Tag: Lydia Johnson

Lydia Johnson Dance @ NYLA ~ 2022

Above: the dancers of Lydia Johnson Dance in Lydia Johnson’s For Eli; photo by Dmitry Beryzokin

Saturday September 17th, 2022 – Lydia Johnson Dance performing at New York Live Arts in Chelsea. Having missed two New York seasons due to the ongoing pandemic, the Company took the opportunity to appear at NYLA in September rather than wait until their accustomed performance time in the Spring: the dancers of course were anxious to perform again, and guest artist Craig Hall of New York City Ballet fame was available…so: on with the show!

Unfortunately, I was feeling sick and could not attend any of the performances; but I did see all four of the works being presented when I dropped in at a studio rehearsal the previous week. My friend Dmitry Beryozkin photographed the dress rehearsal, and sent me some images. So this is not a review, really, but simply a photo gallery.

The Company were not idle during the long shutdown: they spent a week at Kaatsbaan, where Lydia worked on new creations, they danced (outdoors) in Connecticut, and they gave a warmly-received studio showing at the Martha Graham Studio Westbeth on May 2022, previewing two new works: Glide Path and For Eli.

Glide Path opened tonight’s show: it’s set to music by the contemporary quartet ETHEL. Here are some of Dmitry’s evocative photos from the dress rehearsal of Glide Path:

Minseon Kim and Chazz Fenner-McBride

The ensemble of women

Katie Lohiya

Chazz Fenner-McBride and Willy Laury

Emily Sarkissian, Minseon Kim, Amanda Egan, Michael Miles, and Michelle L. Siegel

Willy Laury and Laura DiOrio

Laura DiOrio and Willy Laury

Next came For Eli, a poignant work commissioned by New Jersey-based artist Laura Lou Levy, in memory of her pianist-son Eli, who loved playing the music of Frédéric Chopin.

A series of Dmitry Beryozkin’s images from For Eli:

Michelle L. Siegel, Michael Miles, Minseon Kim, Amanda Egan, and Laura DiOrio

Willy Laury, Michael Miles, Katie Lohiya, Amanda Egan, and Minseon Kim

Katie Lohiya

Amanda Egan, Emily Sarkissian

Chazz Fenner-McBride and Willy Laury

Following the interval, Craig Hall joined Lydia’s dancers for Time…and again, a new work set to Oscar Peterson recordings of jazz standards. This marked a return engagement for the former New York City Ballet star, whose performances in Lydia’s haunting Night and Dreams in 2019, dancing with Laura DiOrio, were deeply moving. Craig and Laura have reunited for Time…and again, joined by three other couples for a series of duets.

Photos from this jazz work by Dmitry Beryozkin:

Katie Lohiya and McGee Maddox

Katie & McGee, Amanda & Laura, Minseon & Michael

Laura DiOrio & Craig Hall

‘

Craig Hall & Laura DiOrio

Laura & Craig

Amanda Egan & Chazz Fenner-McBride

Katie Lohiya & McGee Maddox

Crag Hall

Katie Lohiya with Michael, Laura, and Willy

The music of Henryk Górecki makes a colossal impression in the evening’s concluding work, Undercurrent. Here are some of Dmitry Beryozkin’s pictures from this ballet:

McGee Maddox, Chazz Fenner-McBride, and Michael Miles

Students from Lydia’s school participated in the finale of Undercurrent

The Company women in swirling red skirts

The full Company onstage

Michael Miles and Minseon Kim, center

Michael Miles and student dancer Stella Weihrauch

Laura DiOrio, aloft, as Undercurrent come to an end

All photos by Dmitry Beryozkin

~ Oberon

September 17, 2022
Lydia Johnson Dance ~ Retrospective

Above: the studio at Battery Dance where Lydia Johnson Dance rehearsed during the first years of our association; photo by Kokyat

It was on a March evening in 2009 that I first encountered the choreography of Lydia Johnson; a press invitation sent to me by publicist Audrey Ross had piqued my curiosity enough to prompt me to go – with my fellow blogger Evan Namerow – to a studio showing by Lydia Johnson Dance.

What I discovered that night was choreography that successfully melded elements of classical ballet and contemporary dance, that had a keen connection to the music, and that – rarest of all – had an emotional resonance that I had found in only a handful of works by current choreographers of the day.

Above: Tucker Ty Davis and Jessica Sand; photo by Julie Lemberger. Tucker and Jessica were among the dancers who appeared in that first-encounter studio event

I can’t remember now the sequence of correspondence between Lydia and myself that led to my being invited, along with my photographer/friend Kokyat, to a rehearsal of Lydia’s company down at the Battery Dance studios. At that time, Kokyat was a dance photographer in the making; he became a master over time. In the ensuing months, he and I spent many hours in that studio – so steeped in the very essence of dance – and we became friends with all the dancers…and with Lydia herself.

