Friday, December 31, 2010
The Latest Numbers
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Andrea Weber, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, New York, NY
Being part of the troupe of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, one of the most prestigious modern dance troupes in the world, is enough of a distinction, but Andrea Weber is also a faculty member of the Merce Cunningham Studio. This teaching dancer joined the Cunningham company in 2004.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Vanessa Thiessen, ODC/Dance, San Francisco, CA
Originally from Portland, Oregon, she trained at the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre and joined its company in 1995. While there, she performed lead roles in ballets such as Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, and Serenade. In 2003, she joined Smuin Ballet in San Francisco and performed numerous lead roles ballets created by Michael Smuin, its founder. As of 2010, Vanessa Thiessen was in her third season with ODC/Dance.
Monday, December 27, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Kaori Takai, State Street Ballet, Santa Barbara, CA
Originally from Osaka, Ms. Takai danced with many companies in both Japan and in the U.S. before settling with the State Street Ballet in southern California. She has danced roles in Cinderella, Giselle, and Carmen, among other ballets.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Linda Celeste Sims, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, New York, NY
A member of the Ailey troupe since 1996, Mrs. Sims is the recipient of an award from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. She has been highlighted in the “Best of 2009” list in Dance Magazine, and she's become a pop-culture celebrity as well. She's performed as a guest star on "So You Think You Can Dance” and "Dancing with the Stars."
She also made a guest appearance at the White House tribute to Ailey artistic director Judith Jamison, who is retiring soon. Mrs. Sims, who was named Ailey's assistant to the rehearsal director in 2010, continues on.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Valerie Robin, Joffrey Ballet, Chicago, IL
The Canadian-born Ms. Robin was raised and trained in Tulsa. A veteran of the Tulsa Ballet Theatre and the Milwaukee Ballet, she became a Tulsa Ballet Theatre corps member and danced with the company for two years. Ms. Robin then joined the Milwaukee Ballet. She is also the 1990 bronze medal recipient at the New York International Ballet Competition.
Her Joffrey credits include roles in Apollo, Giselle, Italian Suite, Reflections, and A Wedding Bouquet.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Peggy Petteway, Lustig Dance Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ
From 1999 to 2010, Peggy Petteway danced for American Repertory Ballet in Princeton under artistic director Graham Lustig. There she appeared in numerous works such as The Eyes That Gently Touch, Opposites Distract, and Twyla Tharp’s Sinatra Suite, among others. She is now part of Lustig's namesake company in New Brunswick.
More recently, she danced in Luna Mexicana, a Lustig ballet inspired by the Mexican holiday honoring the dead.
Monday, December 20, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Kate Oderkirk, Tulsa Ballet, Tulsa, OK
Ms. Oderkirk joined Tulsa Ballet in 2008 from a trainee program with the San Francisco Ballet School. Swan Lake, Glass Pieces, Street Songs, and Giselle are among the many ballets in her repertoire.
During her first year with Tulsa Ballet, she danced featured roles in Serenade and Nine Lives, among other works.
Friday, December 17, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Sharron Miller
A formal principal dancer with the Alvin Ailey troupe and a veteran of seven Broadway shows, she runs her own namesake performing arts school in Montclair, New Jersey, and she is a faculty member of a local private school. The mission of her school, the Sharron Miller Academy For the Performing Arts, is to teach "dance and related theatre arts without regard to cultural ethnicity or economic background."
More information on her academy is here.
Full disclosure requires me to credit Wendy McNeil of Montclair for suggesting her, and I am happy for her suggestion.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Erin McAfee, Joffrey Ballet, Chicago, IL
She trained with several schools and companies, including the International Ballet School, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet West and the Washington Ballet. She's cited Margot Fonteyn, Sylvia Guillem, and Natalia Makarova among her biggest influences.
Ms. McAfee's roles have included the Snow Queen in The Nutcracker as well as roles in ballets such as Don Quixote, Serenade, and Le Corsaire.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Maribeth Maxa, Dance Alloy Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
Ms. Maxa is graduate of the Juilliard School, and she has also performed with the Metropolitan Repertory Ballet and Gleich Dances Contemporary Ballet. She joined Dance Alloy in 2003.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Tara Lee, Atlanta Ballet, Atlanta, GA
The Connecticut-born dancer has also been a guest artist with New Orleans Ballet Theatre and spent a year with Vancouver’s Ballet British Columbia. Her principal dancing has included roles in James Kudelka's Cinderella and Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Maria Kochetkova, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco, CA
The Bolshoi-trained Kochetkova, an alumna of the English National Ballet in London, has an impressive repertoire that includes includes the title role in Giselle, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, and Kitri in Don Quixote. A beloved star among Frisco ballet fans and a popular presence on American television (public and commercial), she joined the San Francisco Ballet in 2007.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Yuriko Kajiya, American Ballet Theatre, New York, NY
Born in Nagoya, Japan, Yuriko Kajiya began her dance training when she was eight, and she soon went to China to study with and graduate from the Shanghai Ballet School on scholarship, one of the first non-Chinese dancers to do so. She came to North America by winning the Prix de Lausanne Scholarship in 2000, allowing her to study at the National Ballet of Canada School in Toronto.
