One Terrific Movie If It Comes Your Way and You Like Dance

Sunday Night Dance: Alvin Ailey's Revelations

Lucky to see this today. It never fails to knock me out.

Pina

If you like dance at all, Pina 3D is a magnificent way to spend a couple of hours. To see the dancers' faces, to see the depth of bodies on the stage, to travel to all sorts of places with them is extraordinary. And the music is just exquisite.

Philippina "Pina" Bausch ^[1](27 July 1940 – 30 June 2009) was a German performer of modern dance, choreographer, dance teacher and ballet director. With her unique style, a blend of movements, sounds and prominent stage sets, and with her elaborate cooperation with performers during the composition of a piece (a style now known as Tanztheater), she became a leading influence since the 1970s in the world of modern dance. ^[2]

^{Pina died unexpectedly just days before Wim Wenders began shooting this film.}

^{Any dance fans out there?}

Thursday Night Dancing: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Milton Burton has a new story right here.

FLY AWAY WITH ME

It's been interesting reading the reviews and discussions going on about Twyla Tharp's new show FLY AWAY WITH ME (and it is a show rather than a performance) on Broadway.

Dance reviewers seem disappointed to say the least. Theater critics find a lot more to like. Recently two NEW YORK TIMES critics went head to head on the front page of the Arts section.

We saw this production when we were in New York last month. I was disappointed. I expected to see a modern dance performance and what I got was a Broadway show--but one with only the dance numbers-- no plot and using mostly taped music. The worst of both worlds in some ways. It was a series of pas de deux with none of the exciting moves you usually see in modern dance. Using just two dancers in almost every scene was dull. Modern dance is exciting because of its athleticism. There was little of that here. Nobody was doing anything the typical Broadway dancer didn't do.

But it was fun reading the contrasting reviews. Today another article in the NYT spoke of the discomfort felt when everyone was enjoying a production or movie you did not. This was how I felt watching FLY WITH ME--like I was missing something.

It's hard to remember experiences such as this, but

What's the best thing you ever saw live on stage-be it a concert, play or dance?