After the fourth looong day of ABT's intensive today, I spent a really nice night at NYCB.
An ABT update first...we had modern class today (which wasn't particularly thrilling for me...I'll stick with ballet for the moment please) and we've been working quick and hard in rehearsals for the showing at the end. Swan Lake is coming along...I'm a "little swan" so I'm slightly separate from the big corps some of the time, which is nice. Not sure yet if we'll get to do the variation though (I did little swans back one summer when I was like 13! a lifetime ago...). It's pretty though. Also the contemporary piece we're doing I really like. Some of it is our own choreography with a smaller group, and one girl in my trio is from France and barely speaks English! It was really interesting to work to put movement together with the language barrier...it proved that dance is the universal language because the teacher said our group was one of the strongest in terms of communication and getting it together, haha. Thought that was amusing.
Moving on.
I ran straight from the studio to the theater for a dinner event at NYCB that my editor at ExploreDance invited me to. My friend and I enjoyed a mini buffet while listening to Daniel Ulbricht and Erica Pereira (she went to BAE before me) speak about Jerome Robbins and the ballets on tonight's program.
THEN the highlight of my week - we got to take a short tour of backstage, and since whatever rehearsal was going on had just finished, we got to WALK ONSTAGE at State Theater!!! Wow. It was amazing. Like the moment I walked onstage at The Met last spring as a super with ABT. Just wow. Both theaters are gorgeous, and the Met is much bigger in the wings and immediately offstage, but State Theater is so beautiful. What a fun opportunity. Now if I could only get to dance up there, haha.
While chatting in the lobby I ran into fellow blogger Ariel. Nice to see you!
The performance was great, of course. Our tickets were actually for the 3rd ring, where I've never sat before. Press tix are usually in the orchestra, and if I do student rush it's usually way up at the top in the back rows. The 3rd ring, dead center, is like the perfect seat.
My real review will come for ExploreDance soon. "Interplay" was fun and energetic. "Ives, Songs" was as long and dull as when I reviewed it in the winter season. "I'm Old Fashioned" was glamorous and one of my new favorite Robbins works!
More details of the evening and performance to come.
Busy weekend ahead even though I'm beat from finishing my first week of the intensive. Tomorrow we have seminars to attend in the morning (one about pointe shoes, the other about the new ABT national curriculum). Then being the crazy person that I am, I'm taking my usual weekend classes that I take, even though my aching foot is telling me I should take a day off since I have the time.
Ah well.
Sunday showing at Ailey, then back to the grind at ABT all next week!
3 comments:
Hi Taylor! I'm familiar with you and your writing, your completely crazy, busy, smart,talented always-doing-something life from The Winger.
"I'm Old Fashioned" is one of my all time favorite Robbins ballets. So creative and absolutely magical at the end.
I love the music and interactions in Interplay. It was done at SAB workshop many years ago when I was a student there. (emphasis on many!)
"we had modern class today (which wasn't particularly thrilling for me...I'll stick with ballet for the moment please)"
I hear you loud and clear! I've given Modern a go on several occasions. My body does ballet.
Nice to see you too Taylor!
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