Battery Dance presents Battery Dance Now, featuring the work of three female choreographers, on March 8-11, 2023 at 7pm at New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th St., NYC. Tickets are $35 (standard), $20 (student/senior/veteran), and $75 (VIP opening night reception). For more information and to purchase tickets, visit tickets.batterydance.org.
In its New York Live Arts debut, Battery Dance has assembled Battery Dance Now, a program of three contemporary dance works that explore time and transitions: Robin Cantrell’s “The Liminal Year” captures the natural resistance to isolation and the need to fight against fear; Ana Maria Lucaciu’s “It Goes By Quick” explores the urgency and frustration of seeing time slip away; Tsai Hsi Hung’s “A Certain Mood” was inspired by the contrasting shift from dark to light in the work of abstract expressionist painter Hans Hofmann.
Each work is set to an original music score. “The Liminal Year...
In its New York Live Arts debut, Battery Dance has assembled Battery Dance Now, a program of three contemporary dance works that explore time and transitions: Robin Cantrell’s “The Liminal Year” captures the natural resistance to isolation and the need to fight against fear; Ana Maria Lucaciu’s “It Goes By Quick” explores the urgency and frustration of seeing time slip away; Tsai Hsi Hung’s “A Certain Mood” was inspired by the contrasting shift from dark to light in the work of abstract expressionist painter Hans Hofmann.
Each work is set to an original music score. “The Liminal Year...
- 2/28/2023
- by Music Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
Everyone has feminine and masculine dualities living inside them, but few embrace such qualities like an old friend — much less dance, argue, or make love to them in the moonlight. While the contemporary dance scenes are undoubtedly the highlight of Boaz Yakin’s provocative new romantic drama “Aviva,” the filmmaker externalizes the concept of one’s inner other by casting his main characters with both a male and female actor. The central couple therefore becomes four people, all of whom engage physically, verbally, and romantically in different combinations.
It’s a fascinating concept, and one offering plenty to grapple with on its own. Unfortunately, If “Aviva” didn’t already have such stimulating choreography and music going for it, maybe the high-concept schtick would feel revelatory instead of indulgent and distracting. As such, there is too much going on in the two-hour film. That’s unfortunate, because some simple streamlining to...
It’s a fascinating concept, and one offering plenty to grapple with on its own. Unfortunately, If “Aviva” didn’t already have such stimulating choreography and music going for it, maybe the high-concept schtick would feel revelatory instead of indulgent and distracting. As such, there is too much going on in the two-hour film. That’s unfortunate, because some simple streamlining to...
- 6/12/2020
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Happy July, dancers! We hope that the summer season has been off to an excellent start. This month, we’ve gathered opportunities for you to change up your training schedule, as well as add some auditions and performances to your calendar for fresh inspiration. If you’re looking to support a good cause, definitely mark your calendar for Wise Fruit’s Artistic Showcase. Enjoy! PERFORMANCESJoin us for Wise Fruit 5.0: Artistic Showcase Dedicated to the Feminine Divine and raise money for Planned Parenthood on July 23 at Hudson Terrace. Featured choreographers include Lauren Cox, Candace Brown, and Wes Veldink. ($20) Batsheva – The Young Ensemble takes the stage at the Joyce July 10–22. The company will be performing Ohad Naharin’s award-winning dance “Naharin’s Virus.” If you’d like to speak with the company and hear more about the work, a curtain chat will take place July 11. (Tickets starting at $10) Come and celebrate...
- 7/2/2018
- backstage.com
The sooner Jared Kushner brokers peace in the Middle East, the sooner we’ll stop being forced to suffer through an endless stream of casually entertaining, cable television-worthy movies about the region’s cyclical violence. Films like José Padila’s “7 Days in Entebbe” — a competent but highly compromised dramatization of the 1976 hijacking of Air France Flight 139 — may not be the most dire consequence of the ongoing turf war between Israel and Palestine, but they’re enough to make you wish that Trump’s beleaguered son-in-law would get to work on the negotiation process, no matter his dubious qualifications.
Actually, when you get right down to it, sending Kushner to get the job done in real life isn’t all that different from sending the director of 2014’s “Robocop” remake to do it on screen. At this point, there’s only so much left to say about the most knotted political conflict in modern history,...
Actually, when you get right down to it, sending Kushner to get the job done in real life isn’t all that different from sending the director of 2014’s “Robocop” remake to do it on screen. At this point, there’s only so much left to say about the most knotted political conflict in modern history,...
