Latest news with #SwanSong
CBC
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Nationalism at the ballet? On mounting a very Canadian Swan Lake
Most ballet companies hope for their shows to end with a standing ovation. The National Ballet of Canada's recent run of Swan Lake pulled off something more unusual: every show began with one, too. That's because, for each performance, the ballet classic didn't start with Tchaikovsky's iconic score. Rather, after the house lights dimmed, audiences were brought to their feet every afternoon and evening by the National Ballet Orchestra's rendition of O Canada. For musical director and principal conductor David Briskin, exceptional circumstances called for an exception to ballet's usual sequence of events. "The decision to play O Canada was a way for the National Ballet of Canada to show solidarity with Canadians across the country who are facing challenges in these uncertain times, and to show our Canadian pride." Moments like these reflect the anxiety many Canadians currently feel, as news that threatens people's livelihoods, values and the nation's sovereignty has become an almost everyday occurrence. But, according to Briskin, the national anthem gave audiences a moment to feel a collective sense of support instead. "The result was beyond anyone's expectations. We have been so moved by the emotional response from our audiences — literally from tears to cheers. It seems to be providing a moment of clarity, unity and a little bit of catharsis for people." Supporting both Canadian artists and audiences has always been the mandate of Toronto's globally recognized ballet company. Artistic director Hope Muir says that "since its inception in 1951, the National Ballet of Canada has proudly represented this country at home and on the world stage." And at such a consequential moment, there is perhaps no production better suited to represent Canada than the company's own rendition of Swan Lake. Recreating a classic Originally premiering in 1877 at Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre, former artistic director Karen Kain restaged this timeless tale of trapped swans and unrequited love for the National Ballet in 2022. Kain, herself among the most prolific Canadian ballerinas of the 20th century, intended for this update to be her parting gift to the company she helmed for almost two decades. Many aspects of her revamp have since garnered acclaim, including its lush, imaginative production design helmed by Andrew Lloyd Webber collaborator Gabriela Týlešová. Yet Kain took many other considerations to ensure that this distinctly Russian ballet was both innovative and endearing to contemporary Canadian audiences. Usually, the details behind a ballet company's creation of a new work would not be public knowledge. But over the entirety of her directorial process, Kain allowed filmmaker Chelsea McMullan unparalleled access to rehearsals, meetings and the everyday lives of the people working together to realize her vision for Swan Lake. Swan Song series trailer 2 years ago Duration 2:08 Swan Song is an immersive new CBC documentary series that brings viewers inside The National Ballet of Canada as the company mounts a legacy-defining new production of Swan Lake, directed by ballet icon Karen Kain as she bids farewell to the company she's become synonymous with. The resulting four-part miniseries, CBC Gem's Swan Song, showed that Kain often made directorial decisions in response to ballet's recent reckonings with racial and gender inclusion. Many in the dance world are still calling for changes to some of ballet's long-standing issues, including the lack of opportunity Black and brown dancers often face. And while acknowledging that as someone whose own professional career started in the 1960s, these concerns still presented a learning curve to her, Kain was nevertheless invested in making her Canadian Swan Lake better reflect the diversity of both the company — and the country. One of Kain's most notable responses was the decision to have Swan Lake's famous corps de ballet (a ballet company's ensemble members) dance on stage with bare legs. Ballet dancers typically wear full-length tights on stage; however, these rarely reflect the skin tone of dancers with darker complexions. While the audience was never far from mind in these decisions, foregoing tights in the Swans' costuming was positively received by National Ballet dancers like Erica Lall. "I love dancing bare legged in Swan Lake; I think it's beautiful" says Lall, a corps de ballet member with the company since 2024. "The Swans are often portrayed as delicate creatures, but in reality, they're powerful and can even be aggressive. Showing the muscularity of our legs really helps convey that strength to the audience." The decision to show the dancer's musculature compliments Kain's desire to characterize the Swans with more nuance. Many scenes in Swan Song show Kain working with former choreographic associate Robert Binet to "humanize" the dancers not simply as Swans, but as women who cope with, and ultimately fight back against, their imprisonment by the ballet's sorcerer antagonist, Von Rothbart. This intention ultimately leads to ensemble choreography that breaks unison at subtle and unexpected moments, and that swells with powerful, collective force in others. What do we stand for? After offering audiences everything on the scale between soft, delicate moments and grand, physical spectacles, the opening night of the National Ballet of Canada's Swan Lake ended much as it started: with a standing ovation. Reflecting upon what drives an audience to participate in these two separate showings of public support, one can't help but consider that the reasons may be quite similar. Indeed, the compelling aspects of Swan Lake's staging, choreography and performance emerge from the company's efforts to represent and empower, however subtle. These are efforts that — much like Canada's own status as a nation — have come under question in recent months. So when audiences give productions like Swan Lake a standing ovation, it may just as well be to celebrate the fact that art of this nature — which carries on a vaunted tradition by helping it evolve — continues to have a place on Canada's public stages. And whether that celebration is in response to O Canada, or a decidedly Canadian rendition of a Russian ballet, one thing is clear: they both have support.
