Brother and sister team, Angel and Carmen Corella, change the tempo with their Flamenco inspired ballet duet.  They stun the audience with a precise and compelling exploration of ballet. Joyous sibling rivalry plays a huge role in this performance, and its tough to tell who would be the winner if the audience is keeping score! Between Angel’s stunning fouette turns and Carmen’s untouchable grace that extends through her fingertips, their parents are undoubtedly still beaming.  From a club atmosphere to an "impulsive wedding dance-off," they ignite the audience’s excitement immediately.  The audience cheers and roars with laughter as Angel completes a round of tour jetes complete with a shit eating grin. 

Bringing an understated and spectacular dénouement to the uproarious audience is British choreographer Russell Maliphant.  His US premiere of Afterlight Part 1 begins with legato turns in a pool of light.  Movement this slow demands highly specific artistry, and Maliphant wields his in abundance.  After two minutes of progressively quicker and quicker turns, he has the audience in the palm of his hand.  As he removes his skully, Maliphant moves beyond that small pool of light almost appearing to float.  The effortless and seemingly uncountable turns on both his knees, feet and hands brings immense pride to the term whirling dervish.  Sometimes dance has the ability to shed light on the miracle that bodies can be, and Maliphant lives this miracle.  Catch him as soon as you can to witness his phenomena firsthand!

Fall for Dance provides affordable entrance to prestigious works that run the dance gamut – and well!  Do yourself a favor and don’t miss it!

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Eileen Elizabeth
Performance:  Fall for Dance
Company: Keigwin and Company with Juilliard Dance
Venue:  City Center
Show Date:  October 6, 2010
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Season includes Premieres by Ángel Corella, Russell Ducker, and María Pagés as well as works by Leonid Lavrovsky, Christopher Wheeldon, Vladimir Vasiliov and Natalia Kasatkina With Angel Corella, Herman Cornejo, Joseph Gatti, Adiarys Almeida, Carmen Corella, Natalia Tapia, and Kazuko Omori

March 17 – 20 at New York City Center

New York, NY, February 24, 2010 – Choreographer Ángel Corella has announced the complete repertoire his company, Corella Ballet Castilla y León, will perform during its U.S. debut,

March 17 – 20 at New York City Center.  In addition to the U.S. premieres of Mr. Corella’s String Sextet, and Russell Ducker’s Epimetheus, the four-performance engagement will feature Leonid Lavrovsky’s Walpurgisnacht and Vladimir Vasiliov & Natalia Kasatkina’s Sunny Duet featuring Adiarys Almeida and Herman Cornejo. The debut will also include the world premiere of Soleá, pas de deux by the flamenco dancer and choreographer María Pagés, featuring Angel Corella and Carmen Corella; and Christopher Wheeldon’s DGV .

Corella Ballet dancers who will be performing at City Center include Principals: Adiarys Almeida, Carmen Corella, Natalia Tapia, Ángel Corella, Herman Cornejo and Joseph Gatti; First Soloist: Kazuko Omori; Soloists: Cristina Casa, Ashley Ellis, Mª José Sales, Fernando Bufalá, Kirill Radev and Yevgen Uzlenkov.

Ángel Corella’s String Sextet (2009), inspired by Tchaikovsky’s String Sextet, "Souvenir of Florence" Op. 70, 1892, is choreographed for the full company in four movements. The piece had its world premiere on July 30, 2009 at the Peralada Festival in Barcelona. 

Russell Ducker’s Epimetheus (2009), set to The Music of the Spheres by Mike Oldfield (who is known for Tubular Bells, featured in the film The Exorcist) was inspired by the fifth moon of the planet Saturn.  The piece had its world premiere on August 1, 2009 at the Noches Mágicas Festival in La Granja-Spain. 

Leonid Lavrovsky’s Walpurgisnacht (1956) set to music by Charles Francoise Gounod from his Faust opera, is a pas de trois created for the Bolshoi Ballet. It is based on Walpurgis Night, a holiday celebrated on April 30 or May 1 in large parts of Central and Northern Europe.

