What I saw last night. Batsheva Dance Company at the BAM Opera House.
A single hour long piece bathed in green light with music by Japanese synth legend Tomita playing 2001 Space Odyssey and Star Wars with a cast of men and women that look like they are from an American Apparel Ad. What is not to like.
Elements: green, clapping, chanting, bench
Title: “Hora”
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What I saw last night. Mark Morris Dance Company at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. 
The first piece is a lengthy opera based on a work by Gerturde Stein with a couple of jovial Saints. At one point they are the bouncer and person with clipboard at the front of a club. That makes it sound bad but it is not really. The next piece was a world premier and featured music by Beethoven. It starts slow with the dancers close to the wings but they eventually make it to center stage where they form and reform patterns in intricate ways. By the time the chorus joined the orchestra they were running and jumping with great enthusiasm and the crowd got wound up.
Another soundtrack I could use at the gym. Worth viewing.
Elements: a swing, live music & chorus
Title: “Four Saints in Three Acts” “A Choral Fantasy”
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What I saw last night. American Ballet Theatre “The Nutcracker” at the BAM Opera House. 
This was much the same as when I saw it last year with the same Clara “Gillian Murphy” but the Prince formerly David Hallberg replaced by Eric Tamm. Most amusingly the mouse lost his head early on in the performance but recovered quickly. 
Happy Yule.
Elements: impish mouse, large chair, snow etc
Title: “The Nutcracker” by Alexei Ratmansky
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What I saw last night. Dance Africa at BAM Opera House. 
This event felt a bit like crashing someone’s block party. There were other white people there but the usher asked me whether I was in the right place. Finally seated ten minutes before the show (people streamed in and out all evening) they began with 20 minutes of speeches and praising the elders. 5 minutes before intermission and people were still being seated so it is difficult to comment on much of the performance. The final piece had a stilt walker that could break-dance and raise itself off the ground from its back. I have seen this done before at other shows and it is always impressive although here (perhaps starved for entertainment) it brought down the house.
Similarly the final piece after the intermission was impressive where dancers sprint around a maypole with ribbons creating a hopeless tangle. After several minutes of this they reverse direction and untangle the knot perfectly. I had not seen this before and it rightly brought down the house. The rest of the show was musty folklore interesting to only those in the know. 
Also the endless speeches were like attending a graduation where you don’t know any of the kids. The continent in general I think could be better served.
Also a sad note. I learnt before going to bed that Gil Scott-Heron died. As the Seatfiller I have attended two of his shows: see entries Feb 12 2009 and last time March 4 2010. I had seen him at least a dozen times before starting this blog. Nothing profound to say about the matter or that I was attending Dance Africa when he died. I’m just sad.
Elements: singing, stilt walker, maypole, cardboard sword, speeches, elders?, flag
Title: “Ballet Folklorico Cutumba” from Cuba, “Kule Mele African Dance & Drum Ensemble” from Philadelphia “Bambara Drum and Dance Ensemble” from the Bronx “BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble” “Tumba Francesa”
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What I saw last night. American Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” at BAM Opera House. 
Alexei Ratmansky’s new version of the Nutcracker for ABT is mostly good. The opening scene in the kitchen and the changing perspective in the battle scene were particularly good although the battle itself was a little confusing to look at. Also the snow dance and the final duet performed by David Hallberg and Gillian Murphy was great although some of the lifts were clearly be a tester.
Tea party guy and major donor David Koch thanked Peter (Martins) instead of Kevin (McKenzie) in his opening remarks before the show to some suitably embarrassed groans from the audience. There was even some tentative hissing which was amusing.
Elements: devilish mouse, large chair, snow etc
Title: “The Nutcracker”
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What I saw last night. Ballet Preljocaj at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. 
Two men and women perform an energetic work for an hour to a strange John Cage spoken word piece.
Elements: Bruce Lee t-shirt
Title: “Empty Moves (parts I & II)” music by John Cage
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What I saw last night. Pina Bausch at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House.
A wet affair where they had it rain on stage. Mostly good show.
Elements: water, rain, bottles, sticks, a large rock, nudity, spoken word, much more water
Title: “Vollmond (Full Moon)”
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What I saw last night. Mark Morris Dance Group at the BAM Opera House. 
I was sleepy when I arrived and the first piece was performed in silence so it was a bit of a tester but was also quite good. The next piece had a piano but no player and the final piece a piano, singer and translations projected above the stage. I was wide-awake by then. Also glad BAM shoveled their sidewalk.
Elements: silence, player piano, chairs, live music, subtitles, rope, brief nudity
Titles: “Behemoth” “Looky” and “Socrates”
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What I saw last night. Reggie Wilson & Andreya Ouamba at the BAM Opera House. 
A true snowstorm made it slow going.
Could this be my last show before Christmas or New Years, I thought the previous show was so who knows.
Elements: hundreds of bottled waters
Title: “The Good Dance—dakar/Brooklyn”
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What I saw last night. Armitage Gone! Dance at the BAM Opera House. 
This monstrosity made out of honeycombs is the current art on display in the lobby. 
The show. Dancers and musicians interact and dance on stage in colorful costumes. It was better than that sounds.
Elements: Live music (performed by Burkina Electric often on stage while dancing)
Title: “Itutu” by Karole Armitage with live music by Burkina Electric and Lukas Ligeti
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