Recently in Ballet Category
"Come the twilight of the year, the deathless 'Nutcracker' begins its march across American stages, bearing tidings of comfort and joy. Oh, goody. Yet to those of us who despair of its pervading tweeness and wish ballet had something better to do at this time of year than endlessly reminisce like a sweet, whiskery auntie, it bears some bad news, too. 'The Nutcracker's' stranglehold is all but squeezing ballet dry."
In the WP, Sarah Kaufman rails against the tyranny of the Nutcracker. With all due respect to my ballerina sis, if I never see Clara and her wooden soldier again at this point, it'll be soon enough. Swan Lake is always grand...The Nutcracker, not so much.
"Nevertheless there has been an awakening, a deepening in her artistry that has caught up with her astonishing technique. As more emotionally charged roles come her way, Murphy has surprised many and drawn rave reviews for her acting in ABT's most somber and sinister ballets. As Hagar, the repressed middle sister in Tudor's dour drama Pillar of Fire, Murphy is riveting. Her body and facial expressions are taut until her pent up passion erupts with the Stranger Next Door. Murphy's ax-wielding Lizzie Borden (the Accused) in de Mille's Fall River Legend skulks and rages, negotiating the emotional curves down to the essence. Her intensity shocked everyone--even herself."
Big doings on the family front: Not only did Gill recently receive a Princess Grace Statue Award for lifetime achievement in dance (that's the ceremony above -- and she did her own speechwriting also), but she is featured (again) as the cover story of this month's Dance Magazine. (The cover is at right, but the official magazine site seems to scrimp on the quality jpgs -- for the time being, check a newsstand near you.) "No one appreciates Murphy's questioning mind more than [Kevin] McKenzie, who also coaches her. 'Gillian is a very coordinated and intelligent person,' he says. 'If something doesn't feel natural to her, she has the ability to approach problems from both angles--physical and cerebral.'"
With the involvement of Natalie Portman making the studios happy, it now appears Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan is back in play as the director's next project. "Swan centers on a veteran ballerina (Portman) who finds herself locked in a competitive situation with a rival dancer, with the stakes and twists increasing as the dancers approach a big performance. But it's unclear whether the rival is a supernatural apparition or if the protagonist is simply having delusions." (As I noted here, Aronofsky's been researching with all the right ballerinas for this one, imho.)
A very happy birthday to my sister Gill, who turned 30 over the weekend (and who recently garnered some raves in London during ABT's European swing.) While I won't be there to enjoy it this year, ABT's spring season at the Met is right around the corner.
Speaking of bravura performances recently, my sister Gill (on loan from ABT) premiered as Odette/Odile in the Kirov Ballet's production of Swan Lake over the weekend in St. Petersburg, at the famed Mariinsky Theater. And, through the magic of Youtube, her Black Swan pas de deux is now online:
For the non-ballet folk, that spin move is known as a fouetté, and they're hard!
"The Accused is a role that demands the ability to transmute technique into the expression of the passionate intensity, psychological pain and pure hatred that drive the character to her gruesome deeds. And in 2007 it also demands a strength of interpretation that can transcend the stylized Americana that makes this work feel museum-piece valuable and dated at the same time. Ms. Murphy managed just that in an impressive role debut on Friday night."
My sister Gillian draws a rave in the NYT for her Fall River Legend on Friday, as excerpted below: "Her auburn hair drawn tightly away from her face into a gleaming skullcap, her pale face tight and impassive above her high-necked dress, she embodied (to borrow the title of a famous piece of feminist literature) the madwoman in the attic -- the Victorian antiheroine who incarnates the rage and anxiety forbidden by a sexually repressive, socially coercive society. There is plenty of dancing for the Accused in 'Fall River Legend,' but it is testament to Ms. Murphy’s acting that the movements became a seamless part of a succession of memorable emotional moments: her little shudder as the details of the violent acts are read out at the beginning; her suppressed amusement and momentary triumph at her father and stepmother’s fear when she first picks up the ax to chop wood; her disbelieving, scarcely allowable pleasure when the young pastor (Sascha Radetsky, also strong in a role debut) offers her love and compassion. By the time Ms. Murphy, alone onstage at the end, threw back her body and opened her arms in a final, anguished embrace of death and her fate, she had made her character simultaneously tragic and real." I was at City Center for both the Friday and Saturday evening shows over the weekend, and while Balanchine's "Ballo Della Regina" honestly didn't make much of an impression on me, I found "Fall River Legend" quite spooky and memorable. Suffice to say, all sharp objects and implements will be well-hidden next time Gill comes over.