María Pages’ Soleá ,(2010), with music by Rubén Lebaniegos, was choreographed especially for Principal Dancers Ángel Corella and Carmen Corella. A soleá is one of the basic pillars of flamenco, rich with melodic richness and depth of execution.

Vladimir Vasiliov & Natalia Kasatkina’s Sunny Duet (1973), with music by Arno Babajanyan, will be danced by Principal Dancers Adiarys Almeida and Herman Cornejo.

Christopher Wheeldon‘s DGV (Danse à Grande Vitesse, 2006) is a meditation on travel set to Michael Nyman’s MGV : Musique à Grande Vitesse Musique.  The piece premiered at London’s Royal Ballet in 2006 and was nominated for an Oliver Award. DGV is performed by kind permission of The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, UK.

About The Choreographers:

Ángel Corella was born in Madrid in 1975.  He was awarded First Prize in the National Ballet Competition of Spain in 1991, and the Grand Prix and Gold Medal at the Concours International de Danse de Paris in 1994. Mr. Corella joined the American Ballet Theatre as a soloist in 1995 and in 1996 was promoted to Principal Dancer. His repertoire includes all the principal roles of the major classical, neoclassical and contemporary ballets. Mr. Corella has also been a guest star with the worlds’ leading dance companies, including The Royal Ballet, Australian Ballet, Ballet of Georgia, Bolshoi Ballet, New York City Ballet and Kirov Ballet. In 2000, Mr. Corella received the Benois de la Danse Award for his work in Other Dances by Jerome Robbins, and in 2002 he was awarded The National Dance Prize of Spain as "an exceptional dancer and representative of a generation which enhances Spanish dance in the most outstanding international companies. In 2001 he formed a foundation to promote classical dance in Spain and to provide the finest professional training to all dancers, regardless of their economic or social condition.

Russell Ducker began his training at the Royal Ballet of London, joining the Royal Ballet Upper School in 2004. He has been awarded the MacMillan, De Valoais and Ursula Morton Prizes and has received an award from the NFL Choreographic Foundation.  Mr. Ducker is also a dancer with the Corella Ballet.

Leonid Lavrovsky (1905 – 1967) a Russian dancer and choreographer, was Artistic Director of the Kirov Ballet from 1935 – 1944 after which he was named chief choreographer of the Bolshoi Ballet.

María Pagés is internationally renowned for her personal esthetic concept of the art of flamenco. She started her professional career as a member of the Antonio Gades Company and in 1990 established the María Pagés Company, which has toured the most prestigious stages throughout Europe, Asia and the United States.

Vladimir Vasiliov and Natalia Kasatkina: Vladimir Vasiliov joined the Bolshoi Ballet in 1958 and performed as principal dancer for the next twenty years. He began choreographing the 1970 and his works have been seen at the Bolshoi and major companies around the world.  He was named Artistic Director of the Rome Opera Ballet in 1993, and in 1995 returned to the Bolshoi Ballet as Director. He has choreographed many works with his wife, Natalia Kasatkina. Ms. Kasatkina joined the Bolshoi Ballet in 1954. She began to choreograph with Mr. Vasiliov in 1962. She and Vasiliov subsequently became directors of the Moscow Classical Ballet, an international touring company for which they have created many works.

Christopher Wheeldon has created ballets for companies all over the world, including The Royal Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Boston Ballet, to name a few.  He co-founded Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, and served as Artistic Director from 2007 – 2010. Mr. Wheeldon was Resident Choreographer New York City Ballet from 2001 – 2008, where he created 17 ballets.

About the Company:

Corella Ballet Castilla y León was founded in April 2008 at the Royal Palace of La Granja in Segovia-Spain. Corella Ballet, under Ángel Corella’s artistic direction, is currently the only classical ballet company in Spain. Corella Ballet’s wide repertoire incorporates classical, neoclassical and contemporary choreography. The company consists of 60 dancers from 12 countries: Spain, Cuba, United States, Brazil, Ukraine, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Russia, Argentina, the Republic of Georgia and Kazajstán. Corella Ballet Foundation projects include the creation of a dance school which will also be the base for future Corella Ballet dancers. One of the company’s missions is to provide a professional career for classical dancers in Spain, so that Spanish born dancers do not have to leave the country to further their careers, as Corella and many others have done. The Spanish National Heritage Department has granted the Foundation Ángel Corella use of the Santa Cecila Palace in the Royal Place of La Granja de San Ildefonso, Spain. This location will be the future home of the company as well as the boarding school.

