This week’s events

As you know, there’s lots going on this week…

Tuesday Nov 11 at 5:45pm: Poetry reading and discussion with Frances Richey at Macaulay (in the cabaret space downstairs). You will probably have to show ID at the door.

Wednesday Nov 12 at 2:30pm: Regular class meeting. Lynn will be working with you on creating podcasts – bring your computer to class. Review #3 due.

Thursday Nov 13 at 7:30pm: Amjad, a dance performance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Gilman Opera House. 100 minutes, no intermission; latecomers will not be seated. The dance is choreographed by Edouard Lock and performed by his company, La La La Human Steps.

The performance is based on Tchaikovsky’s scores of the famous Romantic ballets from the late 19th century, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. These ballets were in turn based on folk tales (aka, fairy tales). If you don’t know the stories or the ballets, you might look them up. You can also easily find videos of classical ballet productions of both pieces on-line. These pieces are icons of ballet repertoire – sort of like the Mona Lisas of ballet. Both works involve love, fairies, magic, transformation, battles between good and evil – all that Hollywood stuff!

In Lock’s contemporary interpretation, there is no specific story or narrative. Instead, the emphasis is on the dancing, movement, and the body. There is more athleticism and less gracefulness, typical of contemporary dance. There are nine dancers and four live musicians. The stagecraft includes video projection and of course lighting, costumes, and a stage set.