The confusion in her eyes says it all: Gill suits up as Lizzie Borden in this promo pic for Fall River Legend, part of ABT's upcoming fall run at City Center, Oct. 23-Nov 4. Borden "was a New England spinster who was the central figure in the axe murders of her father and stepmother on August 4, 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts." (As you can see, the "Axe Effect" had a different meaning back then.) "The slayings, trial, and the following trial by media became a cause célèbre, and the fame of the incident has endured in American pop culture and criminology." (Indeed, Borden even has her own blog over at the Lizzie Borden Virtual Museum.) Tickets for ABT's fall season are on sale now.
Joel Lobenthal of the NY Sun: "As Gamzatti, Gillian Murphy imprinted infallibly etched images of pride, love, and ruthless will. She has studied the role so thoroughly and respectfully that even when she brings her own time and culture to Gamzatti's rarified reactions and body language, they don't coarsen her performance, but rather add to its vitality. Ms. Murphy has refined her natural facility for turning, so that her multiple fouettes in the Pas d'Action coda were smooth as silk, and her pirouettes in her last act solo, followed by an echoing spiral into the upper body, were mesmerizing." Or, says Jennifer Dunning of the NYT: "Once again Ms. Murphy made Gamzatti as pitiable a creature as she is evil, but this is a ballerina who needs a substantial work created for her." Yes, it's ABT's summer season time at the Met, and once again Gill is rocking the house. I've caught her in Othello and The Dream (that's her as Titania at right) thus far, and both times she was grand. If you're in the NYC area and looking for an evening out, check the listings -- you won't be disappointed.
A very happy (and belated) birthday to my sister Gillian, who turned 28 yesterday. (She, I, and her friends and colleagues celebrated with a dinner at Rosa Mexicano last night.) Which, reminds me: tickets are now on sale for ABT's 2007 Spring season at the Met (May 14-July 7), in which Gill will be performing in Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and several other new pieces. Get 'em while they're hot.
Two former Watchmen directors receive their next assignments: United 93 and The Bourne Supremacy helmer Paul Greengrass will venture into Iraq's Green Zone in Imperial Life in the Emerald City, based on the book by WP bureau chief Rajiv Chandrasekaran. And Requiem for a Dream's Darren Aronofsky announces his next project will be Black Swan. "John McLaughlin has begun writing the film that looks at the manipulative relationship between a veteran dancer and a rival." (You can now probably guess who got me into that premiere of The Fountain a few months back.)
"Not to be crass, but Ethan Stiefel, the American Ballet Theatre principal who starred in the film Center Stage, has had a shitty year." Time Out: New York publishes an extended interview with my sister's boyfriend, Ethan. Which reminds me: ABT's City Center season is now in full swing, so get your tickets while you can. (I'll be going several times over the next few weeks.)
"Fonteyn could not jump the way ABT's Gillian Murphy did on Monday night..." My sister Gill (recently interviewed here) gets a pair of nice reviews today for her recent turn in ABT's Sylvia. 'Gillian Murphy, who danced the title role on Monday, was born to play Sylvia...even early in her career she had a gift for ornamenting bold, bravura dancing with filigree musical phrasing, and that gift serves her well."
Hey all. So, as you may have noticed from the radio silence, it's been hectic in these parts of late, what with trips out of town and around town, guests visiting, my sister Gill's ABT season at the Met, and many errands to run and a rather large work project to complete before I hit the road for a dissertation research trip later this week. That being said, the work wave seems to have crested, so hopefully normal update patterns should resume around here in very short order.
A very happy belated birthday to my sister Gillian, who turned 27 yesterday. (We celebrated on Monday, but, as y'all might know, I haven't posted here since then.) Update: Also, a very happy Yuri's Night to you and yours -- tonight is the 45th anniversary of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first-ever trip into space, as well as the 25th anniversary of the first space shuttle mission. (By way of Blivet.)
