This afternoon we spent a couple of hours at the ballet. We saw the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Broadway Festival, featuring Broadway and Broadway-inspired ballets.
The main attraction was the final piece, the "West Side Story Suite" choreographed by Jerome Robbins from his Broadway choreography and to Leonard Bernstein's amazing music. But the rest of the program was equally intriguing: Balanchine's "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue" from Rodgers & Hart's 1930's musical "On Your Toes"; a ballet by Christopher Wheeldon to "Carousel Waltz" from Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Carousel"; and the Broadway choreographer/director Susan Stroman's "TAKE FIVE...More Or Less" commissioned by PNB and premiered last year.
Seeing "West Side Story" danced by ballet dancers was exciting, and interesting to see them step out of their comfort zone to do some singing and dialogue. The best, by far, was Carla Korbes as Anita, who was the only one who sounded and acted like someone who had stepped off a musical stage to perform, and really acted like a star. (Professional musical comedy singers filled in at other times, and provided entertainment in the lobby at intermission.) Equally as exciting to watch was Jeff Stanton as Riff. In the suite, Tony and Maria become secondary characters for a large part -- Riff and Bernardo take center stage.
Stroman's piece was witty, sophisticated and charming, enough to capture even my crabby-from-hunger 12-year-old. It started with the premise that artists, even when they "take five" never really take a break from their art, because it is always within them. This will be a ballet that other companies will start to perform. Hopefully not before it becomes a PNB signature piece.
But the big revelation was "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue." Choreographed as a performance ballet within a show, it is also tied in with the (albeit flimsy) plot of the show in a way that was never done before in the theater. Balanchine was hired to give the ballet legitimacy, but went far beyond into wonderful jazz ballet in a way that is in no way reminiscent of his standard ballet choreography. Gene Kelly choreographed and danced (with Vera Ellen) a clever, more modern excerpt of the ballet for "Words and Music," the Lorenz Hart star-studded biographical film.
When he pulled the ballet from the musical in 1967 to add it to the NYC Ballet repertoire, Balanchine created all new choreography; perhaps he took some inspiration from Gene Kelly? Regardless (or, irregardless as my old boss used to like to say), it was an exciting piece of ballet that was unanimously the favorite of the family. It was the ideal example of why live performance will never be replaced: nothing engages the audience like live theater, especially when it takes place amidst the audience.
The big star of the day was, without a doubt, Jeffrey Stanton. Known to many of us casual ballet goers as Patricia Barker's favorite partner, we haven't seen much of him in the past year because of injury, even leading to speculation that he was quietly retired or on his way somewhere else. But as the Hoofer in "Slaughter" and "Riff" in "West Side Story," he was the focal point whenever he was on stage, demonstrating every bit of experience, stage savvy and talent.
Not enough good can be said about the orchestra, either. A collection of music that would make a great symphony program, the ballet orchestra outdid itself as it played Rodgers, Brubeck and Bernstein with equal deft.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Purdue Boilermakers Dance Into Round Two
On Thursday Purdue beat Northern Iowa (although not as handily as I had hoped) to advance in the NCAA Tournament. Woo hoo! Go Boilers!
On Saturday afternoon, they will face off against the Washington Huskies. I've been hearin
g about that team all year here in the Pacific Northwest, and there's no question that they are talented, tough and well-coached. They will also have the added advantage of virtually being the home team, playing as they are in Portland. It will be one of the best games in the tournament, rivaling even the finals. But I am an optimist! Purdue is a team that came from the middle of the pack to win the Big Ten championship. They are on a roll, winning games away from their home court.
g about that team all year here in the Pacific Northwest, and there's no question that they are talented, tough and well-coached. They will also have the added advantage of virtually being the home team, playing as they are in Portland. It will be one of the best games in the tournament, rivaling even the finals. But I am an optimist! Purdue is a team that came from the middle of the pack to win the Big Ten championship. They are on a roll, winning games away from their home court.The Pu
rdue Boilermakers are a fun team to watch, and loaded with talent. Although there are several great players, my favorite player has become sophomore Robbie Hummel. 'Though it's no surprise that Matt Painter's team is tough, there is something about Hummmel's enthusiasm and intensity that I find immensely enjoyable to watch. And he always seems to be in just the right place to get things going.
rdue Boilermakers are a fun team to watch, and loaded with talent. Although there are several great players, my favorite player has become sophomore Robbie Hummel. 'Though it's no surprise that Matt Painter's team is tough, there is something about Hummmel's enthusiasm and intensity that I find immensely enjoyable to watch. And he always seems to be in just the right place to get things going.Whether or not Purdue moves on after Saturday's game remains to be seen. Optimist that I am, I have them reaching the finals, in spite of having to face the UConn Huskies if they beat the Washington Huskies. Anything can happen in the Big Dance.
