Casebolt and Smith

Just as I began my own foray into the wonderful world of dance-theater, I stumbled upon a show at Joyce SOHO last month: the charming and witty dance-theater duo Casebolt and Smith. These two California artists, Liz Casebolt and Joel Smith have been going about their business in Los Angeles, teaching, performing, and scooping up recognition. The debut of their first full evening program was delivered with thoughtful candor that kept audience members enthralled. The program opened with a "short two minute dance to start the show" which consisted of full bodied swings of the the legs and arms and light partnering. The dancers flowed in and out of lunges, leaps, and rolls. After introducing us to the facility of their bodies, the duo then introduced us to the facility of their personalities and their friendship. In " " we are told the story of the evolution of deep friendship. As physical proximity, eye contact, and the use of touch evolves, both dancers divulge more and more stories about their lives, personalities, hopes and fears. They go in and out of speaking to the audience, and speaking to each other, reminding us that they are both performing a narrative for our elocution and performing the very act of friendship for each other.

Two more pieces follow a short intermission. " " performed to classical music shows an accumulation of gestures that converge in interactions of aggressive ambiguity as the dancers make landscapes of little green army men at a plastic table. The piece is eerie in its focus and symbolism, the reaching arms reminiscent of wounded soldiers left behind.

Casebolt and Smith's work is both a hilarious glimpse into the personal and creative lives of artists, and a commentary on the role of the spectator as a witness. Go see them if ever you get a chance!

For more information please check out www.caseboltandsmith.com

Fall for the Dance People

Fall in New York is a season full of great dance opportunities. One of the first great ways to see tons of well known companies for very, very cheap is the Fall for Dance Festival at City Center. All tickets are only $10!! Yes you read right, only $10, for any seat in the house. The festival runs from September 22nd through October 3rd and tickets will sell out fast, almost immediately.

So why pound the pavement (or the refresh button) for a seat? The festival is not night after night of long evening length shows but rather a sampler of 4 or so different companies with 5 different program line-up. Each program features 4 more companies, with a range of American classics (like Paul Taylor, Mark Morris, New York City Ballet) to international companies (Israel-Batsheva, Australia-Australian Ballet).

If the price and assortment weren't enough, the festival also offers free workshop classes before select concerts, and discounted drinks after others. Whether you're new to dance and looking for a great introduction to the scene, or a die-hard fan looking for the most bang for your buck, Fall for Dance Festival is New York must.

Tickets go on sale September 13th at 11:00am at the City Center box office and online at www.citycenter.org. Please see the website for program details and more info.

And stay tuned for reviews from this festival and other shows!

The Cheapest Seat Is in Your Living Room

Today I watched a documentary abou the Paris Opera Ballet. One of the opening shots is of the outside of the Opera house. It is an immense building of dark, sooty looking stone, etched with carvings and gilded embellishments. As the camera zoomed toward the main entrance and then began a tour through the equally impressive rehearsal studios and theater spaces my eyes started to tear, and I felt the telltale onset of emotion as my sinuses began to swell. Here, in this beautiful monument, were not bank managers or bureaucrats, but dancers, choreographers, and yes, even audiences.

I was overcome both by the beauty of dancing in such a place and by the seemingly ordinary nature of that very action to the busy inhabitants of the opera house.

And so I sat mesmerized for about an hour and a half by Nils Tavernier's 2001 debut Etoiles: Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet I didn't feel that stab of envy that usually accompanies interviews with great ballerinas. Actually I felt like I could have been sitting right next to them through the intimate filming of their rehearsals, classes, and backstage lives. Most striking was perhaps the never ending poise of the dancers as they faced questions like "Do you think it will be hard for you when you a forced to stop dancing?", "will you ever have children?", "what is your rank in the company?" and on and on.

Some recalled their training at the Paris Opera Ballet school with fondness, saying that the criticism made them stronger, that they loved the challenge of it all. Others admitted to the great psychological pain that the constant competition and disparaging remarks from teachers caused them. They admit to the loneliness of their art, and the hunger to chase after it.

Tavernier gracefully weaves observational footage with black and white still, with interviews where he asks questions with a childlike innocence that belies the interviewers perceptiveness. He painstakingly documents the daily trials of a dancer, as well as the extreme athleticism and versatility of an Etoile by covering reperatory from the most classical (La Sylphide) to the edge of contemporary ballet today (Jiri Kylian).

Many may feel that this film lacks a strong enough message or plot, but for any devote of dance or ballet, this film will feel like a window into the soul. The life of a dancer is a constantly shifting landscape, and the real story is in their passion to get up every morning and confront that landscape one again.