As spotted in the new Money magazine (p. 100), my sister Gillian and her longtime boyfriend Ethan are featured in ABT's ad campaign for their upcoming Spring season at the Met -- Tickets are on sale now.
"'People are born to dance,' Ebstein told Discovery News. 'They have (other) genes that partially contribute to musical talent, such as coordination, sense of rhythm. However, the genes we studied are more related to the emotional side of dancing -- the need and ability to communicate with other people and a spiritual side to their natures that not only enable them to feel the music, but to communicate that feeling to others via dance." Looks like the Red Shoes are just a placebo -- According to recent research at Hebrew University's Scheinfeld Center for Genetic Studies, some people are just hardwired to dance. Now if only they could figure out why some people start conga lines or insist on breaking into the Electric Slide. (Via Dangerous Meta.)
On my sister's advice, I went to go see Ballets Russes yesterday evening at the Film Forum, and she was right: It's a stunning film, one that I'd even recommend to people who have little-to-no interest in ballet. Like the best documentaries -- and this is the best I've seen in some time -- Ballets Russes transcends its immediate topic to capture larger and more ephemeral truths. The movie not only brings to life a bygone era in the arts and helps to explain the current popularity of ballet in the US and around the world -- it also powerfully reflects on both the inexorable passing of time and the timelessness of dance, its magical capacity to wash away years and overcome human frailty. Like a perfectly executed ensemble piece, Ballets Russes can take your breath away.
After a brief introduction to the dancers of the Ballets Russes, who reconvene in New Orleans in 2000, the documentary shifts to 1929, with the death of renowned ballet impresario Serge Diaghilev and the formation of the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo, a successor company to Diaghilev's famed troupe. Briefly artistic-directed by a young George Balanchine (who'll show up again in the story, after a stint training elephants at the circus) and headlined by a trio of newly-discovered Russian "baby ballerinas," the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo soon splits into rival companies -- one headed by dancer-choreographer Leonide Massine, the other manned by financial backer Colonel Wassily de Basil. After wrangling over ballerinas and staffing their respective companies with ringers from other ensembles, the two Ballets Russes duel over London audiences and US contracts, until the exigencies of World War II force both to travel West. There, they attempt to stave off financial collapse by spreading the ballet meme (via steam train and Hollywood song-and-dance) across the New World.
The story of the Ballets Russes is told not only through an impressive amount of archival dance footage (which loses none of its forcefulness despite the occasional grainy stock), but also via interviews with the surviving dancers of the rival troupes, and herein lies the documentary's considerable dramatic heft. Every single one of the many interviewees -- which include Alicia Markova, Maria Tallchief, and Frederic Franklin (who still appears in ABT's "Swan Lake" well into his nineties) -- comes off as a vivacious, multifaceted personality with tales to tell, and it's extraordinary to watch them shake off the years when speaking of their experiences or dancing. Former ballerina (and coquettish heartbreaker) Nathalie Krassovska -- who, like several of the participants, passed away since the film was finished -- lights up like a little girl when she shows off her dance studio. Later, she and George Zoritch (in his prime at right, now an eighty-something gym rat in Tuscon, AZ) attempt a pas de deux from Giselle, and, although it's clearly a physical struggle, it's endearing to watch them rejoice in their old, shared language.
And the same goes for many other participants in the film, who have spread across the globe in a ballet diaspora since the collapse of the company in 1962. Aged, wizened faces break into impish grins when an old memory surfaces, and, when these former stars show off a dance flourish to their students, it's exhilarating to see their enthusiasm, and the flashes of grace that accompany it. In all honesty, I'd like to have heard more about the original Ballet Russes here (Diaghilev's outfit), and the film loses focus somewhat in the fifties and sixties. (More of a general sense of history would've been nice, too -- The Depression isn't mentioned, Hitler and WWII seem to show up out of the blue, and, other than a fascinating aside involving black dancer Raven Wilkinson's travails with the KKK during one of the Ballet Russes' southern swings, there's very little outside context here.) Nevertheless, Ballets Russes is an amazing documentary and an impressive testament to the idea that, while dancers come and go, the dance is forever, and to embrace it as a calling is a life well lived.