Here are some of Kokyat’s photos from those happy days at Battery Dance:

Eric Vlach, Jessica Sand

Lisa Iannacito and Jesse Marks

Jessica Sand

Robert Robinson, Jessica Sand

Jessica Sand

Lisa Iannacito

Laura Di Orio

Kerry Shea

Sean Patrick Mahoney, a guest artist from the Paul Taylor Dance Company, with Jessica Sand

Sarah Pon and Blake Hennessy-York, a young married couple who joined Lydia Johnson Dance and made it their artistic home

Guest artist Sean Patrick Mahoney

Guest artist Max van der Sterre with Kerry Shea

An early rehearsal of SUMMER HOUSE

Laura Di Orio, Kaitlin Accetta

Blake Hennessy-York and the ensemble

A rehearsal of CROSSINGS BY RIVER

Guest artist Max van der Sterre

Celebrating dancer Robert Robinson’s birthday

Lydia Johnson

Now for some of Kokyat’s onstage images of the Lydia Johnson Dance in works we saw in the first two or three seasons of our affiliation:

UNTITLED BACH (Shannon Maynor, Eric Vlach)

SUMMER HOUSE (Laura Di Orio, Robert Robinson)

Dancer Justin Lynch

DREAM SEQUENCE (Jesse Marks, center)

DUSK

END OF THE MOVIE (Erica Schweer, Laura Di Orio)

DUSK (Eric Vlach, Jessica Sand)

UNTITLED BACH (James Hernandez, Laura Di Orio)

IN CONVERSATION (Jessica Sand)

UNTITLED BACH (Robert Robinson, Jesse Marks)

LAMENT

DREAM SEQUENCE (Eric Vlach, Jessica Sand, James Hernandez, Laura Barbee).

IN CONVERSATION (John-Mark Owen, Kerry Shea)

And some studio shots from Oberon:

Robert Robinson, Jessica Sand

SUMMER HOUSE rehearsal: Lisa and Jessica

SUMMER HOUSE rehearsal: Robert, Laura

Lauren Perry

Laura Di Orio

By now, the dancers were used to having Kokyat and I breathing down their necks, so to speak…so much so, that Kokyat was permitted to photograph the Company’s 2011 performance in New York City from backstage.

This first installment covers roughly 2009-2011, with a couple of 2012 images thrown in. I’ll continue this retrospective in a few days – picking up where I left off – when I have had time to gather photos for a second gallery.

~ Oberon

December 29, 2018
@ The US Open Qualifiers ~ 2017

Author: Oberon

Tuesday August 22nd, 2017 – As many readers of this blog will know, starting in early March of this year, I developed severe hip arthritis – or maybe bursitis: the exact diagnosis remains unclear. I was literally homebound until, after six weeks of physical therapy, things began to improve…very slowly. Aside from the pain, I also suffered from a literal terror of going outdoors. This hindered my progress considerably. But by the end of May, I began setting goals to commence re-connecting with my world of music, dance, and…tennis.

My improvement stalled more than once; but, encouraged by my physical therapist and by friends who had been thru similar interruptions in their lives (thank you especially, Ask LaCour and Lydia Johnson!), I stuck to my course and one by one achieved my goals. The final one was set for today: to attend the first session of the US Open Qualifying Tournament. This has been an annual event for me for several years and I was determined to be there, come Hell or high water.

Just two weeks ago, the last level of recovery I had hoped for was attained: I was essentially 95% pain-free and weaned off the meds. But then, going to the US Open is not the same as going to a concert or a dance event: it’s an all-day experience that includes a very long subway ride from Inwood, lots of walking and standing about, and plenty of stair-climbing. Just as I was leaving my apartment to catch the train, I thought: “Should I pop some Aleve just to be safe?” Nope. Fuck it.

I won’t complain at length about the many inconveniences and distractions of going to the Open; I guess you have to shut up and put up with things like tantrum-throwing toddlers (small children don’t belong at the Open, especially on blisteringly hot days); badged employees – there are hundreds of ’em – who seem to have nothing else to do but congregate courtside and gab with one another or on their walkie-talkies during play; and staff members barking at you for one reason or another. And it’s all become so terribly commercialized.

But…on to the tennis:

Seventeen-year old Félix Auger-Aliassime (above) of Canada prevailed…

…over Japan’s Hiroki Moriya (above). Hiroki’s a good player and he made some nice shots, but he didn’t have the replies for what Félix was sending him from the opposite end of the court.

One court over, a huge throng had gathered to watch another Canadian teenager, Denis Shapovalov, who is building a reputation as a giant-killer. Today he defeated Denis Kudla; I had no energy to fight the crowds to get even a glimpse of the Battle of the Two Denises. Another bright young player on the ascent, Noah Rubin, succumbed to Germany’s Tobias Kamke in two sets; Rubin was treated for a shoulder or neck issue during the match, which undoubtedly affected his chances.

I stopped by to watch part of a match between two gentlemen from Portugal: Gastao Elias (above) and Goncalo Oliveira. Each player took a set, and it seemed to me that Oliveira had gathered steam in the second and might outlast Elias in the third, but instead Goncalo seemed to wilt and Gastao claimed the win. One fun aside: Goncalo Oliveira has a unique service preparation: it’s something you really have to see.

