Latest news with #SwanLake
Vogue
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Gillian Murphy Left It All on the Stage
Nine days before her final performance with the American Ballet Theatre, Gillian Murphy is struck by a realization. 'I've never done retirement bows before,' she says to Amanda McKerrow, the company's director of repertoire and a former principal dancer, after a rehearsal. Until last Friday, Murphy, 46, was ABT's longest-standing member. In her 29 years at the company—23 of them as a principal dancer—she conquered every leading lady one can imagine: Kitri, Giselle, Aurora, Juliet, Swanilda, the Sugar Plum Fairy. But Murphy is most famous for the dual role of the gentle Odette and beguiling Odile in Swan Lake, the work that she chose to end her career on. Far from an easy victory lap, the ballet is notorious for its demanding choreography, including a series of 32 rapid-fire fouetté turns in the Black Swan's grand pas de deux. When Murphy performed them on Friday, the crowd at the Metropolitan Opera House let out a roar, leaping to their feet. Murphy was a 12-year-old living in South Carolina when she performed the Black Swan pas de deux for the first time (something she acknowledges was 'a very strange choice for a young child'). 'I didn't really know about turnout, I didn't know about port de bras, I wasn't fully aware of whether I was pointing my feet or not,' she recalls. Still, she had never felt so invigorated. 'I was just living my best life, feeling so exhilarated to be on stage and to be doing this thing that I absolutely loved. I remember feeling like it couldn't get better than that.' Not long after, she was off to high school at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts; then along came ABT, where she joined the corps de ballet at 17. Murphy made her debut as Odette-Odile with the company 24 years ago, before being tapped to dance the part in a telecast for PBS in 2005. 'It's one of several reasons why I chose to finish my career with this ballet,' she says. 'The messages that I've gotten, the cards that have been written to me…I still get DMs on a regular basis about what that film meant to people, which is so beautiful.'
New York Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The Ultimate Swan Song: Gillian Murphy's Thrilling Last Dance
Ballerinas fight for perfection, but real dancers find freedom in imperfection and are more perfect for it. Gillian Murphy, even with her extraordinary technique, is one of those dancers. George Balanchine could have been talking about Murphy when he said: 'Good American dancers can express clean emotion in a manner that might almost be termed angelic. By angelic I mean the quality supposedly enjoyed by the angels, who, when they relate a tragic situation, do not themselves suffer.' Murphy has related many tragic situations in her 29-year career with American Ballet Theater — those of Giselle, Juliet, Odette, the list goes on. But she has always avoided tumbling down a mountain of melodrama. Her choice of 'Swan Lake' as her farewell performance was brave and, it turns out, binding. Murphy left nothing on the stage but a vivid afterimage of spontaneous, spiraling dance beauty. Her last trip around the stage had the force of finality, yet without desperation or sadness. This was a celebration; every moment mattered. Her dancing was ravishing in its fullness as her body stretched without tension in a way that gave her line an aura of infinity. There were moments when she slowed down just enough to emphasize details, like her hands flowing down her face, mimicking tears. It was simple and human, which not only gave Murphy's interpretation depth but underscored a problem with so many other Odettes: Dancers play her too much like a creature, a bird, but she is a princess and knowing that is the difference between acting and artistry. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Ballet22 proves gender norms have no place in dance with electrifying S.F. show
A note inside the program for Ballet22's 2025 season encourages the audience to 'please clap and cheer for the dancers.' But the raucously adoring crowd at Cowell Theater for opening night hardly needed the reminder. Founded in Oakland in 2020, Ballet22 is a small but ambitious pick-up troupe with a mission that, in these politically vicious times, presents a bold and joyful resistance. This is a company of men, trans and non-binary dancers who perform in pointe shoes, and not — as with the long-famous drag troupe Les Ballets Trockadero — for the sake of farce. Put more simply: in a world where gender norms are all too often tools of oppression, Ballet22 celebrates the freedom of being fully and unapologetically yourself. These summer shows, which kicked off Saturday, July 19, mark the group's ninth in-person program. But as attacks on gender non-conformity intensify, Ballet22's vision keeps becoming more urgent — just as the dancers' pointe technique grows more impressive. Zsilas Michael Hughes, a corps member with Seattle's Pacific Northwest Ballet, was iconic on Saturday, their broad shoulders and muscled bare legs offset by the delicate white feathers of a 'Swan Lake' costume. Hughes had a lovely rubato