Creative use of movement

A friend of mine sent me the link to this video recently relseased by the band "Ok Go." I think you'll enjoy the creativity in it.





Ok Go, dance video, video

Melissa Hayden

Ballet legend Melissa Hayden, has passed away at the age of 83. Hayden enjoyed an illustrious career dancing, in Boris Volkoff's Canadian Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Ballet Alicia Alonso in South America before joining Balanchine's New York City Ballet in 1950. She later joined the faculty at the North Carolina School of the Arts where she played a direct role in shaping a great number of today’s finest professionals.

And relatively new to the dance blogosphere, Megarina, has a similar post on topic too.


Melissa Hayden, NCSA, Megarina, Balanchine

"Step Up" walks away from ballet

The new dance movie “Step Up” will open in theaters next Friday. Directed by Anne Fletcher (Bring it on) the movie contains a nod to ballet, but focuses its dancing efforts on the widespread appeal of hip-hop. A mixed preview/op-ed article by Janice Berman on the film published in the San Francisco Chronicle says this about the film.

"When it comes to classical ballet, "Step Up," which opens next Friday, can't step away fast enough, or far enough. Ballet returns but once, putting our hunky hero Tyler, ludicrous in tights, into a teeny-kid class where, as he clings to the barre, a solemn little girl in a pink leotard stares at him. Balefully.
Is this the death of ballet? Hardly. As a topic for feature films, ballet's been nigh-dead a long time. Think of how many movies have ballet as a central plot point. Not a ton. "The Red Shoes." "The Turning Point," after "The Red Shoes" the best, or at least the most impassioned, ballet feature film ever made. What else is there? The fabulous "Billy Elliot," which talked a great ballet game but showed almost none. The dreary "The Company." And then a bunch of flicks that make you throw popcorn at the screen, like "Center Stage.""

Anne Fletcher, movie, Step Up, dance movie

Top 5 UK Ballet Website

The UK Times has released its list of the top 5 ballet websites. And the winners are…

1. ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET
2. BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET
3. THE ROYAL BALLET
4. SCOTTISH BALLET
5. NATIONAL BALLET

for details on why they were chose check out the TimesOnline article.



UK Times

NYCB attendance sags in summer season

The results are in on New York City Ballet’s summer series at the SPAC, and they aren’t good. We’ll go with the numbers first, this year total attendance was 43,178 for 18 performances while the 2005 draw was 57,042 for 21 performances. These numbers show a drop in attendance of 12% per show. Total sales this year were $1,083,401, a 12% drop from last year’s sales of $1,234,858.

The Albany Times Union reports that,

"The numbers come during a season in which SPAC improved its marketing and promotions, Web site and on-site amenities as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen operations and audience ties in the wake of the 2004 season, when the facility was investigated by the state.
SPAC officials pointed to weather and scheduling as factors in the lower attendance. And William Dake, chairman of the arts center board, said SPAC needs to do a better job of making the ballet part of an overall entertainment package."

New York City Ballet, SPAC, New York

Now Playing : Paul Taylor

I've changed the Now Playing section of the site. For about the next week you'll find an 8 min radio interview of Paul Taylor. Recorded for "All Things Considered" on NPR its a great one, I hope you'll tune in.

Paul Taylor, Radio Interview, ,

Ohio Ballet in dire straits

The Ohio Ballet will perform tonight in what the Ohio Beacon-Journal is calling quite possibly the companies last performance ever. The company, which has performed for the Akron community for over 30 years, was forced earlier in the season to cancel its winter and spring programming. A move similar to what the Oakland Ballet did two years ago when faced with massive financial obstacles, the Oakland Ballet did manage to re-launch but months later closed its doors for good. The Beacon-Journal has quoted Director Jeffrey Graham Hughes as saying,

”Definitely, we're not going to be doing anything in the fall,”

Ohio Ballet, Jeffrey Hughes, Ohio, Akron

Hotel uses Washington Ballet for lessons on grace

The new Palomar hotel in Washington brought Septime Weber in to help its employees develop their grace and presentability. WTOP Radio, said this about the event,

Opening a door is a fairly simple action -- but at a local hotel, it's considered a work of art. Hotel general manager Brett Orlando says a doorman is the first person a visitor sees, so the doorman should have a certain savoir fair.
So, the hotel asked the Washington Ballet to hold a clinic on graceful movement for hotel employees. Being able to open a door with panache, or carrying a bag with flair is just another way to improve a customer's experience, Orlando says.

Well shoot, now I want my doormen to carry my bags with some of that flair in their step. Check out the entire article from WTOP, here


Washington Ballet, Septime Weber, Palomar, Washington