"As quintessentially American as Ms. Part is Russian, Gillian Murphy joined ABT in 1996, instantly raising our national banner of strong, brisk, technical prowess." By the way, my sister's fall ABT season began on Wednesday, so if you're in the New York area and looking to partake of some choice offerings of world-class ballet, head on down to City Center. The Fall Repertoire includes Afternoon of a Faun, Apollo, Dark Elegies, Gong, The Green Room, In the Upper Room, Kaleidoscope, Rodeo, and Les Sylphides.
A programming note: If you missed Gill's performance of Swan Lake last night, it'll be rebroadcast a few times in the next few days (check your local listings) and is available for DVD pre-order.
Yep, the sisters are doing it for themselves. Gillian's earlier-touted performance of Swan Lake will be broadcast on PBS tomorrow (Monday) at 9pm. And, congrats are due also to Tessa, who graduated from Oscar Smith High over the weekend, and was recently profiled (as valedictorian) in The Virginian-Pilot. Y'all go, girls!
"Gillian Murphy, who danced Sylvia on Friday, looked as if she were born to dance this role. Her natural, bold attack and imposing presence make her the perfect Sylvia." Gill's star turn in ABT's revival of Sylvia (which I caught at the Met on Friday) opens to stellar reviews. In addition, Gill is profiled in this month's Pointe Magazine. (Unfortunately, the text is unavailable online, although the pics are here.)
"'We run into this all the time in the archive business,' said Vicky Risner, who is in charge of acquisitions for the music division of the Library of Congress. 'People deny they're going to die.'" The NYT delves into the collapse of a will-less archive, in this case the prodigious collection on black dance amassed by the late Joe Nash.
Family plug: My sister Gill will be heading ABT's production of Swan Lake (filmed at the Kennedy Center this past February) on PBS's Great Performances Monday, June 20, at 9pm. I caught it tonight at a special viewing at Channel 13 headquarters for the dancers (and their NYC-residing brothers), and Gill & company look amazing. It's well worth catching if you harbor even the slightest interest in ballet (and, for that matter, even if you don't...c'mon now, Swan Lake is a classic.) :)
"I always saw the possibilities there. She has the most wonderful technique: strong jumps, beautiful turns, lovely line. There's something very honest about Gillian, and she's so smart. You can feed in the information and she processes it all for herself. She doesn't look like someone trying to be anyone else." The LA Times's Susan Reiter profiles my sister Gill for the Sunday edition, which I took the liberty of reposting at her official site. "Having had her eyes unwaveringly on the prize since she was 11, Murphy brings a healthy sense of perspective and clarity to what being a dancer means. 'The first time I put pointe shoes on, I was certain. I've been on a mission, in terms of wanting to dance and to be the best dancer I can be. At a certain point in a dancer's career, it becomes a mission to look out for the art form as well, to concern yourself with the present and future of ballet.'
" (Pointed out by The Late Adopter.)
"In the dual role of the enslaved Odette and controlling Odile, Gillian Murphy employed her nearly faultless technique in clear, if uncomplicated, portrayals. Her Odette was skittish and trembly; her Odile a self-satisfied center of attention...Murphy possessed an air of coolness that underscored her technical strength." Gill's current Swan Lake run in DC is reviewed by the Post and, while I have some issues with their take (Big Brother protectiveness aside, I think this piece falls into the all-too-common rut in dance criticism of being ever-so-slightly catty to the female lead while unapologetically fawning over the male), it does think well of Gill's performance and of the production overall, and includes this striking picture above the fold. (Pointed out by Scully of Terrapin Gardens...thanks much!)
"As Murphy and Stiefel rehearse William Forsythe's idiosyncratic workwithinwork, it's clear that they each have their own perspective on how to get the job done. Watching Murphy assimilate style, process corrections, and absorb dramatic interpretation suggests that her mind works like a computer -- efficient and effective...Stiefel, on the other hand, appears laid back, but he instantly programs Forsythe's stretched and skewed moves into his body." In honor of Valentine's Day, Dance Magazine (who seem pretty bad about updating their site) have put my sister Gillian and her long-time paramour Ethan on the cover of the February 2005 issue, along with a short profile of the two together. Gill's upcoming Swan Lake stint at the Kennedy Center (with Angel Corella) is also being filmed for perpetuity on DVD, so it's a big month all around for little sis.