Ms. Kajiya joined American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company (now ABT II) in 2001 and became an apprentice with the main company in 2002, joining the corps de ballet later that year. Her credits with American Ballet Theatre include Blossom in Cinderella, Gulnare in Le Corsaire, Henrietta in Raymonda, Clara in The Nutcracker, and too many more to list here.
Friday, December 10, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Rachel Holmes, Elisa Monte Dance, New York, NY
A lot of people don't "get" modern dance. To those folks, I say this: Look at this picture of Rachel Holmes of Elisa Monte Dance in New York City. I ask you . . .
What's to get? :-D
Originally from Kentucky, Rachel Holmes began her training in Cincinnati, and she later attended both the Dance Theater of Harlem School and the Joffrey Ballet School. She has been a member of Elisa Monte Dance since 2006.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Lorena Feijoo, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco, CA
She has performed lead roles in Giselle and Romeo and Juliet, among other works.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Chalnessa Eames, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle, WA
She attended the Pacific Northwest Ballet School's summer course, but her training also took her to the School of Royal Winnipeg Ballet, whose company she joined in 1996. She joined the Pacific Northwest Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet five years later, and she became a soloist in 2007.
She has danced in numerous Balanchine works.
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Ansa Deguchi, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland, OR
Saturday, December 4, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Amanda Cobb, The Washington Ballet, Washington, DC
Originally from Tucson, Arizona, Amanda Cobb studied dance in New York and returned to her native state to perform as a principal ballerina with Ballet Tucson, joining the now-defunct Ohio Ballet in 2001 and the American Ballet Theatre in 2004.
Among the principal roles she's danced are Kick Girl in George Balanchine's Rubies and Tiger Lilly in Septime Webre's Peter Pan.
Friday, December 3, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Eran Bugge, Paul Taylor Dance Company, New York, NY
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Amy Aldridge, Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadelphia, PA
A native Richmond, Virginia, Amy Aldridge studied dance with various teachers such as Jacques d'Amboise and Melissa Hayden. At the Pennsylvania Ballet, she's had a meteoric rise, being promoted to the corps de ballet in 1995 and to soloist two years later, finally becoming a principal dancer in 2001.
Among the ballets in which she's dance in principal roles are The Taming of the Shrew and The Sleeping Beauty. She has also had featured roles in dances such as Allegro Brilliante and The Four Temperaments.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The Beauty of Dance, Part Three: Eun Young Ahn, American Ballet Theatre, New York, NY
She brought a wealth of experience to the company upon joining, having studied at the Kirov Ballet Academy in Washington, D.C. on a scholarship. As a soloist in the Universal Ballet Company in Korea, she appeared in numerous ballets such as Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote, La Bayadère, and yes, The Nutcracker.
The Beauty of Dance: Part Three!
So let's go! :-)
Monday, November 29, 2010
The Beauty of Retrospect: Goodbye, Jennifer Granholm
The forty-seventh governor of the state of Michigan, Democrat Jennifer Granholm, is due to step down from her office in January. The Canadian-born politician, who has tried to help Michigan make the transition to a cleaner and greener manufacturing base, has had to deal with budget cuts and a loss of jobs in her state throughout her two terms. However, Granholm's commitment to economic fairness and her fine legal mind - she almost was appointed to the Supreme Court seat taken by Sonia Sotomayor - continue to make her a respected figure in the Democratic party.
She'll be replaced by Rick Snyder, who won the 2010 Michigan gubernatorial election largely due to President Obama's standing in the state. In fact, Snyder probably couldn't have made it without Obama's influence on the Michigan electorate.
There's just one thing wrong with that. Rick Snyder was the Republican candidate. :-O
I'm going to miss Jennifer Granholm. :-(
Saturday, November 27, 2010
The Beauty of Retrospect: Sheila Johnson For Napier
I have to use the superlative degree, not the comparative, to describe one Napier model in particular. Because, of all the dreamy, lovely women featured in Napier print ads, Sheila Johnson was the dreamiest and loveliest of them all.
