The Weekend I lived at the CIty Center

Lets just start this blog with this statement:
I spent 2 of the last 3 evenings at the New York City Center.

The amount of incredible dance I watched this weekend should be illegal, especially when you add the fact that I spent 25 dollars on tickets.

Lets start with Saturday. I have been planning on seeing Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake since I saw this fierce advertisement on the subway the first weekend in NYC.

Like true starving artists, the girls and I purchased our nosebleed seat tickets for 25 dollars. This was the only stop of the Swan Lake tour that was even in America, we HAD to go. For those who aren't familiar with Mr. Bourne, he is one of those groundbreaking, line pushing choreographers who will be in the dance history books someday. For example, his swan lake has an male cast of swans, and his black swan wears leather pants in the second act... just saying.

The show made me want to be a male swan. No joke. The men would breathe in unison on stage (as if the choreography wasn't hard enough on its own). It was so loud that we heard them from the rear rear rear rear rear mezzanine. I was so enthralled that I forgot entirely about my crappy seat.  Here are some photos, so hopefully you can get a jist of how INSANE these men were.

Tonight I was lucky enough to return to the City Center.  A company called Career Transitions for Dancers was hosting their 25th anniversary gala tonight. They work with Joffrey so they gifted the school with a small amount of tickets for the trainees. We lucked out, scored the tickets. Ran out of the school today like we had won the lottery, because we kinda had.. just wait.  We get to the City Center to be brushing shoulders with women in gowns and men in tuxes. We quickly ran back up to our rear rear rear mezzanine seats that we are used too. Then sat down for an experience of a lifetime. Here is why:
*The cast of 42nd street performing the audition scene

*Alvin Ailey Dance Theater performing "Sinner Man" from Revelations. -In a nutshell, Revelations is Ailey's most loved piece. Its an honor and a rare opportunity to just see it, and not read about it in a history book.

*THE Joffrey Ballet performing the Pas de Deux (Duet) from Light Rain. -This was cool because its the first time I have seen Joffrey perform since I joined the school. Loved it, makes me feel like a part of history.

*American Ballet Theatre performed the Act 3 Pas de Deux from Don Quixote -American legends, no explanation needed as to why they were awesome. I did find the need to give the ballerina a cheeseburger.... or two.

*All That Jazz by the cast of Chicago.

* And finally my favorite piece right now. "Caught" by David Parsons. I saw it performed in Bryant Park early in the fall and blog about it. It was performed by Miguel Quinones, who I am currently obsessed with. I fell in love with it the first time, so I was thrilled to see it again. It is the most innovative, athletic piece I have ever seen. The dancer performs on a dark stage, dancing in and out of simple pools of light. Near the end, the stage is dark and the dancer has a strobe light controller in his hand. As he dances, he clicks the strobe on to create the illusion of him floating across the stage, when in actuality he is doing multiple jumps and clicking the strobe at the peak of each jump. I put a link to the dance. WATCH IT. and it you are super impatient, just watch the last minute of it.
This version is performed by David Parsons himself, you should feel honored. Watching this Youtube video will make you a better person. enjoy :)