"The Princess & the Goblin" Has Come Home

Atlanta was a young city of only 25 years when the children's fantasy novel The Princess and the Goblin was first published in 1872 by English author George MacDonald. Fast-forward 140 years to February 10, 2012, when Atlanta Ballet presented the world premiere of Twyla Tharp's "The Princess & the Goblin", which met with rave reviews.

The Princess & the Goblin has come home to Metro Atlanta, currently being performed by Atlanta Ballet on the same stage as their world premiere, with many dancers reprising their roles. 

Twyla Tharp's The Princess & the Goblin | Atlanta Ballet | Photo: Kim Kenney 

Twyla Tharp's (now 74, living in New York City) "The Princess & the Goblin" was in 2012 co-commissioned by Atlanta Ballet and Canada's Royal Winnepeg Ballet. Today, the piece is being co-produced by both ballet companies.

One significant difference is that instead of Ms. Tharp being on hand to stage the ballet, with Tharp's full blessing, Atlanta Ballet Mistress Sarah Hillmer, who was Tharp's assistant in the 2012 world premiere, has restaged the show, and done so brilliantly! 

Twyla Tharp's The Princess & the Goblin | Atlanta Ballet | Photo: Kim Kenney 

This performance was a delightful surprise. That's to say that it was so much more than I could have even imagined.

The dancing is so enrapturing that I didn't even notice the overall minimalism of the sets—however the sets that were used were breathtaking. Walking to the car, still in a daze at what I'd just seen, I was asking myself, "How did they do that? How did they hold my full attention for 82 minutes?" The answer revealed itself as wholly obvious...it was the dancing! That and that the dancing told a story.   

While I've not read the book, Atlanta Ballet tells the story through the formality of ballet and the emotional expressiveness and wit of modern dance. It's a story unlike most...the Princess is not in need of rescuing, she in fact is courageous and daring, acts with purpose and is determined.

Twyla Tharp's The Princess & the Goblin | Atlanta Ballet | Photo: Charlie McCullers 

In Tharp's version of the classic fantasy tale, Princess Irene (Alessa Rogers) has two sisters, Stella and Blu (Maya Arena and Elise Halkos). The sisters are captured by the Goblins and without the help of her not-at-all-engaged father, King Papa (John Welker), Princess Irene sets off to rescue them herself.

She does get some help along the way, from her new-found commoner friend, Curdie (Benjamin Stone) and her great-great-grandmother (Nadia Mara) through a magical piece of thread. Yes, this is a fantasy tale, but the courage, sisterly love, morals and the reward of helping those in need are indeed prevalent in the story, as is an inevitable happy ending.

"The Princess & the Goblin" was the first full-length ballet in which Twyla Tharp used children. A significant note given that her career at that time spanned 50 years. Tharp uses the child as the driving force and moral heart and soul of the enchanting tale. Most of the central characters, general narrative line and moral themes remain true to the MacDonald's 1872 story.

The world premiere included included 13 child dancers from the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education in West Midtown, as does the 2016 run, with one child reprising her role!

Twyla Tharp's The Princess & the Goblin | Atlanta Ballet | Photo: Kim Kenney 

This show included one of the magnificent opportunities to hear the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra play live for a performance. I don't know what it is about live music accompanying a live stage performance, but when it's as wonderful as our Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, it help brings the story to life, mesmerizing eyes and ears!

While the 2012 world premiere ran over a period of eight days, the restaged version is running for only one weekend, April 15-17, 2016, on the same stage at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. I sincerely hope you've had the opportunity to see Atlanta Ballet perform Twyla Tharp's The Princess & the Goblin this weekend. 

And do check out their other shows throughout the season...they always have something coming up that I am looking forward to with great enthusiasm! Also, keep an eye out for the announcement of this year's Wabi Sabi performances...

Atlanta Ballet's "20/20: Visionary" is Powerful!

Atlanta Ballet is currently performing one of their magnificent trio programs. Through Sunday, 20/20: Visionary "features three distinct works, each created exclusively for Atlanta Ballet, promising a variety of movement, music and diverse themes." And it does exactly that! There's a 20-minute intermission between performances allowing an opportunity to "reset" one's senses for the next powerful performance. 

20/20: Visionary is one of many planned tributes to Atlanta Ballet's Artistic Director John McFall. After 21 years with Atlanta Ballet, he will be retiring in June.