Here are ten - count'em, ten - of Sheila Johnson's print ads from that campaign. :-) (One has been featured here before, with the copy edited out.)
Napier costume jewelry is more of a lot of things, but when Sheila Johnson modeled these bracelets, earrings, and necklaces, Napier was sexier. :-)
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The Beauty of Retrospect, November Actress Edition: Zoe Saldana
TaRessa of New Jersey, your wish is my command! :-)
Here again is a picture of the celebrated actress, whose most recent credits as of this writing (besides Avatar) include Takers and the American remake of Death at a Funeral.
I've also received a request from Mr. E.F. Gumby of London, who writes:
"I'd like . . . to see . . . John the Baptist's impersonation of . . . Graham Hill!"
Sorry, Mr. Gumby, you obviously have this blog confused with something else. How about another picture of Ms. Saldana instead? :-)
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Beauty of Retrospect, November Actress Edition: Scarlett Johansson
She impressed Woody Allen so much in his movies Match Point and Scoop that he cast her in one of his movies again, the movie being Vicky Cristina Barcelona from 2008.
Her other more recent movies include The Nanny Diaries and the ensemble romantic comedy He's Just Not That into You.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
The Beauty of Retrospect, November Actress Edition: Anne Hathaway
Sure, she's done some fluff, like 2009's Bride Wars (and the less said of 2008's Passengers, an awful supernatural thriller, the better), but she scored big time with her portrayal of a cynical burnout in Rachel Getting Married (also from 2008), which earned her numerous awards and nominations. Her most recent movie as of this writing, Love and Other Drugs, opens this month (November 2010).
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Beauty of Retrospect, November Actress Edition: Jennifer Garner
After delivering a solid supporting performance in the teen pregnancy comedy/drama Juno - in which she risked being upstaged by Ellen Page in the title role - Garner went on to appear in movies such as Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and the ensemble flick Valentine's Day. She is still married to Ben Affleck. :-)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Beauty of Retrospect, November Actress Edition: Catherine Deneuve by Richard Avedon
This stunning portrait is a black-and-white picture taken by Richard Avedon. It's impossible to pay tribute to this great actress without including an Avedon photo of her. Avdeon was instrumental in making Catherine Deneuve a legend with iconic images such as this one.
Monday, November 15, 2010
The Beauty of Retrospect, November Actress Edition: Catherine Deneuve
This picture, circa 1973, is from one of her Chanel ads - or could you not already tell that from those little containers in the picture? :-D
Her movies - the real reason for her fame - span from from light comedies to intense dramas, with everything in between. In her later career, she became greatly associated with director André Téchiné, and she's also worked with Arnaud Desplechin. Desplechin directed her in 2008's A Christmas Tale.
Friday, November 12, 2010
The Beauty of Retrospect, November Supermodel Edition: Rosie Vela
So, when I found this Napier ad featuring Rosie Vela, I took the liberty of making a minor adjustment . . ..
Get it? :-D
Of course, Rosie Vela has such a distinctive look, you know it's her the moment you see her. :-)
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The Beauty of Retrospect, November Supermodel Edition: Catherine Roberts
This ad, from 1980, features Miss Roberts in an ad for the Bailey, Banks and Biddle upscale jewelry store chain and its line of Omega watches.
The slogan says it all. :-)
Catherine Roberts, who was very active as a model in the late seventies and early eighties, is an icon within the modeling trade. She's not a household name, though, largely because her portfolio was mainly comprised of ads like this one, with very little editorial work. Models tend to get credits for their editorial shoots, but this is seldom the case with advertising work.
She's done ads for too many brands and products to list here. :-)
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The Beauty of Retrospect, November Supermodel Edition: Rosemary McGrotha
You tell me!
She's still hot, as this more recent picture below (from 2009) proves. She can even look sexy in a man's shirt! :-D
It may have been uncool to be terminally attracted to a model best known for being Donna Karan's muse. Models who inspire Donna Karan are probably not pinned up on the walls of bedrooms of teenage boys.
But when I look at that lovely face framed by that luxurious dark hair, with those steely blue eyes . . .
Well, why should I have ever cared about my coolness? :-D
Many models are pretty girls, but Rosemary McGrotha was and is one of those models who's all woman. :-)
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The Beauty of Retrospect, November Supermodel Edition: Laurel Lee
She may have been the unidentified Erno Laszlo model I featured in September - that's what I've been told - but I can't confirm that.