- 2/21/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
A celebrated dance piece by Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin opens 7 Days in Entebbe and resurfaces in rehearsal or performance interludes throughout. Batsheva Dance Company members are arranged on chairs in a semicircle, gradually casting off their Haredi Jewish garments in convulsive movements that suggest a tortured liberation, one not without pain or fear. Those dance scenes have an expressive power, an emotional charge and a kinetic energy that's mostly absent elsewhere in Jose Padilha's superfluous retread of the daring 1976 raid by Israeli counterterrorist forces to rescue 102 hostages from a hijacked Air France flight out of Tel Aviv.
...
...
- 2/19/2018
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bobbi Jene Smith with Elvira Lind on Laura Dern: "Well, she's been an idol for me. I always looked up to her so I was excited to speak to her." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The 2017 Tribeca Film Festival was a momentous one for Elvira Lind, the director/cinematographer of Bobbi Jene. Days before the awards ceremony, where her film on Bobbi Jene Smith swept the documentary competition categories (Best Feature, Cinematography and Editing for Adam Nielsen), she gave birth to her and Oscar Isaac's son, Eugene.
In Bobbi Jene, Laura Dern is seen having a conversation with Bobbi Jene Smith as they talk about the rules of the trade - for women. "Don't overdo it!" "Don't be angry!" "Stay sexy!" Dern lists. And where does enjoyment go in all of this concern? Bobbi explains Gaga in response. "It's physical," she says. "You enjoy effort and you enjoy pleasure."
Elvira Lind...
The 2017 Tribeca Film Festival was a momentous one for Elvira Lind, the director/cinematographer of Bobbi Jene. Days before the awards ceremony, where her film on Bobbi Jene Smith swept the documentary competition categories (Best Feature, Cinematography and Editing for Adam Nielsen), she gave birth to her and Oscar Isaac's son, Eugene.
In Bobbi Jene, Laura Dern is seen having a conversation with Bobbi Jene Smith as they talk about the rules of the trade - for women. "Don't overdo it!" "Don't be angry!" "Stay sexy!" Dern lists. And where does enjoyment go in all of this concern? Bobbi explains Gaga in response. "It's physical," she says. "You enjoy effort and you enjoy pleasure."
Elvira Lind...
- 10/2/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Elvira Lind and Bobbi Jene Smith with Anne-Katrin Titze at the Quad Bar Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
From Iowa to Tel Aviv via Juilliard in New York City - dancer and choreographer Bobbi Jene Smith, star of Elvira Lind's deeply compelling and senses-provoking documentary, has been no stranger to travel, inward and outward. The filmmaker, with remarkable access, based clearly on enormous trust by her subject, followed Bobbi over a period of three years during a phase of great decision making.
After having been a dancer in the internationally celebrated Batsheva Dance Company - led by Ohad Naharin, her former lover - and having lived in Israel for 9 years since she was 21, Bobbi decides that the time has come for her to return to the Us. Naharin, who developed the movement language called Gaga and pushed the boundaries of contemporary dance, taught Bobbi about "pleasure and pain." He knows she...
From Iowa to Tel Aviv via Juilliard in New York City - dancer and choreographer Bobbi Jene Smith, star of Elvira Lind's deeply compelling and senses-provoking documentary, has been no stranger to travel, inward and outward. The filmmaker, with remarkable access, based clearly on enormous trust by her subject, followed Bobbi over a period of three years during a phase of great decision making.
After having been a dancer in the internationally celebrated Batsheva Dance Company - led by Ohad Naharin, her former lover - and having lived in Israel for 9 years since she was 21, Bobbi decides that the time has come for her to return to the Us. Naharin, who developed the movement language called Gaga and pushed the boundaries of contemporary dance, taught Bobbi about "pleasure and pain." He knows she...
- 9/25/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Artist biographies come a dime a dozen. Be it the historical documentary looking at the life and career of an iconic cultural figure or a “talking head” picture that sees that very figure speaking bluntly about the life they have led, the form may very but the central thesis is relatively the same. However, every so often a documentary comes along that either shatters the formal expectations set for this subgenre of documentary or is so entrancing narratively that the formal cliches can be overlooked. And then there are the films that do both.
That’s the thin window where Bobbi Jene falls.
Director Elvira Lind introduces us to American dancer Bobbi Jene Smith, as she embarks on what ostensibly amounts to a complete change of life. A beloved member of the legendary Batsheva Dance Company, Bobbi Jene Smith uproots her life, leaving Tel Aviv, Israel to move back to...