The only match I watched in its entirety today was between…

…Argentina’s Leonard Mayer (above)…

…and the Frenchman Maxime Janvier. Both men are tall, and both are big hitters: the Wilson balls took a real pummeling during their match. Mayer, seeded #1 in the Qualifying draw, made one exquisite drop-shot and had a bit of luck as one of his returns caught the tape and then dropped into Janvier’s end of the court. Despite his height, Mayer is an agile mover and was great fun to watch. It took just one break in each of the two sets for the Argentine to secure the victory.

More images of Leonardo Mayer from today’s match:

The serve…

…on guard…

…liftoff…

…signing autographs…

Leonardo turned pensive as well-wishers surrounded him after his win.

The predicted cloud-cover had dissipated into a haze and the sun was baking the courts. The match I had most wanted to see today, between Japan’s Go Soeda and India’s Yuki Bhambri, was scheduled for Court 10 but when I went to see if they’d started, the match preceding theirs was just getting underway.

I went to watch Japan’s Tatsumo Ito (above) playing against the Frenchman Kenny de Schepper but it was during their first set that I began feeling ‘the burn’. Ito is often a slow starter, and de Schepper took the opening set. When I got home, I checked the website to find that Ito had turned things around and scored a win.

I swung by Court 10 again to see if the Soeda/Bhambri match was anywhere near ready to go but that was not the case. It would have been one of those matches that’s hard for me to watch, as I like both players; in fact, they are my only tennis-playing Facebook Friends. I later found that Go had prevailed in a 3-setter.

On the women’s side, one name piqued my curiosity: Vera Zvonareva. In 2010, Zvonareva was a finalist both at Wimbledon and the US Open and reached a career-high ranking of #2. Injuries, marriage, and motherhood subsequently took her away from tennis. She is now making a comeback. I wish I had seen her play today; I didn’t notice her name in the listings until her match was over. Maybe I’ll catch her on Thursday, when I plan to go back to the Open.

So, In the end, my day turned out very well. The only pain involved was the sunburn I acquired, and that will fade in a day or two.

Leaving the tennis center, I couldn’t resist photographing this poster which reminded me so much of my Brix:

~ Oberon

August 22, 2017
Lydia Johnson Dance @ NYLA

Above: Nir Arieli’s image of Dona Wiley, Sara Spangler, and Blair Reavis-Tyler in Lydia Johnson’s This, and my heart beside…

Author: Oberon

Wednesday June 21st, 2017 – Lydia Johnson Dance‘s annual New York season opened tonight at New York Live Arts in Chelsea. Performing in two new works, as well as the revival of a Johnson classic from 2012, and the repeat of a darkish ensemble work held over from last season, the Company dancers displayed the strength, technical accomplishment, emotional commitment, and ever-appealing individuality of face and form that sets them in a unique place on the Gotham dancescape. For Lydia Johnson’s work, rooted as it is classical ballet technique, is alive with dramatic nuances that paradoxically seem both contemporary and curiously evocative of ancient modes of dance.

Among current choreographers, Lydia’s work bristles and blooms with a poignant sense of humanity. There’s nary a trace of theatricality in her dances; rather, she uses the music as a canvas on which emotions – both the deep and the subtle – are painted. Expressions of tenderness (so lacking in our lives today), hope, remorse, uncertainty, and the frailty of the human heart well up on the music, sometimes unexpectedly. How often, watching Lydia’s troupe in rehearsal, have I fought back tears or felt pangs of regret as I connect memories from my own life with things she is depicting in dance.

To Lydia’s good fortune, her work has always attracted dancers with an intrinsic gift for colouring their performances with expressive hues, drawing on their own recollections and experiences to captivate the viewer with their commitment, energy, and passion.

This season, a particularly striking ensemble has gathered together to offer up Lydia’s ballets: from Company mainstays Laura DiOrio, Katie Martin-Lohiya, MinSeon Kim, Brynt Beitman, and Chazz Fenner- McBride to newcomers Daniel Pigliavento, Dona Wiley, Lauren Treat, Blair Reavis-Tyler, and Hope K Ruth, everyone shone: each in his or her own way. Debuting with the Company, a marvelous ballet-duo, Mary Beth Hansohn and Peter Chusin, left me hoping that tonight marks the start of their ongoing involvement with Lydia’s troupe.

Of special joy was the re-appearance at Lydia Johnson Dance of a pair of beloved dancers, Sarah Pon and Blake Hennessy-York; they had moved to the West Coast last year, and have graciously flown in to reprise their roles in Giving Way. And we also welcomed back Lisa Iannacito McBride, a key dancer during her seasons with Lydia Johnson Dance. Lisa has come back to perform a role made on her in 2012 in Crossings by River; in the intervening years, Lisa has been raising her son and dancing in her current neighborhood, up the Hudson River. This was not a sentimental return, but rather a vibrant and supremely assured performance from a dancer who always lights up the stage.

As we sat waiting for the performance to start, I was reflecting on all that has happened since the Company last danced in New York City. I felt quite certain, having seen some rehearsals, that this would be a strong program. As the evening flowed onward, I found the impact of the music, the choreography, and the dancing exceeded expectations in every regard.