quality, lowering that high développé leg to fifth on pointe oh so slowly. And if they struggled a bit with the balance-testing arm movements on the step up to an attitude, such honesty of effort is part of what Ballet22 offers. Daniel R. Durrett, a Boston Ballet soloist who is also one of Ballet22's three co-directors, was happy to admit in a mid-show curtain speech that he'd just had a small slip in his 'Esmeralda' variation, because 'I made it work.' (Indeed he did, improvising a cover for skipping that third round of tambourine-to-toe taps because that working foot pushing into relevé said, 'No sorry, not today.') As is customary at Ballet22 shows, every dancer got to show off a classical variation. Victor Maguad, who usually dances with Sacramento Ballet, pulled off a spectacular series of attitude hops on pointe in Leonid Lavrovsky's delicate choreography for 'Walpurgistnacht.' Trevor Williams was wonderfully playful in the famously devilish variation by Marius Petipa for 'Le Talisman.' Jake Speakman rocked the Italian fouettés in Medora's Act 2 variation from 'Le Corsaire.' But my favorite was Kobe Courtney, who trained at the San Francisco Ballet School, ravishingly fluid in her backbends as she portrayed the temple dancer Nikiya's death from 'La Bayadere.' It was Courtney who shone brightest, too, in 'City of Humans,' a sometimes serene, sometimes sassy trio to Schubert by American Ballet Theatre principal James Whiteside. Originally choreographed for three female dancers, it was previously titled 'City of Women.' In this iteration, Maguad moved with a beautiful legato smoothness. But it was Courtney who commanded the space with huge jumps and a gorgeously stretched échappé. The crowning accomplishment of the night was 'You Can Have Me!' a world premiere by former Forsythe Company member and now kNoname Artist director Roderick George, created in just two weeks. The sextet — dressed in brown tunics, sans pointe shoes — launched with a disco ball and a hip-shimmying romp through Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love.' It was something of a gut-punch when the next section brought voiceovers of newscasters discussing the AIDS epidemic, as the dancers moved in slow motion. Maguad had a beseeching solo to a clip from writer and performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon's 2024 Ford Foundation talk: 'The reason that people are seeking to oppress you is not because you are weak or fragile. It's precisely because you're powerful and tremendous.' In the final section, to music by Pittsburgh performance collective Slowdanger, Hughes and Durrett shared an intense and often subtly virtuosic duet, Hughes curled on the floor as Durrett danced on above. The work was an ensemble statement of committed higher purpose. As co-founder Theresa Knudson announced from the stage, Ballet22 will be back at the Cowell next July, and tickets are already on sale.
Time Out
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
A massive drone art show is taking to the Boston skies tonight
A few weeks after the Fourth of July, Boston skies will again light up—this time with over 500 drones hovering above some 20,000 candles. After sellout iterations in Miami, Madrid and L.A., the DroneArt Show will land in Harvard's Ohiri Field soccer stadium in Allston, treating paying audiences (and local onlookers not expecting to see David Corenswet up there) to 65 minutes of live classical music tonight, July 19. The DroneArt Show is a candlelit open-air concert featuring a live string quartet—think well-known masterpieces like Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons' and Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake'—accompanied by dazzling displays of synchronized drone displays. Outfitted with programmable LED lights, these bits of flying tech will arrange themselves into figures like lotus blossoms, swans and ballerinas, giving your grandparents' fireworks a run for their money. To the lush sounds of Debussy's 'The Snow Is Dancing,' the drone fleet will assemble and dissemble into dozens of new formations, reflecting the thrilling movements of the timeless music. Their vivid designs are tightly choreographed to complement the spirit of the live concert, evoking a breathtaking emotional response. The first act of the program will reflect the four seasons, with the second presenting a sky-bound homage to birds: from chicks and cuckoos to swans. This blend of classical music and state-of-the-art technology has sold out engagements across the U.S., Australia and Spain, and will continue working its magic in cities worldwide given its popularity. Next up: Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco in August. Tickets range from $39 to $53 and include seats. Looking for an upgrade? The VIP Picnic Experience ($105) seats you in the best viewing area and includes a personal picnic blanket, candle and special snack, along with fast-track entry. Doors to this all-ages event will open 90 minutes before its scheduled 8:45 pm start time. Food and beverage will be available for purchase at the event, though without gluten-free or vegan options. Rest easy, though, as outside nourishment is permitted (though not alcoholic drinks).
