The season of Project Runway All Stars is underway and one of its brightest alums had an awesome 2011. That’s right, can you say…say…Siriano? He may not be New York born, but he’s definitely New York made. Commercials for Pay Less….a great showing at Lincoln Center, this kid is well on his way to becoming a fashion all-star.
To read F.A.M.E NYC’s full article about Christian Siriano, click https://famenycmagazine.com/2011/11/06/a-siriano-state-of-mind/.
Happy New Year FAMERS! I hope the first two weeks of 2012 have been marvelous for all of you. And it is my sincerest wish that all the resolutions and goals you have set for yourself are achieved. Last year I was the first time I felt the true speed of time. It seemed as if I had just been toasting the year in when it was time for beach season; I blinked my eye and we were back at the holiday season again. Whew!
As I looked at the posts for 2011, I noticed that I lived in the theatre. Perhaps it was because last year I realized a goal and wrote the first play I intend to put into production (more to come with that little tidbit). And there is no way I could start the New Year without give you my Top of 2011. So, let’s take one last look at 2011 shall we?
The 2011-2012 season of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater marked a new chapter in its vivid, far-reaching history when Robert Battle took the helm. Battle, the second person to become Artistic Director for the company since the passing of its founder in 1989, officially began his tenure in July 2011 after Judith Jamison transitioned to the role of Artistic Director Emerita. Previous to her 21 years of brilliantly preserving Alvin Ailey and AAADT’s legacy, Jamison had indelibly woven her spirit into the fabric of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. As Ailey’s former muse and principal dancer, the choice to have one of AAADT’s most famous faces assume the position of Artistic Director was obvious, but Battles roots with Ailey also run deep.
Battle has been a periodic choreographer and artist-in-residence at Ailey since 1999. The works he has choreographed include Anew, The Hunt, Juba, In/Side, Mood Indigo, Love Stories and Takedeme, with The Hunt, In/Side and Love Stories (a collaboration with Judith Jamison and Rennie Harris) included the company’s current repertory. Like Ailey, Battle also possesses a southern background growing up in Liberty City, Florida. He studied dance in high school before entering Miami’s New World School of the Arts and moving on to The Julliard School. He joined the Parsons Dance Company, dancing with them from 1994 to 2001. In 2002, he premiered his own company, Battleworks Dance Company, in Düsseldorf, Germany. Along with the works he created for AAADT, Battle has also created and restaged ballets for Hubbard Street Repertory Ensemble, River North Chicago Dance Company, Koresh Dance Company, Introdans, PARADIGM, and Ballet Memphis. In 2005, he was the recipient of the “Masters of African American Choreography” by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Art and received the Statue Award from the Princess Grace Foundation-USA in 2007.
Along with the changes Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s have experienced this season, the New York City Center, AAADT’s New York City performing home, has also undergone a reconstruction of its own. This year marked the completion of the most extensive renovation project in the theater’s 70 year history. The alterations included a video gallery located in the orchestra lobby and the restoration of the ceiling and mural designs. The vibrancy that is felt in the new New York City Center definitely resonated on stage as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater passionately placed the exclamation point on Robert Battle’s inaugural season.
This season AAADT presents a intricate mosaic of works which includes the premieres of Battle’s Takedeme, a blistering progression of fast-paced movements and vigorous jumps set to the rhythms of an Indian Kathak dance and a jazz score, Minus 16, choreographed by Ohad Nahirin and Arden Court by Paul Taylor. Along with these company premieres, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater also included the world premiere of Home by Rennie Harris. Home, an inspirational homage to people living or affected by HIV set to gospel house music, was inspired by stories submitted to the “Fight HIV Your Way” contest, an initiative of Bristol-Myers Squibb. Ulysses Dove’s Episodes, the late choreographer’s visceral tribute to the people that had passed through his life with AIDS, also appeared in this season’s repertory.
