Tag: Craig Salstein

Gallery: Intermezzo Dance Company

Above: Amber Neff, Abi Stafford (NYC Ballet principal), and Shoshana Rosenfield in Craig Salstein’s THE MYTH OF SISYPHUS; photo by Sarah Sterner

On January 17th and 18th, 2015, Intermezzo Dance Company, founded and directed by ABT soloist Craig Salstein, offered a programme of works by five choreographers at Columbia University’s Miller Theatre. The theme of the evening, From Myth to Philosophy, was echoed in a gallery of artwork by four New York City-based artists in the theatre lobby.

Since I was involved in the planning stages of the programme, I feel I cannot write a review per se, beyond saying that the five ballets were well-contrasted in style and music, and that there was some very fine dancing to be seen.

Photographer Sarah Sterner has provided some images from the Myth to Philosophy programme, and I am sharing them here as a representation of the works performed and the dancers who took part:

Mauro Villanueva in Craig Salstein’s THE MYTH OF SISYPHUS

Amber Neff in Craig Salstein’s THE MYTH OF SISYPHUS

ABT’s Nicole Graniero with the Intermezzo ensemble in Gemma Bond’s MYTHOLOGY

Tanner Schwartz in Gemma Bond’s MYTHOLOGY

Rina Barrantes, Alfredo Solivan, and Temple Kemezis in Cherylyn Lavagnino’s HERA’S WRATH

Temple Kemezis and Rina Barrantes in Cherylyn Lavagnino’s HERA’S WRATH

Kaitlyn Gilliland in Adam Hendrickson’s BLACK IS THE COLOUR OF MY TRUE LOVE’S HAIR

Kaitlyn Gilliland in Adam Hendrickson’s BLACK IS THE COLOUR OF MY TRUE LOVE’S HAIR

Nicole Graniero (ABT) in Ja’ Malik’s JOURNEY TO PANDORA

Oliver Swan-Jackson in Ja’ Malik’s JOURNEY TO PANDORA

Rina Barrantes, Nancy Richer, and Giselle Alvarez in Ja’ Malik’s JOURNEY TO PANDORA

Nicole Graniero in Ja’ Malik’s JOURNEY TO PANDORA

All photos by Sarah Sterner.

January 27, 2015
Claudia Schreier’s HARMONIC

Above: from Claudia Schreier’s ballet HARMONIC; photo by Lindsay Perry

Claudia Schreier’s award-winning ballet HARMONIC is now on YouTube. Watch it here.

Originally created for Columbia Ballet Collaborative and later staged for Craig Salstein’s Intermezzo Dance Company’s performances at Vassar, HARMONIC comes to us in this video from the 2014 Breaking Glass competition for female choreographers. Nicole Graniero (ABT), Edward Spots, Nadia Vostrikov and Amber Neff are seen dancing to a magical score: “Motion” by Douwe Eisenga.

HARMONIC won the 2014 Breaking Glass award which provides Claudia with an opportunity to create/present a full evening of dance, to take place in Summer 2015; details of that performance will be forthcoming.

More of Lindsay Perry’s images from HARMONIC as performed at the 2014 Breaking Glass Project:

Nicole Graniero in the ballet’s opening moments

Nadia Vostrikov

Edward Spots and Nicole Graniero

September 28, 2014
Premiere Performance: Intermezzo Dance Company

Friday October 18th, 2013 – Since I was involved in the early planning stages of these first performances by Craig Salstein’s Intermezzo Dance Company. I can’t really write about their premiere performance tonight at the 92nd Street Y with any sense of detachment – not that we should ever be detached from dance. But of course I loved the music – the Verdi string quartet and a fantasia on themes from his opera A MASKED BALL (all played live by the Wyrick Quartet) – and the choreographers and dancers all came thru with flying colours. And the audience was simply loaded with dance-world celebrities.

With three sold-out performances, Intermezzo‘s off to a fine start, and I know Craig has some exciting future plans – which can’t, as yet, be announced.

Hopefully I’ll soon have some production photos to share.

October 18, 2013
Rehearsal: Intermezzo Dance Company

Above: Shoshana Rosenfield and Kurt Froman rehearsing for Intermezzo Dance Company; click on the image to enlarge.

Thursday August 29th, 2013 – Craig Salstein, founder of Intermezzo Dance Company, invited me to a Company rehearsal today at the ABT Studios. Choreographers Lisa de Ribere and Gemma Bond were working on the 2nd and 4th movements – respectively – of the Verdi string quartet which will be shown at Intermezzo‘s premiere performances in October.

Intermezzo Dance Company will debut at the 92nd Street Y with a programme celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great Italian opera composer Giueseppe Verdi. Craig Salstein, a serious opera-lover, will honor the Maestro with a setting of the composer’s string quartet as well as a fantasia of melodies from the dramatic opera UN BALLO IN MASCHERA (A Masked Ball), specially arranged for these performances. Four choreographers – Marcelo Gomes, Lisa de Ribere, Adam Hendrickson and Gemma Bond – will each set a movement of the quartet, while BALLO will be choreographed by Raymond Lukens. Tickets for the performances are on sale now: click here to order.

Craig has put together a handsome roster of dancers, including established favorites and some exciting newcomers. It was great to see everyone today, and if they were for the most part moving too fast for my camera to capture, I do have a few images to share:

Kurt Froman

Aran Bell warming up

Shoshana Rosenfield and Nancy Richer

Nadezhda Vostrikov, Carlos Lopez and Kaitlyn Gilliland

Nancy Richer, Rina Barrantes

Kaitlyn Gilliland, Stephen Hanna and Nadia Vostrikov getting notes from Gemma Bond

Kaitlyn!

Carlos and Nadia

Striking a melodramatic pose: Carlos Lopez

Rina, Kaitlyn and Stephen

Aran Bell

Carlos and Nadia, one of my few actual dance shots that turned out

Kaitlyn Gilliland and Sarah James

Nancy Richer, Gemma Bond

Carlos Lopez. I met Carlos this past Spring when he danced with Lydia Johnson Dance.

Another of the Intermezzo choreographers, Adam Hendickson, is creating the 3rd movement of the string quartet as a pas de deux for Kaitlyn Gilliland and Stephen Hanna. I’m hoping to watch a rehearsal of this part of the programme soon.

Meanwhile, a short film featuring all the Intermezzo dancers moving to music from Verdi’s NABUCCO is in the works.

August 30, 2013
DIY Dancer Interviews Craig Salstein

Craig Salstein, soloist at ABT, talks about his new enterprise Intermezzo Dance Company in an interview at DIY Dancer here.

Photo: A Capella Pictures

July 16, 2013