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
US ballerina on pointe to farewell celebrated career
There are plenty of consequential decisions to be made in every career, and they tend to become more consequential as time goes on. So it was when Gillian Murphy, one of the most admired American ballerinas for almost three decades, began contemplating not only when, but how to retire from American Ballet Theatre. She knew she wanted to go out on a high note. Murphy, at 46, is in incredible shape; at a rehearsal earlier in July, she was leaping and twirling like colleagues in their 20s. But in what role should she take her final bow, after 29 years with the company? Should it be as Juliet? As Giselle? The first of these ends up stabbing herself to death. The other goes mad. The best (and most athletic) option, it turned out, was to jump off a cliff. That's what swan queen Odette does at the end of the company's version of Swan Lake - followed in this dramatic leap by the prince who loves her, to be joyfully reunited in the afterlife. (In real life they leap onto a mattress offstage, dust themselves off and clamber back for the finale.) Murphy, who's known for her Odette/Odile - especially those fouettes, Odile's fiendishly hard whiplash turns - retired with Swan Lake on Friday night, ending her career in a blur of bouquets, tears and golden confetti before a sold-out Metropolitan Opera House crowd. Once the ballet finished, Murphy hugged fellow dancers including Misty Copeland, who will retire with fanfare in October. She was also greeted by her husband, former ballet theatre principal dancer Ethan Stiefel, and their six-year-old son, Ax, who'd just watched him mum perform at the opera house for the first time. Murphy was 17 when she joined the ballet theatre. Did she imagine such a long career? "I would have never expected to be dancing this long, honestly," she said. "I think in my mind I always had 40 years old as a time frame. But I didn't expect to feel this good at this point. "I've truly loved my career at ABT, and it's given me the opportunity to dance all over the world. So I'm happy I'm still here." Ballet takes a huge amount of athletic ability - dancers need to be actors, too - and Murphy has developed her abilities as she has aged. "I do feel that life experience really does come out in performances," she says. "And when we're telling these stories about true love and forgiveness and loss, all the dramatic sort of themes that come out in these ballets, it does make a difference when you've experienced those things in your life." While some of the company's dancers have chosen Juliet for their retirement performance, Murphy settled on a much more physically demanding role with Swan Lake. "It doesn't get any easier, yeah," she says, laughing. "I have so many favourite roles, but Swan Lake includes two of my most favourite, Odette and Odile. "It's always been incredibly challenging, but also so fulfilling. When I was a kid, my dream role was the Black Swan (Odile), actually. So just in a full-circle moment, it feels special to finish with this ballet that I dreamed of doing as a kid, and first did as a young soloist with ABT 24 years ago." Murphy is known for Odile's fouettes (32 whiplash turns on one leg that the Black Swan performs) and throwing in double turns. "I used to throw in triples, triple pirouettes in the middle of the fouettes," she says. "But I think I just want to finish strong ... and take risks elsewhere." The decision to retire is a tough call in any career, and no less so for Murphy. "It's never an easy decision for any dancer. It's a calling from a very early age ... but I've always wanted to finish strong and with my own sense of agency," she says. "I really relish when that sense of imagination and life experience and artistry is integrated with the physicality, the athleticism, the technique. And I feel like I'm still in that place where I can do that. So I want to finish with that sense of fullness." Thankfully, Murphy has largely avoided any major injuries or setbacks along her way. "I've been pretty fortunate about bouncing back from muscle strains and things like that," she says. "You know, dancers are not robots. Like an athlete, we can have an off day and (we should) not let that be too discouraging. That's par for the course. "I'd say coming back from pregnancy and an emergency c-section was not easy ... but I was able to get onstage and do a full-length Giselle when my son was eight months old. And then, a couple of weeks after that, the pandemic hit. I had just gotten everything back together." Murphy plans to lean into coaching and staging once she hangs up her pointe shoes, especially choreography. "I also want to take some time to process this huge transition and consider options and think about what I really want to do," she says. "I would be really surprised if it doesn't involve giving back or working in some way in the dance