Corella Ballet will play for four performances, at New York City Center, 55^th Street, between 6^th and 7^th Avenues, according to the following schedule: March 17 at 7:30, March 19 at 8 pm and March 20 at 2 & 8 pm.  (no performance Thursday, March 18) Tickets range from $25 – $75 and can be purchased by calling CityTix® at 212-581-1212, online at www.nycitycenter.org or at the City Center Box Office (West 55^th Street between 6^th and 7^th Avenues).

The Performance Schedule

Wednesday, March 17 at 7:30 pm; Friday, March 19 at 8 pm; Saturday, March 20 at 8 pm

STRING SEXTET (U.S. Premiere, 2009)
Choreography: Ángel Corella
Music: Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, String Sextet, "Souvenir of Florence" Op. 70
WALPURGISNACHT (1956)

Choreography: Leonid Lavrovsky

Music: From Faust (1859, ballet music added in 1869) by Charles Francoise Gounod

Pas de Trois performed by Kazuko Omori, Joseph Gatti & Kirill Radev

(Yevgen Uzlenkov replaces Radev on March 19)

SUNNY DUET (1973)

Choreography: Vladimir Vasiliov & Natalia Kasatkina

Music: Arno Babajanyan

Pas de deux performed by Adiarys Almeida and Herman Cornejo

SOLEÁ (World Premiere)

Choreography:  María Pagés
Pas de deux performed by Ángel Corella & Carmen Corella

DGV: DANSE À GRAND VITESSE (2006)
Choreography: Christopher Wheeldon
Music: Michael Nyman, MGV: Musique à Grande Vitesse

Saturday, March 20 at 2 pm

STRING SEXTET (U.S. Premiere, 2009)
Choreography: Ángel Corella
Music: Peter Tchaikovsky, String Sextet, "Souvenir of Florence" Op. 70

EPIMETHEUS (U.S. Premiere, 2009)
Choreography: Russell Ducker
Music: Mike Oldfield, The Music of the Spheres

SOLEÁ (World Premiere)

Choreography:  María Pagés
Pas de deux performed by Ángel Corella & Carmen Corella

DGV: DANSE À GRAND VITESSE (2006)
Choreography: Christopher Wheeldon
Music: Michael Nyman, MGV: Musique à Grande Vitesse

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The show opens up with Christopher Wheeldon’s Commedia, a piece where the dancers are wearing white unitards, designed by Isabel and Ruben Toledo, with printed patterns of black much like a mixed up checkerboard.  They also wear what looks like colorful “doo-rags” that cover their eyes like a mask.  The choreography is fun and light and great to watch as the eight dancers move to music by Igor Stravinsky.  Their technique is impeccable and they are sooooo “in” it.  (This is what I love about classical ballet that I think many current day dancers need to remember in performance).  The piece is so musical that the dancers have to become their characters in order to successfully pull this piece off.   It isn’t enough to just perform the art; they must BE the art.  And, in this case, the dancers do just that.  Moreover, to our delight, Wheeldon’s choreography, though starting from a great classical sketch, seamlessly adds contemporary elements of floor work, body undulations, and flexed feet creating a yummy funky mix.

Next on the program is Leaving Songs, a piece about the mystery of death and passing on to another side.  This piece, choreographed by Tim Harbour, is performed so beautifully, so delicate; it’s gorgeous to watch as the dancers dance with clear balls that look like huge bubbles. My favorite part about this piece is the intricate cannon effect used where all the dancers commit to steps one beat away from each other, traveling around the stage to finally unfold into a striking image.

