Misty Copeland first came to the general public’s attention in 2009 when she appeared in Prince’s video Crimson and Clover. Then a soloist and nine year member of American Ballet Theatre, Copeland received a phone call one morning “I was asked if Prince could have my cell number…I was literally still waking up. ‘What? Prince who?'” The next day she headed to Los Angeles for the video shoot. Continue reading
Tag: Ballet
3/12/16 O&A NYC DANCE: The Vortex- From Alvin Ailey’s The River
Jennifer Gelfand performs the Vortex section of Alvin Ailey’s The River. Originally set on American Ballet Theatre in 1970 the work was performed by Gelfand during a tour entitled Vortex section of Alvin Ailey’s The River. Fernando Bujones and Stars of the Boston Ballet in 1993. The work was set to music by Duke Ellington. Continue reading
3/11/16 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Jerome Robbins- Dances at a Gathering
“The ballet stays and exists in the time of the music and its work. Nothing is out of it, I believe; all gestures and moods, steps, etc. are part of the fabric of the music’s time and its meaning to me.” – Jerome Robbins
Dances at a Gathering
Choreography: Jerome Robbins (1969)
Music: Chopin
Pianist: Ryoko Hisayama
Opéra de Paris (2014)
Ludmila Pagliero – en rose
Amandine Albison – en mauve
Nolwenn Daniel – Amarelo
Aurélie Dupont – en vert
Charline Giezendanner – en bleu
Mathieu Ganio – en brun
Karl Paquette – en violet
Josua Hoffalt – en vert
Emmanuel Thibault – en rouge brique
Christophe Duquenne – en bleu
Nolwenn Daniel – en jaune
3/6/16 O&A NYC SUNDAY AFTERNOON JAZZ CONCERT: George Balanchine- Who Cares?
George Balanchine’s fun romp set to the music of George Gershwin performed by Het Nationale Ballet. Continue reading
3/4/16 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene – Featuring Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun
Balcony scene from John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet featuring Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun with music by Sergei Prokofiev. Continue reading
2/22/16 O&A NYC INSPIRATIONAL TUESDAY: Misty Copeland- The Power Of Ballet
Misty Copeland makes history as the first African-American female principal dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre. Copeland, who came from meager beginnings, became interested in dance at age 13 (usually considered too late for ballet). A true prodigy her talent propelled her to dance en pointe after three months of training and performing within her first year. She shares her optimism and reflects on her path to stardom. Continue reading
2/12/16 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: First Look At Misty Copeland Channeling Edgar Degas For Harper’s Bazaar
Misty Copeland, principal dancer American Ballet Theatre, appears in the March issue of Harper’s Bazaar to recreate iconic ballet inspired paintings and sculpture from impressionist painter Edgar Degas. Congratulations to Copeland for once again disrupting the historical whiteness of ballet.
Copeland as Swaying Dancer (Dancer in Green); Oscar de la Renta dress, $5,490
Photographers Ken Browar and Deborah Ory captured the world-renowned dancer for the eye-catching editorial spread. The resemblance to Degas’ original works of dancers at the Paris Opéra Ballet is uncanny. Copeland nails the graceful poses while dressed in high fashion designs by Valentino, Alexander McQueen, Carolina Herrera, and Oscar de la Renta that look like they were literally plucked from each painting and sculpture.
Copeland as Degas’s Dancer; Carolina Herrera top, $1,490, skirt, $4,990
In the article, she explains why she love to dance. “I was drawn to ballet and performing for a reason that I think a lot of people can’t really understand or relate to,” she says. “People think it’s like, ‘You’re out there,’ or ‘You’re exposed.’ But I felt safe when I was on the stage, like no one could get to me. It was the first time in my life that I felt protected.”
Copeland as Degas’s Little Dancer Aged Fourteen; Alexander McQueen dress, $4,655, and corset, $4,525
At 33, she’s in the midst of the most illuminating pas de deux with pop culture for a classical dancer since Mikhail Baryshnikov went toe-to-toe with Gregory Hines in White Nights.
Copeland as Swaying Dancer (Dancer in Green); Oscar de la Renta dress, $5,490
Degas’s ballet works, which the artist began creating in the 1860s and continued making until the years before his death, in 1917, were infused with a very modern sensibility. He offered images of young girls congregating, practicing, laboring, dancing, training, and hanging around studios and the backstage areas of the theater.
Alberta Ferretti dress, $28,090
Copeland is engaged to Olu Evans, an attorney, who she’s been with for more than a decade. They live together in an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. She admits to an “intensifying” designer-footwear addiction, and while she’s still working out the details of her nuptials, she confesses giddily that Christian Louboutin is making her shoes for the occasion.
Roberto Cavalli skirt, price upon request
Misty Copeland- The Art Of Dance
Video shot by Sandy Chase
Photography by Ken Browar and Deborah Ory of the NYC Dance Project
1/24/16 O&A NYC GOSPEL SUNDAY: Act V Martin: A Ballet By Gordon Parks- Mourning Place
The final act takes place after the death of Dr. King . John Jones (Dr Martin Luther King) Sheila Rohan (Rosa Parks) and James E. Murphy (Assassin). Continue reading
1/22/16 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Martin: A Ballet By Gordon Parks ( Act IV The Assassin)
The Fourth Act of Martin: A Ballet By Gordon Parks starring John Jones as Dr. King, Sheila Rohan as Rosa Park and James E. Murphy as the Assassin.
1/18/16 O&A NYC DANCE: Martin: A Ballet by Gordon Parks Act II March On Selma
Act II from Martin:A ballet by Gordon Parks depicts the violent encounter with police during the march on Selma. Continue reading