Liberty Hall at the ACE Hotel
20 West 29th St. at Broadway
Monthly Saturday nights at 9:00 through December 7, $15-$20
www.thedancecartel.com
Earlier this year, in an exclusive twi-ny talk, dancer and choreographer Ani Taj Niemann said about OntheFloor, “We really embrace the idea of making dance happen in unexpected places so that people outside of the usual dance crowd can have access to it. . . . Our MC offers a few simple guidelines at the top of the show, but mostly it’s common sense: If you see a body flying toward you, move; if you like the beat, groove. Part of the fun is that you’re being asked to be aware of your own body in space — as you would at a crowded concert or club.” Conceived by Niemann and codirected with Sam Pinkleton, the Dance Cartel’s OntheFloor is back at the newly renovated downstairs Liberty Hall at the Ace Hotel for monthly shows September 14, October 5, November 2, and December 7. Among the special guests scheduled to join Dance Cartel members Alexandra Albrecht, nicHi douglas, Thomas Gibbons, Audrey Hailes, Sunny Hitt, Danika Manso-Brown, Justin Perez, and Niemann are Reggie Watts, the Mast, Grace McLean, DJ Stefan, DJ Average Jo, BatalaNYC, and others. When we saw the immersive, interactive production last fall, we raved, “After spending about an hour and a half with the Dance Cartel, you might not know exactly quite what hit you, but you are likely to feel energized and exhilarated. . . . Things get fast and furious, the dancers getting right in everyone’s face, eventually leading to a free-for-all finale.” The frenetic show features tantalizing costumes by Soule Golden, lighting by Vadim Ledvin (be careful not to block the spots), and video by Harrison Boyce and Stephen Arnoczy, making sure there is plenty for you to see and do every step of the way.
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Red Shoes is a lush, gorgeous examination of the creative process and living — and dying — for one’s art. Sadler’s Wells dancer Moira Shearer stars as Victoria Page, a young socialite who dreams of becoming a successful ballerina. She is brought to the attention of ballet master Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook) and soon is a member of his famed company. Meanwhile, composer Julian Craster (Marius Goring), whose music was stolen by his professor and used in a Lermontov ballet, also joins the company, as chorus master. As Vicky and Julian’s roles grow, so does their affection for each other, with a jealous Lermontov seething in between. Inspired by Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, The Red Shoes is a masterful behind-the-scenes depiction of the world of dance, highlighted by the dazzlingly surreal title ballet, which mimics the narrative of the central plot. Based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, the fifteen-minute ballet takes viewers into a completely different fantasy realm, using such cinematic devices as jump cuts and superimposition as the drama unfolds well beyond the limits of the stage. To increase the believability of the story and make sure the dance scenes were effective, Powell and Pressburger enlisted players from the international dance community; the film’s cast includes Russian choreographer and dancer Léonide Massine as Lermontov choreographer Grischa Ljubov, French prima ballerina Ludmilla Tchérina as Lermontov star Irina Boronskaja, and Australian dancer Robert Helpmann as Ivan Boleslawsky; Helpmann also served as the film’s choreographer.