world, because it's so meaningful to me. Clearly, this is a lifetime pursuit." There are plenty of consequential decisions to be made in every career, and they tend to become more consequential as time goes on. So it was when Gillian Murphy, one of the most admired American ballerinas for almost three decades, began contemplating not only when, but how to retire from American Ballet Theatre. She knew she wanted to go out on a high note. Murphy, at 46, is in incredible shape; at a rehearsal earlier in July, she was leaping and twirling like colleagues in their 20s. But in what role should she take her final bow, after 29 years with the company? Should it be as Juliet? As Giselle? The first of these ends up stabbing herself to death. The other goes mad. The best (and most athletic) option, it turned out, was to jump off a cliff. That's what swan queen Odette does at the end of the company's version of Swan Lake - followed in this dramatic leap by the prince who loves her, to be joyfully reunited in the afterlife. (In real life they leap onto a mattress offstage, dust themselves off and clamber back for the finale.) Murphy, who's known for her Odette/Odile - especially those fouettes, Odile's fiendishly hard whiplash turns - retired with Swan Lake on Friday night, ending her career in a blur of bouquets, tears and golden confetti before a sold-out Metropolitan Opera House crowd. Once the ballet finished, Murphy hugged fellow dancers including Misty Copeland, who will retire with fanfare in October. She was also greeted by her husband, former ballet theatre principal dancer Ethan Stiefel, and their six-year-old son, Ax, who'd just watched him mum perform at the opera house for the first time. Murphy was 17 when she joined the ballet theatre. Did she imagine such a long career? "I would have never expected to be dancing this long, honestly," she said. "I think in my mind I always had 40 years old as a time frame. But I didn't expect to feel this good at this point. "I've truly loved my career at ABT, and it's given me the opportunity to dance all over the world. So I'm happy I'm still here." Ballet takes a huge amount of athletic ability - dancers need to be actors, too - and Murphy has developed her abilities as she has aged. "I do feel that life experience really does come out in performances," she says. "And when we're telling these stories about true love and forgiveness and loss, all the dramatic sort of themes that come out in these ballets, it does make a difference when you've experienced those things in your life." While some of the company's dancers have chosen Juliet for their retirement performance, Murphy settled on a much more physically demanding role with Swan Lake. "It doesn't get any easier, yeah," she says, laughing. "I have so many favourite roles, but Swan Lake includes two of my most favourite, Odette and Odile. "It's always been incredibly challenging, but also so fulfilling. When I was a kid, my dream role was the Black Swan (Odile), actually. So just in a full-circle moment, it feels special to finish with this ballet that I dreamed of doing as a kid, and first did as a young soloist with ABT 24 years ago." Murphy is known for Odile's fouettes (32 whiplash turns on one leg that the Black Swan performs) and throwing in double turns. "I used to throw in triples, triple pirouettes in the middle of the fouettes," she says. "But I think I just want to finish strong ... and take risks elsewhere." The decision to retire is a tough call in any career, and no less so for Murphy. "It's never an easy decision for any dancer. It's a calling from a very early age ... but I've always wanted to finish strong and with my own sense of agency," she says. "I really relish when that sense of imagination and life experience and artistry is integrated with the physicality, the athleticism, the technique. And I feel like I'm still in that place where I can do that. So I want to finish with that sense of fullness." Thankfully, Murphy has largely avoided any major injuries or setbacks along her way. "I've been pretty fortunate about bouncing back from muscle strains and things like that," she says. "You know, dancers are not robots. Like an athlete, we can have an off day and (we should) not let that be too discouraging. That's par for the course. "I'd say coming back from pregnancy and an emergency c-section was not easy ... but I was able to get onstage and do a full-length Giselle when my son was eight months old. And then, a couple of weeks after that, the pandemic hit. I had just gotten everything back together." Murphy plans to lean into coaching and staging once she hangs up her pointe shoes, especially choreography. "I also want to take some time to process this huge transition and consider options and think about what I really want to do," she says. "I would be really surprised if it doesn't involve giving back or working in some way in the dance world, because it's so