Above: Lisa Iannacito McBride, Laura DiOrio, and Katie Martin-Lohiya in Crossings by River; photo by Nir Arieli

In Crossings by River, music of Osvaldo Golijov is the ideal setting for a dancework depicting the quiet rituals of a group of five women. Their flowing golden skirts and black lace bodices lend a Spanish flavour to the proceedings and, from the rooted, gestural elements at the start thru to spacious circlings laced with solo passages, and on to the consoling, rocking motifs of the sisterhood, Lydia Johnson’s choreography takes the Balanchinian stance of letting us see the music.

The five women gave an exceptionally well-integrated performance; two members of the original cast for Crossings were re-visiting their roles today: Lisa Iannacito McBride and Laura DiOrio. Their confident, expressive dancing resonates from the depths of their feminine spirits. Since the creation of this ballet, both Lisa and Laura have become mothers; this added an intangible layer of richness to their portrayals.

Katie Martin-Lohiya, who has become a paragon of the Lydia Johnson style, radiated assurance and grace, and MinSeon Kim stepped into one of Lydia’s most intriguing solos – the dancer subtly changes directions as she moves about the space – and made it her own. Dona Wiley, in her first performances with Lydia Johnson Dance, was an elegant presence and danced beautifully in this finely-integrated ensemble work.

Here are some of Nir Arieli’s images from Crossings by River:

Katie Martin-Lohiya

Dona Wiley, Min SeonKim, Katie Martin-Lohiya

Min, Lisa, Dona, Laura, Katie

Lisa Iannacito McBride

Katie, Laura, and Lisa

Katie, gently rocked by Lisa and Laura

Giving Way is being presented for the third consecutive season; I must say it seemed even more vital this year than previously, though I cannot put my finger on the reason. A sense of urgency was in full flourish among the dancers, whilst the more lyrical passages were hauntingly evocative.

Following a dynamic opening in which opposing quartets of men and women advance and retreat, Lydia Johnson brings forth an intensely personal duet for two boys: Blake Hennessy-York and Brynt Beitman. Their performance was a highlight of the evening, as Nir’s images attest:

A men’s quartet – swaying at first and then more animated – leads on the the heart of the ballet, set to a gorgeously mystical music for marimba and cello. A folkish cello passage for the men evolves to a memorable pas de deux danced by Laura Di Orio and Brynt Beitman:

In a unique passage, girls are lifted by pairs of men:

Sarah Pon

Katie Martin-Lohiya

Spectacular solo dancing from Chazz Fenner-McBride in Giving Way brought another outstanding performance from this incredibly gifted and vividly communicative dancer. I have been following Chazz over the past few seasons, dancing first for Robin Becker and now for Lydia Johnson. He just gets better and better: fearless, powerful, but always lyrical at heart: such a perpetual pleasure to watch him.

Giving Way ends with the dancers undulating in a wave-like passage as the light fades.

Here are more of Nir images from Giving Way:

Peter Chursin, Blake Hennessy-York

Blake Hennessy-York

Chazz Fenner-McBride & MinSeon Kim

Katie Martin-Lohiya, Peter Chursin

Brynt Beitman, Laura DiOrio

Peter Chursin

The music of Georg Friedrich Handel cries out: “Dance to me!” The contrasts between the lively allegros and the lyrical andantes set up a perfect opportunity for choreographers to show off both their dancers’ technical proficiency and their emotive qualities.

In the premiere of her new Handel ballet, Trio Sonatas, Lydia Johnson shows her usual structural deftness and musicality. The dancers strike off-kilter, stylized poses (above) before things turn more animated, with small leaps in place and the girls flinging themselves dramatically into Chazz’s arms.

Duet motifs, and a walking ensemble ensue: the Company’s newest members have opportunities to shine. Daniel Pigliavento dances with Katie Martin-Lohiya – their long limbs and tender sense of lyricism shaping the movement persuasively:

Lydia’s newest ladies – Dona Wiley, Lauren Treat, Blair Reavis-Tyler, and Hope K Ruth – are seen to advantage in the Handel work. A sprightly finale strikes up, with the dancers doing swift lay-downs before springing back to action. Chazz Fenner-McBride’s daring catches of the petite and charming Hope K Ruth drew appreciative murmurs from the crowd. A female ensemble with decorative gestures, another bit of brightness from Ms. Ruth, and a duo passage for Chazz and Blair Reavis-Tyler draw Trio Sonatas to its close.

Trio Sonatas images from Nir Arieli:

Chazz fenner-McBride and MinSeon Kim

Laura DiOrio and Katie Martin-Lohiya

Chazz Fenner-McBride and MinSeon Kim

Chazz Fenner-McBride and Dona Wiley

Hope K Ruth

This, and my heart beside… is Lydia Johnson’s very newest work, and let’s say it flat-out: it’s a masterpiece. The title of the ballet is drawn from this Emily Dickinson poem:

“It’s all I have to bring today—
This, and my heart beside—
This, and my heart, and all the fields—
And all the meadows wide—
Be sure you count—should I forget
Some one the sum could tell—
This, and my heart, and all the Bees
Which in the Clover dwell.”

To music by Marc Mellits and Philip Glass, the choreographer has deployed her large cast in an inspired manner; the ballet features the appearance of a young girl, Sara Spangler, and centers on three couples: Mary Beth Hansohn and Peter Chursin, MinSeon Kim and Chazz Fenner-McBride, and Katie Martin-Lohiya dancing with Daniel Pigliavento.