Up next is my favorite piece of the night, Softly As I Leave You, choreographed by Lightfoot Leon, which has me “google-ing” the hell out of the two dancers, Drew Jacoby, and Rubinold Pronk.  Fire, Fire, Fire!!  That is all I have to say.  I watch and I am nothing but compelled to scream out “BEAUTIFUL!!!" when it is finished.  Drew opens the piece dancing inside a coffin-like box propped-up on one side so that the audience can see her dancing within it. The movement is intricate and quirky and EXTREMELY full of passion.  She is so committed to each step that I think the box is going to fall over!  Rubinold emerges next (and I have to mention the fact that he is lying there in darkness the whole time, but I am so intrigued by Drew that I don’t even notice).  Now….Rubinold is a powerhouse.  Let me say it again…POWERHOUSE!  I mean, just graceful, masculine, technical, everything.  The two together are just wonderful. They express such passion,  I feel exactly what the title suggests…  the pain of leaving.

The show is summed up with a piece choreographed by Alexis Ratmansky and performed to one of my favorite pieces of music, “Bolero” by Maurice Ravel.  For Bolero, the work consists of an eclectic mix of jazz-like and contemporary movement which occasionally just explodes as if to come from pure emotion without thought to satisfy technique.  I adore how the choreography hits every single nuance of the music.  The dancers have numbers on their costumes and almost always take turns doing solos and duets in numerical order; but don’t get me wrong, there is nothing predictable about this piece.   I will say though, that at times of unison, the dancers are not always moving completely together; however because they are so fierce… who cares?  Clearly, they are "moved" and clearly, it seems as if the dancers love the music as much as I do.  Live, ya’ll.  Bravo! 

Overall,  Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company is definitely now one of my favorite dance companies.  As for this "must-see" show, Christopher Wheeldon has put together a wonderful concert with a magnificent company of gorgeous dancers to watch.  I am inspired.

IDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by JoiLynn   
Performance:  Morphoses/ The Wheeldon Company
Choreography:  Christopher Wheeldon, Lightfoot Leon, Alexis Ratmansky, Tim Harbour
Venue: City Center, New York City
Show Date: October 31, 2009 at 8pm
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“This is the greatest show,” boasts a balletomane sitting next to me as I flip through my program waiting for America Dances! , Career Transition for Dancers’ 24^th anniversary jubilee and celebration to begin; and, with a presenting sponsor as Rolex and a roster filled with the world’s most legendary dancers, I couldn’t imagine anything less.

What does follow however, are New York City Ballet’s stunning Ashley Bouder (affectionately referred to by us young ballet-fanatics as “The Bouder”) and Andrew Veyette in the aforementioned Balanchine piece.  The pas de deux is a perfect way to salute to our dance heritage by mixing the classic choreography with the dynamic bodies and strength of a new generation of dancers whose leaps, jumps and arabesques seem to reach beyond the dance soldiers that preceded them.

Another stand-out performance (among the myriad presented) is from Lori Belilove & The Isadora Duncan Dance Company in The Dance of the Furies.  With strength and execution reminiscent (I imagine) of Isadora’s rich lyricism and tension, the movements depicts Rodin’s Gates of Hell, washed in flowing red fabric and abstraction.

The Lombard Twins provide their usual twist of multiplicity and talent with The Dance Concert.  Both Martin and Facundo are masters in the art of dancing from the inside out.  They clearly and passionately feel their movement, but making an audience sense the very same is something many young dancers lack.  Not here, though… Coined “free expression,” the twins, have the power to translate evocative movement into something that we all can enjoy.

Preceding the death-defying partnering of veteran Mark Stuart Eckstein and his beautiful partner, Miss Adealani Malia, are two young, talented dancers, barely four and a half feet tall, that delightfully surprise us all with a well-choreographed and highly entertaining salsa number.  Performing with such accuracy, such showmanship, such energy, such skill, these little future stars, Alexandra Gutkovitch and John Gaylan, are on point and are an absolute charm to watch!

Not much could top Mr. D’Amboise’s impromptu petite allegro, but Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet comes close with Jason Kittelberger’s and Acacia Schachte’s performance of Cold Song.  The entire theater is hushed as they sweep the floor with poetic movement, permeating an icy chill that leaves us frozen in wonder.

