Buddy

Another quick response. Here I believe you can see the delightfully wonderful aura that a child or young person can bring, almost creating a dance form of its own. I wrote this else: “This is the most charming example of ‘pure’ ‘Lyrical’ or ‘Lyrical Dance’ that I’ve yet seen. It’s performed by the granddaughter of Jacques d’Amboise, Shelby Mann, at the age of eleven. It’s ‘Lyrical’ because of its closeness to ballet without actually being ballet.” ** Start at 40:40 **

Hi, Fonty, and thanks for your question and interest. I’ll try to give you a very quick reply that I hope that I can elaborate on later. This entire topic, from my standpoint, is in part an exploration of I what I would like to call ‘Lyrical Dance’. It’s an area that overlaps and derives from ballet, thus its inclusion at this Forum. An essential thing that I don’t believe that I’ve really touched on is a childlike or childhood element. The Sesame Street video that I posted is intended to at least give a feeling of this and an introduction into this world of beauty, charm and wonder. The dancing that’s included loosely falls into a more quiet style that I relate to ‘Lyrical Dance’ in contrast to much more animated and gymnastic styles such as breakdancing, which for the moment, anyway, I wouldn’t include. Again, at times, what I write is an exploration, which I hope might develop into more defined and developed examples. I will try to go into your question more at another time.

Sesame Street: "A New Way to Walk" with Destiny's Child (Beyoncé on our right) 😊

Thanks, Roberta, for the glances of the building. The facade has been in the process of being cleaned for over a year and is intended to be uncovered in time for the Olympics. The ceiling of the seating area is covered by a magnificent work by Marc Chagall, that’s not shown. During intermissions one evening last summer, I sat there marveling at it and taking pictures. I consider it to be, perhaps, the most beautiful building in France.

This one is powerful ! And it is a masterpiece ! It’s part of the poetry of life that says that Beauty can transcend. It does here. From the video clip introduction — “In her autobiography Dancing Spirit, Ms. Jamison wrote: "Exactly where the woman is going through the ballet's three sections was never explained to me by Alvin. In my interpretation, she represented those women before her who came from the hardships of slavery, through the pain of losing loved ones, through overcoming extraordinary depressions and tribulations. Coming out of a world of pain and trouble, she has found her way-and triumphed.” ” This is an officially released video clip from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. There’s also an unofficially posted one of the entire work, which I really recommend if you can’t see an actual performance or are unable to buy a compilation video (which would be great, as this company, like so many artistic ones, can really use the proceeds.)

Here’s a review by Catherine Pawlick at Vaganova Today mentioning Valeria Kuznetsova’s debut. “On 03 April, Andrey Ermakov danced a noble Spartacus, infusing the role less with vim and vigor than with quiet determination and pride. Valeria Kuznetsova, an impossibly tall and long-limbed Perm Academy graduate, debuted in the role of Phrygia, Spartacus’ wife. With height that matches Ermakov’s stature well on stage, she did justice to the wrenching monologue in the final scene, a dramatic challenge for even seasoned ballerinas.” https://www.vaganovatoday.com/spartacus-love-and-war-on-stage-april-2024/#more-1361

Valeria Kuznetsova (Please see recent posts above starting November 22 and ones starting around June 15) An exciting recognition for her ! At the Mariinsky, Wednesday, April 3, she debuted as Phrygia in Spartacus, also featuring Renata Shakirova (Aegina) and Andrei Yermakov (Spartacus) https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/2024/4/3/2_1900/ (Thanks to Enya at Dansomanie)