PLAYGROUND

Douglas Lee on "Playground" | Atlanta Ballet
(Click image to view interview)

Playground, a world premiere, is bought to us by British choreographer Douglas Lee, and it is my personal favorite of the trio of performances in 20/20: Visionary.

"...Lee has developed a distinct choreographic voice, which is characterized by stunning sculptural images created by the use of exquisite and complex partnering and a masterful use of the classic vocabulary."

Lee's Playground immediately engages a sense of happy nostalgia and takes you to a carefree time of joyously playing with other children. It also reminds us of some of the challenges that childhood playgrounds bought us...bullying and fighting. Then it magnificently reveals the beauty and reward of learning to play together, for the joy of it.

It left me longing for simpler times and yearning for that contagious laughter that only children at play can give the world...it left me grateful for having revisited those experiences.



Unfortunately, I'm not privy to any production photos of Playground, but please allow me to share with you that the lighting in this show is absolutely, without question, spectacular!

Lighting Designer Les Dickert was in the audience last night, but I didn't get a chance to share with him how much I enjoyed his work. The lighting is perfectly balanced and enchanting, subtle and revealing. "Congratulations!" Les on such beautiful lighting!


BOILING POINT

Boiling Point in 20/20 | Atlanta Ballet | Photo: Charlie McCullers

Boiling Point, choreographed by the acclaimed Darrell Grand Moultrie, "is a buoyant, fast-paced work that heats up the stage as dancers put their bodies to their limits, showcasing the searing, demanding athleticism of dance." 

This is the kind of performance that gifts the epiphany that this is a number that can ONLY be performed by dancers classically trained in the art of ballet. 

Boiling Point in 20/20 | Atlanta Ballet | Photo: Charlie McCullers

One of my favorite moves in this piece was when a ballerina danced across the stage and was leaping into the darkness of offstage when another dancer counteracted her forward motion quickly and elegantly then gracefully delivering her again to the stage. That single move, executed so beautifully, is the kind of precision mixed with elegance that keeps me returning to the ballet, again and again.  


HOME IN 7

Home in 7, in 20/20 | Atlanta Ballet | Photo: Charlie McCullers

Home in 7, first performed in Atlanta in 2010, is an Atlanta-inspired piece with spoken word by Marc Bamuthi Joseph (pictured above, left) and live music by the magnificent violinist Daniel Barnard Roumain. Choreographed by Amy Seiwert, who had never visited Atlanta, 12 Atlanta Ballet dancers beautifully performed this emotionally charged piece.

Home in 7, in 20/20 | Atlanta Ballet | Photo: Charlie McCullers

The dancing is magnificent, the music is beautiful, and the poetry is remarkable. But, having read that the piece was to be "unique and reflective of Atlanta"—a city I love—I was hoping that it would speak more to our strengths, to our progress. It's quite sobering, instead, bringing to light parts of our past that aren't so pleasant, but at the same time should not be forgotten.


SEE "20/20" BY SUNDAY

20/20: Visionary is a beautiful tribute to Artistic Director John McFall and we all wish him a fulfilling retirement come June of this year. I'm anxious to see what direction the new Artistic Director, Gennadi Nedvigin, brings to our world class Atlanta Ballet!

This Atlanta Ballet show has only four performances over three days, only two performances remaining at the time of my publishing this...so get your tickets now and treat yourself to a wonderfully magnificent and powerful experience!

wanderlust ATLANTA's 2015 Photo Review

One of my favorite annual posts is wanderlust ATLATNA's year-in-photos review, particularly because it's an opportunity to look back over the last year and relive so many of the fantastic experiences Atlanta offers.

The photos in this post are all ones I made myself! I attended a significant number of performing arts shows this year and most of the photos from those posts are not mine, so I invite you to search through the blog to see the photos and articles from those shows.

In no particular order, here we go...

wanderlust ATLANTA | Atlanta Botanical Garden

THIS is my absolute favorite 2015 photo. Serendipity can be a photographer's best friend. And it indeed was on this particular day when I visited Atlanta Botanical Garden. The 25-foot Earth Goddess is a visitor favorite and one of mine, too. 

