Since My Last Post

Went with a friend to see the Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden. So many beautiful flowers eager to have their photos taken. Here are a few.

Orchid

Orchid

Orchids

Over the weekend, I saw Paul Taylor Dance Company at Lincoln Center, my main cultural activity each year. As usual, they were awesome. I'm not a big fan of ballet, but modern dance of this calibre is wonderful.



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Weekend Highs and Lows

Our water main burst Saturday around noon. Wanna guess what I was doing when I discovered there was no water? And not only no water until late Sunday, when they got the cold water running, then no hot water til Sunday evening, but we have steam heat. No water main meant no water to make steam. I suppose we were lucky it wasn't even colder out this weekend.

A friend and I attended the matinee for Paul Taylor Dance Company at Lincoln Center, where, shortly before I arrived, they'd had to evacuate because of a mysterious package that fortunately was not a bomb. The dancers were in top form and they did one of my all-time favorites, "Company B," along with a newer dance I adore called "Gossamer Gallants," which has the dancers playing fireflies. And I ended up sitting next to a former member of the company, Sylvia Nevjinsky. She was so nice! She chatted with me between dances.

Feeling: okay


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What I've Been Up To

It's amazing how one can go from vegging for days on end to busy busy busy.

Friday night, hubby and I saw Don McLean perform at B.B. King's. He's one of my favorite performers and, as usual, didn't disappoint.

Don McLean

Saturday, I ran errands.

Then on Sunday, I went with a friend to see Paul Taylor Dance Company. No photos allowed, but I managed to get a shot inside the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center before the performance. They did three dances: Offenbach Overtures, Promethean Fire, and a world premiere, Perpetual Dawn. The first two were beautifully performed, with the dancers having all settled into their roles a couple of years after some retirements meant shifting parts for some of the dancers. The new dance was quite lovely and I really liked the earth tone costumes.

David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center

Yesterday, I ran more errands and today is cleaning and laundry day. The rest of the week will be busy, too.

Feeling: accomplished

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A Good Day

I'm not healthy yet, but I sure had a nice week. The hamburger and handful of fries from Friday and the slice of cheese from Saturday resulted in no harmful effects on my ailing gut, so that was nice.

Went to the matinee of Paul Taylor Dance Theater. They did 3 dances, one of which was a premiere, called Changes, set to songs sung by The Mamas and Papas. I really enjoyed it. The company has a couple of new faces and a couple who were new last year, but they've all gelled wonderfully, dancing like a fully experienced company. I also had a lovely conversation with a woman by herself sitting next to me. It was a nice, warm day of 60 degrees F. and the light rain couldn't ruin the day.

Meanwhile, I've become addicted to games on Facebook. There are the word games like Scramble (like Boggle) and Scrabble, but also Pet Society (an obsession for me), Dragon Wars (which I can't quite get into), and a Pirate Game (similar set up to Dragon Wars, but I'm having more luck with it). I've even chatted with someone I knew in high school, which has been really nice.

Feeling: Pretty good

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Technorati Tags: dance

A Weekend of Matinees

A friend and I went to Paul Taylor Dance Company's matinees yesterday and today. This afternoon was the last New York performance of Lisa Viola who is retiring after this season. Many bouquets of roses were tossed on stage at the final curtain call. She was fun to watch, an amazing dancer with such energy and personality. I'll miss seeing her. She and the rest of the company were in fine form today and yesterday (two of the dances we saw each day were the same), with everyone really dancing well and looking comfortable on stage, even the "rookies." This is my annual encounter with "high culture." My friend and I have been going to see Paul Taylor's company for more than 25 years now. Wow. Now that's a commitment! ;)

Feeling:

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Technorati Tags: dance

Sunday Best

Today was first of 3 Paul Taylor Dance Company matinees. One NY Premiere was included, "De Suenos que se Repiten (of recurring dreams)," which was very good. The cover of the Playbill to the left is from that dance, the middle of 3 the company danced this afternoon. The other two were "Antique Valentine," a short, delightful dance I don't recall seeing before and it would've been memorable if I had for the striped costumes alone, and an old favorite, "Cloven Kingdom."

Before the show, I had lunch with the friend I've been seeing Paul Taylor with for nearly 30 years (eek, time sure flies), and before that, I walked around Central Park a bit, taking pics. Still have my cold, but the runny nose symptom eased up considerably.

*****

This "hand"written font is very cool.

Feeling:

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Technorati Tags: dance

Matinee

Lunch and Paul Taylor Dance Company with a friend. I had the yummy hot chocolate to the left with my grilled mozzarella and bacon sandwich for lunch. There's something really fine about drinking hot chocolate from a tall glass.