meaningful to me. Clearly, this is a lifetime pursuit." There are plenty of consequential decisions to be made in every career, and they tend to become more consequential as time goes on. So it was when Gillian Murphy, one of the most admired American ballerinas for almost three decades, began contemplating not only when, but how to retire from American Ballet Theatre. She knew she wanted to go out on a high note. Murphy, at 46, is in incredible shape; at a rehearsal earlier in July, she was leaping and twirling like colleagues in their 20s. But in what role should she take her final bow, after 29 years with the company? Should it be as Juliet? As Giselle? The first of these ends up stabbing herself to death. The other goes mad. The best (and most athletic) option, it turned out, was to jump off a cliff. That's what swan queen Odette does at the end of the company's version of Swan Lake - followed in this dramatic leap by the prince who loves her, to be joyfully reunited in the afterlife. (In real life they leap onto a mattress offstage, dust themselves off and clamber back for the finale.) Murphy, who's known for her Odette/Odile - especially those fouettes, Odile's fiendishly hard whiplash turns - retired with Swan Lake on Friday night, ending her career in a blur of bouquets, tears and golden confetti before a sold-out Metropolitan Opera House crowd. Once the ballet finished, Murphy hugged fellow dancers including Misty Copeland, who will retire with fanfare in October. She was also greeted by her husband, former ballet theatre principal dancer Ethan Stiefel, and their six-year-old son, Ax, who'd just watched him mum perform at the opera house for the first time. Murphy was 17 when she joined the ballet theatre. Did she imagine such a long career? "I would have never expected to be dancing this long, honestly," she said. "I think in my mind I always had 40 years old as a time frame. But I didn't expect to feel this good at this point. "I've truly loved my career at ABT, and it's given me the opportunity to dance all over the world. So I'm happy I'm still here." Ballet takes a huge amount of athletic ability - dancers need to be actors, too - and Murphy has developed her abilities as she has aged. "I do feel that life experience really does come out in performances," she says. "And when we're telling these stories about true love and forgiveness and loss, all the dramatic sort of themes that come out in these ballets, it does make a difference when you've experienced those things in your life." While some of the company's dancers have chosen Juliet for their retirement performance, Murphy settled on a much more physically demanding role with Swan Lake. "It doesn't get any easier, yeah," she says, laughing. "I have so many favourite roles, but Swan Lake includes two of my most favourite, Odette and Odile. "It's always been incredibly challenging, but also so fulfilling. When I was a kid, my dream role was the Black Swan (Odile), actually. So just in a full-circle moment, it feels special to finish with this ballet that I dreamed of doing as a kid, and first did as a young soloist with ABT 24 years ago." Murphy is known for Odile's fouettes (32 whiplash turns on one leg that the Black Swan performs) and throwing in double turns. "I used to throw in triples, triple pirouettes in the middle of the fouettes," she says. "But I think I just want to finish strong ... and take risks elsewhere." The decision to retire is a tough call in any career, and no less so for Murphy. "It's never an easy decision for any dancer. It's a calling from a very early age ... but I've always wanted to finish strong and with my own sense of agency," she says. "I really relish when that sense of imagination and life experience and artistry is integrated with the physicality, the athleticism, the technique. And I feel like I'm still in that place where I can do that. So I want to finish with that sense of fullness." Thankfully, Murphy has largely avoided any major injuries or setbacks along her way. "I've been pretty fortunate about bouncing back from muscle strains and things like that," she says. "You know, dancers are not robots. Like an athlete, we can have an off day and (we should) not let that be too discouraging. That's par for the course. "I'd say coming back from pregnancy and an emergency c-section was not easy ... but I was able to get onstage and do a full-length Giselle when my son was eight months old. And then, a couple of weeks after that, the pandemic hit. I had just gotten everything back together." Murphy plans to lean into coaching and staging once she hangs up her pointe shoes, especially choreography. "I also want to take some time to process this huge transition and consider options and think about what I really want to do," she says. "I would be really surprised if it doesn't involve giving back or working in some way in the dance world, because it's so meaningful to me. Clearly, this