This seems quite charming. (Maybe 'amazing' is a better word) She’s ‘animated.’ China’s next Taylor Swift ? 🙂 Luo Tianyi (洛天依) is a Chinese Vocaloid "According to her short anime series, Luo Tianyi is an angel who came to earth with a mission to spread music throughout the world. Tianyi can detect "the song of your heart" (心中的歌声) and it can be interpreted as the strongest emotion a person has at the moment or a melody that represents them. Even if people cannot express the melody themselves, Tianyi can still hear it and sing it." https://vocaloid.fandom.com/wiki/Luo_Tianyi#:~:text=Luo Tianyi became popular in,large fandom in the country. "Angels don't play a very significant role in Buddhism with most references being found in East Asian art or folklore instead of religious texts." https://medium.com/mythic-writes/angels-a-comprehensive-guide-2746bb5ab59 Vocaloid concerts Basically, a projector is set up to show the character that's supposed to be singing. Vocaloid concerts typically feature the use of holographic technology to project the animated avatars of the Vocaloid singers onto the stage. These avatars are accompanied by live musicians and sometimes backup dancers. The concerts are often synchronized with pre-recorded vocals and choreography, creating a unique blend of live performance and digital animation. Fans attend these concerts to experience the music and visuals of their favorite Vocaloid characters in a live setting. https://www.quora.com/How-do-Vocaloid-concerts-work#:~:text=Basically%2C a projector is set,played on a back track. Added: This might be similar to the "ABBA Voyage" show that's now in London and that I hope to see this summer. Has anyone seen it ?

In further regard to the dance from China posted yesterday and my latest post, I’d like again to offer this description of ‘Classical Dance’ from China. “When talking about Chinese classical or traditional dance nowadays, it refers to Chinese classical/traditional dance at present, or to say, modern Chinese classical/traditional dance, because there is no such terminology like classical dance in the old days. I think the term “classical dance” is borrowed from the Western classical ballet and is mainly applied after 1950s. Therefore I prefer to use Chinese traditional dance, still, it’s a kind of modern traditional dance.” http://www.forum-dansomanie.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4284&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 I’d maybe call it ‘Contemporary Classical/Traditional.’ In fact, except for a couple brief periods of time in China’s long cultural history, ‘artistic’ dance didn’t exist by itself, outside song-dance, until about a hundred years ago. I do associate its refined gracefulness with Western Classical. From the many videos that I’ve looked at, ‘Contemporary Classical/Traditional Dance’ from China is very much centered around the beauty in day to day life and a love of nature. I think that this shows in the dance that I just posted, which is a dance that emulates the beautiful motion of fish circling through the water. I tend to like this overall aesthetic very much and the ‘Lyrical’ way that it’s performed in dance from China.

In regard to the beautiful dance video from China posted above, or the entire "Lyrical Dance" Topic, what’s this next one doing here ? First, these did appear a day after the post. And second, let’s just say that great works of art have to have inspirations. And from the New York Times. "100,000 Live Salmon Spilled Off a Truck. Most Landed in a Creek and Lived." "The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said on Tuesday that one of its tankers was in an accident on March 29, resulting in the escape of thousands of live salmon that were being moved as part of a federal and state program to replenish stocks depleted by dams." https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/03/us/salmon-truck-creek-oregon.html?te=1&nl=the-morning&emc=edit_nn_20240404

I agree, Jan. I think that they’re ‘magically’ beautiful. As long as their safety is looked after to the maximum, they don’t go higher and they don’t get too acrobatic, I’m okay. The way that they handle the demanding athleticism with such artistry is quite wonderful.

Life as a Dance (cont) (music by Paul McCartney) (sung by Paul McCartney) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeGupAqD_30 I wish I could have seen this. If I were in London for a few days, this is where I would have been. Maybe this summer there will be something left.

You can find some great ‘dancing’ here, if you view life as a dance. Paul McCartney — Photographer — “Eyes of the Storm” Beautifully intimate photography ! Great book !

The above video clip, besides being a very charming young girls’ ‘backyard’ performance, is absolutely what I would want to call ‘Lyrical Dance’. Also, looking at each girl somewhat more carefully, there seems to be an impressive amount of talent. The tall blond girl does a gorgeously statuesque move balanced on one foot, at 6:22 and 8:40, that if further developed (in my opinion) could be some of the finest sculptural motion that I’ve seen. All these young girls, from my brief glances, already well instructed, could go on to be finely matured dancers. I hope that they stay with it. They're also just fine the way that they are now.

