Ballet Star Profiled in Times

[+ Lucky]

I would never have had any interest in watching ballet if not for Jerome Robbins Broadway, which included dances from West Side Story Suites. These weren't men in tights, but clothed ballet dancers performing the songs from West Side Story. That got me to the New York City Ballet, where studly looking men like Jock Soto performed in tights, and I liked it!

After that I moved on to the American Ballet Theater, which at the time had the dancer Ethan Stiefel as a principal male dancer Stiefel was exciting to watch, never more so than when he performed his solo Without Words, which was hardly ballet but a modern dance that just erupted with energy. I looked forward to a review which would proclaim this the future of ballet, but sadly the stuffy reviewers saw it as inappropriate for the ballet stage.

Now Stiefel is profiled in today's NY Times, and the news is that he is moving to New Zealand to become artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet. At 38, his dancing days are over, at least as a principal performer.

 

Speaking of West Side Story, if I lived in New York I would take in a showing of it next month at the Avery Fisher Hall where the New York Philharmonic will play the music from the film live to a digitally remastered Hi Def print in honor of the 50th anniversary of the film. Shows are on September 7th and 8th.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/arts/dance/ethan-stiefel-heads-to-royal-new-zealand-ballet.html?ref=arts

[Karl-G]

Thanks for the link. I shall ask my friends in New Zealand

what happens; one of them has a daughter who dances.

[uwsman2]

From the article, I don't think this signals total retirement from dancing, but he did indicate his main focus will switch.

[+ Lucky]

From the article, I don't think this signals total retirement from dancing, but he did indicate his main focus will switch.

 

In the spring of this year, he withdrew from his performances scheduled at ABT, but that was not the same as retiring. Nonetheless, 38 is old for ballet. I would love to see Without Words again.

 

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/ethan-stiefel-to-withdraw-from-american-ballet-theaters-spring-season/

[Epigonos]

Hey Lucky I didn't realize that you were a fan of Ethan Stiefel's. If you haven't already seen the DVD "Center Stage" you might want to round up a copy of it. Stiefel does some very nice dancing in it.

[+ Lucky]

Yes, Epigonos, I enjoyed that movie. A ballet dancer who rides a motorcycle- living dangerously!

[Epigonos]

He is actually a real motorcycle fan. Additionally he is one hell of a nice guy. Unfortunately he is straight, however, his long time girlfriend is a sweetheart.