Category: Curtain Rising Blog

Blogs to be shared on the Curtain Rising site

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My Pina Bausch Encounters

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Several times during my dance career, I nearly connected with Pina Bausch, but I never actually met her. I love her work, and I will go out of my way to catch performances. It is such a loss that such a creative genius has left us so early. Before I even had my first professional contract with Netherlands Dance Theatre, I participated as a dancer in a choreographic competition at a summer course in Cologne, Germany. I danced in a piece by Dutch choreographer, Margriet Franken, and we came in second! Pina Bausch’s piece came in first. She had not … Continue reading My Pina Bausch Encounters

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Les Grands-Rodin/Claudel-Peter Quanz

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We travelled to Ottawa to see Peter Quanz’s Rodin/Claudel danced by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. We met Peter a couple of years ago through a close personal friend and have been following his career ever since. A protege of former RWB Artistic Director Arnold Spohr, Quanz’s career as a choreographer was launched when he was handed a graduation present by Spohr of three phone numbers of three well-known artistic directors with European dance companies. Quanz worked with each of these AD’s and in addition to gaining a lot of knowledge, he also made great contacts. More than a decade later he … Continue reading Les Grands-Rodin/Claudel-Peter Quanz

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NAC – Seeds

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The performance of Seeds was one of the best theatrical experiences I have had in a while. A co-production between a Montreal and a Toronto theatre company starring Canadian theatre legend Eric Peterson exploring the controversial topic of GMOs (genetically modified organisms). A strong cast, a smartly written script, fascinating and inventive staging and great direction. I vaguely recall the media reports, over a decade ago, about the Saskatchewan farmer taking on corporate giant, Monsanto. Seeds is a theatrical documentary, based on the actual transcripts of the multi-year court battles. It also explores the people involved and the motivations behind … Continue reading NAC – Seeds

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TTI Travel – Our new travel partner

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For Curtain Rising, our performing arts travel business, we needed to find a partner in the travel industry that has the same high standards that we aspire to. I am pleased to announce that we have now partnered with TTI Travel, one of Canada’s pre-eminent, family-owned travel agencies with a “high-touch”, personalized service, which closely matches and compliments our own approach. TTI Travel is amongst a select few Canadian agencies with Virtuoso, an invitation-only association of the world’s top luxury leisure travel agencies. They are also a member of the Air Canada Circle of Excellence and are Canada’s only affiliate … Continue reading TTI Travel – Our new travel partner

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National Ballet of Canada – Onegin

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I surprised myself today, I actually enjoyed a full-length ballet! It had been a couple of decades since the last time I saw John Cranko’s Onegin danced by the National Ballet of Canada. I had forgotten about or simply didn’t recognize Cranko‘s masterful choreography the last time around. He was a great and inventive choreographer, especially in the two pas-de-deux for Tatiana and Onegin. Greta Hodgkinson was brilliant and even managed to get this old cynic choked up. The choreography for the mirror pas-de-deux in the first act and the final one in the third act is truly challenging, but Greta and … Continue reading National Ballet of Canada – Onegin

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TSO – Angela Hewitt

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Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto with Angela Hewitt, how can you go wrong? One of my favorite compositions, from one of my favorite composers played by one of today’s piano superstars! What a great night of music! Angela Hewitt was terrific, her confidence, her strength, her technical skills, and of course it was a live performance. Sure she is competing with her own perfect recording and yes in the excitement of the climax at the very end she missed a couple of notes, but her physical presence, the energy of the orchestra and the excitement of the capacity audience made up for whatever … Continue reading TSO – Angela Hewitt

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New Directions in Indian Dance – inDance

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I have always had problems connecting to Indian dance. Since coming to Canada in 1977 I have tried to like and understand it, but it has been such a struggle, even with such luminaries in the Canadian dance scene as Menaka Thakkar and Rena Singha. I just didn’t get it, I mostly got bored or fell asleep! Sometimes the rhythms would intrigue me, at least for the first couple of minutes, not for the next half hour(s). I know that all those beautiful shapes mean something and if I could just learn what they mean I would be able to follow the story! But … Continue reading New Directions in Indian Dance – inDance

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National Ballet of Canada – March 2/14

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When we select the performances for our annual National Ballet of Canada subscription, we tend to be very selective and avoid the full-length extravaganzas. It simply is not our style, though we hear that the company dances them very well. Artistic Director, Karen Kain, has improved upon the programming since she took over and since the company moved to the Four Seasons Centre.  She has created some interesting seasons that include mixed bills with relatively new choreographers. Today’s performance included a work by Canadian choreographer Aszure Barton. Even though Aszure already has a stellar career, we hadn’t yet caught any of her work. Watch Her was created … Continue reading National Ballet of Canada – March 2/14

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Golden Globes vs Downton Abbey

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From January 13, 2014: Still trying to figure out why I even bothered watching the Golden Globes. The pros: Tina and Amy with their opening, beautiful women in beautiful clothes,   learning which movies I should not miss. The cons: Boring speeches, lots of people I have never heard of, wasting a lot of time watching people trying to get to the podium. After the first hour we wisely switched to a new episode of Downton Abbey. The pros: Fantastic acting, engaging story, not wanting it to be over The cons: Can’t think of any…. Continue reading Golden Globes vs Downton Abbey