NEW YORK CITY BALLET

Tonight I followed up the American Ballet Theater's Swan Lake with the New York City Ballet. Their program included Who Cares? by George Balanchine. I saw Who Cares? in Kansas City this past Spring and it was interesting to see another company do the same piece. Especially interesting because the New York City Ballet was founded by Balanchine himself! His choreography is truly spectacular and it is a joy to watch.

Tonight the program consisted of Christopher Wheeldon's After the Rain, Alexey Miroshnichenko's The Lady With the Little Dog, and George Balanchine's Who Cares?

I was lucky enough to sit next to a long time patron of the New York City Ballet and a woman employed at Lincoln Center. They explained to me that the last of the Balanchine ballerinas, Darci Kistler, was retiring at the end of this weekend. She is married to NYCB ballet master, Peter Martins.

The most fascinating thing about ballet companies, to me, is that dancers spend their entire careers working in one company. Darci Kistler has been at the New York City Ballet company since 1979 and has been a principal dancer since 1982. Tonight my favorite female principal was Wendy Whelen (principal since 1991) and my favorite male principal was Amar Ramasar.

Anyway, fabulousness (click to enlarge):

SWAN LAKE

Tonight I saw Swan Lake (by the American Ballet Theater) at Lincoln Center, and I am in love. With almost everything that went on.

Lincoln Center:

Those chandeliers! Breathtaking!

The costumes by Zack Brown!

The set! The lake shone, the forest was wet with dew and fog, the castle was beyond decadent!

The dancers! Especially Odette/Odile Paloma Herrera:

And tonights Siegfried, Ethan Stiefel:

There were so many fabulous things I can't really get across here. The sets were truly amazing. The orchestra was great. Other patrons were wearing predictably fabulous outfits. I could easily spend every day watching productions at the Met. Wow! 

I will leave you all with video from ABT Swan Lake productions (some from former shows):

CITRUS NYC

I went out to dinner with my wonderful cousins tonight at Citrus, located at 320 Amsterdam Avenue. I had the Pomegranate-Ancho Chile Glazed Salmon with wasabi infused cauliflower-potato mash and agave glazed carrots and zucchini (the carrots and zucchini were substituted by green beans tonight). It was so delicious and I highly recommend it. I wish I had taken a picture, it was beautiful! Check out Citrus here, and be sure to stop by next time you are in the city!

TO NEW YORK

"The city, however, does not tell its past, but contains it like the lines of a hand." -Italo Calvino

Time to board!

MET COSTUME INSTITUTE

I think in the midst of finals season I missed a fabulous sartorial event this past May-the Met Costume Institute Ball. Some of the dresses worn to the Ball were unbelievably gorgeous. Here are some images from the event held on May 3. Some of the dresses are over-the-top, but I don't mind at all. It is a Ball, after all.

Anyway, looking over these pictures reminded me of the fabulous exhibition going on at the museum right now. Since I'm headed to New York soon, I am looking forward to going to the museum, and I am so excited about the possibility of seeing so many beautiful pieces up close! I've been doing some homework:

The exhibition is cleverly named "American Women: Fashioning a National Identity." The Met's website describes the exhibition as focusing "on archetypes of American femininity through dress...[and revealing] how the American woman initiated style revolutions that mirrored her social, political, and sexual emancipation." This exhibition is both smart and beautiful. Here is a great preview from the Met website:

I can't wait to check it out! 

Click here to view more stills from the museum.

COSMICOMICS

I am currently reading a book by writer Italo Calvino titled Cosmicomics. I am totally in love with it and I wish I had found this book much sooner. I can't find words to describe this book, so I'll pull from a critic.

Julie Phillips describes the book by explaining that "In the beginning, before the Big Bang, all the matter in the universe was concentrated in a single point. Qfwfq can tell you about it: He was there. "Naturally, we were all there--where else could we have been? Nobody knew then that there could be space. Or time, either: What use did we have for time, packed in there like sardines?" She goes on: "Through the eyes of Qfwfq and his family, we see space and time on a human scale, while human emotion--playful, boisterous, wistful--expands to fill the universe."

I can't recommend this book highly enough! It's focus on science and astronomy has gotten me interested  in and enthralled by the Hubble Space Telescope, which truly captures amazing scenes from our universe.

A galaxy cluster:

The Milky Way's galactic core (where new stars are forming):

The Crab Nebula:

Click here to check out more Hubble images.

FIFA WORLD CUP 2010

Okay! I just watched the USA v. England game in South Africa, and have come off ready for more World Cup action. Perhaps the USA, late to get on the football train, does not have the same football culture as England, Brazil, or Spain, but the team is still very strong. Coming away tied 1-1 (14th against England's 8th place ranking) seems almost like a victory for the United States.

What is there to look forward to, aside from a US victory? Of 32 qualifying teams, current rankings show Brazil as the projected winner (and obviously Italy, now ranked #5, is the defending champion). I am also following a few other teams: France, ranked at 9th, Israel at 26th, and Cote d'Ivoire at 27th.

Players to love on the American team:

Tim Howard, goalkeeper and 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Glove Winner:

Carlos Bocanegra, captain.

Clint Dempsey, who scored the lucky point that tied the game in today's game against England.

Herculez Gomez, who played for the Kansas City Wizards for a time.

Brazil's team is full of amazing players. Notably, star player Ronaldhino does not appear to be a member of the 2010 team. Here are a few of the 2010 team's players.

First, Luis Fabiano, winner of the FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Shoe award last year. 

Next, Robinho, who was chosen by Pelé at a young age as an heir apparent (Can you do that in sports?), will play for the national team in South Africa this year.

Last, Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Liete, or Kaká, is a star player. He is also a philanthropist; he has been involved with the UN World Food Programme since 2004. He is also a model for Armani!

For France, I am watching Thierry Henry:

(and again:)

Patrice Evra (who was born in Dakar, Senegal):

Lastly, I am watching Cote d'Ivoire. More specifically, the unbelievable Didier Drogba. Drogba now plays for Chelsea and is their 7th highest goal scorer of all time. He has been involved in political peace-making in the Ivory Coast and acts as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Development Programme.

(and again:)

Have fun watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup. I know I will!

RESORT 2011 (FALL 2010)

This week in New York City, many designers are showing their 2011 Resort lines. I am not as into these collections as I was into the Spring collections. Nevertheless, their were some moments of brilliance in several shows.

Before we start I just want to post a couple of images from Armani Privé's Spring 2010 show because they are magnificent. The asymmetry! The strong shoulders! The shoes!

Okay! Now onto the Resort collections. I love that Crystal Renn walked in the Chanel show. She was wearing the most beautiful dress, too!

Two of the Oscar de la Renta dresses were completely gorgeous! 

Designer Lela Rose showed an understated, sophisticated line:

There were definitely some great looks in the Resort 2011 collections. But in the spirit of fashion-awe, I want to post some pictures from the Fall 2010 shows.

Narciso Rodriguez:

Badgley-Mischka:

Miu Miu:

Roland Mouret:

Prada: