(Beautiful) Bodies in Motion
Nov. 13th, 2006 12:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
annundrielEB and I excel at stretching our birthday out as far as we can. With that in mind, the joint present this year was tickets to the Pacific Northwest Ballet's All Premier and we finally got to go yesterday afternoon. It was the first time I've been to McCaw Hall and not been in the second tier. We were actually on the ground floor in one of the side boxes and it's the closest I've been for awhile. The only downside was that we were to the extreme right so whenever any dancers ventured that far right we couldn't see them.
I really enjoyed the whole thing. And though I liked one or two acts better, I can't say that I disliked any. When asked afterward whether or not the ballets were modern or classical, EB went straight for modern, but I suggested it was modern with nods toward classical. (As though I would know anything about ballet.) But I'll stick by the intertextual theory and apply that to dance and say that every thing's connected and modern dance has to come from a classic place to begin with.
"Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven" was very sparse. Black stage, white leotards. Six men and six women. Music by Arvo Part (who I'm listening to right now).
"Valse Triste" was just sad. Beautiful and sad and about a woman remembering a lost lover.
"Suspension of Disbelief" was definitely the most modern of the bunch. They completely got rid of set dressing, even the curtains that keep you from seeing the stage hands working backstage. You could see the entire area that they work with, and let me say that I'm completely surprised by how much smaller it looked without everything on it. Thinking back on the operas I've seen there it's kind of amazing what you can do with space.
"Waterbaby Bagatelles" was my favorite and choreographed by Twyla Tharp and just very very neat. There were fluorescent lights suspended from the ceiling and some of the dancers were in bathing costumes and it was very much like a fish tank.
And even if the dancing had been iffy (not that it would be or I expect that or anything with the company), like I told EB, at least the music is good to listen to (and I'd like to own some of it). Yea orchestra!
Plus I picked up the tickets for The Nutcracker. They are sitting on the table. I'M REALLY EXCITED.
I really enjoyed the whole thing. And though I liked one or two acts better, I can't say that I disliked any. When asked afterward whether or not the ballets were modern or classical, EB went straight for modern, but I suggested it was modern with nods toward classical. (As though I would know anything about ballet.) But I'll stick by the intertextual theory and apply that to dance and say that every thing's connected and modern dance has to come from a classic place to begin with.
"Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven" was very sparse. Black stage, white leotards. Six men and six women. Music by Arvo Part (who I'm listening to right now).
"Valse Triste" was just sad. Beautiful and sad and about a woman remembering a lost lover.
"Suspension of Disbelief" was definitely the most modern of the bunch. They completely got rid of set dressing, even the curtains that keep you from seeing the stage hands working backstage. You could see the entire area that they work with, and let me say that I'm completely surprised by how much smaller it looked without everything on it. Thinking back on the operas I've seen there it's kind of amazing what you can do with space.
"Waterbaby Bagatelles" was my favorite and choreographed by Twyla Tharp and just very very neat. There were fluorescent lights suspended from the ceiling and some of the dancers were in bathing costumes and it was very much like a fish tank.
And even if the dancing had been iffy (not that it would be or I expect that or anything with the company), like I told EB, at least the music is good to listen to (and I'd like to own some of it). Yea orchestra!
Plus I picked up the tickets for The Nutcracker. They are sitting on the table. I'M REALLY EXCITED.