[Summer in the Garden]

wanderlust ATLANTA | Swan House Capitol Tour | Atlanta History Center

I've not yet seen Mockingjay Part 2, but I've toured President Snow's mansion many times. The Swan House Capitol Tour at the Atlanta History Center is brilliant! I highly recommend this tour.

[Swan House Capitol Tour]

wanderlust ATLANTA | 360 Degree Birthday | SkyView Atlanta

I had the BEST birthday in 2015! My dearest friends joined me for a 360 degree tour of downtown Atlanta! We started in the VIP gondola on SkyView Atlanta, had dinner at Sun Dial Restaurant and finished with dessert and drinks at Polaris! It was an awesome celebration.

[360 Birthday Celebration]

wanderlust ATLANTA | Jackson Street Bridge | Big Zombie Tour | Atlanta Movie Tours

I made this photo the second time I went on Atlanta Movie Tours' "Big Zombie Tour - Part 1"...totally awesome! If you're a fan of The Walking Dead, you know this vista well.

[Big Zombie Tour - Part 1]

wanderlust ATLANTA | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2 | Atlanta Movie Tours

Atlanta Movie Tours' "Big Zombie Tour - Part 2" was amazing! You get to see so much from The Walking Dead series and I met some pretty amazing people!

[Big Zombie Tour - Part 2]

If you live here or have visited regularly, you know that Atlanta is the land of festivals! Seriously, I would be rather shocked to learn that we didn't have some kind of festival every weekend of the year in the Metro area. Yes...we have a LOT of festivals!

One of my favorite, though, is the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, and as much fun as the 2015 festival was, I can hardly wait for the next one—the 2016 Atlanta Dogwood Festival will be the 80th!

[Atlanta Dogwood Festival 2015]

One of my favorite Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) perks is their "Field Trips"! The one pictured above was a visit to Formations Studio where the new sculpture "Stealth" was made. It's now installed near Peachtree and 15th Streets in front of The Castle.

[Stealth Field Trip]

I love seeing Atlanta Ballet's Nutcracker at the Fox Theatre and the balance of their season at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, however I equally love seeing their off-season, off-campus Wabi Sabi performances! The performance above was on the front lawn at the High Museum of Art...it was magnificent!

[Atlanta Ballet's Wabi Sabi]

As strong a proponent as I am for effective public transit, I'm still a car enthusiast. The Atlanta International Auto Show is a great time and relatively inexpensive, with superhero performances, test drives, and stunning automobiles! 

If I recall correctly, the 2014 BMW i8 pictured above was priced at $142,000. Unfortunately, I'd left my checkbook at the house. Silly me!

[Atlanta Car Show]

I'd never been to a convention like Dragon Con until I moved back to Atlanta in 2010 and now I can't imagine not going! There's so much fun going on during this four-day fan convention that I wrote six posts about this year's Con! 

Cosplay, one of my favorite aspects of the Con, is wonderful and absolutely super!

[Cosplay at Dragon Con 2015]

The number of programs offered by the Atlanta History Center is amazing...there's something for everyone! Truly!

It's hard to pick a favorite program, but I have attended a number of the "Party With the Past" events, which take place at various historic sites around town. They're consistently loads of fun, educational and I always manage to meet new and interesting people. And the beer is good, too.

[Party With the Past]

It can be great fun when worlds collide. Being a baseball fan and a fan of The Walking Dead, I absolutely had to go to the Atlanta Braves game on Zombie Night at Turner Field, which is where I first met Stan the Zombie!

[Zombie Night at Turner Field]

Orchid Daze at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, an annual event at the Garden, is one that I don't miss. It's consistently gorgeous and oftentimes quite interesting. Starting in February, it's a fun wintertime excursion! 

[Orchid Daze 2015]

My friend Summer Loftin, designer and super-fun human being, had been trying to get me to go to Howard Finster's Paradise Garden for a couple of years. I went this year and had such an incredible experience! This is another must-see!

[Howard Finster's Paradise Garden]

You don't see a lot of peach trees if you live in Atlanta, unless we're talking about street names, but that's a whole other story. I love the dwarf peach trees at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, which typically bloom during the Garden's "Atlanta Blooms!" exhibition.

[Atlanta Blooms 2015]

"Scarecrows in the Garden", another of the Atlanta Botanical Garden's annual events (this one in October), is also great fun. The scarecrows are more fantastical every year. This year, one of my favorites was the "train-farmer" pictured above, which was cleverly placed near the model train display at Alston Overlook.

