When I was a kid I was fascinated by Isadora Duncan. What was her dancing really like? How could simple movements entrance an audience so, all around the world? There are no movies of her (despite a YouTube few seconds … Continue reading →
I found this video buried in an old comment, and I think it deserves a wider viewing. It’s of Gene Kelly and Tamara Toumanova dancing Kelly’s choreography in the movie “Invitation to the Dance,” which was made in 1952 but … Continue reading →
Here are some fabulous dance pictures. No photoshopping and no tricks, although you might find that hard to believe. Here’s just one example, to whet your appetite:
Continue reading →I came across a video that was touted as amazing, featuring a 75-year-old man who still teaches ballet. My first thought was, “That’s not the least bit amazing.” Quite a few of the ballet teachers of my youth reached that … Continue reading →
They said it couldn’t be done. But hey, I’m a can-do person. So here, at commenter Gringo’s behest, is a post on ballet and jello. Helped out by the remarkably resourceful and inventive act of Googling the words “ballet jello,” … Continue reading →
This article about US Marine and Iraq war veteran and ballet dancer Roman Baca, who has choreographed ballets based on themes connected with the war, its veterans, and their families, reminds me of the fact that although there have been … Continue reading →
The bodies that excel in different sports are not randomly chosen, they are selected by the needs of the activity. One would never mistake a professional basketball player for a jockey (except maybe the highly unusual Spud Webb, and at … Continue reading →
[NOTE: Please see Part I.] “Swan Lake” is—among other things—the story of a woman named Odette who’s got a lot of reasons to be afraid. After all, she’s under an evil magician’s spell that turns her into a swan by … Continue reading →
I’m planning a several-part series comparing three ballerinas in the lead role in “Swan Lake,” and changing styles in dance and art. I got the idea after an evening of surfing around on YouTube and watching old favorites and new … Continue reading →
A friend sent me two videos of the precocious preteen dancer, Israeli Gaya Bommer. The first featured Bommer in the sort of weird, techno, robotic, gymnastic sort of choreography that’s known as “contemporary” but that I don’t quite get and … Continue reading →
There have been a lot of articles lately about Obama’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week. The “private sector is doing fine” remark seems to have been a catalyst, but there have been a host of other indications lately … Continue reading →
Perhaps you’ve never seen Suzanne Farrell dance. Perhaps you’ve never even heard of her. She’s sixty-six now and retired from performing for over twenty years. But in her heyday she was unique, and choreographer George Balanchine was besotted with her. … Continue reading →