electronic score, which was occasionally thunderous but more often high-pitched – almost painfully so, the dancers packed the space with myriad shapes and patterns that originated as chance operations. Unfortunately, the program didn’t indicate that Mr. Cunningham utilizes chance operations to structure his works. It would have been an interesting and useful fact for the audience, and perhaps would have helped them better understand Sounddance. Even without fully grasping how Cunningham created this 1975 piece (which has undoubtedly evolved over time), its complex, multifaceted movement is compelling.
In Awassa Astrige/Ostrich, which premiered in 1932, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s G.D. Harris was a warrior imitating “the graceful but powerful movements of the ostrich, King of the birds.” I’ve only come face to face with ostriches a few times, but I don’t recall them being very graceful. They were rather klutzy and disheveled. Choreographer Asadata Dafora clearly had a different experience since the warrior in his piece was poised and elegant as he marched rhythmically around the space with arms flapping and head held high.
American Ballet Theatre contributed the pas de deux from Antony Tudor’s 1975 The Leaves Are Fading, performed by Xiomara Reyes and Gennadi Saveliev. This piece looked dated, and my eyes glazed over from the monotonous arabesque penché and dreary costumes. The dancers looked bored and their performances were uninspired. I’m sure ABT chose a Tudor piece because the company is celebrating his centennial throughout the fall, but this excerpt left much to be desired.
Louise Lecavalier in Crystal Pite’s Lone Epic, photo by Carl Lessard
Montreal-born Louise Lecavalier performed an emotionally intense solo from Crystal Pite’s 2006 Lone Epic, which examined the universality of love and loss. Appearing as the conductor of Bernard Herrman’s music from Citizen Kane, Ms. Lecavalier lunged with her back to the audience, tossed her head, and swung her arms before several music stands. As she flipped over a page on each stand, they revealed words that formed two questions: “Who is she thinking about?” and “What does she really want? Really. Really.” The audience laughed as she proceeded to rush around frantically – her long, frizzy hair further emphasizing the caricature – and tip over the music stands, leaving the questions unanswered. Although the piece might have been humorous on the surface, the slower second part of Lone Epic revealed the character’s underlying pain, desire, and uncertainty. There was no longer an accompanying orchestra; just a lone woman and her emotions. Ms. Lecavalier commanded the space with her fluid movement and strength. She beautifully portrayed both sides of her character – the melodramatic conductor leading the ensemble, and the introspective individual.
The program closed with the feel-good Tap Into Peace, by Sarah Savelli and Ayodele Casel. Stevie Wonder’s vibrant music and the cast of thirteen dancers combined to tell straightforward stories that centered on spreading a message of peace. Several individuals shined in solos, but the dancers looked best as an ensemble. In spite of the lightning-quick sequences, they remained energetic and looked thrilled to be on stage. Tap Into Peace was upbeat and easy to digest, making it a safe choice to close the program. I would have liked to see a riskier, more thought-provoking final piece, but this seems to be rare at dance samplers. Since the long-term goal of FFD is to encourage ongoing dance attendance, perhaps the festival producers didn’t want the audience to leave the theater scratching their heads and feeling even remotely confused by what they saw. Why not? The most stimulating and challenging dances are often the most memorable.
Fall for Dance: The Long-Term Impact
September 20, 2008
Leslie Kraus from Kate Weare Company
Let me preface this post by saying that a full review of Friday evening’s performance is coming soon. But first, here are some thoughts and questions (and no real answers) about marketing dance at the Fall for Dance festival.
Since 2004, audiences have packed New York City Center for its Fall for Dance festival, which offers $10 tickets and an array of different companies sharing the stage each night. The festival is an ambitious undertaking, and of course, would not be possible without some serious financial support, much of which comes from Time Warner. As encouraging as it was to see a full house on Friday evening, I continue to wonder what long-term impact Fall for Dance has on dance performance attendance in and around Manhattan. Just because the festival is an annual success – cheap tickets and an incredible variety of talented companies over a ten-day period is pretty extraordinary – doesn’t necessarily mean that FFD attendees are going to attend performances for the other eleven months of the year, especially when tickets for most performances are more expensive.
