Arts reporting and criticism from journalist Laura Bleiberg
“Les millions d’Arléquin” was a fluff-ball of a ballet, popular with audiences from its debut in 1900 until its last performance in 1929. It had a goofy comedic story, a lovely score by Italian composer Riccardo Drigo and unvarnished yet gracious choreography from the French-Russian ballet master, Marius Petipa. Now, American Ballet Theatre has staged …
Continue reading Review: Misty, Calvin & ABT’s ‘Harlequinade’
It’s the day before Christmas and so, no surprise, the question has come up, “Laura, how many times have you seen the ‘Nutcracker’?” I haven’t keep count. More than 200? Could be. But I continue to go—and not just because I have to. I guess it must be something like love. That’s the case with …
Just a quick reminder that Dance Camera West, Los Angeles' screen-dance festival, and To the Sea: Dance Concerts at the Santa Monica Pier run through Sunday. I made it to Friday's (4/13) To the Sea performance and sitting at the end of the pier is a remarkable--and utterly unique--place to see a dance concert. The …
The Orange County contemporary dance company Backhausdance celebrates its 15th anniversary this year and artistic director Jenny Backhaus is taking a bit of a break from creating the bulk of the group’s repertory. This strikes me more as an evolutionary development than a major sea change. I’ve been watching the company’s development almost from its …
I don’t often do dance two-fers, but Saturday, Feb. 3 offered a tantalizing opportunity by two different companies and I didn’t want to have to choose between them. So what to do? Go to both, naturally. As the late afternoon shadows stretched to about double one’s size, and encroaching ocean breezes chilled the warm daylight, …
I have been a San Francisco Ballet fan since the early 1980s, when Michael Smuin ran the company. I was living in the city and had a ballet subscription. They have only gotten better since then, growing into one of this country’s most distinguished classical companies. Sadly, they infrequently come south to perform here. We’re …
The Music Center last week presented “The Nutcracker” for the first time in five years. The two-act ballet premiered in Russia in 1892, but, as we all know, it ended up becoming a holiday obsession here in the U.S. instead. (Read Jennifer Fisher’s excellent book “Nutcracker Nation” to find out how that happened.) Rachel Moore, …
Continue reading Not a review: Thoughts on Miami City Ballet & George Balanchine’s ‘Nutcracker’