That’s the thin window where Bobbi Jene falls.
Director Elvira Lind introduces us to American dancer Bobbi Jene Smith, as she embarks on what ostensibly amounts to a complete change of life. A beloved member of the legendary Batsheva Dance Company, Bobbi Jene Smith uproots her life, leaving Tel Aviv, Israel to move back to...
- 9/22/2017
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Bobbi Jene Oscilloscope Pictures Director: Elvira Lind Written by: Elvira Lind Cast: Bobbi Jene Smith, Or Schraiber, Ohad Naharin, Denise Smith, Yaniv Nagar, David Harvey, Barbara Frum, Nirit Schraiber, Amir Schraiber, Matan Daskal, Adam Whitney Nichols, Laura Dern Opens: September 22, 2017 Director Elvira Lind, whose film “Songs for Alexis,” deals with the struggle of […]
The post Bobbi Jene Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Bobbi Jene Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 9/22/2017
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
by Seán McGovern.
Filmmaker brothers Tomer (director) and Barack (producer) Heymann have two documentaries available on Netflix. Mr. Gaga (newly arrived) and (in time for Pride) Who's Gonna Love Me Now?. Though quite different films, Israeli brothers have a distinct knack for getting to the center of their subjects.
Mr. Gaga details the life and artistry of Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin, whose voice is just as deep and intense as the work he creates. Staged reconstructions of his work, interviews and reels of footage from his youth bring him to the screen. (Sidebar: Am I the only one who thinks it's amazingly coincidental when documantary subjects have years of home movies?). Docs about dance can often be high in concept but distancing, but Tomer Heymann captures the otherworldliness of the dancer, as well as issues of cultural censorship and the impact of loss. And there's lots of cute Israeli boys dancing.
Filmmaker brothers Tomer (director) and Barack (producer) Heymann have two documentaries available on Netflix. Mr. Gaga (newly arrived) and (in time for Pride) Who's Gonna Love Me Now?. Though quite different films, Israeli brothers have a distinct knack for getting to the center of their subjects.
Mr. Gaga details the life and artistry of Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin, whose voice is just as deep and intense as the work he creates. Staged reconstructions of his work, interviews and reels of footage from his youth bring him to the screen. (Sidebar: Am I the only one who thinks it's amazingly coincidental when documantary subjects have years of home movies?). Docs about dance can often be high in concept but distancing, but Tomer Heymann captures the otherworldliness of the dancer, as well as issues of cultural censorship and the impact of loss. And there's lots of cute Israeli boys dancing.
- 6/21/2017
- by Seán McGovern
- FilmExperience
If you’ve seen “John Wick,” you know the legend: One time, the eponymous hitman (Keanu Reeves) killed three men in a bar with a pencil. “With a fucking pencil,” growls a Russian crime boss played by Peter Stormare in the opening minutes of “John Wick: Chapter 2,” moments before the unstoppable killing machine nicknamed “The Boogeyman” bursts through the door. Before Stormare can finish the anecdote, one of his lackeys interrupts him. “I know,” he says. “I’ve heard this one before.”
In the “John Wick” universe of action-movie pastiche, even the villains are fans of his work. And who could blame them? Overseen by the original “John Wick” team of director Chad Stahelski and screenwriter Derek Kolstad, the new movie contains the best ingredients of the 2014 original with a fresh set of outrageous showdowns, and even improves on its commitment to cartoonish mayhem in self-serious clothing. As relentless,...
In the “John Wick” universe of action-movie pastiche, even the villains are fans of his work. And who could blame them? Overseen by the original “John Wick” team of director Chad Stahelski and screenwriter Derek Kolstad, the new movie contains the best ingredients of the 2014 original with a fresh set of outrageous showdowns, and even improves on its commitment to cartoonish mayhem in self-serious clothing. As relentless,...
- 2/6/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
“If someone can hypnotize you with only a row, then that person is a genius,” says Israeli dancer Yossi Yungman, recalling wistfully the first time he saw an Ohad Naharin piece. By the end of “Mr. Gaga,” a new documentary about Naharin from Tomer Heymann, even the most dance-illiterate viewer would enthusiastically agree.
Naharin is best known as the inventor of “Gaga,” a movement language that emphasizes seeing and imagining over performing. Put your arms in front of you, and slowly roll your shoulders, giving no thought to how it looks. Now let your head drop from your neck any which way you want. Try to connect to your inner animal. Now you’re on your way to understanding “Gaga.”
