INVISIBLE CITIES in the City of Angels

Angelinos, If you do nothing else in the next two weeks please make a point to see INVISIBLE CITIES, a dance-based operatic experience that will leave you feeling good, better, beautiful...like all is right with the world. This collaboration between LA Dance Project, The Industry, and Yuval Sharon (director) is a clever blend of old and new. Based in Union Station, the installation provides time and space for viewers to contemplate and appreciate the city of Los Angeles and, perhaps, dream about the past, present, and future states of their hometown. I don't want to spoil the fun, but here are a few images to pique your interest... More info and tickets here: Union Station, downtown L.A. When: 7 p.m. Saturday; 7:30 and 10 p.m. Oct. 24, 26, 29, 31, Nov. 5, 8. Cost: $45-$75; $25 only for 10 p.m. Oct. 29 and Nov. 5. Info: http://invisiblecitiesopera.com/tickets/ Also check out the LA TIMES piece if you are still with me: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-invisible-cities-union-station,0,1575439.story

William Forsythe - installations & film

Today is Forsythe day on the blog! I wanted to share two works from William Forsythe that I find beautiful and hope you will too. William Forsythe is a master of space and his choreography and designs always inspire me...I hope you enjoy and share with others. SCATTERED CROWD (Installation): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV70LwHQVw4 And his film with Thierry De Mey, ONE FLAT THING REPRODUCED: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cufauMezz_Q

Fall for Dance!

Your 2013-2014 dance card will be full after browsing this informative, delicious six page listing of upcoming shows and festivals in the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/08/arts/dance/new-dance-from-jetes-to-jookin.html?adxnnl=1&smid=fb-share&adxnnlx=1378671025-XniEzZcMlvMDj4ivxtehkQ I'll definitely be checking out the Fall for Dance Festival, BEAT Festival installations, and more. Support some dancing, Y'all!

Dance On Camera Festival - Submit Today!

Dance Filmmakers, Get your submissions in for the Dance On Camera Film Festival: http://www.dancefilms.org/. The deadline is Monday, September 16th. They accept shorts, features, docs and more. Last year I had the pleasure of attending some fantastic panels featuring Alma Har'el (Sigur Ros music video panel) and Celia Rowlson Hall (commercial dance). Alma Har'el: http://www.almaharel.com Celia Rowlson Hall: http://www.celiarowlsonhall.com Good luck!

Oh Land's Latest

If you haven't seen Oh Land's dance video, "Renaissance Girl," check it out:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/oh-land-celebrates-fun-in-renaissance-girls-premiere-20130806

It features a dream team of dancers, choreographers, and film crew members! Chihiro Shimizu and Catherine Kirk dance with high ponies and Phillip Lim dresses and the choreography is by The fabulous YoMoCo. Check out their site if you don't know their work: http://theyomoco.com.

Help this video get lots of hits and spread the dance love!

Follow up - Pilobolus Program B

I finally went to see Pilobolus' Program B at the Joyce last night. The dancers were as strong and engaged as ever; however, I stand by my thoughts on Program A...see A if you can.

Program B has exciting moments. The two pieces that stand out are "Skyscrapers", another delicious video collaboration with OK Go, and "Azimuth", a beautiful exploration of balance and geometric shapes in space. What didn't work for me were the penis/sex innuendos (that became a bit tired after a while) and the length of the first piece, "Molly's Not Dead."

This being said, PILOBOLUS creates unusual and entertaining dance spectacles and if you have not experienced their work it is worth making a point to do so (regardless of the Program you see).  Below is the upcoming schedule and link to buy tickets. They perform at the Joyce through August 4th. Please see my previous entry on Program A from July 13th for more info!

