Dance dance dance!
January 23, 2013 12:12 PM Subscribe
I love watching male ballet dancers in the New York City Ballet. What else would I enjoy watching?
I am just starting to try to learn about dance, and have gone to some amazing performances, including a few at the NYCB (so, a lot of Balanchine). I love a lot about these shows, but I love watching the male ballet dancers (danseurs?) the most -- there is something about the combination of the extremely demonstrative athleticism and classicism and artistry of movement that amazes me. I would like to find other performances that scratch this itch. Perhaps relevant: I also just saw a Parsons Dance Company performance and though I appreciated the atheleticism, I found the choreography way too kitchy for my taste. But that was probably only the fourth dance performance I've ever been to, so I'm pretty wide open and know very little about the universe.
I welcome recommendations that range from "Look up Baryshnikov videos from the 1970s on YouTube" to "Go to Alvin Ailey shows, their performances set to house music are the best" to "Have you tried watching Mixed Martial Arts?" I'm in New York City, and especially welcome recommendations for groups or theaters to keep an eye on here.
I am just starting to try to learn about dance, and have gone to some amazing performances, including a few at the NYCB (so, a lot of Balanchine). I love a lot about these shows, but I love watching the male ballet dancers (danseurs?) the most -- there is something about the combination of the extremely demonstrative athleticism and classicism and artistry of movement that amazes me. I would like to find other performances that scratch this itch. Perhaps relevant: I also just saw a Parsons Dance Company performance and though I appreciated the atheleticism, I found the choreography way too kitchy for my taste. But that was probably only the fourth dance performance I've ever been to, so I'm pretty wide open and know very little about the universe.
I welcome recommendations that range from "Look up Baryshnikov videos from the 1970s on YouTube" to "Go to Alvin Ailey shows, their performances set to house music are the best" to "Have you tried watching Mixed Martial Arts?" I'm in New York City, and especially welcome recommendations for groups or theaters to keep an eye on here.
Best answer: Andrew Baterina's hip hop choreography is INSANE. Fluid motion that effortlessly snaps to the same point, super fun to watch. There's a lot of Chris Brown songs used, which I'm not crazy about, but omg that Miguel-Adorn video.
posted by Juliet Banana at 12:24 PM on January 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Juliet Banana at 12:24 PM on January 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
Any Chinese Acrobatic troupe should be up your alley, as should Jackie Chan movies. In Rumble in the Bronx (filmed on location in Toronto) there's a thing he does with a refrigerator. So good!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:27 PM on January 23, 2013
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:27 PM on January 23, 2013
Have you heard of the all-male Ballets Trockadero? They're amazing, and tour globally--they'll be in NYC in December.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 12:28 PM on January 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Admiral Haddock at 12:28 PM on January 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
You really should try to catch a performance by the Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo. It's a bunch of men who do ballet in drag, dressed like ballerinas.
They are amazingly good. But the whole thing is also a sendup of traditional ballet. (Even to the name; "Trockadero" came from a Paris subway station.)
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:33 PM on January 23, 2013
They are amazingly good. But the whole thing is also a sendup of traditional ballet. (Even to the name; "Trockadero" came from a Paris subway station.)
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:33 PM on January 23, 2013
You might enjoy the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers for some hip-hop/contemporary fusion. I've never watched their "episodes" but have enjoyed their performances on So You Think You Can Dance and elsewhere.
posted by wsquared at 12:37 PM on January 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by wsquared at 12:37 PM on January 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
I think your reasons for liking dance (athleticism plus art) are the same reasons that lots of people watch Olympic ice skating and gymnastics.
posted by CathyG at 12:49 PM on January 23, 2013
posted by CathyG at 12:49 PM on January 23, 2013
Best answer: I saw Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake 3D at its premiere on Friday and it was transfixing in large part because of the virility and animalism of the male swans and Richard Winsor's lead swan in particular. It will be shown again on Feb 4th as part of the Dance on Camera film festival at Lincoln Center (of which my wife is the curator).
posted by nicwolff at 12:57 PM on January 23, 2013
posted by nicwolff at 12:57 PM on January 23, 2013
Obligatory Sleep No More mention (the male dancers are extremely athletic)!
Have you seen Pina?
posted by kathryn at 12:58 PM on January 23, 2013
Have you seen Pina?
posted by kathryn at 12:58 PM on January 23, 2013
Best answer: If you want to see some utterly unreal traditional male ballet dancing then find a DVD of Fonteyn and Nureyev's version of Le Corsair. It's an utterly ridonkulous story-ballet (based on Byron's poem) and Nureyev goosed the choreography to make it into a completely self-indulgent star-turn. It's no one's idea of a ballet masterpiece, but it's a jaw-dropping performance (there are clips available on YouTube, but it's worth seeing in as good a version as you can get).
Although it's not the same kind of dramatic, athletic stuff, Bournonville-method ballet is a very male-oriented form of classical ballet (i.e., the men are more than just props for the ballerinas). The Danish Royal Ballet is the home of the Bournonville ballets and continues to perform them--you might have a look at some of their stuff on video to see if it appeals.
posted by yoink at 2:00 PM on January 23, 2013
Although it's not the same kind of dramatic, athletic stuff, Bournonville-method ballet is a very male-oriented form of classical ballet (i.e., the men are more than just props for the ballerinas). The Danish Royal Ballet is the home of the Bournonville ballets and continues to perform them--you might have a look at some of their stuff on video to see if it appeals.
posted by yoink at 2:00 PM on January 23, 2013
Maybe check out some Brazillian capoeira, for a mix of martial arts, dance, and music.
posted by Kabanos at 2:02 PM on January 23, 2013
posted by Kabanos at 2:02 PM on January 23, 2013
Best answer: Merce Cunningham's company, for certain. They stopped touring shortly after he passed away a few years ago but you can easily find videos of their performances. I saw a show a few months after he died and while it's not my favorite dance style of the dancers are fascinating to watch!
I love Ailey! Definitely go find their videos if you haven't.
Other companies you may like: Bill t. Jones, Wayne McGregor, Steven petronio. Pretty much any dance company that bills itself as Ballet, modern, or contemporary. Post-modern dance or something that sounds really "out there" probably is more experimental and won't necessarily fit your like of classicism... (Although it will be awesome in it's own right!)
posted by missriss89 at 4:36 PM on January 23, 2013
I love Ailey! Definitely go find their videos if you haven't.
Other companies you may like: Bill t. Jones, Wayne McGregor, Steven petronio. Pretty much any dance company that bills itself as Ballet, modern, or contemporary. Post-modern dance or something that sounds really "out there" probably is more experimental and won't necessarily fit your like of classicism... (Although it will be awesome in it's own right!)
posted by missriss89 at 4:36 PM on January 23, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks so much everyone, and sorry I was so slow on marking best answers -- because all the answers were great!! I loved Evidence especially and look forward to catching up on other answers.
posted by LeeLanded at 1:52 PM on February 28, 2013
posted by LeeLanded at 1:52 PM on February 28, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
When Organic Magnetics does just dance pieces I really enjoy them, but I am not as excited by their multimedia installations.
Shen Wei is pretty reliably fantastic, but I have no idea when they'll be around NYC again.
posted by elizardbits at 12:23 PM on January 23, 2013