Over the last couple of weeks, I've seen two very different dance performances, but both were wonderful. The first was at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, which is changing its name to honour its biggest patron. The program was Reflections, bringing together 6 ballerinas who trained with the Bolshoi Academy. A few of them are now with other dance companies, while the rest perform with the Bolshoi. The best known of these are Natalia Osipova, Polina Semionova and Maria Kochetkova. Four men who also trained with the Bolshoi joined them, including Ivan Vasiliev, the best known of the four. Each of the women was able to choose a contemporary choreographer to work with on creating a new piece. The evening was completed with Remansos by Nacho Duato, Pas de Trois by Balanchine and a wonderful new piece by Mauro Bigonzetti. This program made for a very long evening.
I had different reactions to the various premieres, some I loved, others were not so strong, but the dancing was of such a high calibre by every dancer that it took your breath away. They have such complete and total control over their bodies that they make every move look easy and fluid. One of my favourite moments, though, came from Vasiliev. The men's roles in the program were mostly supporting, but he danced in the Pas de Trois, and when it came time for his solo passes, he brought such amazing elevation, it was like gravity had no pull on him. Of course, the audience went wild! He made sure that in this female-centric show he brought some attention to what strong male dancing can be.
And then for something completely different, Grupo Corpo, a Brazilian modern dance company came to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. I really didn't know what to expect from this group. I had read good things about them, and I figured, there would be at least some good Brazilian music. Well they were a wonderful surprise. Their dancing is completely unique, absolutely Brazilian and not like any modern style I've seen. There was very little posing or falling, and the dancers were almost in constant motion. Groups would form out of the same 3 or 4 people on a stage just by changing who was doing the same choreography, and dancers came in and out of groups simply by changing what they were dancing. The dancing was very light and airy, not grounded and earthbound, with lots of turning, jumping, some martial arts-like movements mixed with very balletic steps. The costumes were very simple and body-revealing, and the stage was mostly set with lighting (changing colours in one piece, dramatic use of spotlights in the other).
They performed two pieces, both very compelling, but there was a strong similarity to both pieces which made me wonder about how different their various pieces might be.
The audience was filled with Brazilians. There was a lot of chatter in Portuguese during the interval and the audience definitely had a distinctive dress code, very different from the usual ballet crowd!
29 January 2011
Killer onion rings!
Earlier this week, I went to The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with BDA, a design firm we are working with (and where I actually worked before coming to WB). The evening started at the Library Bar, which is a dark little room off of the Hollywood Blvd. entrance. This is not a place to go if you are in a hurry for a drink. Luckily, we were there on the early side. There are no drink menus. You tell the bartender what you like (either flavours or preferred drinks) and he mixes something up for you, which takes some time. In addition to the usual mix of liquors, the bar top is lined with all kinds of fresh herbs and various ingredients from the local farmer's market. The room is black and silver, with two small seating areas.
After our drinks, we needed some sustenance. We first headed to the Tropicana, which is the pool side bar, but it was a little chilly. We'll have to check this place out when it gets warmer. On the way to the Tropicana, we had passed 25 degrees, so we headed back there. This is a diner-y place for drinks, burgers and the like. The walls are covered with red velvet flocked wall paper and leather booths line the back. Burgers can be custom made, with any of 3 patties (sirloin, turkey, veggie), a long list of artisanal cheeses, toppings and sauces. I had a sirloin with a goat milk gouda from California. We also ordered onion rings, regular french fries and sweet potato fries for the table. The sweet potato fries were quite good, and the burger was delicious with that cheese, but the onion rings were insane! The batter was flaky and crisp with a definite bite, which was from cayenne pepper. We all agreed these may be the best onion rings we've ever had! I only got through about half my burger so I'm looking forward to leftovers this weekend!
After our drinks, we needed some sustenance. We first headed to the Tropicana, which is the pool side bar, but it was a little chilly. We'll have to check this place out when it gets warmer. On the way to the Tropicana, we had passed 25 degrees, so we headed back there. This is a diner-y place for drinks, burgers and the like. The walls are covered with red velvet flocked wall paper and leather booths line the back. Burgers can be custom made, with any of 3 patties (sirloin, turkey, veggie), a long list of artisanal cheeses, toppings and sauces. I had a sirloin with a goat milk gouda from California. We also ordered onion rings, regular french fries and sweet potato fries for the table. The sweet potato fries were quite good, and the burger was delicious with that cheese, but the onion rings were insane! The batter was flaky and crisp with a definite bite, which was from cayenne pepper. We all agreed these may be the best onion rings we've ever had! I only got through about half my burger so I'm looking forward to leftovers this weekend!
13 January 2011
Hair!
A tour company of this show is playing at the Pantages this month. What a fun show! And so much more contemporary than I imagined. I pictured a fun show with hippies and cool music, which this was. However, the show was also surprisingly relevant. Yesterday was the memorial service in Tucson for the victims of the mass shooting. I had been listening to President Obama's speech just before dinner. The very first song, Age of Aquarius, starts by predicting a time of peace and love. Apparently we're still waiting for that time. The things that made Hair! shocking in 1967 (drugs, sex, nudity, irreverence towards the flag, etc.) may not be so shocking to us. People can wear their hair at any length now, but there's always something that young kids are wearing that leads their elders to despair. And we may not have the draft anymore, but there are still young people who are in the military because they have very few choices in life who are fighting wars in strange and far away places.
The performers come off the stage and into the audience a lot throughout the show, sometimes talking to audience members or dancing with them. The Pantages is a huge theatre, so the effect of this is more muted than if we had been in a smaller theatre (for example similar to my experience at Fela! in New York in October). Many of the people in the audience looked like they could have been around to see the original show back in the late 60s. At the end of the show, which ends with the refrain Let The Sunshine In, when the lights come back for the cast to take their bows, they play the refrain over and over again and wave the audience onto the stage and the entire stage fills up with people dancing. Those of us in the audience sang along swaying from side to side. A really amazing experience.
The performers come off the stage and into the audience a lot throughout the show, sometimes talking to audience members or dancing with them. The Pantages is a huge theatre, so the effect of this is more muted than if we had been in a smaller theatre (for example similar to my experience at Fela! in New York in October). Many of the people in the audience looked like they could have been around to see the original show back in the late 60s. At the end of the show, which ends with the refrain Let The Sunshine In, when the lights come back for the cast to take their bows, they play the refrain over and over again and wave the audience onto the stage and the entire stage fills up with people dancing. Those of us in the audience sang along swaying from side to side. A really amazing experience.
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