Renata Shakirova -- New Mariinsky Principal -- Brava ! https://www.mariinsky.ru/news1/2024/march/10/ (thanks to Sophia at Dansomanie) Google Translate: https://translate.google.com/?sl=ru&tl=en&op=translate

Thanks, Bruce, for these optimistic thoughts. Here are a few sentences from what I’ve added elsewhere: As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve long envisioned a more 'dreamlike' sort of Wheeldon-Whelan aesthetic emerging at NYCB in addition to the great George Balanchine heritage and beyond….Ever since the first time that I saw video clips of Wendy Whelan performing “After The Rain” I was embraced. From what I’ve read Wendy Whelan worked through its creation with Christopher Wheeldon, adding her elements of physicality. Now that she’s NYCB’s Associate Artistic Director (also in charge of new works, I believe) this seems more possible than ever. As she says in the above Instagram glimpse, she wants to continue dancing as well as creating. Why not do the both together as she did with Christopher Wheeldon ?

Can I do somewhat of an aside for a moment ? I’ve been hoping for this sort of thing at New York City Ballet. What will the future tell ? Marina Harss from DanceTabs: “I was even more surprised by how moved I was by the final piece on the program, Wheeldon’s The Two of Us, for Sara Mearns and David Hallberg….I’ve never seen a more sincere, open-hearted, grounded work from Wheeldon. Or such natural performances from these dancers, particularly Hallberg.” https://dancetabs.com/2020/10/ny-fall-for-dance-2020-digital-program-1-including-premieres-by-jamar-roberts-and-christopher-wheeldon/ Wendy Whelan “Wendy, the associate artistic director of @nycballet, where she was formerly a principal, isn’t sure how performing will fit into her life. But she knows this: “If time works for me, moving is the best thing,” she told the #nytimes dance critic @giadk. “I just want to feel good….” (see video) https://www.instagram.com/p/B393C_MHhhB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=invalid&ig_rid=93b4cae3-0cd5-4f89-be40-956854b151da Christopher Wheeldon-Wendy Whelan — “After The Rain” See 14:10

Wendy Whelan “I just want to feel good….” https://www.instagram.com/p/B393C_MHhhB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=invalid&ig_rid=93b4cae3-0cd5-4f89-be40-956854b151da

Jeannette (and Bruce, thank you) since you got me started on Alexei Ratmansky you might enjoy my somewhat lighthearted take at today’s comments. https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/47963-cool/#comment-452020

Africa Guzman´s Sweet and Bitter (Pas de Deux) - Ballet West

In regard to Olga Smirnova again, perhaps lost for the moment, because of the very intense political situation, is that she remains once of the finest products of the Russian ballet ever. She did perform Raymonda several times in December with the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam, performances that should have highlighted her ‘classical’ wonderfulness to the maximum. In a Royal Academy of Dance interview about a month ago she states that through her coach Larissa Lezhnina, former First Soloist at the Mariinsky, she hopes to help preserve the Saint Petersburg’s ballet style and tradition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLak7u3Xm20 For the moment there are no future performances listed at her site. I also wish that Xander Parish's group had stayed together. I haven't heard a thing about it since its very promising 'debut' in Costa Mesa, California in November, 2022. Maybe it could still be reformed. Does anyone have any insight into this ? https://pointemagazine.com/reunited-in-dance-xander-parish/

Thanks, Jeannette, for all your thoughts, information and insights. “Russian Seasons” is an early Ratmansky work and is so loaded with nonstop, amazing choreography that it might include a large backlog of ideas. The agility of his mind and creativity is highly impressive here. This is a quick, officially posted glimpse of NYCB’s Maria Kowrowski, who along with Wendy Whelan (seen by you), were two of the most capable NYCB ballerinas, that I’ve seen live, to possess the sensitivity that this work merits. https://www.facebook.com/nycballet/videos/flash-footage-maria-kowrowski-in-alexi-ratmanskys-russian-seasons/10160194344490529/ As for seeing the Bolshoi someday overseas, since I believe that you travel a lot, you could have caught Raymonda in Oman in January, as reported by FionaM. Looks like it was a good one. https://bolshoi.ru/en/news/guest-appearance/7067-Oman-tour-2024-01/ And we do have Olga Smirnova. She appeared two days ago at a Ukraine gala at the London Paladium and is scheduled to appear at the Ballet Icons Gala, London Coliseum, March 17. What an amazing talent she is ! https://balleticonsgala.com/