One aspect of this work that is most intriguing is that its narrative qualities seem to loom up along a fluid timeline; rather than linear storytelling, the dancers seem to slip from the here-and-now into memories from the past and dreams of things to come. Philip Glass’s music amplifies this sense of layers of time, just as it did in Lydia Johnson’s earlier work Summer House, also danced to Glass.

The Marc Mellitts segment of This, and my heart beside… has the feeling of a prologue. Sara Spangler’s perfection in the role of The Child (above, with Katie Martin-Lohiya) removed the risk of any inadvertent scene-stealing on her part: she was a calm, natural, lovely presence throughout.

Sara Spangler and Katie Martin-Lohiya

Once the Philip Glass music commences, we are drawn deeper into the drama. In a dancework rife with emotion, the exact inter-relationships of the characters become a matter of what the individual viewer chooses to focus on. There is much going on; the ballet will require additional viewings before one can draw any definitive conclusions – though, on the other hand, definitive conclusions may not be possible in this case.

In a striking partnership, Mary Beth Hansohn and Peter Chursin delved into both the passion and the problems inherent in a long-time love affair. Resistance and surrender vie for the upper hand, and it is all so true-to-life. Here are some of Nir’s images of this charismatic pair of dancers:

One memorable moment in the Hansohn/Chursin relationship came when they seemed to express opposing viewpoints in flashes of pirouettes.

The second couple, Katie Martin-Lohiya and Daniel Pigliavento (above), seem more steadfast in their love. It is they, in the end, who have charge of the young girl.

MinSeon Kim and Chazz Fenner-McBride (above) are a youthful couple, alternately joyous and a bit scrappy; all seems well between them until – as the ballet nears its end – Chazz becomes intrigued with Mary Beth. This sets up a brief and subtle but tension-filled encounter for Chazz and Peter. The situation remains unresolved, as does the music. As the light fades, Peter and MinSeon are on their own, with Mary Beth in Chazz’s encircling arms. The child, for whom all that has gone before may be a vision of the future, is safe in the protective love of Katie and Daniel.

Others will have seen variable narratives in this complex but wonderfully absorbing work; and over time, I may change my opinion of what has happened in the course of This, and my heart beside…

But I won’t change my mind about the work itself: it’s something to treasure.

~ Oberon

June 21, 2017
Rehearsing: Lydia Johnson Dance

Above: Nir Arieli’s rehearsal photo from the final moments of Lydia Johnson’s new creation This, and my heart beside…

Author: Oberon

Lydia Johnson Dance will be at New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th Street, on June 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, 2017. The performances are at 7:30 PM each evening. Tickets here.

Two new works choreographed by Lydia Johnson will be presented: Trio Sonatas, to music of Georg Friedrich Handel, and This, and my heart beside…, inspired by Emily Dickinson’s poem “It’s All I Have to Bring Today” and set to music by Marc Mellits and Philip Glass. Completing the program will be a revival of Lydia’s 2012 ballet for five women, Crossings By River, to music by Osvaldo Golijov, and Giving Way, returning from last season, with music by Mellits and Golijov.

On Friday June 16th, Lydia invited photographer Nir Arieli and me to her rehearsal at the Ballet Hispanico studios. Giving Way was being run when we arrived, and here are some of Nir’s images from that work.

Click on each photo to enlarge.

Laura DiOrio

Brynt Beitman

Blake Hennessy-York and Brynt Beitman

Blake and Brynt

Blake and Brynt

Above: Lydia with Sarah Pon, who will be dancing in Giving Way at NYLA, giving notes

After a brief respite, the large ensemble involved in This, and my heart beside… took their places and I got to see this moving and disturbingly beautiful work in a full run-thru.

Here is the Emily Dickinson poem from which the ballet’s title is derived:

“It’s all I have to bring today—
This, and my heart beside—
This, and my heart, and all the fields—
And all the meadows wide—
Be sure you count—should I forget
Someone the sum could tell—
This, and my heart, and all the Bees
Which in the Clover dwell.”

The ballet is built around three couples, each of them at a different stage in their relationship:

MinSeon Kim and Chazz Fenner-McBride, observed by the ensemble…

…Mary Beth Hansohn and Peter Chursin…

…and Daniel Pigliavento and Katie Martin-Lohiya.

Dona Wiley, Hope K Ruth, Blair Reavis-Tyler, and Lauren Treat form the ensemble for this poetic work, and also appearing will be Sara Spangler, a very young dancer who was not at today’s rehearsal.

This, and my heart beside… opens with a sort of prologue set to a Marc Mellits score which serves to set the stage for the drama which will unfold. Above: Dona Wiley, and Katie Martin-Lohiya (seated).

Lydia then turns to one of Philip Glass’s most haunting works, from his Etudes, Book 2: No 17, for the unfolding of the ballet. I won’t give away too much about the piece – Nir’s photos will say more than words can express – but this is a dancework which grasps the heart and never lets go.