Ohad Naharin grew up on a kibbutz in Israel. Through home video footage, we see that he was a gifted dancer from the outset. “The idea of physical pleasure from...
Naharin is best known as the inventor of “Gaga,” a movement language that emphasizes seeing and imagining over performing. Put your arms in front of you, and slowly roll your shoulders, giving no thought to how it looks. Now let your head drop from your neck any which way you want. Try to connect to your inner animal. Now you’re on your way to understanding “Gaga.”
Ohad Naharin grew up on a kibbutz in Israel. Through home video footage, we see that he was a gifted dancer from the outset. “The idea of physical pleasure from...
- 2/5/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
“The Lego Batman Movie” is this year’s only worthwhile story about a manic, self-obsessed, profoundly unloved cartoon billionaire who lives in an isolated fortress of his own design, resents the people that he’s entrusted to protect, and receives money from (executive producer) Steve Mnuchin. It is also arguably the most enjoyable Batman movie ever made, and certainly the funniest.
Neither of those are particularly high bars to clear, but Chris Mckay’s exuberant — and exhausting — new film is nevertheless a worthy spin-off of 2014’s “The Lego Movie,” grafting a warm-hearted parody of the Caped Crusader onto an animated franchise that’s as malleable as the plastic bricks for which it’s named.
The relentless pace and irreverently self-aware tone are clear from the very start, as Batman — voiced to gravelly perfection by Will Arnett — offers a running commentary on the various studio logos that precede his latest adventure (imagine “Deadpool,...
Neither of those are particularly high bars to clear, but Chris Mckay’s exuberant — and exhausting — new film is nevertheless a worthy spin-off of 2014’s “The Lego Movie,” grafting a warm-hearted parody of the Caped Crusader onto an animated franchise that’s as malleable as the plastic bricks for which it’s named.
The relentless pace and irreverently self-aware tone are clear from the very start, as Batman — voiced to gravelly perfection by Will Arnett — offers a running commentary on the various studio logos that precede his latest adventure (imagine “Deadpool,...
- 2/4/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
As revealed in the documentary chronicling his life and career, Israeli dancer/choreographer Ohad Naharin is well suited for his role as an artistic provocateur. Charismatic and intense, craggily handsome and still athletically lithe in his mid-sixties, the artistic director of Tel Aviv’s famed Batsheva Dance Company would be perfect casting for a film about a driven dance auteur. Tomar Heymann’s documentary Mr. Gaga, currently receiving its U.S. theatrical premiere at NYC’s Film Forum and Film Society of Lincoln Center, provides a fascinating if uneven portrait.
Interviewed extensively throughout the film, Naharin comments about his colorful background and the reason he...
Interviewed extensively throughout the film, Naharin comments about his colorful background and the reason he...
- 2/3/2017
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
-Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films have acquireed “Youth in Oregon,” directed by Joel David Moore and written by Andrew Eisen. The film stars Frank Langella, Billy Crudup, Christina Applegate, Mary Kay Place, Josh Lucas, Nicola Peltz and Alex Shaffer. “Youth in Oregon” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and will screen at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January. The movie will be released theatrically and on demand in the U.S. on February 3, 2017.
Per the film’s official synopsis: “When 79-year-old curmudgeon Raymond (Langella) makes arrangements to be euthanized in Oregon, his family refuses to accept his decision. But when another family emergency arises, Raymond’s daughter Kate (Applegate) turns to her husband...
-Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films have acquireed “Youth in Oregon,” directed by Joel David Moore and written by Andrew Eisen. The film stars Frank Langella, Billy Crudup, Christina Applegate, Mary Kay Place, Josh Lucas, Nicola Peltz and Alex Shaffer. “Youth in Oregon” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and will screen at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January. The movie will be released theatrically and on demand in the U.S. on February 3, 2017.
Per the film’s official synopsis: “When 79-year-old curmudgeon Raymond (Langella) makes arrangements to be euthanized in Oregon, his family refuses to accept his decision. But when another family emergency arises, Raymond’s daughter Kate (Applegate) turns to her husband...
- 12/23/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Foxtail Entertainment and David Goyer’s Phantom Four have signed Odessa Young, Hari Nef, R&B musician Abra and Suki Waterhouse to the thriller.
Assassination Nation centres on four suburban teenage girls who fall under media scrutiny after their personal information is hacked. Principal photography is set to commence in the first quarter of 2017 in Louisiana.