[Scarecrows in the Garden 2015]

Dragon Con 2015 fun started early in the year with a Dragon Con Night at Medieval Times! There was a significant number of people in the costume contest and we enjoyed the regular dinner and tournament.

I've been to Medieval Times on many occasions—great fun! This particular evening was another example of worlds colliding in a wonderful way...Dragon Con AND Medieval Times!

[Dragon Con at Medieval Times]

Yet another example of worlds colliding was Dragon Con Night at Georgia Aquarium. They sold out! And there was a magnificent costume contest for Dragon Con conventioneers, as well as the whole of Georgia Aquarium being open for our enjoyment. It was an awesome evening!

Pictured above, in a jellyfish costume, is Yaya Han, one of the preeminent cosplayers in the world!

[Dragon Con at Georgia Aquarium]

This is another photo from Dragon Con. It was a happenstance meeting of the Joker and I just love the photo...the vibrant colors of his costume in contrast to the Gotham-esque background was brilliant!

[Reasons to Attend Dragon Con]

I snapped this photo when I was at the High Museum of Art to see an Atlanta Ballet performance, part of their Wabi Sabi program. These "tops" were part of an exhibition called Los Trompos, which was scattered throughout town. Visitors and locals alike had great fun spinning on them and they truly brightened up the High's Sifly Piazza.

[Wabi Sabi & Los Trompos]

I had the pleasure of going on a Peachtree Food Tours tour earlier this year. I enjoyed EVERYTHING about this tour AND I found one of the best burgers I've ever had—the Sublime Doughnut Burger at Cypress Street Pint & Plate! This was such a fun food tour!

[Peachtree Food Tours]

I've long been a fan of The Breman Museum. Their special exhibition "Where the Wild Things Are", which was on exhibit for all of 2015, was magnificent on so many levels. I can hardly wait to see what they bring next!

[Where The Wild Things Are]

The "Victory Tour"—based on The Hunger Games— offered by Atlanta Movie Tours is a brilliant way to spend an afternoon...and see quite a lot of Atlanta! You'll be surprised to see just how much of our grand city is in the movies. I was surprised!

[Victory Tour]

In 2015 I went to the annual Walker Stalker Con for the first time...and quite an experience it was! The cosplayers were brilliant. There were fewer zombies than I expected—but still quite a few—and more diverse theme-relevant costumes. THIS...was...fun!

[Walker Stalker Con]

I love going to local farmers markets and especially so where there's a local celebrity chef doing a cooking demo. I always know that the days I go to a farmers market that dinner that evening will be one of the best!

[Grant Park Farmers Market]

My blogger friend Terry Kearns—author of Architecture Tourist—was honored by a local artist by painting his face on the side of a building in East Atlanta...how cool is that! Terry has been a longtime supporter of wanderlust ATLANTA and an inspiration...it was super exciting to see him honored in this way.

[Big Terry]

I mentioned earlier that the Atlanta History Center has a significant amount of programming for tourists, local and visiting. In addition to the programming they have gardens, historic homes and quite a few museums.

Their Shutze museum opened in 2014, but I didn't post the photos from my first visit—I've been many times throughout 2015—until early this year, the one above being a favorite.

[Mandarin Shutze]

Any excuse to get to experience the Fox Theatre is a good excuse...getting to see "Ghostbusters" was an awesome one! The Fox's Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival is an event that I and thousands of Atlantans look forward to with great anticipation.

[Ghostbusters at the Fox Theatre]

Blogging has afforded me many opportunities to do things that I might not otherwise get to do. It also keeps me aware of a LOT of what's going on in Atlanta. Earlier this year The Cook's Warehouse invited me to a Bloggers-Only Champagne Brunch...great fun! 

I got to hang out with owner Mary Moore, Chef Jennifer Booker and got to meet Chef Hugh Acheson...all during the same outing!

[Hugh Acheson at The Cook's Warehouse]

I'd wanted to see Avenue Q for years and got to see it twice in 2015! I saw the PG-13 version in Piedmont Park and the full version at Conant Theatre at Oglethorpe Univerisity, both productions by Horizon Theatre. I had the great fortune of seeing a number of Horizon Theatre shows this year and I'll be back to see more!

[Avenue Q...twice!]