Program A: Jul 9, 10, 17, 22-23, 31 at 7:30pm; Jul 12, 18, 20, 26, Aug 1, 3 at 8pm; Jul 13, 27, Aug 4 at 2pm
Automaton, All Is Not Lost, Ocellus, esc (Penn & Teller premiere), Day Two
(Program contains nudity)

Program B: Jul 15-16, 24, 29-30 at 7:30pm; Jul 11, 13, 19, 25, 27, Aug 2 at 8pm; Jul 20, Aug 3 at 2pm
Molly’s Not Dead, Skyscrapers, Azimuth, Symbiosis, Licks (Trish Sie premiere)

Family Matinee Program: Jul 24 at 1pm
Walklyndon, Pseudopodia, Transformation, All is Not Lost

Get tickets here: http://www.joyce.org

Fabulous Fungus at the Joyce Theater

Pilobolus at the Joyce is a party and the dancers, calm and casual while performing insane feats, are excellent hosts. Whether you are a dance lover or more of a I'll-skip-this-performance-and-see-you-later-at-the-bar kind of participant, Pilobolus is an experience not to be missed. Sports Fans, you will be highly entertained. Cinefiles, you will be equally as stimulated. Go see it now!

I saw Program A, last night, which I recommend selecting (I will check out Program B later in the run). In Show A, the curtains remain open throughout the performance and the audience watches the set being constructed by men [and women] in black as high energy music runs through the speakers. In between dances, uniquely crafted and/or meditative short films are projected on a small screen. My favorite film was KITES, known as "Romancing The Wind" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr9KrqN_lIg. 

The most exciting and accessible live piece, in my opinion, was "All is Not Lost" a collaboration with OK Go that you may have seen on the web in 2011. It is even better in person, as the live performance and set design add an element of intrigue and the Joyce stage provides the perfect venue for the dance and film projection to co-exist. Here is the web version with OK Go if you are curious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur-y7oOto14. 

Pilobolus also premiered their newest collaboration with magicians Penn & Teller, entitled "[esc]". Here, the dancers successfully attempt Houdini-like stunts, while a pre-recorded Penn & Teller narrate. Although "[esc]" is less of a dance and more of a spectacle, the audience is taken on a ride. Gripping our arm rests, we sighed breaths of relief and cheered wildly as each escape artist accomplished his or her task. You will get into it, is my point, especially when dancers, Shawn Fitzgerald Ahern and Matt Del Rosario, complete a particularly captivating and unexpected pole dance, full-on, with leather and padlocked chains. 

The other works include "Ocellus" (choreographed in 1972) and "Day Two" (1980), both are highly impressive and imaginative, but I will let you form your own opinions. Oh, and make sure to stay for the bows; the fun continues there! Click on the link for tickets and, again, I highly recommend Program A: http://www.joyce.org/performance/pilobolus/#.UeGq-6nQ5UQ. 

Pilobolus (yes, their name comes from a type of fungus) runs through August 4th. Thanks for reading and enjoy the weekend! 

MJ

Stephen Petronio's "Like Lazarus Did" - a 3D experience

Stephen Petronio's "Like Lazarus Did" was a successful collaboration of modern dance, fashion, live music, and an art installation involving a visual artist levitating and meditating from the ceiling throughout the show. Despite its many parts, this one act dance show at the Joyce Theater, was elegantly sewn together and was one of Petronio's strongest and most fully realized works.

Petronio made brilliant use of the space and created an atmosphere that was both sophisticated and whimsical. Son Lux and his band entered the space, animated with a black Second Line umbrella. Son Lux's voice had hints of a dirty Southern Rock mixed and twisted with a new age sound. The band harmoniously accompanied Petronio's choreography and overall style of the work. The Young People's Choir of New York, draped in black robes, filled the aisles and then after the opening song, found a home in the balcony of the theater and were conducted by a woman on the opposite balcony. The choral director's movements and the students focusing and singing, over our heads, was exciting and found a new dimension within the four walls of the theater. The audience was surrounded by Petronio's creation - to the left, right, in front, and from above; we felt a part of this world and were enveloped in his art and creativity. 