Ailey staples such as Cry, Night Creature, Memoria and Revelations also made an appearance this year. Some people go to Paris for inspiration, others the Big Apple. But me, all I need is my annual dose of Ailey. For the first time since I could remember, I felt as if I was watching AAADT with a new set of eyes. Robert Battle’s influence felt extremely tangible and refreshing. I felt his exuberance in every performance I witnessed and especially in Revelations. Each time I view it, another discovery shines through. This time is was the joy; under the directorship of Battle, Revelations was more celebratory than it has ever been. The waves of reciprocity between the company and the audience circle around the theater like a boomerang. By the encore of “Rock My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham” all I wanted to do was throw my hands up and say, “Glory hallelujah!” The legacy of Alvin Ailey is in well deserved and capable hands. I am excited to view Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s future with Robert Battle commandeering the most veracious dance company to ever exist.
Photos: Andrew Eccles and Paul Kolnik, Nan Melville
In October2001, a musical made its Broadway debut at the legendary Winter Garden Theatre. It boogied onto U.S. shores in 2000 after conquering London and Toronto, first playing at San Francisco’s Orpheum Theatre, then moving on to Los Angeles’ Shubert Theatre and lastly playing Chicago’s Cadillac Palace before bursting onto The Great White Way and globe-trotting to theatres all over the world. The musical is based on a Swedish pop/dance group’s songbook, and if you have not guessed which musical I am referring to by now, I am talking about no other than Mamma Mia!, the international smash homage to ABBA.
ABBA, comprised of Bjorn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Faltskog, is one of the most successful groups in pop music history. They were consistent chart toppers before disbanding in 1982. The fourth best-selling music artists in the history of recorded music, ABBA sold over 370 million records worldwide and still sell approximately two to three million records per year. Mamma Mia! was first conceived by producer Judy Craymer after meeting Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson in 1982. She believed ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All” showcased the theatrical ability of their music. In 1997, Craymer enlisted Catherine Johnson to write the book and in 1998, Phyllida Lloyd signed on to be the show’s director. Mamma Mia! first premiered in the West End at the Prince Edward Theatre on April 6, 1999. In June 2004, it moved to the Prince of Wales Theatre, where it currently plays. Since its London debut, Mamma Mia! has marched through the international theatre community like General Sherman on methamphetamines. It even spawned a 2008 movie starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried, Dominic Cooper and Christine Baranski.
The musical takes place on the Greek Island of Calicos. It is the day before 20-year-old Sophie’s wedding to Sky, her fiancé. Her mother Donna is the proprietor of a taverna. Before guests start arriving for the big day, Sophie confesses to her two best friends and bridesmaids that she has written letters to Sam, Bill, and Harry, the three men whom she believes could have fathered her. She has a longing to know where she comes from, and desires her father to walk her down the aisle. The only problem is she sent the letters under the guise of her mother and Donna has no idea that the three men will be coming to the wedding. Tanya and Rosie, Donna’s ex-bandmates, are also there to help relieve the shock after Donna’s romantic past leaps off the pages of her journal and back into her life. The wackiness that ensues after Sophie’s potential sperm donors arrive takes everyone through the changes of love and back and ends with a new beginning for Sophie and Donna, but not the one that either of them anticipated. And of course the music of ABBA takes the audience through the journey, telling the narrative better than the characters themselves. At the end of the show, the audience is treated with a super-sized ABBA encore with Donna, Tanya, Rosie, Sam, Bill and Harry performing “Dancing Queen”, “Mamma Mia, and “Waterloo” in ABBA-styled costumes.
A decade is long time for any production to stay on Broadway, especially considering the time in which the musical premiered. It had only been a month since 9/11 and the theatre community suffered tremendous losses due to the lack of tourists. Somehow, Mamma Mia! survived, perhaps it’s due to the music, which harkens back to an era where people felt free and orange alerts were non-existent. This musical has created a world-wide phenomenon that is rarely seen today; it is safe to say that this light-hearted nod to love and the music of ABBA could be the musical of the first decade of the new millennium – and it is not done yet. With 10 years on Broadway and no end in sight, Mamma Mia! is giving an early Christmas gift to ABBA fans with its first Winter Sale. All orchestra seats have been discounted, ranging from $49 to $79, for performances from January 9 through March 4. The ordering deadline is Christmas Eve so there is still time to take advantage of this opportunity. In addition to the Winter Sale, Two Boots is offering it variation of dinner and a show with its brand new Mamma Mia! pizza. Founded in the East Village by two indie filmmakers in 1987, Two Boots is a staple in New York City. Their Hell’s Kitchen location, 624 9th Avenue, is known for their pizzas named after entertainers, within walking distance of the theatre, Two Boots serves to be a great finishing touch to an ABBA-filled evening.