AIG: I Wanna Be a Producer
Like a lot of people, I have been angered by the audacity of the whole AIG bonuses-for-failed executives thing. I have also been just plain annoyed that financial institutions, that, up until the 1990s, were on the conservative side of dealing with money, would end up needing to be given massive loans.
But I have finally figured out why AIG is in so much trouble. What it boils down to is that they were slicing apart mortgages and reselling the pieces, ending up with something like 300% ownership. But when they had to be paid...
Now, this is probably a simplification of what happened, but suddenly one night a light buplb went off. This is exactly what Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom did in "The Producers" by Mel Brooks! They sold over a hundred percent of their show, and when it was a hit, they were suddenly in trouble for selling more than they could pay.
So you could say that what those well-heeled executives did that almost brought down AIG was a legal form of what sent Bialystock and Bloom to jail.
Or, maybe Leo and Max should never have gone to jail in the first place.
But I have finally figured out why AIG is in so much trouble. What it boils down to is that they were slicing apart mortgages and reselling the pieces, ending up with something like 300% ownership. But when they had to be paid...
Now, this is probably a simplification of what happened, but suddenly one night a light buplb went off. This is exactly what Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom did in "The Producers" by Mel Brooks! They sold over a hundred percent of their show, and when it was a hit, they were suddenly in trouble for selling more than they could pay.
So you could say that what those well-heeled executives did that almost brought down AIG was a legal form of what sent Bialystock and Bloom to jail.
Or, maybe Leo and Max should never have gone to jail in the first place.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
March Madness (Go Boilers!)
The Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team is in the Big Dance with a 5th seed in the West. They will be playing in Portland, Ore., and if they win their first game they will face the Washington Huskies, a team I've been familiar with this year due to their coverage in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
But I have a beef with the NCAA. Why is there a "West" bracket being played on the east coast? And why does a team like Purdue or Wisconsin have to play two time zones away, but Duke and North Carolina both get to play in North Carolina? Shouldn't the divisions labeled things like "Midwest" and "South" be for teams from those geographical areas?
While I realize that they try not to have a cluster of the top seeded teams play each other in the first rounds because they are in the same division or geographic area, it seems that they should either place every team away from a home court advantage, or go back to keeping everyone home and tough it out.
Think about it, NCAA. If you tried that kind of unequal division in a preschool class, you'd be in time out.
But I have a beef with the NCAA. Why is there a "West" bracket being played on the east coast? And why does a team like Purdue or Wisconsin have to play two time zones away, but Duke and North Carolina both get to play in North Carolina? Shouldn't the divisions labeled things like "Midwest" and "South" be for teams from those geographical areas?
While I realize that they try not to have a cluster of the top seeded teams play each other in the first rounds because they are in the same division or geographic area, it seems that they should either place every team away from a home court advantage, or go back to keeping everyone home and tough it out.
Think about it, NCAA. If you tried that kind of unequal division in a preschool class, you'd be in time out.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Ardis Pauline Lillehaugen Nordland
Yesterday would have been my mother's 80th birthday. She died at age 64, one week after Easter 1992 at 10:43am while people in churches in Minnesota, Indiana and Wisconsin were praying for her.
My mother was an amazing person. Everyone liked her, and wanted her to be their best friend. She would walk into a party, and within ten minutes have met everyone and livened things up just by being there. She set the example for what a feminist should be: strong, capable, an advocate for human rights, and always striving to better herself.
I spent a lot of time thinking about her yesterday. And with them came a whole host of "would haves."
We would have, either last weekend or this weekend, had a big birthday bash for her. I can still recall my grandfather's 80th birthday party, and my grandmother. Both were big parties, with a lot of family and friends in attendance, good food, a krinsekake and a lot of talking. My mother's party probably would have been in Minneapolis, with the host of friends who still live in Minneapolis, relatives from the surrounding states, and surprise guests.
My children would have the best grandmother in the world (and the ones that they do know set the bar pretty high, believe me), and I would have had the joy to see her love and nurture them. Her one regret in dying, she confided in a friend, was that she would never hold her grandchildren. My brothers and I both feel that absence, too.
She would have criticized Clinton through his presidency (she didn't like him -- she preferred a more liberal Democrat), but would have loved seeing Obama sworn in. And she would be so pleased seeing Hillary Clinton re-open relations with China.
She would have come and stayed with me when I had my babies, and would have been a willing babysitter when we wanted to go on a vacation without them.