The dance itself was sensual and athletic with a very clear vocabulary. Straight and angular arms, the women were lifted and tilted by the men as if they were solid pillars. The dancers gazes were inward or towards the ground as if they were Biblical characters in a stained glass window, part of a story or tableau. The dance was well paced and thoughtfully patterned. Each section of the dance provided something new and gave us more insight into Petronio's world and exploration of resurection. The curtain drop was a powerful moment and created a dramatic finish to the dance incorporating a "serpent" or a ribbon that dropped from the ceiling of the stage. Once the curtain rose again, however, the final quarter of the dance felt a bit repetitive until Nicholas Sciscione entered the space and performed a satisfying solo with rounded arms and a curved and contracted spine.  

The dance was still the focus of the show and the other elements did not distract us, but assisted us in the journey through Petronio's vision. The audience was given the opportunity to witness a variety of happenings both on and off stage.  Overall, this was a masterful creation and a dance performance that was truly three dimensional and a heavenly treat for the senses. 

DANCE CAMERA WEST @ The Getty

Angelinos! 

Check out DCW's Dance & Media Film Festival today and tomorrow at the Getty and Annenberg Beach House. Schedule of events here: http://www.icontact-archive.com/NRFHXV2qWXB9mUEf3zsqraXxAg3gZjVl?w=1

And get your reservation here: http://www.dancecamerawest.org/tickets.htm

Dance in Photography

If you don't know Mallory Morrison's work, check it out! "Le Journal De La Photographie" shows several dreamy and delicious images...

Check more of her work out here: http://lejournaldelaphotographie.com/entries/11262/palm-springs-2013-mallory-morrison

And in her own words:

"My work is an exploration of a continuous dream. Sometimes it is a feeling of being lost and searching for a path. Other times is it a return to childlike escape and freedom. In some ways all of my work is a self portrait. As I grow and find who I am and where I want to step next, my dream alters its shape and tone. My latest work is the Fog series. I had a dream that I was lost in the fog and was crawling around aimlessly only to realize that if I just stood up, I could see clearly. I wanted to illustrate that feeling of just missing what you are searching for and being blind to what is in front of you. If you relax, you will float the surface. " 

Barefoothaus

I am intrigued by and pleased to write about emerging choreographer, Franklin Barefoot! His work is charming, stylish, musical, and (above all else) playful and ENJOYABLE. 

Please take a moment to check out a solo dance created for the talented and, all around, good human/tree frog, Hiroki Ichinose. Both men will go far. Watch their collaboration now @ http://barefoothaus.com. Don't wait.

Dance in Austin!

Hi y'all,

For you Texas dancers, Vincent Sandoval at Ballet Austin teaches adult and teen classes (Musical Theater & Tap) and comes highly recommended. He has worked in NYC at Radio City, done Broadway National Tours, and European tours. His classes are not to be missed. 

Check out his schedule here: http://www.balletaustin.org/community/classinstructors.php?trainer_id=100000131

Dance for Kate Spade!

Three cheers for Kate Spade and their interest in reaching out to talented artist and dancers to create web ads!!! Celia Rowlson-Hall was commissioned by Kate Spade to dance & create an ad for them. Check out her work here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICLKtE-1n5o

Sean Curran @ The Joyce

The last time I saw Sean Curran at the Joyce was in 1999 in the Joyce's "Altogether Different" series. I loved his thought provoking and fluid movement then and I hope today is no different.  "Mr. Curran’s choreography and Mr. Begin’s music create a meditative mood, and “Left Exit” gives us a lot to think about — not just the ideas but also their juxtaposition..." NY TIMES.

Shows at the Joyce today (Saturday) are at 2pm & 8pm! http://www.joyce.org

Hope you can check it out. Full NY TIMES review is below...

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/02/arts/dance/sean-curran-company-at-the-joyce-theater.html?_r=0

DANCE ON FILM!

Be sure to check out the Dance On Camera film festival happening at Lincoln Center this weekend (Feb 1-5th). Get tickets here: http://www.filmlinc.com/films. I'll be attending the short dance film programs and the Sigur Ros: Video Music programs. So many cool artists and choreographers will be speaking and attending...not to be missed!