Mamma Mia! is touted as being the ultimate feel-good show and over 50 million people around the world seem to agree. I must admit it would be hard for anyone to walk into the Winter Garden Theatre with an attitude and not do a 180 upon walking out at the end of the show. You can not help it, one of those ABBA songs is gonna get ya’ and if the music does not do it, then the energy will. The audience is so lively, they will take you on their sequenced, bell bottom jumpsuit journey with them whether you like it or not. Even a disco novice will be clapping by the encore. The hawk approaches swiftly from around the corner; winter is almost here. FAMERS, liven up your winter doldrums with a hot slice of pizza and a cool show.
Photos: Bruce Glikas, Jenny Anderson, Serino Coyne
To purchase tickets for Mamma Mia!, click
http://mammamianorthamerica.com/land/wintersale/
To view Two Boots menu, click
According to popular legend, Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon discovered the state of Florida while searching for the Fountain of Youth – the mythical spring said to promise longevity to anyone who drinks its waters. Tony Award-nominated director Kenny Leon appears to have found the secret for endurance on Broadway – choose to work with impeccable playwrights and extraordinary actors. When asked about his selection processes on choosing which plays he will work with, Leon states, “When I choose a project to spend time with, I first have to make sure that it will make a contribution to the world. At one time, in my career I had to say yes to anything and now I ask myself, ‘Is me doing this project going to make a difference? Is it going to touch people’s lives?’ I pray on it and wait for the answer to come back. Then I usually move forward with it knowing that it’s not what the critics say about it, it’s what the people say about it.”
Leon definitely has the ear of the people and the critics. Early this fall Leon’s brilliance was seen on Broadway when playwright Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop brought new meaning to the term British Invasion. After having a successful run on London’s West End, the play that provides a fictional account of the night before Dr. King’s assassination is now playing at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre with Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett in the lead roles and Kenny Leon as director. The play has been a hit with critics and audiences alike. One might have found the notion of tackling Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as subject matter for a stage production an insurmountable task, but Katori, Leon, Jackson and Bassett wove a new stitch in the tapestry of Dr. King’s legacy with out blemishing the fabric of the man or his dream. “Originally when I received the offer to do [The Mountaintop] my first thought was I didn’t want to do anything that was destructive of the iconic nature of Dr. King. My agent said it’s about Dr. King and a sexy maid, and it’s like wait a minute,” he says. “Then I said to myself, if it’s a fictitious account it might work, but if it’s trying to be realistic then that may not work. Then when I read the script, what really convinced me was how I felt at the end. At the end of the script I knew Dr. King was a man who loved his family, who loved his wife, who loved his country and who loved God and those were the things that brought me to it because those were the things that uplifted Dr. King. And Katori had a way of making this man be human but at the same time showing those values that made him great.”
This Thanksgiving, Leon will have two plays on the Great White Way. Stick Fly began previews November 18, and has a scheduled opening date for December 8. Written by Lydia R. Diamond and produced by Alycia Keys, the play stars Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Tracie Thoms, Mekhi Phifer, Dule Hill, Rosie Benton and Condola Rashad and is about a family that comes to terms with themselves one weekend on Martha’s Vineyard. Right after The Mountaintop debuted on Broadway, Leon was hard at work at the Cort Theatre helping to bring this script to life. “Stick Fly is such a great project because Lydia Diamond is such a great writer,” he says. She is an intelligent writer and she’s very funny.”