See - Sada Elbalad
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
"Perfect Couple" Is Returning for Season 2
The TV adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand's eponymous murder mystery book 'The Perfect Couple,' could be back for Season 2 — with a new story and a new cast. Sources say that Netflix is developing a second season of the popular series based on Hilderbrand's novel 'Swan Song.' Given that the book features an entirely different story and characters than 'The Perfect Couple,' also based on a Hilderbrand novel, the idea is to go the anthology route with the series. Joanna Calo is attached to write, executive produce and showrun the new season, which has not been formally greenlit at this time. Season 1 star Nicole Kidman will executive produce for Blossom Films along with Per Saari, with Gail Berman, Shawn Levy, Susanne Bier, and Hend Baghdady also executive producing. Like 'The Perfect Couple,' 'Swan Song' takes place in Nantucket, but rather than the Winburys, the book focuses on the mysterious Richardson family. The official description of the novel reads: 'Chief of Police Ed Kapenash is about to retire. Blond Sharon is going through a divorce. But when a 22-million-dollar summer home is purchased by the mysterious Richardsons—how did they make their money, exactly?—Ed, Sharon, and everyone in the community are swept up in high drama. The Richardsons throw lavish parties, flirt with multiple locals, flaunt their wealth with not one but two yachts, and raise impossible hopes of everyone they meet. When their house burns to the ground and their most essential employee goes missing, the entire island is up in arms.' No casting has been locked in for the series yet, though it should be noted that Kapenash was renamed Dan Carter in 'The Perfect Couple' series adaptation and was played by Michael Beach. It is unclear if the character would return in the new season. The move to develop more stories in 'The Perfect Couple' world comes as little surprise, given how popular the series was upon its debut. The show spent six weeks in the Netflix English-language Top 10 TV chart and also topped Nielsen's Top 10 Streaming chart when it launched. Along with Kidman, the cast of the first season included Liev Schrieber, Eve Hewson, Billy Howle, Meghann Fahy, Donna Lynne Champlin, Jack Reynor, Dakota Fanning, and more. Calo is no stranger to Netflix, having worked on hit shows for the streamer like 'Beef,' 'BoJack Horseman,' and 'The Baby-Sitters Club.' 'Beef' is currently prepping its second season. She is also the co-showrunner on the hit FX/Hulu series 'The Bear,' which is going into its fourth season.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Perfect Couple May Become Netflix Anthology, With Season 2 Based on Erin Hilderbrand's Swan Song (Report)
It appears that Netflix is looking to stay in the Erin Hilderbrand business. Though the streaming giant is not commenting, sister site Deadline reports that The Perfect Couple — which was based on Hilderbrand's 2018 beach read of the same name and dropped its six-episode season in September 2024 — will continue as anthology series. More from TVLine Tyler Perry's Beauty in Black Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix Beauty in Black Star Breaks Down Biggest Part 2 Twists, From Kimmie's First Kill to Her Shocking Finale Fate TVLine Items: With Love, Meghan Renewed, Sugar Season 2 Castings and More Season 2 is reportedly in development, Deadline says, and will be based on Hilderbrand's 2024 novel Swan Song. The Perfect Couple followed Amelia Sacks (played by Bad Sisters' Eve Hewson), a woman who was about to marry into one of the wealthiest families on Nantucket. Her disapproving future mother-in-law, novelist Greer Garrison Winbury (Nicole Kidman), spared no expense in planning what promised to be the premiere wedding of the season — until a body turned up on the beach. Liev Schreiber co-starred as Tag Winbury, Greer's husband. In Swan Song, the grand finale of Hilderbrand's Nantucket novels, there's a new couple in town — Bill and Leslee Richardson — and they derail Chief of Police Ed Kapenash's plans to retire when their $22 million summer home burns to the ground, and their personal assistant goes missing. Deadline hears that preliminary casting has started for the roles of Leslee and Bill, but again, Netflix is not commenting on this anthology/Season 2 report. Best of TVLine Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More 'Missing' Shows, Found! The Latest on Severance, Holey Moley, Poker Face, YOU, Primo, Transplant and 25+ Others
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Yellowstone's Final Episodes Are at Last Coming to Peacock — Here's When
Three months after Paramount Network aired Yellowstone's finale, Season 5, Part 2 is coming to Peacock on Sunday, March 16, the streamer announced Friday. All previous seasons of the series, originally led by Kevin Costner, are also available via Peacock. More from TVLine Yellowstone's Unfinished Business: Half a Dozen Loose Ends the Series Finale Left Dangling Yellowstone Finale Recap: Who Got the Ranch and Who Just Bought the Farm in the Series' Swan Song? Ransom Canyon: Netflix Sets Release Date for Josh Duhamel-Minka Kelly Drama - Watch Teaser Trailer While the six episodes that comprise the back half of Season 5 may mark the end of Taylor Sheridan''s mega-successful drama, they aren't the end of the road for at least a couple of characters. In December of 2024, our sister site Deadline reported that the series' leads — Kelly Reilly, who plays badass Beth Dutton, and Cole Hauser, who is Beth's husband, rough-hewn Rip Wheeler — had struck deals to reprise their roles in a new spinoff. (Paramount Network had no comment for that article.) If Reilly and Hauser are on board, why not just continue Yellowstone? you might ask. The prevailing theory is that the powers that be want to position the offshoot under the umbrella of parent company Paramount Global. (A preexisting agreement has kept the mothership streaming at Peacock.) Certainly, there are enough loose ends left dangling by the finale to keep a sequel series busy for a while. Review them in the gallery below, then hit the comments to add any questions you still want answered. All of Yellowstone's Loose Ends View List Best of TVLine Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Showtime Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More 'Missing' Shows, Found! The Latest on Severance, Holey Moley, Poker Face, YOU, Primo, Transplant and 25+ Others
