contemporary ballet

NOW IT’S A COLLABORATION: Prince Credell

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We were lucky to catch Prince Credell of Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) at City Center during a busy day of rehearsal for the compay’s appearance at Fall for Dance. (NDT will be back for a full engagement in November! Get tickets!) Prince talked to us about his experience working with the exciting range of contemporary choreographers who come through NDT, learning to dance as a character, and some of his proudest moments as a teacher of dance. Speaking with Prince was an absolute pleasure, and we can’t recommend more highly seeing him perform with one of the most impressive and innovative dance companies of today at City Center Nov 16th-19th. (more…)

FINDING COMMON GROUND: Troy Schumacher
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Credo: Ike Edeani

Jessica and Clara visited choreographer and founder of BalletCollective, Troy Schumacher (and his cute dog Shallot), at his sunny apartment in NYC. We learned about Troy’s collaborative approach to creating ballets by integrating artists who work in different mediums, such as music and photography, into the process and presentation of work. We also discussed his current aesthetic interests and were impressed by his ability to balance the demands of multiple roles: choreographer, director of a contemporary ballet company and not least of all, ballet dancer with NYCB.  We had the pleasure of seeing BalletCollective perform last fall and we look forward to seeing the company again on October 27th and 28th at NYU Skirball Center in Manhattan. Buy tickets before they sell out! Oh, and if you too are curious to see the “World’s Greatest Victory Dances” that Troy choreographed for PlayStation, check out the playlist on YouTube. (more…)

EVERY DANCER IS MUSICAL: Miro Magloire

Magloire_reh_Gardner_1We sat down with Miro Magloire, choreographer of New Chamber Ballet, to learn how his musical background influences his expressive style of contemporary ballet choreography, what it was like being a piano accompanist for ballet class, and how he selects fascinating contemporary composers for his work, like Karlheinz Stockhausen.  We also had an interesting chat about the definition of musicality and how he uses his dancers to express his unique vision.

You can see his work on April 15th and 16th at City Center Studios (130 W. 56th Street) and also on May 19th at Florence Gould Hall (55 East 59th Street). Learn more about New Chamber Ballet and upcoming shows at  www.newchamberballet.com

THIS IS HOW WE GET A NEW AUDIENCE: Loni Landon

LoniLandon-Credit-MalloryLynn-e1439912552140In this episode we speak with dancer and choreographer Loni Landon about her process of creating lush, captivating movement and the influence of her early career in Germany on her collaborative choreographic process. Importantly, Loni illuminated the difficulty of cultivating an artistic life that pays the rent, even as a dance artist who is widely regarded as enjoying early success and potential. We felt inspired by her proactive approach to changing the dance world for the better as we learned about her enthusiasm for pursuing collaborative projects and dance-based experiences with other artists, as well as her founding of The Playground, a financially accommodating space for dancers and choreographers to come together and explore (www.theplaygroundnyc.org). Don’t miss Loni’s choreography with Keigwin & Co at the Joyce, Dec. 8th, 10th and 12th: http://www.keigwinandcompany.com/event/kc-returns-to-the-joyce-theater/

Episode 9: Brock Labrenz

Brock LabrenzBrock Labrenz of An Films is a New York-based director who harnesses his extensive background in performance to create deliberate and sensual audio-visual experiences.  His creative endeavors find him somewhere between the exactitude of modern cinema and the ephemeral transition of the body through space.

In this episode, Brock shared his experiences training as a dancer at Juilliard and dancing for William Forsythe–in particular, Forsythe’s creative process.  We learned what it was like investigating Forsythe’s concept of choreographic objects in Nowhere and Everywhere at the Same Time and how audiences engaged with this work.  Brock also revealed how his interests in dance and film developed over time and how both mediums support his current work.

We had an intriguing discussion about the role of the choreographer in developing audience values and the importance in creating a conversation with the audience around a concept or process.  We also discussed how work conditions in the US and Europe have varying effects on the creative process and performance experience.

I AM NOT A BUNHEAD: Ask La Cour Rasmussen
Photocredit Lucas Chilczuk

Photo credit Lucas Chilczuk

Ask La Cour Rasmussen is a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet, a native of Denmark and a creative explorer in his own right. We were thrilled to have the chance to speak with Ask about his time with the Royal Danish Ballet, the Bournonville technique for which Denmark is known and his lifestyle as a professional ballet dancer at some of the world’s premiere companies. In the process we learn that Ask is not only a workout enthusiast to put any gym-goer to shame but, like, totally not a bun head. Who knew? Learn more about Ask, Balanchine, NYCB and bun heads – all in this episode!

Episode 4: William Cannon
Photo by Bill Hebert, courtesy of BalletX

Photo by Bill Hebert, courtesy of BalletX

In our fourth episode of Pod de Deux podcast, we have a friendly chat with William Cannon, a professional contemporary dancer. He talks about his recent transition to freelance work in NYC, emerging trends in contemporary ballet, recent projects with The Metropolitan Opera and Twyla Tharp, and fond experiences working with contemporary choreographers like Christian Spuck, Cayetano Soto, and Nicolo Fonte. We also shared views on dance reviewers, dance on television, and interesting work being presented in NYC.

This episode was recorded at Btoven Music Studio in Manhattan. http://btovenmusic.com/