Brigitte Lefèvre, Director of Ballet at the Paris Opera since 1995, will turn 68 later this year. The Paris Opera Ballet obliges ballerinas to leave at 42 with their pension; like it or not, ètoile or corps member, you're out. Lefèvre carries on, even though she is past the retirement age for French national institutions.Maybe concerned that she would stay at the helm like … [Read more...] about Who’s afraid of Brigitte Lefèvre? Well Eleonora Abbagnato for one! Drama at the Paris Opera Ballet
Huffington Post
Critics Round-up: New York City Ballet’s Ocean’s Kingdom
The review headlines ran "That Sinking Feeling", "Soggy Ocean Kingdom", "All Wet" - you get the idea.But this was Sir Paul McCartney's début in the world of ballet, the company was the great Yew York City Ballet, Sir Paul's famous daughter, designer Stella, was doing costumes, and Peter Martins the choreography. So a lot of red carpet, flash bulbs, happy critics getting a … [Read more...] about Critics Round-up: New York City Ballet’s Ocean’s Kingdom
No Wedding Bells for Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie – they’re just friends
Sesame Workshop, which produces “Sesame Street,” put an end to any wedding plans for Bert and Ernie with this brief statement posted on its Facebook page:"Bert and Ernie are best friends. They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves. Even though they are identified as male characters and possess … [Read more...] about No Wedding Bells for Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie – they’re just friends
Why is Julie Taymor being attacked so viciously and relentlessly?
Harry Lennix, an actor who has frequently worked with Taymor for almost 20 years, tries to answer the question in The Huffington Post: In my opinion, the producers of Spider-Man have found a convenient whipping girl to bear the brunt of any woes related to the production. They seem to have absolved themselves from accountability for the show's production while reaping the … [Read more...] about Why is Julie Taymor being attacked so viciously and relentlessly?
Elizabeth Taylor: selection from a life… what today’s press has been saying, her best films and her changing look
Today's pressA London-born beauty who never lost her clipped, clean way of speaking, Ms. Taylor possessed vivid features known to three generations of filmgoers: Raven hair, dark eyebrows, ivory skin, a near-perfect figure and, most remarkably, violet eyes that were among the most commented-on physical attributes in Hollywood history. Her great beauty arguably both aided … [Read more...] about Elizabeth Taylor: selection from a life… what today’s press has been saying, her best films and her changing look
Rats! No ballet in 3-D ‘Nutcracker’
So closely associated are ETA Hoffmann’s 1816 story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” and everybody’s favorite 1892 Tchaikovsky ballet, it is downright shocking to find almost no dancing — except for an abstract motion-capture sequence — in Andrey Konchalovskiy’s 2010 “The Nutcracker in 3D.”There are no mice in the film either.Instead, there is a horde of nasty, … [Read more...] about Rats! No ballet in 3-D ‘Nutcracker’