Other performances included the Parkour group Bullettrun, the choreography of Ann Marie DeAngelo, SYTYCD choreographer/Sonya Tayeh Dance, the company of M. Stuart Dance Theatre, Tony Waag’s Tap City Youth Ensemble, The Street Beats Group,  excerpts from Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, and a Tribute to Duke Ellington (featuring Mercedes Ellington).

Sprinkled throughout the show are accolades.  Receiving the Career Transition for Dancers’ Award for Outstanding Contributions to the World of Dance are two very important philanthropist to the dance world, Lawrence Herbert (presented by Jock Soto) and  Lloyd E. Rigler of the Lawrence E. Deustsch Foundation (presented by Valerie Harper).  Presented by Desmond Richardson, The Rolex Dance Award is given in honor of our beloved Patrick Swayze.  His wife, Lisa Niemi Swayze, genially accepts the award with heartfelt grace in an audience full of friends and family.

And that seems par the course in the dance world…  making sure that Career Transition for Dancers not only celebrates our sparkling heritage, but our uplifting future that evening… It seems that the dance community will always find a way to inspire hope even in the most desperate of times, whether it’s with generous donations, audience cheers, scholarships, or simply with the art itself…  And that, surely, is the greatest thing of all.

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Joey Lico

Check out more of Joey Lico’s writings on www.prodiligo.com.

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Christopher Wheeldon is a jack-of-all trades as he takes on City Center in Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company’s third season.  He serves as artistic director, fundraiser, promoter, spokesperson, and host for the evening as he welcomed the audience at the start of Sunday’s matinee performance to sit back and enjoy the show.  Mr. Wheeldon’s underlying goal for the company is to bridge the divide that sometimes can occur between a ballet company and its audience. His hope is to attract an audience who is new to ballet through collaborations with different kinds of artists and the utilization of film as a way to show his company in their everyday, down-to-earth lives.  Within the show, Mr. Wheeldon presents us with an up-close-and-personal look at his dancers during their residency at Martha’s Vinyard this summer. The video shows the dancers in rehearsals, working on the dances, but it offers us another side to them as they hang out with each other or share a meal together. It is a successful attempt at showing the audience that yes, dancers are people too.

Mr. Wheeldon’s first piece to begin the program is Continuum (2002).  Dense and spiky music, composed by Gyogy Ligeti for the piano and harpsichord, depict within the dynamic score energy changes that evoke the feeling of a windmill or some sort of machine that relies on nature as its energy source. The dancers’ movements are naturally driven and unlike some ballet which can appear ornamental, Christopher Wheeldon’s dancers are moving from deep within.  The dancers wear forest green costumes which also evokes a natural quality to their movements. The gorgeous combination of duets, performed radiantly by Edward Liang and Danielle Rowe and the ever breathtaking Wendy Whelen and Matthew Prescott, add layers to this enchanting ballet. The Harpsichord Pas de deux, which occurs midway through the ballet, is played in rapid succession which, as Mr. Wheeldon explains at the beginning of the performance, is inspired by sparring between his cats and dog.  The use of a horizontal plane, in addition to the dancers moving with their backs parallel to the floor, connotes an animalistic quality to the dancers as well as the feeling that these ballet dancers can actually do modern dance as well!  What an amazing feat to be these beautiful ballerinas who are also able to perform modern dance styles.

The second piece of the performance, Softly as I Leave You (2009), is a quiet duet which was reworked by husband and wife team, Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon.  The piece begins with Drew Jacoby confined to a 300-lb black box which both restricts her and provides her with the ability to challenge these limits.   At times appearing resigned to her life in the box, she dynamically will switch into escape mode, realizing that there is something more to life than her existence in the box.  Rubinald Pronk appears with his amazing physicality and control.  Jacoby and Pronk are similar in their movement styles, appearing both controlled and cool in their movements, but also ferocious and exaggerated in other movements.  Softly as I Leave You evokes a combination of feeling regret and the process of letting someone go.  It is extremely sentimental, probably to a fault, but this gushiness is almost completely overlooked because of the amazing dancers.  Both Jacoby and Pronk save the day in what otherwise would have been considered a hackneyed theme about loss and letting go.

