Nouri

Wisecracking tough gal Sugarpuss O’Shea {Barbara Stanwyck} teaches clueless codger professors how to conga in Howard Hawks’ 1941 romantic comedy Ball of Fire.  It also stars Gary Cooper.

:: Fed by Birds

Comments (0) Jun 27 2010

Vaslav Nijinsky‘s Birthday- March 12, 1888
Nijinsky is one of, if not the most, famous male dancers of the twentieth century.

“Nijinsky was born in Kiev, Russia, March 12, 1888, while his parents, dancers Eleonora Bereda and Foma Nijinsky were on tour. He entered the Imperial School in St. Petersburg in 1898, and upon graduation in 1907 became a soloist with the Maryinsky Theatre. During a vacation, Nijinsky went to Paris with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes and danced the leading roles in Le Pavillion d’Armida, and Les Sylphides with Pavlova in 1909. The next year he danced the golden slave in Scheherazade.  He continued to dance with the Diaghilev’s Ballets Russe after 1909, even though Anna Pavlova left. Although Vaslav danced with many great ballerinas he was most associated with Tamara Karsavina, with whom he danced in 1911 in one of the most famous ballets of the time, Le Spectre de la Rose.”

Genius.

Comments (0) Mar 11 2010

Leaving for the a long week-end retreat tomorrow, so there won’t be much posting until I get back. Thought I’d leave you with this snippet of driving deliciousness:

Akram Khan Dance Company

:: Physical Response Dance Blog

Comments (0) Mar 05 2010

Ha! You absolutely must click through Here to get the full effect.

Comments (0) Mar 02 2010

Suss it & comment. I am so over provincialism.

Comments (0) Feb 23 2010

Gina Hernandez’s Dance Unlimited will be performing Next Thursday, February 25, 2010, at Galena High School Theatre and will be showcasing all of their 2010 Competition Dances to help raise funds for Green Eyes in Africa. Show begins at 7pm, minimum $5.00 donation is suggested.

Green Eyes In Africa is an orphanage founded five years ago in Yaounde, Cameroon, Africa by brothers Patrick and Ryan Hansen of Sparks, NV.

Ryan, who is an alumnus of Dance Unlimited lives in Africa at the orphanage and runs the program on the ground, while brother Patrick operates the “business” side here from the US.

Both Patrick and Ryan will be on hand next week to raise money and to share their five-year journey much of which is documented on the blog at their website.

Here is a YouTube Video they published of the Nutcracker the children performed at their recent Christmas Feast:

Comments (0) Feb 19 2010

One of my favorite newspapers ran a story today about how American and other foreign dancer/instructors are keeping – and paying to keep Oriental dance authentic. Sad really, but read it in full for the current cultural analysis, and catch the short video.

I know its become a tiny industry here for promoters to attract students to immersion studies abroad, but somehow it comes off as sketchy. What do you think?

Comments (0) Feb 15 2010

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:: India-Circus.com

Comments (0) Jan 24 2010

Love this!

Pogo is an emerging electronic music artist in Perth, Western Australia. Check out his Channel and his other works. Toe-tapping Fantastic.

: FishbowlAMERICA

Comments (1) Dec 28 2009

1909 – 2009

You must check out this site – Russian Ballet History!   It is so rich in background on the founding of the itinerant ballet company by the impresario Sergei Diaghilev in 1909. The website is a rich treasure trove of memorabilia and information that hums with passion and respect.

From their front-page:

“Diaghilev had already enjoyed success in Paris in 1908 when he presented a season of Russian art, music, and opera. He was invited back the following year to give a programme of Russian opera and ballet. The company was initially in resident at the Théâtre Mogador and Théâtre du Châtelet, in Paris years later moving to Monte Carlo. The company returned in 1910; in 1911 it was presented under Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes and made its debut in London. Its’ original members were from the Tsar’s Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg, Russia where all its dancers were associated and trained. The company consisted of 13 members, all attaining a very high standard of dance. The company featured and premiered now-famous works by the great choreographers Marius Petipa, Michel Fokine, Bronislava Nijinska, Leonide Massine, Vaslav Nijinsky, and a young George Balanchine at the start of his career. It created a sensation in Western Europe because of the great vitality of Russian ballet compared to French dance. Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes became one of the most influential ballet companies of the 20th century, in part because of its ground-breaking artistic collaboration among contemporary choreographers, composers, artists, and dancers. Its works were part of the avant-garde culture in Paris and France.”

After Diaghilev’s death in 1929 the company of dancers scattered and fractured to become two companies: the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo headed by René Blum and Colonel Vassily de Basil in 1933; and the Original Ballet Russe was founded by de Basil in 1939 after a falling out.

It was the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo that traveled extensively throughout Europe, the United States and Australia to became the most influential ballet company that inspired so many and revolutionized the dance world.

“The American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and the San Francisco Ballet Company are direct descendants of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes.”

If you’re a lover of vintage dance photographs, check out the collection of fantastic digital collection over at the National Library of Australia. Amazing!

Comments (0) Dec 28 2009