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Friday, January 30, 2015

The Iceman Speaketh

By Neena Arndt

The Iceman cometh, and he’s bringing the language of 1912 with him.

The Iceman Cometh was written in 1939, but it takes place in that (quasi-fictional) flophouse in 1912, and as an authentic period piece, the play’s dialogue pops with the colorful slang of the early twentieth century. Some of these phrases and terms have retired from the English language entirely, so to help you decipher them, the Goodman Theatre compiled a glossary of Icemanisms, which we've condensed below. We encourage you to peruse the original posts (divided into bar terms, insults, and extras) on their blog.


In Context: The Iceman Cometh



The Goodman Theatre's production of The Iceman Cometh runs at the BAM Harvey Theater February 5—March 15. Context is everything, so get even closer to the show with this curated selection of articles, interviews, and videos related to the production. Once you've seen it, help us keep the conversation going by telling us what you thought below.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

In Context: Chopin: Dances for Piano


Chopin: Dances for Piano, part of the Mariinsky at BAM, comes to the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House January 24—25. Context is everything, so get even closer to the show with this curated selection of articles, interviews, and videos related to the production. Once you've seen it, help us keep the conversation going by telling us what you thought below.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Round-Up in motion

Round-Up, Sufjan Stevens' new work inspired by the Pendleton Round-Up, premieres tonight at the Harvey, and we've distilled some of the roping, wrestling, riding, and racing in these gorgeous cinemagraphs.

Let 'er buck!

Monday, January 19, 2015

State of Emergence: On Youth, Authority, and Collaboration

by Lucie Hecht

BAM Arts & Justice students performing State of Emergence. Photo: Beowulf Sheehan


After three months of critical thinking, analysis, research, and distance-learning engagement with a school in Ferguson, Missouri, the students of BAM’s 2014 Arts & Justice after-school program presented their culminating piece: State of Emergence. The theatrical work was first performed last December 19, with a reprisal on Monday, January 19 as part of the Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2015. I was lucky enough to see the dress rehearsal, and in the month that has gone by I still can’t shake the images from this powerful performance.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Once More, with “Feeling"–
Prokofiev's Cinderella Through the Ages

by Chris Tyler

Nadezhda Batoeva in the Mariinsky Theater's Cinderella. Batoeva dances the role at BAM on January 20. 
Photo: N. Razina


Move over, Queen Elsa—there’s a new classic back in town. Cinderella and her glass slipper are everywhere, and the Mariinsky Theater’s production of Prokofiev’s fairy tale ballet—running January 17—20 in the Howard Gilman Opera House–is just the tip of the folkloric iceberg. Take, for instance, Rob Marshall’s cinematic rendition of Sondheim’s Into the Woods, featuring a blithe Anna Kendrick in the role of princess-to-be. Or Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming live-action version of Disney’s animated treasure, starring Downton Abbey’s Lily James as Ella and Cate Blanchett as her stepmother Lady Tremaine. And don’t forget Douglas Carter Beane’s take on Rodgers & Hammerstein’s musical fable–which just closed on Broadway after a nearly two-year run. Indeed, much like the timeless rags-to-riches story at its core, Prokofiev’s jubilant score has similarly inspired countless interpretations since its debut in 1945.

Friday, January 16, 2015

In Context: Round-Up


Sufjan Stevens' Round-Up comes to the BAM Harvey Theater from Jan 20—25. Context is everything, so get even closer to the show with this curated selection of articles, interviews, and videos related to the production. Once you've seen it, help us keep the conversation going by telling us what you thought below.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Eight Reasons Why Swan Lake Endures

by Susan Yung

Mariinsky's Swan Lake. Photo: V. Baranovsky


Swan Lake is the one ballet I could imagine seeing every week without tiring of it—and I’m not alone in that sentiment. The Mariinsky Ballet brings five performances of the classic—with choreography by Konstantin Sergeyev after Petipa/Ivanov—to BAM starting Jan 15, with four ravishing different Odette/Odiles. Of all the ballets in the classical canon, what makes Swan Lake so timeless, and so worthy of revisiting?

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

In Context: Cinderella



Sergei Prokofiev's Cinderella, part of the Mariinsky at BAM, comes to the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on January 17—20. Context is everything, so get even closer to the show with this curated selection of articles, interviews, and videos related to the production. Once you've seen it, help us keep the conversation going by telling us what you thought below.

Monday, January 12, 2015

In Context: Swan Lake



Swan Lake, part of the Mariinsky at BAM, comes to the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House from Jan 15—23. Context is everything, so get even closer to the show with this curated selection of articles, interviews, and videos related to the production. Once you've seen it, help us keep the conversation going by telling us what you thought below.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

In Context: The Enchanted Wanderer

The Enchanted Wanderer, part of the Mariinsky at BAM, comes to the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on Wednesday, January 14. Context is everything, so get even closer to the show with this curated selection of articles, interviews, and videos related to the production. Once you've seen it, help us keep the conversation going by telling us what you thought below.

Friday, January 9, 2015

BAM Illustrated: The Origins of the Pendleton Round-Up

Sufjan Stevens returns to BAM January 20—25 with Round-Up , a musical and cinematic meditation on the Pendleton Round-Up, an annual rodeo in Pendleton, Oregon. Illustrator Nathan Gelgud checked out the origins of the event (mostly via this documentary) for an illustrated look at the century-old tradition.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Round-Up: Alex and Aaron Craig talk rodeos and Sufjan

Filmmakers Alex and Aaron Craig of We Are Films. Photo by Noah Abe.


Sufjan Stevens’ upcoming piece Round-Up (Jan 20—25, BAM Harvey Theater) features a 1 hour 15 minute film of the Pendleton, OR, rodeo filmed in gorgeous slow-motion by brothers Aaron and Alex Craig of Brooklyn-based production company We Are Films. The brothers answered some of our questions about the collaboration and explained how a five-minute short evolved into a full-length film with a live score.

How did you initially link up with Sufjan Stevens on this project?

Our intro to Sufjan and Asthmatic Kitty Records began maybe four years ago. We had worked on videos for AKR artists My Brightest Diamond and The Welcome Wagon, and developed a really strong friendship with the label, so when Sufjan came out with the Christmas album Silver and Gold, he asked if we could direct his "I'll Be Home For Christmas" music video. The concept was almost impossible to accomplish given the limited resources we had, but we just put all we could into it as we do with every project we work on, and the end result turned out pretty great. We ended up getting a Vimeo Staff Pick and lots of articles written about it on tech and film sites because the entire video was done in a single take and was technically complex.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

The Mariinsky Ballet—Pinnacle of Elegance

Swan Lake. Photo: Valentin Baranovsky
By Susan Yung

The Mariinsky Ballet is revered as one of the world's top companies. Founded in imperial Russia in the mid-18th century, it was renamed the Kirov Ballet during the Soviet years. It reverted to its original name in recent years, after Leningrad once again was called St. Petersburg. It has been a crucible for many of classical ballet's most beloved and enduring full-length dances, including Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker, and its ever-growing repertory includes dances by modern masters such as Balanchine and Robbins.

The foundation of the company, in a sense, is the resident Vaganova Ballet Academy, named after the renowned teacher Agrippina Vaganova, who led the school beginning in 1921. The academy—whose rigorous curriculum mixes ballet studies with academics—is notoriously competitive to enter. It forms technique and artistry, as well as populating the company's ranks; the school is a major source of Mariinsky Ballet dancers.