Leon is widely known as one of the foremost African American directors, with the majority of his acclaim coming from the projects he has done on stage. And it seems to me that Leon has charted a course that keeps him loyal to the theater, despite the more lucrative mediums of television and film. “I have a T-shirt that says, ‘Film is art, theatre is life, television is furniture.’ That sort of summarizes it for me,” he affirms. “I love television and I love film; they all have there ups and downs and pros and cons. I’m getting ready to do a Lifetime movie for cable and I’m very excited about it. We’re going to be able to reach a millions of people with that story. In the theater you’re only able to reach a thousand people per night. It is the ultimate 3D experience. You don’t have to put on any funny looking glasses, you can just sit there and you can see Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett or Denzel Washington. It’s the closest thing to life that we have.”
With all the successes and accolades that Leon has achieved, one thing has eluded him – a Tony win for Best Direction in a Play. I wondered if not bringing home a Tony still mattered to him. “It does, but you keep going you know,” he says. In certain ways, a director is similar to an explorer. A director is given a map – the script and is told to take it, get a crew together, go off and make a great discovery. Kenny Leon has allowed his innate sense of understanding the beauty and frailty of human nature to guide him in participating in productions that are great discoveries to theatergoers each night. In 2012, Leon promises to keep the tradition of surprising himself and his fans going by continuing to work with meaningful projects. I am sure any project he works with will feature Kenny Leon’s ability to bring the soul out of the work and rejuvenate the soul of the audience in the process.
Photos: Wire Image and stickflybroadway.com
The second annual Contemporary Art Fair NYC is well underway at the Jacob Javits Center and will conclude tomorrow. This year additional exhibitors were featured as CAFNYC was combined with the American Craft Show. In total, there are over 190 artists from Canada, Spain and across the US showing at the fair. Along with the presenters, additional highlights include performances, demonstrations and artists talk. Last year over 5,000 visitors attended in the fair. Richard Rothbard, Director of American Art Marketing and producer of CAFNYC, believed that the numbers of this year’s event could double.
CAFNYC offers its visitors a unique experience by combining what most would consider being art with the world of craft. Like fashion and beauty, two entities that can coexist alone, but are even better when brought together, arts and crafts are symbiotic methods of creativity that seek from inspiration each other. It was extremely fascinating to see both disciplines brought together in one venue. Whether it is a purse, vase, sculpture or a brightly painted canvas, art is art.
Photo and Slideshow: F.A.M.E NYC Editor
Two years ago, I sat down in my bedroom, grabbed my laptop and decided to embark on a journey that revolved around my beloved New York City. When I started this expedition, I had no clue who would take the ride with me. I hurled posts into the noir void of cyberspace, hoping that someone would read them and enjoy what I had to say. I sacrificed time, relationships and the opportunity to make money for a dream. I guess you can say that like the Man of La Mancha, I was dreaming an impossible dream. But thanks to my FAMERS, my dreams are steadily becoming reality.
F.A.M.E NYC is essentially a grass roots publication. We work on a budget that would not be considered a shoestring. We do not have money to pour into advertising the site nor do we have funds to do giveaways or throw lavish parties. But somehow people have found us and decided to stay loyal. F.A.M.E NYC has grown exponentially within the last year. Each day we acquire new FAMERS, receiving new hits. Thanks to you, F.A.M.E NYC’s numbers have doubled from what they were last year.
For an individual who makes her living with words, there are no words to express my heartfelt appreciation for all the support F.A.M.E NYC has received. When I try to reach out for words in my mind, they escape me. I am overwhelmed with emotion. I cannot help welling up with tears. I have no children, and besides my six-year-old pit bull, F.A.M.E NYC is my baby. The reciprocity I feel from you FAMERS is phenomenal. To know that somewhere there are individuals following F.A.M.E NYC, watching my baby grow, in different places all over the globe is astounding. And to see the ocular proof of our growth is even more amazing.
Two years later and F.A.M.E NYC is still here – still growing. I hope you will continue to grow with us. Last year, I suggested we shoot for the stratosphere; next year lets blast past it. Once again, I promise to keep my pledge to provide you with excellent content and bring you the best that New York City has to offer. I hope you will promise to continue to take this excursion with me and bring a few more of your friends along for the journey. Next year is shaping up to be another great year for F.A.M.E NYC. Also, we have a few surprises coming your way, so stay tuned.
