DAE News: September 1, 2003
Contents:
Happy Labor Day! Our concert is less than three weeks away (where did the time go?). Here's the news.
Here's a guest report from our Auction Coordinator and Webmistress, Mary LoSardo.
New items keep arriving for our auction and with a burst of cooler weather, the shawls and wraps are even more appealing. Already we have a bidding war on Gayle Roehm's "Lacy Cables Shawl." For those who want to stay out of the line of fire, but would love to wrap themselves in softness, Grace Judson's woven "Ocean Blue Shawl" is perfect -- it feels like a warm hug! Don't forget Danny Ouellette's "Lotus Blossom Shawl" -- it's truly luxurious in a hand-painted silk and wool blend yarn. (Note: you can see all of the shawls - including our wonderful new arrival from Yvette Adonai -- at www.danceasever.org/DAEauction.htm#shawls).
We also have a first for our auction: a beautiful set of garnets by Lori Monaco. The three-piece set (triple strand necklace, bracelet and pierced earrings) is made of garnets, Swarovski crystals and gold-filled beads -- it makes an extravagant birthday present for a January "baby", since garnets are the January birthstone.
Another first in the area of knitwear are the knitted thongs by Margaret Radcliffe of "Maggie's Rags". And don't worry if the two we have are not your size -- Maggie's also offered to knit a custom one for a winning bidder! (Note: Garnet set and the thongs at www.danceasever.org/DAEauction.htm#misc.)
Don't forget bags as a year-round accessory. Eve Ng has a wonderful, sturdy "Felted Tote," perfect for shopping expeditions and Jane Elliott has given us her newest design, "La Bag-ette". (This design is so new, it isn't even available yet from "Not Just Plain Jane Knits") This bag combines stitch patterns, textures and fibers to transcend seasons. It is fully lined, and has three inside pockets. See all of these wonderful items at http://www.danceasever.org/DAEauction.htm.
On the raffle front, more prizes continue to arrive. Lots of prizes for knitters, with gift certificates from yarn vendors such as Yarn Express and Knitting in LaJolla. Socks knitters can overdose on Opal yarn from PT Yarn and get inspiration (and directions) from Dawn Brocco's "Heels and Toes Gazette." To see all of the raffle prizes, go to our website http://www.danceasever.org/DAEraffle.htm.
For non-knitters, there's a $150 gift certificate to BR Guest Restaurants. And don't forget, once again our grand prize this year is a week in a luxury timeshare. To see where last year's winner enjoyed her prize, visit our special report at http://www.danceasever.org/DAE2002winner.htm. Contact us (dae@panix.com ) for raffle tickets or print your own and send to us.
In the next DAE newsletter, we'll cover more of the auction and raffle prizes -- and keep checking the website to see more auction items and raffle prizes as they arrive.
Want to do something besides write a check? There's plenty of help we need, backstage, front of house and before the show, from helping out at the auction tables to hosting a dinner before the show or offering a spare room to a clean, friendly technical director or videographer for a few nights. There's a full list of volunteer opportunities at http://www.danceasever.org/DAEgetin.htm#volunteerhelp. What we need most right now are accommodations for the videographer for 9/19-20, (or if you have a room to spare for a few nights at any point from 9/9-9/23, our technical director could use a place to hang his hat). We also need help either backstage or out front during the shows and . . .
People don't like to go to the ballet when they have nobody to go with. Help us make sure everyone has a friendly group to see the concert with. We're asking for people to pick one night that they'll act as a host for - arrange a dinner at a local restaurant and head for the theater together. We'll help connect you with people who want to go with you. Email us if you're interested!
We broke our goal of $2,000 in new and returning donors last night. Thanks to all of you. We still need your help; it costs about $50,000 to make the season possible, and ticket sales account for less than 10% of that. Really. Without you, there's nothing. It's easy to donate - all the information you need is at www.danceasever.org/DAEgetin.htm#donate . Every donor and donation matters to us. Thank you so much for any contribution you care to make. We really can't do it without you.
It doesn't feel like the home stretch yet. The New Rome is about 80% completed and will be finished by the end of next week, then ruthlessly edited. I feel like it's still taking shape; I want to know what it wants to be. We've got to schedule rehearsals with the musicians as well; we've only heard the piece on synthesizer, and the sonorities are totally different. I'm hoping that musical signposts we've been using survive the change in instrumentation.
Alexandra's piece was completed last week. She goes to Copenhagen in a day or so, comes back next Monday night, leaves again for Paris at the end of the week, comes back on Tuesday night and our dress rehearsal is the next day. You might say she's booked tightly. I haven't given the work a title yet, I probably only will when absolutely pressured to.
Peter and I will start working together at the end of this week, but he's already performed this ballet a few times now; these rehearsals are just refreshers. He is working right now on his own independent project at the Joyce Theater next year, and we have all been rehearsing at the same place. I rushed into the studio late expecting to find Alexandra and nearly careened into Peter. We both laughed, "Alexandra! You've changed!"
Who are the other dancers? If you've seen the company perform, chances are you've seen Mary Carpenter, our ballet mistress and the senior member of the company. We both felt this might be her final year on stage with us, so I chose some favorite roles for her to encore; last year's Rideau and a pas de deux from our first season at Riverside a decade ago, A Waltz Remembered. Mary made this bittersweet dance her own at a performance of the work in 2001 also at Riverside, and I wanted to give her another chance to do it.
Abraham Miha also returns for his fourth season and will encore his role in Rideau. Sarah Folger is back for her third; Elizabeth Gumz married and became Elizabeth Drissi, she returns for her second. Robert Rosario and Peter Snow are new to the company; they both have been a pleasure to work with. Robert is a wonderful partner; he'll do Waltz with Mary; Peter was recommended by the other Peter (Boal); he's one of his students and all of 17. (Good grief, I got my first job dancing when he was 1.) He turns like a top.
Work days have been going from 9 am to 2 am for me trying to get the dances ready along with the administrative work as well (press releases went out last weekend, postcards will go out this one.) I guess I don't need to say that it's a lot of work. The most fun I had last week was visiting David, the costumer, and going through fabric swatches. I'm always trying to control costs wherever I can for this, but I'm also trying to maintain the highest possible level of quality. Ballet needs luxury; the audience comes for the fantasy. David's not overly or needlessly extravagant, so I let him get what he wants. This time it was two steel-blue silks for Alexandra, one with a silk warp and Lurex weft and the other heat-treated. For a pas de deux with Mary and Robert, silk burnout fabrics from Cavalli and Versace for her dress and a velvet brocade for his jacket. If they don't feel glamorous in this stuff, I'm going to kill them.
More next week!
As ever,
LAW
Leigh Witchel [dae@panix.com]
Alexandra Ansanelli and Peter Boal perform with Dance as Ever 9/18-21, 2003 at the Theatre of the Riverside Church, New York, NY. For more information visit http://www.danceasever.org.
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