|
Article Excerpt
During a clean-up rehearsal or Mosaik, Ib Andersen, artistic director of Ballet Arizona, bounds onto the stage with the litheness of a cat. As he strides towards the dancers, he dispenses corrections and demonstrates steps to emphasize a point. He shows ballerina Natalia Magnicaballi a grand fond de jambe en l'air saying, "It should have this kind of grandeur," as his leg swoops away from his body out into space. To dancers practicing turns he whips off four pirouettes landing in a perfect fifth position. "Don't be cautious," he says. "Go for it, and hope for the best."
The "go for it" attitude could be the motto of Ballet Arizona, a company that was on the brink of extinction in 2000, when Andersen arrived and started building it into a formidable oasis in the desert. The company now performs topnotch Balanchine, Bournonville, and Petipa and also tackles Paul Taylor and Twyla Tharp. Andersen's own two-hour, plotless ballet Mosaik, which premiered last April, established him as a first-rate choreographer. In June, BAZ topped itself with a four-day tribute to Balanchine, presenting Serenade, Prodigal Son, Allegro Brillante, Apollo, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, and--the acid test for any ballet company--Theme and Variations.
As recently as 2002, all this didn't seem possible. Susan Hendl, a ballet mistress of New York City Ballet and member of the Balanchine Foundation, had set Allegro Brillante on BAZ that year. When asked to return to stage Theme...
|
|
More articles from Dance Magazine
Georgi Balanchivadze and Mr. B: his life shaped his work in unexpected..., January 01, 2005
Dancing the impossible choreography for the camera., January 01, 2005
Close up on choreography for the camera., January 01, 2005
Your body got the blues? How to stay healthy during a long season., January 01, 2005
Guiding lights: ballet masters from ABT, PNB, The Joffery, and Kansas ..., January 01, 2005
Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.
Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication
name or publication date.
About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company
analysis or best practices in managing your organization,
Goliath can help you meet your business needs.
Our extensive business information databases empower business
professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible,
authoritative information they need to support their business
goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting,
company research or defining management best practices -
Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.
|
|