I think FFD has two goals: to raise the public’s awareness about the variety of dance by presenting numerous companies from all over the globe, and to cultivate an enduring audience for dance – one that is interested in attending more performances after being wowed (hopefully) by the festival. Since audiences are treated to a diverse program no matter which night they attend, the former goal seems to have been accomplished. But it would be interesting to know how FFD has influenced annual dance attendance throughout NYC. City Center is smart to include audience surveys (and discount coupons for upcoming performances) in its programs, asking mainly about previous attendance at City Center and the types of performances that are most appealing to an individual (movies, dance, theater, etc). However, this survey is more focused on providing information to City Center so that it can increase its membership, which is certainly a reasonable and much-desired outcome of FFD. It would be interesting and incredibly useful to determine what percentage of FFD audience members – as a result of their experience at FFD – are attending performances at other venues in Manhattan, and how often they’re going.
It’s important to note that Fall for Dance isn’t solely marketing its own performances, nor is the festival only about the dancing on stage. The FFD lounge is open before, during, and after each performance, and offers pre- and post-performance cocktails, food, music, and dance lessons for the general public. A large table displayed brochures for a variety of companies and venues throughout Manhattan, and I was pleased to see so many people huddled around and perusing the offerings. Hopefully this information encourages audience members to attend more performances while increasing their awareness of the numerous dance offerings that exist in NYC, but choosing what to see can be tricky, especially for dance newcomers.
The wonderful thing about FFD is that no matter which night an individual attends, he or she will probably see at least one piece that they enjoy and appreciate, and at least one that just doesn’t speak to them. For $10, it’s worth it. But when someone’s paying $30 or more to see about two hours of one company on stage, he/she wants to make sure it’s their cup of tea since they’re taking a bigger risk. So, how do dance companies and venues address this issue? And what else can dance samplers like Fall for Dance do to encourage audiences to see more performances, and more frequently? Box office success and general buzz throughout the ten-day festival is one thing, but transferring that success and increasing overall long-term arts attendance is an entirely other challenge, and one that requires ongoing discussion and consideration.
Crossing the Line: Why Do Politicians Need Artists?
September 16, 2008
Political Art Embarrasses Me, photo by Julia Mandle, 2007
The 2nd annual Crossing the Line: FIAF Fall Festival kicked off today and will continue through October 5th with performances by several artists working in film, theater, music, art, and dance. This Saturday, from 4 to 6 PM, there will be a free roundtable discussion called Why Do Politicians Need Artists?, which is certainly a relevant (but often ignored) question in this politically charged season. The panel includes three artists whose work has addressed social and political issues, and there will be an opportunity for the audience to ask questions. Admission is free but a reservation is required. RSVP by Thursday, September 18 to rsvp (at) fiaf (dot) org. Click here for more information and the location of the discussion.
Political Art…and a Pro-Obama ballet?
September 12, 2008
A recent post on The Culturist about political art offerings this fall, such as a ballet based on Obama’s book The Audacity of Hope, has sparked a lot of conversation. Claudia La Rocco spoke on WNYC’s Morning Edition a few days ago (which you can listen to here) about current political art in NYC, and correctly pointed out that art is “often ambiguous” while politics is about “having a strong point of view”. That being said, political art can be dangerous territory, although I think Obamaerobics has been quite successful (and yes, that’s art!).
There are, of course, tons of political videos online (many humorous and others more serious), but I’m posting Hugh Atkins’ video that Claudia included in her post because, quite frankly, it’s brilliant.
Ratmansky to Join ABT as Resident Choreographer
September 10, 2008
Alexei Ratmansky, photo by Vyacheslav Podorozhy for NYC Ballet
Alexei Ratmansky, the current artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, will join American Ballet Theatre next year as its resident choreographer, according to an NY Times article. This move is a slap in the face (the Times said a “gracefully placed thumb in the eye”) to New York City Ballet, which last February offered Ratmansky a contract that he eventually turned down. Hopefully Ratmansky will infuse ABT with some of his choreographic and artistic brilliance. The company, which focuses mainly on full-length story ballets, could certainly use a boost from someone who recently said that “Swan Lake is dead”.