Sam Levinson will direct from her original screenplay. Foxtail Entertainment co-founders and partners Matthew Malek and Anita Gou produce with Phantom Four partners David Goyer (pictured) and Kevin Turen.
Hell Or High Water star Jeff Bridges will receive the 32nd Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s 2017 American Riviera Award on February 9. The festival runs from February 1-11Abramorama and Heymann Brothers Films have acquired North American theatrical rights to Tomer Heymann’s Mr. Gaga – A True Story Of Love And Dance, a documentary about the acclaimed choreographer Ohad Naharin. The partners have set a February 1 release.The 21st edition...
Assassination Nation centres on four suburban teenage girls who fall under media scrutiny after their personal information is hacked. Principal photography is set to commence in the first quarter of 2017 in Louisiana.
Sam Levinson will direct from her original screenplay. Foxtail Entertainment co-founders and partners Matthew Malek and Anita Gou produce with Phantom Four partners David Goyer (pictured) and Kevin Turen.
Hell Or High Water star Jeff Bridges will receive the 32nd Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s 2017 American Riviera Award on February 9. The festival runs from February 1-11Abramorama and Heymann Brothers Films have acquired North American theatrical rights to Tomer Heymann’s Mr. Gaga – A True Story Of Love And Dance, a documentary about the acclaimed choreographer Ohad Naharin. The partners have set a February 1 release.The 21st edition...
- 12/22/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Abramorama has acquired North American rights to Mr. Gaga: A True Story of Love and Dance, the documentary about acclaimed Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin. The pic is directed by Tomer Heymann, and a February 1 theatrical release is in the works beginning at NYC’s Elinor Bunin Theaters at Lincoln Center and Film Forum. Naharin created the daring form of dance and "movement language" known as Gaga. The docu, eight years in the making, shines a spotlight on at…...
- 12/21/2016
- Deadline
Bulgarian-Danish-French drama previously won festival awards in Locarno and Sarajevo.
Ralitza Petrova’s Godless has won this year’s Golden Puffin, the top award at the 13th Reykjavik International Film Festival (Riff)
The jury, comprised of Goteborg artistic director Jonas Holmberg, Rams director Grimur Hákonarson and bestselling Icelandic novelist Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, said, “The Golden Puffin goes to a bleak but beautiful film with poignant acting and atmospheric cinematography. The film combines the downbeat suspense of an medicalised crime story with a subtle portrayal of the agony in a post communist society where redemption is only glimpsed in the sacral world of music.”
Godless, which is a Bulgarian-Danish-French co-production, previously won the Golden Leopard in Locarno and the Special Jury Award and the Heart of Sarajevo for best actress (Irena Ivanova) at Sarajevo Film Festival. It also won five national awards at the Golden Rose National Film Festival in Bulgaria.
Petrova is a graduate of the UK’s National...
Ralitza Petrova’s Godless has won this year’s Golden Puffin, the top award at the 13th Reykjavik International Film Festival (Riff)
The jury, comprised of Goteborg artistic director Jonas Holmberg, Rams director Grimur Hákonarson and bestselling Icelandic novelist Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, said, “The Golden Puffin goes to a bleak but beautiful film with poignant acting and atmospheric cinematography. The film combines the downbeat suspense of an medicalised crime story with a subtle portrayal of the agony in a post communist society where redemption is only glimpsed in the sacral world of music.”
Godless, which is a Bulgarian-Danish-French co-production, previously won the Golden Leopard in Locarno and the Special Jury Award and the Heart of Sarajevo for best actress (Irena Ivanova) at Sarajevo Film Festival. It also won five national awards at the Golden Rose National Film Festival in Bulgaria.
Petrova is a graduate of the UK’s National...
- 10/10/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Director and producer Tomer and Barak Heymann are rolling into SXSW on a bit of wave with their documentary "Who's Gonna Love Me Now?" picking up the Panorama Audience Award last month at the Berlin Film Festival. And now in Austin, the duo are unveiling the stateside debut of "Mr. Gaga," and today we have an exclusive clip from the picture. Read More: 2016 SXSW Film Festival: 12 Films & TV Highlights To Look Out For The documentary tells the story the titular director of the Batsheva Dance Company, exploring his methods, philosophy, and more. And as you'll see in the scene below, his work has even captured the attention and admiration of Natalie Portman, who praises his methods. Here's the official synopsis: Enter the world of Ohad Naharin, renowned choreographer and artistic director of the Batsheva Dance Company. Mr. Gaga, eight years in the making, captures the elusive beauty of contemporary dance...