This evening I will be celebrating F.A.M.E NYC’s second anniversary by ensuring I keep my pledge to bring you the best that NYC has to offer. This evening I will be attending a preview of Seminar, the new play starring Alan Rickman. I wish you all could be with me, but one thing is for sure, I will tell you all about it.
F.A.M.E NYC Editor
Last week, Hooters unveiled their 2012 calendar at their New York City location. The restaurant best known for their wings and waitresses celebrated the 26th edition of their calendar with appearances by 2012 Poster Girl Alex Dumrauf, Centerfold Crystal Cunningham, Cover girl Lindsay Way, Miss March Liz Lugo-Caveda, Miss December Morgan Meyer, and Miss July Sarah Hinton.
The women appearing in this year’s calendar were selected from over 20,000 Hooters Girls worldwide and were shot by photographer Dylan Melcher. The Hooters Calendar is a best seller in its category. And here is a sneak peek of what 2012 has to offer:
Photo: John Marshall Mantel
Video courtesy of Parenteau Guidance
During the spring, most of us work like Rocky Balboa training for a prize fight in order to look desirable during New York City’s annual humidity festival, also known as the summer. But as sure as The Empire State Building lights up in the evening, the temperature cools, making way for fall. Bikinis, mini-skirts, sandals and halter tops are replaced with jackets, sweaters, corduroys and knee-high boots. The quest to maintain that summer figure may become more difficult as fall gives way to winter. New York City is filled with gyms, but spinning on a bicycle going nowhere, posing in yoga positions or doing repetitions on a weight machine are not the only methods to staying fit and agile. Dancing provides all the sweat and none of the routine of regular workout and The Ailey Extension offers both.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre is best known as being the “Cultural Ambassador to the World,” but in New York City AAADT is an institution. Founded in Manhattan in 1958, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and its creator changed the landscape of American modern dance. One of Ailey’s signature ballet, Revelations, is considered to be the most often seen modern dance performance. Each time I watch this extraordinary work, I sit in awe and sometimes believe that I can perform the choreography. After my brief moment of delusion, I realize I can never move and accentuate my body like someone who has devoted their life to dancing and performing, but I can learn.
“Mr. Ailey understood that people need to be engaged and connected in a way that they understand,” states Iquail Johnson, one of the instructors at The Ailey Extension. And through The Ailey Extension everyone is able to partake in a piece of Alvin Ailey’s legacy, experiencing the opportunity to comprehend dance the way he understood it. Created in 2005, The Ailey Extension offers over 80 dance and fitness classes each week in a variety of different styles and skill levels. The teachers are all specialists in their field. Iquail Johnson is a Philadelphia native that began his career in dance at 13 after being accepted to the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. He continued his studies with PHILADANCO, Philadelphia Dance Company, and earned scholarships to attend The Julliard School, The Ailey School and The Paul Taylor School among others. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet from the University of the Arts and a Master of Fine Arts from SUNY Purchase, , Iquail has worked with dance companies including Ronald K Brown/Evidence, The Fred Benjamin Dance Company, and Subtle Changes. He has also appeared on Broadway in Hot Feet, The Lion King, and Purlie and is the Founding Artistic Director of Dance IQUAIL!