Paul Taylor, or PT as we call the company, was wonderful as usual. C and I go every year when they're in NY, in March. This year, they performed without my favorite dancer in the company, Patrick Corbin, who retired. But everyone else was great and there were a couple of new dancers. Everyone performed with energy. The first dance, "Piece Period" hadn't been performed in years and was a delight. "Banquet of Vultures," a war/anti-war piece was dark and powerful but could be even more powerful. The last dance was the always enjoyable and very pretty "Esplanade" which was particularly well done this afternoon. The leaps were amazing.

This is the one bit of real culture I get each year. C and I will be going to the next 2 Sunday matinees. It's a longstanding tradition, over 20 years now and counting.



Feeling:

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Technorati Tags: dance

Betty Grable, That's Me

Okay, this works for me:

You are Betty Grable

The ulitmate girl next door You're the perfect girl for most guys Pretty yet approachable. Beautiful yet real.

What Famous Pinup Are You?

Went to see Paul Taylor Dance Company today with my friend C. We've been going for 30 years or so now. We've seen a lot of dancers come and go, and this was the first season in a very long time without Patrick Corbin, my favorite, who retired after last season. So my new favorite is Michael Trusnovec. Now that he doesn't have to defer to Corbin for some big parts, he's really showing off what he can do. The three dances today, including a new one ("Banquet of Vultures" which was very dark and disturbing), were excellent.

Rainy day, so I didn't bring my camera. I find I really hate not having it with me because that's when I spot something I want to photograph. There were some neat archways and architectural details I'd missed last week. So I made a list.

Feeling:

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quizzes
dance concert

All in All a Nice Day

Went with my friend C to see Paul Taylor Dance Company. First season without my favorite dancer Patrick Corbin, who retired. It was weird not seeing him on stage. But before that, came brunch. C and I have been going to the same coffeeshop a block south of Columbus Circle for years. So after I walked over, snapping photos along the way, I discover the place is not only closed, but there's no more than a faded outline where the sign used to be. The F word came to mind. We went to a restaurant in a nearby hotel and I got my challah French toast, but it wasn't quite the same. So my ability to curse restaurants into closure continues apace. *sigh*

Otherwise, except for the wind and the fact that I'd managed to overdress, it was a nice day. And here's a chocolicious article for your entertainment.

Feeling:

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personal

Paul Taylor Dance Company

Today's matinee was special. It was the last performance in New York this year and with this being the company's 50th anniversary and Patrick Corbin dancing his last dance (as the head of City Center explained, he's now the newest member of the Taylor alums), the audience was emotionally charged as the curtain first rose. Throughout the theater were previous company members and their enthusiasm gave the proceedings an extra energy boost.

C and I were sitting in the 12th row, dead center, so C was happy. I had a head in front of me that kept the left side of the stage fairly well blocked, but he didn't move much, so I didn't need to bob and weave to see most of the dancing. And at that distance, I couldn't see facial expressions or even tell many dancers apart, but we'd gotten front row seats 3 or the 4 times, so I can't complain.

Corbin danced in the first dance, "Black Tuesday," which is set to depression-era music. Everyone was sharp and Corbin's solo at the end on "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?" was very moving. "Klezmerbluegrass" was making its NYC premiere. This was a dance I was looking forward to seeing and was billed as "celebrating 350 years of Jewish life in America, where Jews have long been part of the fabric of the nation's cultural life." It was much more Klezmer than bluegrass, except for the fiddles in the music, and the dancers were amazing. Maybe they were dancing exceptionally well because the newer members have finally meshed with the veterans of the company, or because of the emotional aspects of the anniversary, or because of the former dancers in the audience, or all of the above, but they were a wonder to watch.

"Esplanade," a pretty, energetic dance (lots of falling, rolling, leaping, and catching) set to Bach's Violin Concerto in E Major and Double Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor (Largo & Allegro), was as good as I've ever seen it. Corbin danced it, his last dance. What followed was amazing and C and I were so glad to be there for it.

Corbin got flowers: bouquets that were tossed onstage and the bouquet presented to him. Then all the former company dancers in attendance were announced and went onstage. It was so nice seeing so many old favorites like Elie Chaib, Hernando Cortez, Mary Cochran, Kenneth Tosti, Tom Patrick, David Parsons. It was a real love fest. C and I started going to Taylor together in either the late -'70s or very early-'80s, so we've seen Corbin for all the years he's been in the company, from 1989 to now.

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I meant to have some requested photos up to celebrate Cyber Chocolate, Jr's one-year-anniversary, which means my one-year blogging anniversary, but I've been too busy, so maybe next weekend. This blog will be up a year in August, and I'd really like to do something special, so start thinking of things you'd like to see. Hmmmm.... maybe I should conduct a poll. It's almost time to change the one I have up here, anyway.

I've also been having sporadic problems getting Haloscan to open (my computer and it don't get along at times), so if I haven't commented on someone's blog who has Haloscan, it's not that I'm ignoring you. Sometimes, I just can't get it open.