- 3/15/2016
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Exclusive: “The more you let go everywhere on your body at once, the softness of your flesh will protect you.” That’s a teaser from the feature-length Mr. Gaga, which premieres Friday night in the Documentary Spotlight section at SXSW. Helmed by Tomer Heymann, the docu profiles the life of renowned dancer-choreographer Ohad Naharin, artistic director of the Israel-based Batsheva Dance Company. Using a combination of footage from rehearsal (like the one in the clip), as…...
- 3/9/2016
- Deadline
Here's your daily dose of an indie film in progress; at the end of the week, you'll have the chance to vote for your favorite. In the meantime: Is this a movie you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments. "Mr. Gaga" Tweetable Logline: Award-winning filmmaker Tomer Heymann completes a documentary about Ohad Naharin: a choreographer who revolutionized contemporary dance. Elevator Pitch: Tomer Heymann aims to create an unprecedented documentary about this landmark artist. The film’s scale and scope are proportional to the gravity of Ohad Naharin in the contemporary dance world. “Mr. Gaga” will encompass over 40 years of Naharin’s artistic career: from his childhood in the kibbutz, through his time as a singer in a military troupe during the Yom Kippur War, his first steps as a young Batsheva dancer, being a prodigy of the Martha Graham Company in New York, to his appointment...
- 12/10/2013
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
New York -- Over at Rockefeller Center they were lighting the Christmas tree, and a few blocks away at New York City Center, another much-cherished holiday tradition was taking place: the launch of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's annual season.
An essential part of that tradition, of course, is to perform the late choreographer's masterpiece, "Revelations." The challenge at each year's opening bash is to add a little something extra. On Wednesday evening, it came in the form of a celebrity presenter – the actress and comedienne Mo'Nique – and three high-profile guest singers.
First up was the opera singer Jessye Norman, whose rich soprano tones added an intensity to the already gripping "Fix Me, Jesus" section, danced with beautiful control by Linda Celeste Sims and Glenn Allen Sims.
Then came the Broadway leading-man voice of Brian Stokes Mitchell, delivering a soulful take on another traditional spiritual, "I Wanna Be Ready," danced by Antonio Douthit.
An essential part of that tradition, of course, is to perform the late choreographer's masterpiece, "Revelations." The challenge at each year's opening bash is to add a little something extra. On Wednesday evening, it came in the form of a celebrity presenter – the actress and comedienne Mo'Nique – and three high-profile guest singers.
First up was the opera singer Jessye Norman, whose rich soprano tones added an intensity to the already gripping "Fix Me, Jesus" section, danced with beautiful control by Linda Celeste Sims and Glenn Allen Sims.
Then came the Broadway leading-man voice of Brian Stokes Mitchell, delivering a soulful take on another traditional spiritual, "I Wanna Be Ready," danced by Antonio Douthit.
- 11/29/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
New York — Imagine you're in the audience at, say, "Swan Lake," and the ballerinas you've been watching suddenly swoop over to your seat, envelop you with their wings and spirit you onstage to flutter along en pointe.
Not gonna happen – except maybe in a vivid dream after a late-night viewing of "Black Swan." But at Alvin Ailey, where the very vocal audience somehow always seems closer to the action than elsewhere, it was a real possibility in the five-week season that ended on New Year's Day.
The vehicle for this audience participation was Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin's "Minus 16," which new artistic director Robert Battle added to the Ailey repertory in this, his inaugural season. "Minus 16" is a strange but compelling work which also has the unlikely distinction of using a popular children's Passover song ("Echad Mi Yodea," or "Who Knows One?") on its soundtrack.
"Minus 16" begins with its dancers,...
Not gonna happen – except maybe in a vivid dream after a late-night viewing of "Black Swan." But at Alvin Ailey, where the very vocal audience somehow always seems closer to the action than elsewhere, it was a real possibility in the five-week season that ended on New Year's Day.
The vehicle for this audience participation was Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin's "Minus 16," which new artistic director Robert Battle added to the Ailey repertory in this, his inaugural season. "Minus 16" is a strange but compelling work which also has the unlikely distinction of using a popular children's Passover song ("Echad Mi Yodea," or "Who Knows One?") on its soundtrack.
"Minus 16" begins with its dancers,...
- 1/4/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
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