Iquail began teaching Horton, the dance style Alvin Ailey used as the foundation of his choreography, at The Ailey Extension in 2006. One might think that a dancer of his caliber would be climbing the walls trying to teach a roomful of nonprofessionals how to properly execute Locomotions, “Accented Runs,” “Hip Pushes” and “Leg Slices,” but Iquail enjoys working with the variety of students that pass through his class on a weekly basis. “The most interesting thing is to see the development,” he says. “You can see when they come in if they have no experience. But no matter where [the students] come in, at what level, you can always see the growth that happens, you can see the ‘a-ha’ moment, when finally after taking classes for three months, six months or even a year they start to get it and their body starts to understand it. And that is the beauty of it. When the body holds on to it, it is something that is undeniable,”
As a trained dancer, Iquail physique is the embodiment of perfection, but he also believes that dance is a great alternative to traditional exercise regiments. “Dance is a fabulous way to introduce people to movement. No matter what kind of culture you are from, movement is a part of our everyday life, even if it’s a pedestrian walking down the street, he says. “And the physical aspect is so integrated in dance,” he continues, “that its fun. You’re not thinking ‘Oh I have to do twelve more or I have thirty minutes.’ Also you are building cognitive skills, you’re developing comprehension skills, you’re coordinating your body, so at the end of the day you’ve developed your physicality, your mental state and your awareness of other people, and you packaged it with grace and elegance. You can’t get that working out.” When asked what technique he prefers and which technique should a new student learn first, Iquail jokingly replies, “Horton of course.” “It is a fabulous technique for a lot of different reasons,” he says, “One, it wasn’t created with one person in mind. A lot of modern dance was developed for one person, the creator of that particular style. Lester Horton decided not to let himself be the vehicle to express his technique, he used all the dancers around him, so that way he could make the technique work for no matter what body type you have.” But if a student comes into The Ailey Extension taking Horton, they do not have to stick with it. The staff and teachers at The Ailey Extension want you to feel connected to whatever classes you decide to take. With that concept in mind, The Ailey Extension has an open door policy where students can go from one class to the next, trying them out until they find a class and teacher that works for them.
After my brief conversation with Iquail, it was time for me to see him in action as he taught his Wednesday evening class. As I walked through the halls to the classroom the richness of spirits that have passed through this hallowed dance institution was almost tangible and completely entrancing. In fact, as soon as you step through the doors it is as if the weight of day drops at your feet. The more you walk, the more negativity is removed until you feel as clean as a newly christened baby. I like to think of myself as a spirit dancer, also known as a free-stylist. I hear the beat, and whatever comes out, comes out. I thought I could pull the journalist card and sit back and watch the class, but Iquail would have none of that. Of course having no formal training, I initially got tripped up by the terminology and stiffened up with the knowledge that was not dancing in a dimly lit room with strobe lights bouncing off the walls, but Iquail’s patience allowed my muscles to relax so that I could receive the dance. Iquail is no Debbie Allen banging the floor with her dance stick, but he is not Mr. Softee either. He pulls every inch out of you, making sure that you are extending and giving all you can to the movements. By the time my hour was over, I realized I had sweated just as hard and felt just as sore as if had ran a few miles or had danced for five hours. I left the class with a soul as rejuvenated as any time I danced a 10 -hour marathon at Club Shelter. As I walked out, I thought about something Iquail said about the legacy of Alvin Ailey, whose presence could still be felt in the building. “I think it has to do with taking dance away from dance. It has to do with the fact that [Mr. Ailey] touched people. And that everything he did was as a result of selflessness and generosity, and people gravitate to that, unbeknownst to them. His generosity was so strong that people can’t explain why when they go see Revelations, that it is something they have to return to see over and over again for the last fifty-two years. Now when you go see something fifty-two times, you’re like ‘Ok, now I’m tired,’ but to see something over and over again for fifty-two years, it becomes something that is transcendent. And I think that is why [AAADT] is such a global brand, because it is not about the dance. Dance is just a vehicle to tell people we are all connected. The dances are the same steps; it has something to do with the spirit.” What I learned is The Alvin Ailey Extension is more than just a place to learn dance steps or lose weight; it is a sanctuary to refresh your soul. The perspiration is just a bonus.
To learn more about The Ailey Extension, click
http://www.aileyextension.com/
Photos: Gabriel Bienczycki and Kyle Froman
Under the leadership of Robert Battle, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is poised to add new treasures to their already voluminous, lionized legacy. The world’s most dynamic and soulful dance company will be in the Big Apple at New York City Center from November 30 to January 1. The “Cultural Ambassador to the World” is back home to dazzle New Yorkers with new ballets as well as with classics like “Revelations.” But you do not have to believe me, take a look for yourself.
To order tickets, please click
http://www.alvinailey.org/citycenter
Photo: Paul Kolnik
Video courtesy of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
F.A.M.E NYC Magazine 