Busy Day

A first for me, I think. Two shows in two locations. First, was Paul Taylor Dance Company doing "Musical Offering," which is a very nice looking dance and the dancers wear nearly flesh covered tights and what looks like loincloths of some type. The women wear snug tops that look like undershirts, also near flesh color. The men get to show their chests. This was the dance Patrick Corbin danced in this afternoon and he was wonderful as usual. A woman tossed a bouquet of flowers onto the stage at City Center. She had great aim and good strength. The flowers landed at his feet. My friend C and I had front row seats again, so we had a clear view of his smile.

The second dance was one of our favs: "Funny Papers," danced to novelty songs. "Alley Oop" was wonderfully danced by Parisa Khobdeh, one of the newer dancers in the company, and Richard Chen See, who partnered wonderfully with her. They and the rest of the performers seemed even more boneless than usual for this number. Other songs choreographed for this include: "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man," "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," a truly awful and off-key recording of "I Am Woman" which was danced to perfection by Sylvia Nevjinsky and Orion Duckstein, and one of my fav novelty songs, "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight)."

We left after that, neither of us inclined to stay for the third dance, "Syzygy," the only dance that can put us both to sleep. Tomorrow, we go to the last show of the season here in NY.

At night, hubby and I went to Westbury Music Fair The Norfork Theater at Westbury (I don't know which I hate more, that they sold out to a sponsor, or that they renamed the theater) to see Jay Black. Jay's shows are fairly predictable and very entertaining. When the singer is funnier than the opening comic/juggler (who wasn't bad), you know you're dealing with a real performer. He's still hitting the high notes, if not as often, and still talking a blue streak. There's a reason he's the only music act I've ever gone to with a "mature audiences" label. And he had his son, Beau, who did a few numbers, to do a Jay and the American song that Jay hasn't had in the show for years, "Let's Lock the Door." I could still remember the lyrics. It's a fun song. I wish Jay had sung "Only in America," though, instead of "Some Enchanted Evening." And I wish he hadn't felt the need to make some political comments. He could have introduced the patriotic number without making cracks about Kerry.

Paul Taylor Dance Company

We scored first row seats again. Hot damn. First row isn't the best — it's hard to see the dancers' feet — but for us short people, it's heaven to not have to bob my head to see between the heads in front of me, heads that often move because people fidget.

So we saw "Aureole," set to music by Handel, which is a beautiful dance and had a nice solo for Patrick Corbin even if it doesn't play to his strengths because it's a slow, emotional piece and he to me usually looks better doing the more athletic pieces, though given his age, which is getting up there for a dancer, might not be something he can do as well as he used to, not doubt part of the reason he's retiring after this show.

"Three Epitaphs" was next and is just weird. I've seen it a couple of times before but not for many years. The costumes, designed by Robert Rauschenberg, cover the entire body, faces included. It's short and very likeable. The music is an early form of jazz.

"Dante Variations," a new dance was odd and fun to watch. The music was by Ligeti and the men were bare chested (and fine specimens, all) with the leotard pants and the tiny tops for the women some kind of animal print. Some sort of limbo or purgatory scenario, but the dancers seemed almost animal-like and three were "hobbled" for much of the piece: one blindfolded, one with legs bound at the knee, and one with wrists tied behind her. A fourth danced with a cloth tied to one ankle and floating about his feet as he danced. This could quickly become a favorite of mine.

Rounding out the matinee was "Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rehearsal)," with music by Stravinsky. My friend C and I saw it last week, but it wonderful and fun and Lisa Viola's mad with grief solo near the end is nothing short of amazing. She's manic and dances it so well.

A Dance Review and Some Random Thinking

The Paul Taylor matinee was wonderful. "Company B" (to the tunes of the Andrews Sisters' songs) had a number of cast changes. Michael Trusnovec did a great job with Patrick Corbin's "Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!" and really seemed to have fun with it. Andy LeBeau who danced "Tico-Tico" was good, but he needs to do more with it to make it his own.

Patrick Corbin, who should get to perform in one dance per show in this, his last season, danced in "Eventide," which remains beautifully poignant. And "Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rehearsal)" is as odd as ever, with a wonderful solo toward the end by Lisa Viola. We had first row orchestra seats (there's no actual orchestra these days), so no heads in front of us (Yay!), a good thing because we're both short. And it meant we could clearly hear Lisa's rhythmic panting during that energetic solo.

From Dave Barry's blog, an insidious game.

I now live in fear that anything I say in public will end up an item on the Overheard in New York blog. Today's lunch with my friend C prior to the Paul Taylor show today was full of such possibilities. Well, what would you expect when two middle-aged woman chat about their health issues?

I've had only one photo request so far. Remember, I'll post 5 photos (no people) requested to celebrate my one-year blogging anniversary on 3/19. So email me with your request or leave it in the comments. Thanks.