is a lifetime pursuit." There are plenty of consequential decisions to be made in every career, and they tend to become more consequential as time goes on. So it was when Gillian Murphy, one of the most admired American ballerinas for almost three decades, began contemplating not only when, but how to retire from American Ballet Theatre. She knew she wanted to go out on a high note. Murphy, at 46, is in incredible shape; at a rehearsal earlier in July, she was leaping and twirling like colleagues in their 20s. But in what role should she take her final bow, after 29 years with the company? Should it be as Juliet? As Giselle? The first of these ends up stabbing herself to death. The other goes mad. The best (and most athletic) option, it turned out, was to jump off a cliff. That's what swan queen Odette does at the end of the company's version of Swan Lake - followed in this dramatic leap by the prince who loves her, to be joyfully reunited in the afterlife. (In real life they leap onto a mattress offstage, dust themselves off and clamber back for the finale.) Murphy, who's known for her Odette/Odile - especially those fouettes, Odile's fiendishly hard whiplash turns - retired with Swan Lake on Friday night, ending her career in a blur of bouquets, tears and golden confetti before a sold-out Metropolitan Opera House crowd. Once the ballet finished, Murphy hugged fellow dancers including Misty Copeland, who will retire with fanfare in October. She was also greeted by her husband, former ballet theatre principal dancer Ethan Stiefel, and their six-year-old son, Ax, who'd just watched him mum perform at the opera house for the first time. Murphy was 17 when she joined the ballet theatre. Did she imagine such a long career? "I would have never expected to be dancing this long, honestly," she said. "I think in my mind I always had 40 years old as a time frame. But I didn't expect to feel this good at this point. "I've truly loved my career at ABT, and it's given me the opportunity to dance all over the world. So I'm happy I'm still here." Ballet takes a huge amount of athletic ability - dancers need to be actors, too - and Murphy has developed her abilities as she has aged. "I do feel that life experience really does come out in performances," she says. "And when we're telling these stories about true love and forgiveness and loss, all the dramatic sort of themes that come out in these ballets, it does make a difference when you've experienced those things in your life." While some of the company's dancers have chosen Juliet for their retirement performance, Murphy settled on a much more physically demanding role with Swan Lake. "It doesn't get any easier, yeah," she says, laughing. "I have so many favourite roles, but Swan Lake includes two of my most favourite, Odette and Odile. "It's always been incredibly challenging, but also so fulfilling. When I was a kid, my dream role was the Black Swan (Odile), actually. So just in a full-circle moment, it feels special to finish with this ballet that I dreamed of doing as a kid, and first did as a young soloist with ABT 24 years ago." Murphy is known for Odile's fouettes (32 whiplash turns on one leg that the Black Swan performs) and throwing in double turns. "I used to throw in triples, triple pirouettes in the middle of the fouettes," she says. "But I think I just want to finish strong ... and take risks elsewhere." The decision to retire is a tough call in any career, and no less so for Murphy. "It's never an easy decision for any dancer. It's a calling from a very early age ... but I've always wanted to finish strong and with my own sense of agency," she says. "I really relish when that sense of imagination and life experience and artistry is integrated with the physicality, the athleticism, the technique. And I feel like I'm still in that place where I can do that. So I want to finish with that sense of fullness." Thankfully, Murphy has largely avoided any major injuries or setbacks along her way. "I've been pretty fortunate about bouncing back from muscle strains and things like that," she says. "You know, dancers are not robots. Like an athlete, we can have an off day and (we should) not let that be too discouraging. That's par for the course. "I'd say coming back from pregnancy and an emergency c-section was not easy ... but I was able to get onstage and do a full-length Giselle when my son was eight months old. And then, a couple of weeks after that, the pandemic hit. I had just gotten everything back together." Murphy plans to lean into coaching and staging once she hangs up her pointe shoes, especially choreography. "I also want to take some time to process this huge transition and consider options and think about what I really want to do," she says. "I would be really surprised if it doesn't involve giving back or working in some way in the dance world, because it's so meaningful to me. Clearly, this is a lifetime pursuit."