Rhapsody Fantaisie (2009) is the epitome of Wheeldon’s aims to combine different art forms. Los Carpinteros, a Havana-based collective created the memorable set designs for the dance. The pieces are three dimensional floating cones which create a fantastical image of romance and sensuality.  In addition to the set design, the costumes are designed by Fancisco Costa, the Women’s Creative Director of Calvin Klein Collection.  Rhapsody Fantaisie is a beautiful romantic ballet for six couples.  Mr. Wheeldon uses classical steps combined with sleek changes of weight shift in nature between whimsical duets and heartier group dances which are reminiscent of folk dance circles.  Similar to Continuum, the dancers are moving in and out of ballet and modern dance styles. The dancers continue to shine, in particular Melissa Barak.  Despite the fact that she performs a duet with Wendy Whelen, she is able to hold her own and prove herself next to this dancing diva.  Mr. Wheeldon’s choreography is extremely flattering on his dancers, especially the women who are able to be delicate and feminine and, at other times, articulate and sharp.  Wendy Whelen tops off the piece in the final duet where she dances with Andrew Crawford who must yield to all of Whelen’s power!  Despite her delicacy, she still appears to claim the stage which is truly a remarkable accomplishment.

Criticized for merely being a pick-up company with no real identity of it’s own, Christopher Wheeldon should be proud of how far his company has come since its inception three years ago.  Despite the fact that Wheeldon is unable to pay his dancers full-time, his company still feels like a cohesive organization.  The video at the beginning of the performance definitely helps to change my perception of these dancers.  I have always been under the impression that these types of dancers are all prima donnas who are all trying to outdo each other.  I am fairly confident now that this is not the case, and the dancers actually enjoy working together to produce a wonderful show.  Til next time…

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Amanda Keller
Performance:  Morpheses/ The Wheeldon Company
Choreography:  Christopher Wheeldon
Venue: City Center, New York City
Show Date:  Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 3pm

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Colker’s 4 por 4 at City Center is visually stunning.  Gorgeously high-budget sets and incredibly talented dancers create such moments of pure eye candy that one is (almost) moved by the aesthetic itself.  However, popping visuals and physical prowess do not a dance show make, and Colker’s choreography lacked both the emotionality and the energy of movement that would have made this show truly spectacular.

In Corners, Colker opens with a clear presentation of of her dancer’s strength, skill and fearlessness.  Four free standing "corners," created out of diagonally asymmetrical 12 foot walls, form a semi circle facing outward.  In each corner is a girl with a swinging short dress and strappy heels.  The women gyrate and slap their legs around, hooking back attitudes around the edges of walls, walking feet-over-head as they hit inverted diagonal lines.  One by one, the men swing onto the sets, climbing up the women, hanging from the tops of the walls, and at one point, appearing out of the semi-darkness to stand Easter Island-like at the top of each corner… 12 or 15 feet above the stage they loom solidly above Colker’s sets, which because of the odd angles, seem to waver and disintegrate underneath them.  Colker’s talent for super human movement invention is huge (she just choreographed for Cirque du Soliel), but I could do without all the jazz-dance filler.

The third piece, Some People, a kind of super-pop tribute to gender-queer sexuality, takes place against a floor and backdrop both painted with huge, semi-abstract faces, breasts and genitals.  The dancers, dressed in ultra-tight and brightly colored jeans and t-shirts hop and monkey around, miming make-outs, anal sex, and cunnilingus across the gender spectrum.  I appreciate this free-for all, but I’m sure why we are seeing it …  Are we suppose to laugh?  To be turned on? To question the repression of sexuality in normative cultural discourse?  Or, even, to think how lucky Brazilians are that they are allowed to be so sexually explicit…?  Maybe all of the above, but, unfortunately, I’m not moved at all.  I think it is because, although this piece is so visually impressive, the movement itself never went beyond mime and predictably slow jazz-reference pony-ing.  I wish I had been turned on, that would’ve been more fun.

