New York City Ballet “Firebird”

What I saw last night. New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center. A rainy night at Lincoln Center. The first piece is bright and cheerful while the second is dark brown and depressing although it still had Wendy Whelan. The final piece is red and has paintings of Marc Chagall’s Firebird. Also animal costumes worthy of H.R. Pufnstuf and Where the Wild Things Are. Bouder performed best.

Elements: feather
Title: “Donizetti Variations” by Balanchine “In Memory of…” by Robbins “Firebird” by Balanchine
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Keely Garfield Dance

What I saw last night. Keely Garfield Dance at Danspace Project. Two women and two men perform in various tableaus that suggest a cross between Twin Peaks and Deliverance. Mostly successfully.

Elements: live music, tree stumps, vacuum, ax, milk, hard hats, nudity, singing, table, etc.
Title: “Twin Pines”
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New York City Ballet “Who Cares?”

What I saw last night. New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center. I have now seen Ocean’s Kingdom twice. It has not improved. “Le Tombeau de Couperin” is a complicated work where 8 couples remain on separate sides of the stage and create crazy patterns to Ravel. The last piece is a stream of Gershwin music where various dancers have the opportunity to shine in some times thorny steps.

I see they have streamlined the gift shop now into some kind of minimalist jewelry store with threadless style logos for the ballet t-shirts. I liked it better when it was like the remainders bin at the Strand but perhaps I am old fashioned.

Elements: fog
Title: “Ocean’s Kingdom” by Peter Martins and Paul McCartney “Le Tombeau de Couperin” “Who Cares?” by Balanchine
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Twyla Tharp’s “Come Fly Away” abridged

What I saw last night. Twyla Tharp’s “Come Fly Away” at Bank of America Theatre. A road trip for an abridge version of the show seen here in New York. Still good but not as edgy for some of the key numbers. Crowd went crazy for it though.

Elements: Sinatra, live music, bar
Title: “Come Fly Away”
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Ann Liv Young “Sleeping Beauty Part 1”

What I saw last night. Ann Liv Young at Abrons Arts Center Experimental Theater. One woman and two men. Sleeping Beauty pines away while seated on the toilet holding the phone and singing how she wishes nothing but the best for you. She also dances and finally makes an impassioned speech to her inflated prince while it snows. In conclusion you can take polaroids with her for $2. Happily ever after.

Elements: fir trees, toilet, phone, little bed, singing, inflatable doll, snow, polaroids, Adele, Bob Seeger, point shoes, etc.
Title: “Sleeping Beauty Part 1”
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Daniel Linehan “Montage for Three”

What I saw last night. Daniel Linehan at Abrons Arts Center Underground Theater. A dance for one man and one woman. Mostly portraits of famous people with various expressions are projected on the wall and the performers mimic them. Sometimes they mimic several positions before the pictures are shown to create a sorted of stuttered motion of what you are about to see or have seen.

The second piece is a solo in which a circle is made of reading material while the performer in the center spins at various speeds and makes comments out loud.

Elements: projections of photographs, newspapers, magazines, books, talking, spinning
Title: “Montage for Three” “Not About Everything”
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Chelfitsch Theater Company

What I saw last night. Chelfitsch Theater Company at Japan Society. Two Japanese men and four women perform these three short plays that all take place in an office break room. Hot Pepper is a Japanese magazine like Time Out that they are using to find a restaurant for a farewell party. The other titles are self explanatory. All are funny in a way that TV shows like the Office often find hard to achieve. Still one of the best lobbies at a venue.

Elements: table, chairs, subtitles, bag, magazine, wikipedia
Title: “Hot Pepper, Air Conditioner, and The Farewell Speech” by Toshiki Okada
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Daniel Linehan

What I saw last night. Daniel Linehan at Abrons Arts Center Experimental Theater. A dance for two men and one woman it was largely a series of word games with limited amusements. Scatting, playing with tenses, reading about reading it seemed more of an exercise than a performance. Best to stick with the crossword.A Sarah Michelson exhibit in the gallery before the theater. It is like walking off the stage to go see a show in the alley.

Elements: computer, singing, talking, flashlight, film, reading
Title: “Zombie Aporia”
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China Jingling Dance Company

What I saw last night. The China Jingling Dance Company at Lincoln Center. A sweeping soap opera in the way the Chinese like it with ghosts with white hair, martial arts and wire work. There were also goblins that reminded me of Spiderman. For all the spectacle the dancing and martial stances seemed often shaky. I expected a hokey story telling but I thought the physical part would have been rock solid. They were no Shaolin Monks.

Elements: ghosts, goblins, film, crazy dayglo lighting, wire work, pretty but fragile sets
Title: “The Peony Pavilion”
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Merce Cunningham Dance Company Final Performance

What I saw last night. The Merce Cunningham Dance Company at the Park Avenue Armory. In the cavernous armory on three separate stages the dancers performed the abstract works in a circus like atmosphere. When the lights dimmed for the opening and the dancers walked out in their unitard outfits the crowd erupted as if the Rolling Stones had hit the stage. It is an impressive reaction for work that I like but that I would think is not easily accessible with out repeated viewings and patience. Being as this is the last show they will ever perform I guess the reaction is not surprising. You don’t usually have an audience so in the know.

Elements: live music, chair, rope, hanging sculpture
Title: “Events”
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