Here is This, and my heart beside… in rehearsal:

Katie and Daniel

Daniel, Katie, Chazz, Min

Peter

Peter

Chazz and Min, observed by Mary Beth

Peter and Mary Beth

Mary Beth and Min

Daniel and Katie

Min, Mary Beth, Chazz, Peter

Min and Chazz

Mary Beth and Peter

Mary Beth and Peter

Katie and Daniel

Daniel and Katie

Mary Beth and Peter

Mary Beth and Peter

Peter, Mary Beth, Chazz

Mary Beth and Peter

This, and my heart beside… ends without a musical resolution. It is a ballet filled with unanswered questions.

All photos by Nir Arieli, with my sincere appreciation.

~ Oberon

June 17, 2017
TURANDOT at The Met – 2nd of 4

Above: Lise Lindstrom in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of TURANDOT

Monday October 26th, 2015 – It’s always fun to bring someone to the opera who hasn’t been in a while or who is unfamiliar with a particular work. When my choreographer/friend Lydia Johnson and I decided to spend an evening at The Met, I quickly settled on Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production of TURANDOT. In an age where less is supposedly more when it comes to opera stagings, this TURANDOT clings to the forbidden notion that grand opera should still be grand. Is this the sort of thing the public really wants to see? A virtually full house, including tons of young people, seemed to be saying “Yes!”

It was a good performance, but in the end it was the opera itself that was the star of the evening. Beyond the Chinoiserie which decorates the score, we have Puccini – the master-orchestrator – creating harmonies and textures that are so atmospheric. Lydia was fascinated by what she was hearing; I told her she must try FANCIULLA DEL WEST next.

The Met Orchestra were on optimum form – and the chorus, too. Both forces were capable of lusty vigor one moment and subtle delicacy the next. Conductor Paolo Carignani paced the opera superbly and brought forth much detail from the musicians; a tendency to cover the singers at times should have been resolved by this point in the run, but instead the conductor went blithely on, seemingly unable to comprehend that a forte for Marcelo Alvarez is not the same as a forte for Mario del Monaco.

For all that, the singing for the most part was pleasing and well-tuned to the drama of the work. David Crawford was an excellent Mandarin, ample-toned and investing the words with proper authority. Ronald Naldi as the Emperor Altoum projected successfully from his throne on Amsterdam Avenue, and Eduardo Valdes, Tony Stevenson, and – especially – Dwayne Croft made the most of the Ping-Pang-Pong scene.

James Morris’ aged timbre made a touching effect in the music of the blind king Timur. Leah Crocetto’s soprano sounded a bit fluttery at the start, but she moved the audience with her lovingly-shaped “Signore ascolta” and was excellent in her third act scene, winning the evening’s loudest cheers at curtain call. While Marcelo Alvarez is clearly over-parted by Calaf’s music, a more thoughtful conductor could have aided the tenor in turning his lyrical approach to the role into something perfectly viable. But that didn’t happen, and while there were many handsome moments in Alvarez’s singing, at the climax of “Nessun dorma” the conductor was of no help. There was no applause after this beloved aria, even though it was actually quite beautifully sung.

Lise Lindstrom is undoubtedly the most physically appealing Turandot I have ever beheld, and she also manages to make the character something more than a cardboard ice queen. Lindstrom’s lithe, attractive figure and her natural grace of movement were great assets in her portrayal; she looked particularly fetching in those scenes where she’s divested of the heavy robes and headpieces and seems like a young princess, almost vulnerable in her sky-blue gown and long black hair.

After a couple of warm-up phrases in which there was a trace of cloudiness in her upper-middle voice, Lindstrom’s singing took on its characteristic high-flying power as she pulled the treacherous high notes out of thin air with assured attacks. The narrative “In questa reggia” was presented as both a vocal and verbal auto-biography, her upper range zinging over the orchestra. Lindstrom’s Riddle Scene was vividly dramatic; having experienced defeat, her plea to Altoum was urgent and moving, and the she advanced downstage to deliver the two shining top-Cs over the massed chorus. Her acting as Calaf offered her a way out was detailed and thoughtful.

In Act III Lindstrom was totally assured vocally, with a persuasive melting at Calaf’s kiss and a nuanced rendering of “Del primo pianto”; in the high phrases following the prince’s revelation of his name, the soprano was very much at home. She ended the opera on a high B-flat attacked softly and then expanded to a glistening brilliance.

Lydia was very moved by the opera – and especially taken with the gestural language of Chiang Ching’s choreography – and we stayed to cheer the singers. She agreed with me, though, that dramatically the “happy ending” is incomprehensible. That Calaf should want to marry a woman who has sent dozens of men to their deaths, threatened to torture his own father, and caused the suicide of the faithful Liu just doesn’t make sense. But then, fairy tales seldom do.