A hearty congrats to my sister's boyfriend Ethan, who has been hired as the new artistic director of Ballet Pacifica in Orange County, California. (Don't worry, New York balletomanes...he'll still be dancing at the Met each spring with ABT.)
FYI, tickets for my sister's and ABT's forthcoming City Center season (Oct. 20-Nov. 7) are now on sale. Get yours before they sell out.
Well, my recent injury has prevented me from seeing Gill tonight in La Bayadere as planned, but that doesn't mean you can't go. Tickets for ABT's spring season at the Met are on sale now through July 3rd.
ABT and Gill's City Center season opens to grand reviews: "Gillian Murphy as Hagar, the repressed heroine, knew that a Tudor dancer emotes through movement, not the face, and much of her impact came through sheer muscular power, especially in her space-devouring leaps...The beauty of Ms. Murphy's performance was in its contrast, between her dazed outcast and a desperate but not hysterical woman whose emotions visibly surge through her body." Also in dance news, the Globe profiles Ethan Stiefel, my sister's boyfriend.
It's that time of year again. ABT revs up for its City Center schedule at the end of the month [All dates/Gill's dates.] Gillian is also featured prominently in the advertising campaign for this fall's run, as indicated by the pic at right (now gracing brochures and subway stops around the city.) Get your tickets before they sell out!
As part of their fall preview, the NY Times takes in Robert Altman and Neve Campbell's Company (the Joffrey Ballet), and Elvis Mitchell sings the praises of Peter Jackson.
I didn't mention this before, but my sister Gillian and her boyfriend Ethan were spectacular last Saturday evening as the leads in Don Quixote. I'm going back to the Met this evening to catch the two in Swan Lake. If you haven't yet seen ABT this summer, New Yorkers, you're running out of time...
My sister's summer season at the Met has now begun, and is running through June 28th. (Go here for tickets.) If you're looking for an evening's entertainment in NYC this summer, it's hard to do better than American Ballet Theatre.
Tonight at 10pm, Great Performances will air Dance in America: Born to be Wild, which features ABT's star male dancers, including my sister's boyfriend Ethan. Balletomanes will surely want to check it out.
Over the break, I took over webmaster responsibilities for my ballerina sister's website from my parents. And after a move over to Cornerhost (whom I can 't say enough good things about. It's a great place to reside.) and a quick redesign, GillianMurphy.com is open for business. If you're interested in ballet at all, you might want to check it out.
Several people have told me that my sister Gill is featured prominently in an off-line New Yorker article about recent advances (and controversies) in ballet shoe technology. I haven't read it yet, but thought I'd drop a note here anyway.
Rosalie O'Connor, a former dancer with ABT, now has her own photography site full of striking pictures, including this one of dancers in the wings watching one of Gill's performances. Definitely worth a look-see. (Via Listen Missy.)
Gill's ABT run at City Center began this week, with this well-reviewed show on Tuesday. The show Wednesday was also quite good - I even enjoyed Symphony in C, which I'm bit a sick of at this point (second movement notwithstanding). And I'll be returning next week to catch the Harrison piece.
Artists and dancers from Butler University have composed and choreographed a Tolkien ballet, The Simaril. (More here.)
Gillian gets a very positive review in the NYT for her performance as Odette/Odile (the lead) in Swan Lake over the weekend. No mention is made of the ridiculously bratty kid who was screaming through most of Act II, nor of the overly reactive shushs and gasps of utter disbelief made by most of the ballet cognoscenti at the child's behavior. Gill and her partner (José Carreño) were real troopers through it, though, and it definitely got the crowd even more behind them for the rest of the show.
Gill gets props for her premiere in la Fille Mal Gardee last Sunday.
Many congrats to my little sis, who was promoted to Principal (a.k.a the big time) over at ABT this weekend. Next stop, the world! :)
In related news, ABT weighs the option of officially allying themselves with the Kennedy Center.
