A Note from New York City Ballet's Taylor Stanley

Ashley Bouder and Taylor Stanley in Balanchine's Square Dance

This post is from Taylor Stanley of the New York City Ballet, who will be performing as part of New York City Ballet MOVES on Sunday, July 31 and Monday, August 1 at the 2011 Vail International Dance Festival.


"It’s hard to believe it’s almost time to pack our bags and head out west for New York City Ballet MOVES’ inaugural tour – first stop the Vail International Dance Festival!  I remember the original meeting I had with Peter [Martins] when he told me he wanted me to be a part of the MOVES tour this summer.  I didn’t really know what the meeting was going to be about; I just hoped it was going to be good news!  When he told me, I was ecstatic.  It’s my first full season as a Corps member with the Company.  I was surprised and honored that he would choose someone so new to be a part of such an exciting new initiative.  He told me the repertory we’d be performing and the new ballets I’d be learning.  I was beyond excited to get started. 

Since my traveling in the U.S. has stayed pretty limited to the east coast, the opportunity to head west to Vail, Colorado is also especially thrilling.  The outdoor performance venue looks stunning and I’m very much looking forward to being in the wilderness.  Aside from a year of two of boy scouts as a kid, hiking and camping outings were rare, but this will be the real thing!  To be surrounded by the gorgeous trees and mountains – that true natural beauty -- will be a wonderful change of pace from NYC life.  Traveling in general is always fun, but traveling to dance and perform is the icing on the cake.

The main part of the tour that I’m really looking forward to is the UpClose: The Male Dancer by Balanchine  program on Tuesday, August 2.  It’s quite a line-up!  Every Balanchine variation on the program is different and each completely integral to the larger ballet it’s excerpted from. Balanchine's incredible variety of steps is what makes him and his ballets so extraordinary. After watching these ballets, you come to recognize all the different challenges he gave himself in creating them. There was always something specific he was trying to get across, and in the end you can really see, not necessarily the story, but Balanchine’s undeniable intention. It’s tangible. That’s really the genius behind it. 

For the UpClose night,  I will be performing the lead male solo from Balanchine’s Square Dance. I absolutely love dancing it. The quiet atmosphere it requires is so purifying to me.  I definitely find something spiritual about it. The dancing beforehand is very joyful and upbeat, and then the lead male appears for the solo with an air of somberness. In that way Square Dance is a nice change from something like Agon or Rubies which are both so focused and fierce throughout.  In the Square Dance solo, I'm able to experiment with my mood and speak to the audience. To perform it is very fulfilling!

There’s really so much I’m looking forward to about this trip and these performances.  I hope Vail enjoys our stay as much as I know we will enjoy ours.  Looking forward to seeing you soon!"


- Taylor Stanley
NYCB Corps de Ballet

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A Note from Trey McIntyre

The Trey McIntyre Project made its debut at the 2005 Vail International Dance Festival. The dance group will be debuting a new piece in the Upclose: Premieres performance on Monday, August 8, and the Trey McIntyre Project will be performing on Friday, August 12.  We've asked Trey to share what he's most looking forward to this year - his comments below!

"I am feeling such a warm fondness as we prepare to return to the Vail International Dance Festival. This is the place we really began our company. It was amazing that the Festival took such a leap of faith to present us in our very first performance. It gave me a lot of confidence to be recognized by an institution of such note.

I am very excited to be presenting the premiere of Gravity Heroes. The creation of new work is what is most important to me and it is a gift to find support for this. We have just ended a residency period and finished the first draft of the work and I look forward to producing it onstage. This work represents the progress of the company and how I have been able to grow with the resource of consistent dancers. I look forward to sharing that outcome with audiences in Vail."

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Just a Week Away From Worldwide Debut of NYCB Moves at the 2011 VIDF

The 2011 Vail International Dance Festival opens in one week with the worldwide debut of New York City Ballet Moves, the new touring company of New York City Ballet. Their incredible roster of dancers will present three unique performances of unparalleled repertory—including Jerome Robbins' breathtaking masterpiece Dances at a Gathering, George Balanchine's Duo Concertant, and Christopher Wheeldon's After the Rain and Polyphonia. I am particularly excited for the UpClose: The Male Dancer by Balanchine program, which will offer a rare opportunity to hear a conversation between Peter Martins and Damian Woetzel illuminated by excerpts performed by members of NYCB Moves. The stages of Vail will be graced by the world's best dancers, including the extraordinary Wendy Whelan, scintillating Tiler Peck, and stunning Robert Fairchild. I am also particularly excited to see newly promoted soloists Chase Finlay and Anthony Huxley, who both received much critical acclaim this past season: "Anthony Huxley, another of the company’s youngest Sugar Plum cavaliers, is emerging as one of its most stylish dancers: on Thursday the precision, wit and grace of his Gigue in 'Mozartiana' (1981) made up the finest account of this elusive solo in several seasons at City Ballet," and "At just 20, [Chase Finlay] is a rising force at City Ballet...Ballet seasons are often identified with a dancer, and this spring City Ballet has been all about Mr. Finlay" (The New York Times). Once again, Damian Woetzel has given us so much to look forward to in Vail. I cannot wait for this spectacular start to another brilliant season.

—Caitlin

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A Note from the Colorado Ballet Artistic Director

Choreographer Emery LeCrone with the Oregon Ballet Theater

Here's a quick note from Gil Boggs, Artistic Director of the Colorado Ballet, who will be performing at this year's Vail International Dance Festival, a project of the Vail Valley Foundation.

