Slog - Comments on Seriously, New York Times? http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times Your review of Twyla Tharp's new works at Pacific Northwest Ballet seems a little... disengaged. You spend most of your words on describing how the choreography looks but not what it might mean. Tharp's choreography has always been thick with ideas (about gender, about youth culture, about art both haute and pop, about sex and death) and to not wrestle with the ideas (or lack thereof) in two brand-new ballets by the reigning queen of dance seems a little weak. Maybe even a little irresponsible. (The ballets: Opus 111 is a florid, ballet/kitchen-sink fusion set to Brahms; Afternoon Ball... Copyright 2008 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:24:50 -0800 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:20:59 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by genevieve Gotta love the Stranger bitching about someone else's dance coverage.

Snark aside, thank you for covering the Tharp show.

]]> genevieve http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154257 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154257 Theater Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:48:42 -0800 Comment by MvB "redolent," Brendan? You've smelled a Hungarian czardas before? Actually, forget I asked. I may not want to know the details.

]]> MvB http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154289 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154289 Theater Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:09:06 -0800 Comment by julia Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

]]> julia http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154290 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154290 Theater Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:09:31 -0800 Comment by Greg Sometimes I wish I gave a shit about modern dance.

Sometimes I don't.

]]> Greg http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154359 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154359 Theater Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:53:46 -0800 Comment by Y.F. I'll cut a bitch who is hatin' on the Pacific Northwest Ballet Company. I'm still in love with Godfather Drosselmeyer from the 1986 Nutcracker movie.

]]> Y.F. http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154380 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154380 Theater Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:01:06 -0800 Comment by Nick I'll echo the first comment. How nice to see The Stranger suddenly develop an interest in dance.

Anyway: I listened to the interview. Your answer at the end was fantastic, and you can clearly talk criticism and theater, but you were in over your head with Tharp. Your lack of familiarity with modern dance was obvious. Get off the high horse.

]]> Nick http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154479 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154479 Theater Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:11:45 -0800 Comment by Brendan Kiley Just to remind everyone—we write about dance, preview dance, and suggest dance far more than anybody seems to remember. Google for stories about Velocity, On the Boards, and PNB—you'll find a big story for the Jerome Robbins revival, profiles of local choreographers, reviews, etc.

I appreciate the pleasure of a martyr complex, but seriously—we do write about dance, when something important is happening.

And the biggest obstacle to getting written about? The fact that most dance performances only happen one weekend. Managing an arts section is an exercise in triage. Run performances for multiple weekends and your chances of being written about increase dramatically.

And I'm staying on my high horse, thank you. I like it up here.

]]> Brendan Kiley http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154493 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154493 Theater Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:32:35 -0800 Comment by tranny Oh my god, this is pathetic on so many levels, I wouldn't know where to begin. I pity you.

]]> tranny http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154674 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154674 Theater Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:31:21 -0800 Comment by Deep, heavy and meaningless Dinner with Brendan Kiley and Jen Graves - I ask you, is there a more horrifying thought in the known universe?

"Thick with ideas". Jesus H. MotherFUCKING Christ on a goddamn pogo stick. How do you people even tie your shoes in the morning?

]]> Deep, heavy and meaningless http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154740 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154740 Theater Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:06:53 -0800 Comment by Cooler Yeah, but people actually read the New York Times.

]]> Cooler http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154753 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154753 Theater Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:38:51 -0800 Comment by Jessica What about these passages from the NYT piece? Don't they say what you criticize the Times for not saying? Maybe not as overtly as you would like them to, but it does get at the subject matter, in fairness to the Times, more so than the last paragraph you say does the best job of getting at it. And how about a link to the article in your post?
"Mr. Martynov’s ruthless music has inspired Ms. Tharp to explore the younger generation, a subject she has taken on repeatedly. This time, Charlie Neshyba-Hodges, Kaori Nakamura and Olivier Wevers are street punks, ravaged by drugs and loss of purpose. This harsh snapshot of urban decay contrasts with the natural world of Brahms in “Opus 111." ... no matter how ably her dancers express their rancor and desperation through movement, they’re overcooked, drawn so boldly and instilled with so many fussy details that they become more caricatures than characters."

]]> Jessica http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154796 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/seriously_new_york_times#c1154796 Theater Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:20:59 -0800