Metropolitan Opera House October 26th, 2015
TURANDOT Giacomo Puccini Turandot................Lise Lindstrom Calàf...................Marcelo Álvarez Liù.....................Leah Crocetto Timur...................James Morris Ping....................Dwayne Croft Pang....................Tony Stevenson Pong....................Eduardo Valdes Emperor Altoum..........Ronald Naldi Mandarin................David Crawford Maid....................Anne Nonnemacher Maid....................Mary Hughes Prince of Persia........Sasha Semin Executioner.............Arthur Lazalde Three Masks: Elliott Reiland, Andrew Robinson, Amir Levy Temptresses: Jennifer Cadden, Oriada Islami Prifti, Rachel Schuette, Sarah Weber-Gallo
Conductor...............Paolo Carignani

October 27, 2015
TURANDOT at The Met – 2nd of 4

Above: Lise Lindstrom in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of TURANDOT

Monday October 26th, 2015 – It’s always fun to bring someone to the opera who hasn’t been in a while or who is unfamiliar with a particular work. When my choreographer/friend Lydia Johnson and I decided to spend an evening at The Met, I quickly settled on Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production of TURANDOT. In an age where less is supposedly more when it comes to opera stagings, this TURANDOT clings to the forbidden notion that grand opera should still be grand. Is this the sort of thing the public really wants to see? A virtually full house, including tons of young people, seemed to be saying “Yes!”

It was a good performance, but in the end it was the opera itself that was the star of the evening. Beyond the Chinoiserie which decorates the score, we have Puccini – the master-orchestrator – creating harmonies and textures that are so atmospheric. Lydia was fascinated by what she was hearing; I told her she must try FANCIULLA DEL WEST next.

The Met Orchestra were on optimum form – and the chorus, too. Both forces were capable of lusty vigor one moment and subtle delicacy the next. Conductor Paolo Carignani paced the opera superbly and brought forth much detail from the musicians; a tendency to cover the singers at times should have been resolved by this point in the run, but instead the conductor went blithely on, seemingly unable to comprehend that a forte for Marcelo Alvarez is not the same as a forte for Mario del Monaco.

For all that, the singing for the most part was pleasing and well-tuned to the drama of the work. David Crawford was an excellent Mandarin, ample-toned and investing the words with proper authority. Ronald Naldi as the Emperor Altoum projected successfully from his throne on Amsterdam Avenue, and Eduardo Valdes, Tony Stevenson, and – especially – Dwayne Croft made the most of the Ping-Pang-Pong scene.

James Morris’ aged timbre made a touching effect in the music of the blind king Timur. Leah Crocetto’s soprano sounded a bit fluttery at the start, but she moved the audience with her lovingly-shaped “Signore ascolta” and was excellent in her third act scene, winning the evening’s loudest cheers at curtain call. While Marcelo Alvarez is clearly over-parted by Calaf’s music, a more thoughtful conductor could have aided the tenor in turning his lyrical approach to the role into something perfectly viable. But that didn’t happen, and while there were many handsome moments in Alvarez’s singing, at the climax of “Nessun dorma” the conductor was of no help. There was no applause after this beloved aria, even though it was actually quite beautifully sung.

Lise Lindstrom is undoubtedly the most physically appealing Turandot I have ever beheld, and she also manages to make the character something more than a cardboard ice queen. Lindstrom’s lithe, attractive figure and her natural grace of movement were great assets in her portrayal; she looked particularly fetching in those scenes where she’s divested of the heavy robes and headpieces and seems like a young princess, almost vulnerable in her sky-blue gown and long black hair.

After a couple of warm-up phrases in which there was a trace of cloudiness in her upper-middle voice, Lindstrom’s singing took on its characteristic high-flying power as she pulled the treacherous high notes out of thin air with assured attacks. The narrative “In questa reggia” was presented as both a vocal and verbal auto-biography, her upper range zinging over the orchestra. Lindstrom’s Riddle Scene was vividly dramatic; having experienced defeat, her plea to Altoum was urgent and moving, and the she advanced downstage to deliver the two shining top-Cs over the massed chorus. Her acting as Calaf offered her a way out was detailed and thoughtful.

In Act III Lindstrom was totally assured vocally, with a persuasive melting at Calaf’s kiss and a nuanced rendering of “Del primo pianto”; in the high phrases following the prince’s revelation of his name, the soprano was very much at home. She ended the opera on a high B-flat attacked softly and then expanded to a glistening brilliance.

Lydia was very moved by the opera – and especially taken with the gestural language of Chiang Ching’s choreography – and we stayed to cheer the singers. She agreed with me, though, that dramatically the “happy ending” is incomprehensible. That Calaf should want to marry a woman who has sent dozens of men to their deaths, threatened to torture his own father, and caused the suicide of the faithful Liu just doesn’t make sense. But then, fairy tales seldom do.

Metropolitan Opera House October 26th, 2015
TURANDOT Giacomo Puccini Turandot................Lise Lindstrom Calàf...................Marcelo Álvarez Liù.....................Leah Crocetto Timur...................James Morris Ping....................Dwayne Croft Pang....................Tony Stevenson Pong....................Eduardo Valdes Emperor Altoum..........Ronald Naldi Mandarin................David Crawford Maid....................Anne Nonnemacher Maid....................Mary Hughes Prince of Persia........Sasha Semin Executioner.............Arthur Lazalde Three Masks: Elliott Reiland, Andrew Robinson, Amir Levy Temptresses: Jennifer Cadden, Oriada Islami Prifti, Rachel Schuette, Sarah Weber-Gallo
Conductor...............Paolo Carignani

October 26, 2015
Lydia Johnson Dance: Audition Notice

Above: from Lydia Johnson’s NIGHT OF THE FLYING HORSES; photo by Nir Arieli

Lydia Johnson Dance have announced auditions for male and female dancers, to be held in September (on Fridays…applicants will be notified of the specific date). Complete audition information here.

