Like many balletomanes, Haglund has long felt that when treasured ballerinas retire from ballet and journey off to try to extend their time under the spotlight by engaging in angst & yank riff-raffography, they will just have to make that journey without old Hag in tow. Cruel as it may sound, there's got to be a lot more left beneath the graying bun than lipstick and leg splits to persuade the true classical ballet audience to follow.
Truth be told, Haglund has avoided most of Diana Vishneva's forays into the ballet afterlife. But he's sort of looking forward to her upcoming collaboration entitled Sleeping Beauty Dreams which premieres in Miami for two performances on December 7 & 8 and then opens at the Beacon Theatre (2124 Broadway) for two nights on December 14 & 15. The Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami announced on its website that Desmond Richardson will be Prince Peter to Diana's Princess Aurora.
The libretto of Sleeping Beauty Dreams centers on what Princess Aurora actually dreamed about during her 100 year sleep. New text. New music. New choreography. New concept. A very new concept. According to the Sleeping Beauty Dreams website, the production will be experimental in every sense:
SBD is an unprecedented show, in which contemporary dance meets state-of-the-art, real-time avatar-mapping projection technology and contemporary music to create a new kind of multi-dimensional scenic experience.
The creative team includes Vishneva; contemporary choreographer Edward Clug; Carlo Ratti, the Italian architect-inventor-engineer who is an MIT professor and runs the school's MIT Senseable City Lab which studies how digital technologies are altering how people live; Tobias Gremmler, a digital artist; Bart Hess, a textiles and materials manipulator/designer/inventor who covered Lady Gaga in slime for Born this Way; and Noisia or NOISIΛ (VISION spelled upside down & backwards), electronic music trio from Groningen, Netherlands.
Are you thinking that this could be a little crazy? It gets better.
As we reported back on May 2nd, former Trump senior official Michael Caputo is the chief marketing officer of the show in addition to being one of Robert Mueller's persons of interest. One of the show's producers is Sergey "George" Petrushin, a longtime business associate of Caputo. Petrushin was the first one contacted by Henry Greenburg who claimed to have "dirt on Hillary Clinton" which he wanted Trump to pay $2 million for. Petrushin put Greenburg in touch with Caputo who put him in touch with Roger Stone. (WPO June 17, 2018) The Chairman of the Board of Advisors for Sleeping Beauty Dreams is Kendall Coffey. Mr. Coffey, who in 2000 was a member of Al Gore's legal team, is according to Politico a member of Roger Stone's legal team for the Russia probe. Mr. Coffey has been generously talking to Larry King, Bloomberg, NBC, and even Vanity Fair about the Mueller investigation.
Those Sleeping Beauty Dreams meetings with Messrs. Caputo, Petrushin, and Coffey must be like a fairy tale in the making.
The production comes with a Parental Guidance 13+. Here's the I-gram account and below is the official promo. Let's hope that Princess Aurora has more than just nightmares during her 100-year snooze:
16 responses to “From the Dept of Ballet and Politics Intersect
Diana Vishneva’s Sleeping Beauty Dreams set for
Miami and NY’s Beacon Theatre in December”
Thanks for the heads-up, Haglund. Do you know if this is another Ardani-sponsored vanity project? If it’s anything like the “beauties in motion” then it’s a big NYET from me.
Thanks for the heads-up, Haglund. Do you know if this is another Ardani-sponsored vanity project? If it’s anything like the “beauties in motion” then it’s a big NYET from me.
New text. New music. New choreography. New concept.
New thanks.
New text. New music. New choreography. New concept.
New thanks.
Jeannette, I see nothing on the website about an Ardani or Danilian connection. HOWEVER, only the “Chairman” of the “Advisory Committee” is identified. The Danilians could be on that committee as could other potentially very interesting names.
I think that this project will make Beauties in Motion look like kindergarten stuff when it comes to weirdness.
Jeannette, I see nothing on the website about an Ardani or Danilian connection. HOWEVER, only the “Chairman” of the “Advisory Committee” is identified. The Danilians could be on that committee as could other potentially very interesting names.
I think that this project will make Beauties in Motion look like kindergarten stuff when it comes to weirdness.
A big nyet from me. Enough of her “creativity”.
A big nyet from me. Enough of her “creativity”.
It should be interesting to see what the ticket prices at the Beacon Theatre will be and whether they will be so high that only Russian-connected operatives will be able to afford them.
In Miami, the Sleeping Beauty Dreams orchestra level and first tier seats range from $160.22 to $213.72. In contrast, orchestra level and first tier seats at Miami City Ballet range from $29 to $110. Jerry Seinfeld’s single performance tickets in the orchestra range from $93.50 to $186.
It should be interesting to see what the ticket prices at the Beacon Theatre will be and whether they will be so high that only Russian-connected operatives will be able to afford them.
In Miami, the Sleeping Beauty Dreams orchestra level and first tier seats range from $160.22 to $213.72. In contrast, orchestra level and first tier seats at Miami City Ballet range from $29 to $110. Jerry Seinfeld’s single performance tickets in the orchestra range from $93.50 to $186.
Much like Alessandra Ferri, Diana needs to move on.
Much like Alessandra Ferri, Diana needs to move on.
Folks, I fixed the link to the promo which has been revised. Also it appears that the production team page on the website which features the politically current cast of Caputo, Petrushin, and Coffey has been removed. Here’s what it looked like previously. Petrushin is in the middle line far left, Caputo – same line center; Coffey – bottom center.
Folks, I fixed the link to the promo which has been revised. Also it appears that the production team page on the website which features the politically current cast of Caputo, Petrushin, and Coffey has been removed. Here’s what it looked like previously. Petrushin is in the middle line far left, Caputo – same line center; Coffey – bottom center.
Vishneva’s taste has always been reflected by her over the top fashions OFF stage–such as her fondness of John Neumeier’s La Dame aux Camélias and her passion for Carmen Suite, that stupid ballet the Russians love to drag out perpetually. But who’s to say this new venture won’t have merit? Like “innocent until proven guilty” give every new venture the benefit of no doubt. If it stinks it will make a fool of itself very willingly. And a woman with a screaming baby has to have a way to get out of the house.
Vishneva’s taste has always been reflected by her over the top fashions OFF stage–such as her fondness of John Neumeier’s La Dame aux Camélias and her passion for Carmen Suite, that stupid ballet the Russians love to drag out perpetually. But who’s to say this new venture won’t have merit? Like “innocent until proven guilty” give every new venture the benefit of no doubt. If it stinks it will make a fool of itself very willingly. And a woman with a screaming baby has to have a way to get out of the house.