“Colorado Ballet Artistic Director Gil Boggs rehearsing with Artists of Colorado Ballet”  
Photo by Terry Shapiro

Colorado Ballet is honored to be a part of the esteemed Vail International Dance Festival this year. It is always a thrill to perform in front of new audiences on different stages—especially when that stage is on our own backyard! We will perform a new work by the up and coming choreographer Emery LeCrone. This performance will be part of the Upclose: Premieres on Monday. Aug. 8, and I can’t tell you how excited I am about this performance! These types of festivals invigorate our dancers and our artistic team and challenge the dancers to push the envelope and explore their art form from a fresh approach.  Along with the opportunity to perform a new work in one of the most beautiful places in the country—the majestic Rocky Mountains—it also affords us the chance to perform with some of the biggest newsmakers in dance—Christopher Wheeldon,  Charles “Lil Buck” Riley, Richard Siegal and Trey McIntyre. This will be one of those performances that will be pure fun and excitement! I can’t wait to see what Emery LeCrone has in store for Colorado Ballet. 

We look forward to seeing everyone in the Rockies!

- Gil Boggs, Colorado Ballet Artistic Director

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TMG Photo Art: A Hard Task Indeed

Brianne Macrunnel's 1st Place Vibe Photo
Photo (c) 2011 Brianne Macrunnel.

Each year at the annual Teva Mountain Games we conduct a photography contest, the Mountain Click Photo Comp. Competitors have four days to shoot their way around the event and then a couple weeks to edit and submit photos in three categories: Performance, Vibe and Mountain Magic.

My history with the Photo Comp goes back to when the Vail Valley Foundation acquired the Teva Mountain Games in 2009. In all honesty we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We do countless athletic or cultural events but had never done something like a photo comp. In year one we quickly realized we had made a mistake. Our judges (many VVF staffers, myself included, and a handful of paid photographers) were not ALL professional photographers. Let it be known that it was the first, last, and only time I will ever judge a photo comp. On paper it sounded fantastic. In actuality I quickly realized that I was not qualified to judge such amazing work. Others the first year were better suited for the task but when the field of judges is not entirely comprised of photographers it leaves room for error. We learned our lesson, caught some flack and worked hard in 2010 to make it better.

2010 marked the first year of real "qualified" judges and a new official judging process. Enter 2011 and photographers like Jack Affleck, Rick Lohre and Connor Walberg. All full time professional photographers we have worked with at the Vail Valley Foundation in various capacities. Their collective professionalism, experience and exceptional skills makes them sought after as both photographers and also personalities. They did a great job and we can not thank them enough for their time and expertise. Like I said... I've been a judge. It's hard.

Back to the Photo Comp...

I still have the pleasure of pulling down all the submissions and then sorting them and tallying them for judging. While the process itself is not all that glamorous, it does give me a chance to relive some of the event from perspectives unknown to me. Each individual photographer brings a unique perspective to the table via their individual perceptions of the event and own personal creativity. Cool stuff. Over the years I've seen some of our competitors return, many of which have very unique styles. Often I can look at their photos and before I check the name on the credit I know who submitted it. Style is obviously subjective, however, with something like the Mountain Click Photo Comp it's refreshing and amazing to witness.

What intrigues me more when I look at these photos are the stories that likely go untold from both behind and in front of the lens. What made the photographer chose this specific photo? What photos did not make the cut? What was that guy thinking when the image was captured? Did he even know he was being shot for a contest? Will he ever even see it? Or my favorite, and one I ask myself often... where in the world did that come from? Being a long time local and someone that has worked this event for many years I always feel like I know all the best places for photos or viewing. Truth be told that after looking at the photo comp entries I always find one or two more angles I never thought about or realized were potential vantage points. Thank you competitors!

Look for our winning clicks from each category in the October issue of Outside Magazine. You can also check out winning photos here or the entire crop of submissions below.

2011 MOUNTAIN CLICK SUBMISSIONS:


- Paul

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Facebook Winner Recaps Sheryl Crow Concert at the VPAC

The following post is from Kate Tyler of Vail, who won the Sheryl Crow Facebook Giveaway on June 25 for two tickets to Sheryl Crow on June 27 at the Vilar Performing Arts Center. 

When I ‘liked’ the VPAC Facebook page for a chance to win tickets to see Sheryl Crow, I was doubting that I would be the one to actually win. To my surprise I received the phone call saying I had just won two tickets to see Sheryl Crow that evening.  My sweet husband offered to watch our boys so I could go.  I invited along my girlfriend, another Sheryl Crow music fan. We were thrilled to spend an evening at a Sheryl Crow concert right here in Beaver Creek, Colorado!  No fuss of having to drive to Denver. 

I have seen numerous shows and performances at the VPAC and this venue is by far the best!  There is not a bad seat in the house.  Of course the theater was packed that evening to see such a talented musician. As Crow said, she felt like the audience was sitting in her living room as she shared a story about writing Sweet Rosalyn.  I thought the entire evening was filled with wonderful songs and she played an awesome set.  It was a great combination - songs you could just chill to and others you could get up and dance with.  Crow definitely got the crowd dancing as she played If It Makes You Happy, Everyday Is A Winding Road, Soak Up The Sun and Peaceful Feeling. I have to say she played all my favorite songs and Crow rocked!!!

Since I got free tickets, I decided to splurge and buy the autographed copy of her cookbook, If It Makes You Healthy.  I have only read through it so far, but not to worry I will be making plenty of the recipes inside. They all look delicious and I love to try new things.

Thank you so much VPAC for giving away tickets! I will always remember this evening.

- Kate Tyler, Vail, CO

LIKE THE VPAC FOR A CHANCE TO WIN:

• Tickets to the Indigo Girls, Miranda Cosgrove & Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas
• Champagne Meet & Greet with the Wilson Phillips girls after the show
• Drink coupons to select concerts

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