Most of all, I would have had another 16 years of wonderful friendship.
My mother was an amazing person. Everyone liked her, and wanted her to be their best friend. She would walk into a party, and within ten minutes have met everyone and livened things up just by being there. She set the example for what a feminist should be: strong, capable, an advocate for human rights, and always striving to better herself.
I spent a lot of time thinking about her yesterday. And with them came a whole host of "would haves."
We would have, either last weekend or this weekend, had a big birthday bash for her. I can still recall my grandfather's 80th birthday party, and my grandmother. Both were big parties, with a lot of family and friends in attendance, good food, a krinsekake and a lot of talking. My mother's party probably would have been in Minneapolis, with the host of friends who still live in Minneapolis, relatives from the surrounding states, and surprise guests.
My children would have the best grandmother in the world (and the ones that they do know set the bar pretty high, believe me), and I would have had the joy to see her love and nurture them. Her one regret in dying, she confided in a friend, was that she would never hold her grandchildren. My brothers and I both feel that absence, too.
She would have criticized Clinton through his presidency (she didn't like him -- she preferred a more liberal Democrat), but would have loved seeing Obama sworn in. And she would be so pleased seeing Hillary Clinton re-open relations with China.
She would have come and stayed with me when I had my babies, and would have been a willing babysitter when we wanted to go on a vacation without them.
Most of all, I would have had another 16 years of wonderful friendship.
Friday Night Musings
The newly released Blu-Ray (restored) edition of Walt Disney's "Pinocchio" is stunning. They are making much of the improved sound (and it does sound great), but the brilliance is in the richness of the art of animation. It captured the attention of both my children (12 and 9) and they watched, rapt, throughout the film. (That is not something that happens with most modern animated films.)
My new favorite reality show person is Patti Stanger, the matchmaker on Millionaire Matchmaker. Few things are more fun than watching her browbeat 40 something men who only want to date 20 somethings. I remember being 26 and thinking 40 was old -- can you imagine what women in youth-obsessed LA think?
Why are people who run dancewear stores so often snobby?
Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State is like a junior president. She is an international rock star, listens attentively, and seems to remember everything. As much as I would have liked to have seen her as president or even vice president, I think she is at her best heading up U.S. diplomacy. She manages to be credible, contemporary, statesmanlike, tough and personable all at the same time. President Obama could not have chosen better.
Michelle Obama rocks.
Every morning, parents saddle up for another day of cat herding.
Jon Stewart deserves a Pulitzer for his interview with Jim Cramer on the Daily Show last night. (see the unedited version here) His demand for responsible reporting should echo throughout the visual and on line media. With the demise of the daily newspaper, and print media in general, responsible journalism is in grave danger of dying with them.
The Pacific Northwest Ballet is doing a Broadway Festival this month. The program contains one "ooh" after another: West Side Story Suite (Robbins), The Carousel Waltz (Wheeldon, new choreography), Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (Balanchine), Take Five More or Less (Stroman), and more. Peter Boal is an innovative artistic director with one foot planted in tradition while reaching out and searching for innovation and evolution in ballet. Swans still die, but the company constantly shows why ballet dancers are the best athletes.
My new favorite reality show person is Patti Stanger, the matchmaker on Millionaire Matchmaker. Few things are more fun than watching her browbeat 40 something men who only want to date 20 somethings. I remember being 26 and thinking 40 was old -- can you imagine what women in youth-obsessed LA think?
Why are people who run dancewear stores so often snobby?
Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State is like a junior president. She is an international rock star, listens attentively, and seems to remember everything. As much as I would have liked to have seen her as president or even vice president, I think she is at her best heading up U.S. diplomacy. She manages to be credible, contemporary, statesmanlike, tough and personable all at the same time. President Obama could not have chosen better.
Michelle Obama rocks.
Every morning, parents saddle up for another day of cat herding.
Jon Stewart deserves a Pulitzer for his interview with Jim Cramer on the Daily Show last night. (see the unedited version here) His demand for responsible reporting should echo throughout the visual and on line media. With the demise of the daily newspaper, and print media in general, responsible journalism is in grave danger of dying with them.
The Pacific Northwest Ballet is doing a Broadway Festival this month. The program contains one "ooh" after another: West Side Story Suite (Robbins), The Carousel Waltz (Wheeldon, new choreography), Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (Balanchine), Take Five More or Less (Stroman), and more. Peter Boal is an innovative artistic director with one foot planted in tradition while reaching out and searching for innovation and evolution in ballet. Swans still die, but the company constantly shows why ballet dancers are the best athletes.
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