This is New York. There is always something going on. After NY Fashion Week was over, Iris Chan went to The Met, and the Royal NZ Ballet…
ThreadNZ’s NYFW run ended with Karen Walker. It was a most fitting conclusion.
So what can you do when there are no shows for you to see? Well you can try to sneak into some, but that’s not my style. When a velvet rope gets put up in front of me, I don’t try to jump it. Nor do I go at sit in my room pining away. You know, life and lemons. We chased after some alternate stories. Some worked and some didn’t.
And when they didn’t, it still worked out. This is New York. There is always something going on.
On Tuesday morning, I was waiting to hear from someone we wanted to interview. No email, no word. While I was disappointed, I also knew exactly what I was going to do. I was going to go the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Met. Squeeeeeeee!!!
This is one of my favourite places in the world. I love to travel, but in a pinch, this museum can take me to any civilisation in any era. If you want a fashion focus, you can find it here. Everything from ancient textiles to costumes to art about fashion is under the Met’s expansive roof. Fashion is cyclical, styles come and go (hello – bell bottoms have been in style at least twice in my lifetime). If you need inspiration, the Met is a place to find fashion throughout the ages.
Fashion at the Met; some rockin fashion from centuries ago.
Beauty at the Met.
Accessories at the Met.
Kiwis at the Met.
I wasn’t really that anthropological about my visit. I just put on music and wandered. I fed my soul and I have almost no words and a million words to describe what I feel when I’m at the Met. But let me put it this way: I stayed until I was politely ushered out by security.
The next day, I was pretty antsy as I was going to see the technical rehearsal of the Royal New Zealand Ballet in New York City! Originally, we tried for an interview with the costume designer, but due to union rules that couldn’t happen. (Thank you Andrea Tandy for all your efforts.)
RNZB at the Joyce.
So the technical rehearsal it was; I could take photos and videos. Um. Ok. Rosalie O’Connell, I failed you. Rosalie O’Connor was a ballet dancer with the American Ballet Theater. An injury sidelined her and she started to photograph the company. I used to study these photos. I wanted to be Rosalie. My photos are nowhere near Rosalie’s.
When I got there, expert ballet photogs were there. They knew each other, they had expensive gear, they were relaxed. This was a clique, a friendly one, but I didn’t belong. I was intimidated. Me with my little DSLR that serves me well for Fashion Week, but the ballet is different. Annie Leibovitz once lamented at how difficult it is to capture dance in photography. You got that right Annie.
Abigail Boyle and Dimitri Kleioris.
Into the theatre I went, feeling more and more like a hack. And then walked in Ethan Stiefel. Ack!
When I lived in New York City, I would indulge in the American Ballet Theater of which Ethan and Gillian Murphy were principal dancers. To be that close to one of the best dancers of his generation, gave me a slight heart attack. And when Gillian walked in, I just wanted to duck under the seats.
The photogs were definitely at ease. They chatted easily to Ethan as if they were old friends, rehashing stories. I stood a few seats away, hoping not to get noticed but of course, I was staring at them. Yeah, I’m cool like that.
There were three pieces:
Benjamin Millepied’s “28 Variations on a Theme by Paganini”
Andrew Simmons’s “Of Days”
Javier De Frutos’s “Banderillero”
I found being at the media call a fascinating look into the elite of the Ballet world. The piece with Gillian had a photography ban, which the seasoned photogs noted might not please their Editors. The darling of the New York City ballet scene had returned and there were no photos to take! They were gracious about it, but this was their livelihood.
I was happy just to watch. Truthfully that’s really all I wanted to do.
Tonia Looker.
I can’t review the ballet. As in, I have no qualifying skill to do so, but also this was a technical rehearsal. A technical rehearsal is the chance for the dancers and crew to work out kinks on the stage. The dancers do the piece in its entirety, but not necessarily at 100%.
Despite it being a rehearsal, I thought it was a stunning series. The whole company deserves more praise than I have space. New York City is a tough place to try to make it. There is world-class competition here and intense critique. But as I watched the technical rehearsal, I saw snippets of a supportive company. People who were encouraging of each other and mutually shared a love of dance. There’s so much potential… especially with all of that heart and Ethan Stiefel leading the way.
To all Kiwis, if this series comes to your town, go see it!
Words and photos Iris Chan
17 February 2014
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