Tonya Plank's Blog, page 23

"Giselle Revisited" Live Chat

So did anyone here participate in yesterday's live chat? I thought it was a tremendous success, especially since it was the first time the Guggenheim had done it. At one point, there were 364 participants, which the Works & Process people noted was a larger audience than could fit inside the Guggenheim's actual auditorium. It was fun to see some familiar names from the past – several Winger bloggers, old Winger message board members, and some new dance Twitterers. One commenter (chatterer?) said, it was nice to be able to "talk" throughout the performance, as well as snack! I agree!

If you missed it, the program is archived here in its 90 minute entirety – so have a look.  Peter Boal, Doug Fullington, and Marian Smith from Pacific Northwest Ballet talked about where they found the original sources for Giselle – the choreography and the music, and how they reconstructed it. Boal noted this is the first time an American company has attempted to mount a production of the work as it was originally done in 1841. I found the music section most interesting – the music sounds exactly like the action or the words the characters would speak – as well as of course the dancing. One thing I found fascinating was how the original choreography called for dancing that was much faster, though much closer to the ground. So lots of small jumps instead of high leaps. But some of this crazy fast choreography (that one dancer even had a hard time doing) illustrates that there was once another kind of virtuosity than we're familiar with today. The longer, higher leaps we see so much of today are, Boal said, the Bolshoi's influence.

All four dancers were excellent. I'd seen Carla Korbes, James Moore, and of course Seth Orza before, but never Carrie Imler, and she really amazed me. She was one of the few who could actually pull off all those insanely fast steps. I must see more of her.

The full production will take place in Seattle in June. How nice would it be if PNB could live-stream that too?

Swan Lake Samba Girl Wordle

I found this website on Galley Cat and of course had to try it out using my own blog's RSS feed. Because it's only the middle of the night and I really don't need to be sleeping or anything… Sometimes not being able to tear myself away from the internet is a real sickness… Anyway, if you have a blog with an RSS feed, or any other kind of text (like, from a book), you too can make a Wordle word-picture!

Don't Forget About the Guggenheim Live-Stream Later Today

Just a reminder that this evening at 7:30 EST you can watch for free the Guggenheim's Works and Process discussion of Pacific Northwest's new Giselle, and participate in a live chat. See my earlier post for deets.

Jim Carrey as "The Black Swan" on SNL

How much do I love this?! Did you guys see it last night? I hardly ever watch Saturday Night Live anymore, but I kept the TV on after watching the Jets game (go Jets!!!). And I was so glad I did because not only do I love Jim Carrey (and think it's a travesty he wasn't nominated for a Golden Globe for I Love You Phillip Morris) but of course I would have missed this most excellent parody. Of course the film is almost a parody of itself anyway (imo) … but we've already had that discussion.

"Live to Dance" Premiere

So what did you guys think of Paula Abdul's new show, which premiered mid-last week? For people who missed it, it was basically "just" the auditions, but I put "just" in quotes because it seems like this is going to be a rather large part of the show. If I understand correctly, next week will be the semifinals, then the following week the finals. So, short show, right?

The three judges were Abdul herself, Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt, and music / dance choreographer Travis Payne, who's worked with Michael Jackson, among others. The grand prize is $500,000 and will go to either an individual, a pair of dancers, or a group. Unlike So You Think You Can Dance, there's no age limit – and contestants ranged from small children to 90-something-year-olds. And any form of dance is acceptable. Abdul said she simply wants to see "amazing people who live in their own unique abilities."

So the standard for judging seems very subjective, to make an understatement. Plus, there aren't separate categories for individuals, groups, and pairs – the winner can come from any of the three. I'd think it would be impossible to judge such a competition. Which makes me question again why all these shows are so wedded to the competition format. This one did kind of have a variety-show feel to it, which was nice.

You can't really judge many of these contestants from any kind of technique perspective. How can you judge the 90-year-old woman who'd been accepted into the Rockettes what – 70 years ago, and who was just picking back up her young adulthood passion, after her lifelong husband passed away. She could barely move but she could move and that was fantastic. Plus her story – her husband went off to serve in WWII and she had to quit dance to work – nearly made me cry.

And then there was the little girl who tried out in – not sure what style to call it – very earthy-looking ballet without ballet shoes – and who I personally thought shouldn't have advanced to the semis. She was certainly flexible (as most children are) and she could turn, but her feet and lines were a mess and she really needs training. But she wanted it so badly and she was so sweet, and how do you say no to a child?

And then there were all those groups – mostly hip hop, one from Cuba that was kind of Latin / contemporary – and how do you compare the theatrics of those, who take up the whole stage, to what one individual can accomplish on it?

And had anyone heard of that White Tree Fine Art -  the only ballet company we saw? A pair from the company tried out, and the woman said they'd worked with Michael Smuin before he passed away. I hadn't heard of them before and thought they were decent, but may have been better if they'd just stuck to classical instead of trying to do something more poppy. I know they were trying to show Travis Payne, who was critical of ballet, calling it "extreme," that they could make it contemporary, but sometimes that can really backfire. I do love that Kimberly Wyatt liked them so much, and snapped at Payne, insisting ballet is the basis of all dance. So ballet fans know we have at least one person in the world of popular dance we can count on!

I don't know. I'm going to have to hold off on my verdict until seeing more. So far I think it works as a variety-style show, but not so well as a competition.

I'm on the Lit Chick Show!

I'm very psyched to be this week's guest on the Lit Chick Show, a wonderful Australian-based literary website, which stands for literary chicks, not chick lit , and which has hosted interviews with people like Smashwords founder Mark Coker and bestselling indie author Vicki Tyley. A huge thank you to author and host Sylvia Massara for having me!

Check out the show's archives for other author interviews – they have several months' worth. And, if you're one of this blog's readers who happens to be an author, you can get involved in Authors Helping Authors.

Cory Stearns Promoted to Principal at ABT

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ABT has just announced via Facebook that Cory Stearns has been promoted to principal dancer. Above, as Romeo in photo by Rosalie O'Connor.

British Ballet Stars on "Black Swan"

"You can tell they did some research. Some of the smaller details, like the broken toenails and the way Nina works on her ballet shoes [scoring the soles, breaking down the blocked toes], were accurate. And I've seen dancers get paranoid, just like Nina, when they miss a rehearsal and find someone else has been standing in for them – although obviously not to the point where they smash the rival dancer in the mirror and drag her into the toilet by the ankles."

Haha!

Black Swan hasn't yet opened in the U.K. (it will in about two weeks, according to this post) but The Guardian's Judith Mackrell invited several top dancers from the Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet to accompany her to a press preview.

They're all, like Gillian Murphy, pretty critical of the film, calling it exaggerated and cliched. I wonder how the British public will react.

Writers Cake!

How sweet is this cake! Last night was the annual Writers Room party, where all the books published by Writers Room members throughout the past year are honored. The Writers Room of NYC, by the way, is the oldest and largest writers' colony in the country. A membership gives you a quiet space in which to write 24/7, seminars and little lectures from time to time, and group readings at local cafes that you can participate in. Those readings have always been really helpful to me.

Anyway, since Swallow was published so late last year, they waited till this year to celebrate it with the 2010 books. I love how they did the cover of the cake – the top layer with images of all of our book covers was actually edible.

Amanda Hocking Interview

I have an interview up today on the Huffington Post with mega bestselling indie novelist / wunderkind Amanda Hocking (pictured above). If anyone likes to read paranormal romance or urban fantasy, you should seriously check her out. She's only 26 and she has a number of bestselling books out.