August 27, 2015
Lydia Johnson Dance @ Peridance – Part 4

Above: Kokyat’s image from Lydia Johnson’s CROSSINGS BY RIVER

Sunday June 24, 2012 matinee – Seeing a vast number of dance performances every season – to say nothing of the invitations I must turn down due to my packed schedule (and sometimes – admittedly – due to my sheer lack of interest) – I’m always glad when the annual performances by Lydia Johnson Dance come round. Lydia’s programmes are rewarding on so many levels: her musical choices are astute; her danceworks are thoughtfully crafted and pleasing both to the eye and the spirit; her dancers – whether those long associated with her style or guests invited for specific projects – are invariably beautiful, committed and moving. Lydia steers wonderfully clear of empty theatricality, and of vapid sentimentality, and of the twin dance crimes of cleverness and cuteness (which is not to say that playfulness is abjured, nor wit for that matter). Her works resonate with a direct emotional link to the music and with an expansive view of the human condition, whether they be imtimate domestic dramas, or reflections of the rites of community, or simply abstract visions of the sheer joy of the human body in motion.

In what I now consider to be her most beautiful work to date, Lydia opened her engrossing programme today with a piece for female ensemble entitled CROSSINGS BY RIVER. Set to mystical sacred music by Osvaldo Golijov, this dance – so expressively executed – gave me those deep tingles of emotional response that come but rarely these days, indicating that the choreographer has taken the music – already striking in its own right – and given it a visual aspect that seems inevitable.

Having watched this work evolve from one of its earliest rehearsals, I found the experience of seeing it staged and lit to be extremely moving both in its innate spiritual quality and in the serene and dedicated dancing of the five women: Laura DiOrio, Lisa Iannacito McBride, Jessica Sand, Kaitlin Accetta and Sarah Pon. Putting me in mind of the ritualistic works of Martha Graham, CROSSINGS BY RIVER carries on the great dance tradition of memorable works for female ensemble. It needs to be seen and savoured.

Here is a gallery of Kokyat’s images from this Golijov dancework:

Laura DiOrio, Lisa Iannicito McBride, Jessica Sand

Jessica Sand

Jessica Sand, Lisa Iannacito McBride, Kaitlin Accetta

Sarah Pon

Lisa Iannacito McBride

Kaitlin Accetta

Laura DiOrio

Jessica Sand, Laura DiOrio, Lisa Iannacito McBride

Jessica, Lisa & Laura

The costumes for CROSSINGS BY RIVER – soft, satiny skirts and lacy black bodices – were designed by Jessica Sand. The photos are by Kokyat, taken at the dress rehearsal.

More about this evening of dance here, with still more to follow.

June 27, 2012
Lydia Johnson Dance @ Peridance – Part 3

Above: Reed Luplau of the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company in a guest appearance with Lydia Johnson Dance @ Peridance. Photo by Kokyat.

Haunting and unique, Lydia Johnson’s SUMMER HOUSE is set to chamber works by Philip Glass. In this dreamlike piece, a man and three women recall a period of time spent together in a small Summer cottage far from the world’s hustle and bustle. There is no set narrative, and we do not know who these people are or how they came to be in the same space at the same time. Cross-currents of desire, despair and jealousy weave thru the dance though we can never be sure whose point of view we’re experiencing at a given moment. Thus SUMMER HOUSE leaves much to the imagination of the viewer, and for me – who once spent a marvelous summer in an old Victorian house on Cape Cod – it stirs up all sorts of memories.

Reed Luplau gives a deeply poetic performance in SUMMER HOUSE. Though he interacts with each of the three women, there’s no way of telling where his heart lies; it may in fact lie elsewhere altogether. Reed uses his entire body as an expressive instrument, keeping the physicality of the movement ever-flowing and with his beautiful face illuminated by the emotional colours of the music.

The three women dancing in SUMMER HOUSE – Laura DiOrio, Lisa Iannacito McBride and Jessica Sand – are steeped in Lydia Johnson’s style. Maintaining the mystique that surrounds the piece, we do not know if the girls are sisters, longtime friends or simply strangers who have come together for a brief span of time. Though each relates to the male character individually, there’s also an undeniable bond between the three of them. Thus another layer of enigmas wraps itself around the SUMMER HOUSE. The questions remain unanswered as the lights fade at the end.

Here are some of Kokyat’s images from SUMMER HOUSE:

Jessica Sand & Lisa Iannacito McBride

Laura DiOrio & Reed Luplau

Reed Luplau

Reed Luplau, Jessica Sand

Laura DiOrio, Lisa Iannacito McBride, Jessica Sand

Reed Luplau

Reed Luplau

Reed Luplau

Laura DiOrio, Reed Luplau

Laura, Reed & Lisa

Reed Luplau in Lydia Johnson’s SUMMER HOUSE. Reed will soon be appearing in the feature film FIVE DANCES, written and directed by Alan Brown.

All photos by Kokyat.

June 26, 2012