Lastly, Colker’s big effort, Vases, should have been amazing, and in some ways, it is.  100 vases stand at approximately 3 foot square intervals in rows and columns all over the City Center stage.  They are all white with blue designs and the sight of them under soft blue lighting creates some audible gasps.  The men crawl and flip through the rows of vases, sometimes rolling backwards on diagonals that allow them to travel between vases, sometimes lifting their hips over and around the top of a vase, grazing it as they fly by.  The women kick and turn, at one point executing coupe jetes over the vases, finding just the right height to land between them. The partnering here is pretty spectacular, men spinning and lifting women, bouncing them through the minefield, suspended lifts timed perfectly to create geometrical patterns.  I am literally on the edge of my seat at some points, but after the first few breath-holding moments, I continue to want more. I want to see the movement change, to get faster or slower, really huge or miniscule, or for the dancers to find some emotional reason for connecting with the movement itself.  Even when the vases are gradually floated out on flies that had descended from the ceiling (an easy metaphor for transcendence) I feel nothing but relief -for now, those poor dancers can really move.

And perhaps that is what I wanted all along.  I love seeing talented dancers do exactly what they’ve been told, but I’d rather watch someone, anyone, REALLY MOVE any day.

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Meghan Frederick
Performance:  Deborah Colker 4 por 4
Choreography:  Deborah Colker
Venue:  City Center, New York City
Show Date:  October 23, 2009
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TANGUERA
The Tango Musical

to play New York City Center
131 West 55^th Street
(between 6^th and 7^th Avenues)

October 7-18, 2009

Tanguera: The Tango Musical (www.tanguera-musical.com) will make its U.S. debut with a special engagement at New York City Center, 131 West 55^th Street (between 6^th and 7^th Avenues), running from October 7-18, 2009. Michael Brenner for BB Promotion GmbH and Paul Szilard Productions, Inc. present this engagement under the patronage of Daniel Barenboim.

Tanguera is unique in that it extends the lines between dance and theater, and is in the vein of Moving Out and Contact. With a cast of over 30 dancers and singers, Tanguera is a musical with original songs and a story told through dance.

Having played to sold-out audiences all over the word, Tanguera had its premiere in Buenos Aires in 2002. Le Figaro in France calls Tanguera “A thrilling show displaying a formation of dancers with adept technical experience and musical talent,” La Nacion in Argentina applauds “fabulous stage display and perfect visual resolution,” Berliner Zeitung in Germany cheers “A definite must see!” and Le Monde in Paris calls the show "Full of adrenaline!"

Tanguera explodes onto the stage in a tale of unrequited love in turn-of-the-20th-century Buenos Aires through a unique combination of song, music, and dance. In this erotic and sensual musical, a young French girl, deceived by a prostitution ring arrives in Argentina at the port of Buenos Aires, and meets the dockworker Lorenzo, an idealist and dreamer. Life transforms them: she becomes a cabaret star and he must decide to face destiny and conquer his love. Tanguera is performed with a live tango orchestra.

Tanguera is directed by Omar Pacheco and choreographed by Mora Godoy.  It has a story by Diego Romay and Dolores Espeja with lyrics by Eladia Blazques.  The musical direction and arrangements are by Gerardo Gardelin and the tango arrangements are by Lisandro Adrover.   Set design is by Valeria Ambrosio, with costume design by Cecilia Monti and lighting design by Ariel Del Mastro. Tanguera is a Diego Romay Company Production.

Tanguera runs from October 7-18, 2009 and tickets are priced at $95, $75, and $45 with premium seating available. The schedule is as follows: Wednesday 10/7 at 2pm and 7:30pm, Thursday, 10/8 at 8pm (OPENING NIGHT), Friday, 10/9 at 8pm, Saturday 10/10 at 2pm and 8pm, Sunday 10/11 at 2pm and 7pm, Tuesday 10/13 at 7:30pm, Wednesday 10/14 at 8pm, Thursday, 10/15 at 8pm, Friday 10/16 at 8pm, Saturday 10/17 at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday 10/18 at 2pm and 6pm. Tickets for the international sensation are available through City Tix (212) 581-1212 / 1-877-581-1212 (outside metropolitan area NY, NJ, CT) or order online at www.citycenter.org.  For more information on Tanguera, please visit: www.tanguera-musical.com.

Photo Copyright Manuel Navarro de la Fuente

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