Arpino alone wasn't quite the attraction, and although he carried out Joffrey's intentions by remounting Cotillon, Les Noces, and Billy the Kid, the company was in dire straits five years after Joffrey's death. A group was formed to support it in Chicago, and in 1995 the company headed west. Gerald Arpino died in 2008. Now, under former Joffrey dancer Ashley Wheater, they have their own headquarters in the Joffrey Tower, and a seemingly stable outlook.
The first time I remember seeing the Joffrey, the dancers materialized like spirits out of a misty rain, ascending the steps at the back of the outdoor Delacorte Theater, in Robert Joffrey's Gamelan, to music of Lou Harrison. This documentary doesn't include Gamelan, but in other footage it brings back other great moments I never thought I'd see again.
Related:
Review: First Position, Review: Surviving Progress, Review: Marley, More
- Review: First Position
While not the most probing look at rising stars, Bess Kargman's documentary focuses on six aspiring contestants preparing for the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix competition (a proven entry point into the world of professional ballet) who demonstrate dazzling talent.
- Review: Surviving Progress
Despite prestigious talking heads like Margaret Atwood, Jane Goodall, and Stephen Hawking, there is nothing new here beyond what every conscientious liberal already knows is wrong with the world.
- Review: Marley
After two-and-half hours of hagiography, talking heads, archival footage, still photos, and snatches of his songs, Bob Marley remains elusive in Kevin Macdonald's documentary.
- Review: Sound of My Voice
You've got to hand it to Brit Marling when it comes to audacious premises, both in Another Earth (in which she starred and co-wrote with director Mike Cahill), and in this high concept sci-fi head-scratcher, in which she also stars and co-wrote with director Zal Batmanglij.
- Review: Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story
Whatever your opinion of the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, you can't deny that his brother Yoni was a hero, a courageous man whose conflicts and triumphs mirror those of his homeland.
- Reviving the electric car
Electric cars — ones that are completely rechargeable and use no gasoline — are now available in Maine, in addition to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and traditional hybrids, both of which boast higher fuel-efficiency than conventional cars.
- A new documentary explores immigrant youth and their place in Maine and America
"Back in the Congo, we heard rumors that America is paradise — where everything is perfect, money flows like water, you can eat as much as you want, whenever you want, you can get anything," says Emmanuel Muya, one of 15 immigrant high school students featured in a new documentary, The Whole World Waiting , which will premiere at SPACE Gallery on Thursday.
- Review: Mansome
Morgan Spurlock's latest nonthreatening documentary fails to find much point in its subject: men's grooming.
- Review: Pink Ribbons, Inc.
Near the end of this documentary a woman calls the pink ribbon of breast cancer-awareness a "made in China" tag.
- Review: 5 Broken Cameras
Emad Burnat, a Palestinian villager, goes through five different cameras from 2005 to 2010, each one broken when the Israeli military or police assault him as he tries to record the ongoing turmoil.
- Review: Never Stand Still
A multitude of A-list choreographers speak their piece to the camera — Merce Cunningham, Judith Jamison, Mark Morris — as they gather for the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, Mass.
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Topics:
Dance
, Ballet, documentary, film, More
, Ballet, documentary, film, dance features, Less