Tonya Plank's Blog, page 42

ALL DAY AT ABT: ALL AMERICAN AND ALL ASHTON PROGRAMS

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Last Saturday I had my first crazy ABT day where I spent the whole day at Lincoln Center, seeing both matinee and evening performances. I'll do the same tomorrow with two Sleeping Beauties – can't miss Alina Cojocaru (who I've never seen before) guesting from the Royal Ballet in the lead, and then in the evening the spectacular Natalia Osipova.

Anyway, last Saturday the matinee was their All-American program; the evening was the All-Ashton. The All-American opened with Twyla Tharp's...

ALEX WONG WOWS JUDGES & AUD IN FIRST COMP ON SYTYCD

With this. Wow. He's not just an excellent dancer with superb technique – which you'd expect of a Miami City Ballet principal of course! He just danced that with so much meaning. So much more than the rest of them. That was really wonderful. And thank you to Adam Shankman for getting the name of his company right [image error]

So, as for the new format of the show: well, if it's going to be this way throughout the season – where the returning dancers dance their specialty – then I'm okay with it. I...

DANCE YOUR ASS OFF SEASON TWO PREMIERES

I don't think I'm going to have much time to write about season two of Oxygen Network's Dance Your Ass Off (Spice Girl Mel B is hosting this time around; she competed on Dancing With the Stars a couple seasons ago with Maks), but I invite you to keep up with the show by reading my friend Marie's detailed BDC re-caps.

MORPHOSES REHEARSAL – JESSICA LANG MAKES ME WANT TO DANCE AGAIN…

Tonight I was invited by the Guggenheim Works & Process peeps to a Morphoses rehearsal. Funny, I kept expecting Christopher Wheeldon to be there… but of course he wasn't. This was really special because it was a first rehearsal; the dancers were just meeting the two choreographers whose work they'll be performing in September in Martha's Vineyard, and in October here in NY. I've never been to a rehearsal that early before – usually the choreographers don't want an audience until the work is c...

NATALIA OSIPOVA MUGGED

I really hesitate to post this in case my mom still reads my blog. She's an avid Law and Order watcher and she's always thinking if I go for 24 hours without calling or emailing her it must be because something's happened to me like what happens to everyone on Law and Order, and because L&A is on every day and I live in the same city, every day, every hour in New York City people must be getting attacked and going missing and what not…

Anyway, according to the New York Times, none other than N...

TWO MORE NYCB PREMIERES: "LUCE NASCOSTA" AND "CALL ME BEN"

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It's been a season of new ballets and principal dancer farewells at New York City Ballet, and, between that and all the goings-on at ABT, it's hard to keep up! I realized when meeting a blog reader yesterday at Philip Neal's farewell performance (so nice to meet you, Vanessa!) that I hadn't yet written about the last two premieres and people were waiting. I was going to wait until I'd seen each once again, but at least with one of them I won't get that chance since there was a programming...

PHILIP NEAL'S FAREWELL PERFORMANCE

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Yesterday afternoon, Philip Neal gave his farewell performance with New York City Ballet.  He's been a principal with the company since 1993. He danced two of Balanchine's most beautiful ballets — Serenade (photo above, with Jenifer Ringer), and Chaconne (below, with Wendy Whelan). In Serenade, he danced the part of the guy whom the fallen girl falls for, and he danced the main male lead in Chaconne. He and Wendy danced so beautifully in that. It was the absolutely perfect  ballet to end...

CONGRATS TO BILL T. JONES FOR HIS 2010 BEST CHOREOGRAPHER TONY

For Fela! (which I said before and will say again, is one of the best Broadway musicals I've ever seen).

Also, Memphis (the show Danny Tidwell danced in) won for best musical.

DANNY TIDWELL AND "BAD BOYS" OPEN USA INTERNATIONAL BALLET COMP

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Danny Tidwell, who's currently performing with Rasta Thomas's Bad Boys of Dance, carried the Olympic-like torch last night in the opening ceremonies of the USA International Ballet Competition, in Jackson Mississippi. Later in the evening, he performed there with Bad Boys (who are in the midst of an Australian tour). The prestigious competition – which I was invited to and really wanted to go – continues through June 27th.

Photo taken from Rickey.

THE INFLUENCE OF SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE ON DANCE STUDIOS

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Interesting article by Claudia La Rocco in the NY Times about the influence of SYTYCD on studios. (I missed SYTYCD this week; had really wanted to watch Thursday night but was at New York City Ballet all settled in my seat excitedly waiting for the premiere of Mauro Bigonzetti's Luce Nascosta when I realized I'd forgotten to tape it).

Anyway, regarding this article: I have noticed in the last few Dance Times Square performance showcases that there have been several student / pro hip hop and...