The Atlanta Botanical Garden's summer exhibition, "Bruce Munro: Light in the Garden", was spectacular! The photo above is one I made when seeing a Wabi Sabi performance by Atlanta Ballet.

[Wabi Sabi at the Garden]

The finale of my 2015 holiday season was seeing The Santaland Diaries at Horizon Theatre...I laughed and laughed and laughed...and got a fun photo with the cast! This was their 17th year and I have no idea what took me so long to see this delightfully wonderful show...I'll definitely be back!

[The Santaland Diaries]

I appreciate your support and encouragement and look forward to bringing more exciting stories and news of events to you throughout 2016. Be sure to follow wanderlust ATLANTA on Facebook!

Happy New Year, everyone! 

Wabi Sabi One More Time...

I want to encourage you to attend the next and final performances of the year by Atlanta Ballet's touring Wabi Sabi. The photos in this post are of a Wabi Sabi performance I attended this past summer at the High Museum of Art, which is where they'll again be performing on Friday, November 6 at 7:00 p.m., among the museum's Los Trompos exhibition!

Atlanta Ballet's Wabi Sabi | High Museum of Art

On this particular evening, Atlanta Ballet's Wabi Sabi multi-performance program began with Heath Gill-choreographed IDYLL, which I'd seen earlier in the year at the Atlanta Botanical Garden—the site where I saw Atlanta Ballet perform in advance of seeing them on stage for the very first time.

Atlanta Ballet's Wabi Sabi | High Museum of Art

It was awesome to see the same performance at a different venue, which of course made it not the same at all. That's one of the beauties of Wabi Sabi...it brings ballet into the community, at various venues throughout the Atlanta area, each a unique experience away from the classic stage.

Atlanta Ballet's Wabi Sabi | High Museum of Art

While the regular season's opening show—Atlanta Ballet's Nutcracker—is performed at the Fox Theatre in downtown Atlanta, their home is at the magnificent Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. I've often thought its interior to resemble a contemporary Kennedy Center.

Atlanta Ballet's Wabi Sabi | High Museum of Art

The above photo (and the next three) is from Sarah Hillmer-choreographed "between", a high-energy, beautiful, romantic performance by Atlanta Ballet dancers Alexandre Barros, Nadia Mara, Miguel Angel Montoya, Lydia Redpath and John Welker.

Atlanta Ballet's Wabi Sabi | High Museum of Art

There are so many reasons to fall in love with Atlanta Ballet...one performance and you're hooked! It's one of those arts that captures imaginations and allures the least suspecting future fan. It's that strongly appealing an expression of the story of humanity. Am I over romanticizing ballet? I think not.

Atlanta Ballet's Wabi Sabi | High Museum of Art

I was incredibly impressed with how elegant and powerful this performance was given the heat of Atlanta summers! All Atlanta Ballet performances I've had the privilege of experiencing have been magnificent, and I find myself beaming with excitement that a performance that is subject to Mother Nature and the draw of other summer attractions still draws a massive, enthusiastic crowd!

Atlanta Ballet's Wabi Sabi | High Museum of Art

Wabi Sabi is a program of Atlanta Ballet that features a series off-campus performances...they bring the art of ballet into the community. It was founded more than 10 years ago by Atlanta Ballet danceur John Welker, entering his 21st season with Atlanta Ballet! That's John pictured above with Nadia Mara, entering her 10th season with Atlanta Ballet, another of my favorite dancers.

Atlanta Ballet's Wabi Sabi | High Museum of Art

This particular Wabi Sabi performance was performed at various outdoor vistas on the High Museum of Art campus, but the dancing stories above the lawn was unexpected and spectacular!

Atlanta Ballet's 2015-2016 season opens with Atlanta Ballet's Nutcracker, one of Atlanta's beloved traditions, on December 11 and will run through December 27 on stage at the iconic Fox Theatre.

Atlanta Ballet's Wabi Sabi | High Museum of Art

The coming season looks spectacular! Having seen every show in their 2014-2015 season—an absolutely magnificent experience—I do believe I'm most looking forward to the upcoming Moulin Rouge The Ballet show the most! As the most famous cabaret in history, you know the ballet is going to be fantastic, especially as performed by Atlanta Ballet!

I'm quite passionate here...if you've not seen Atlanta Ballet, you're in for a magnificent experience when you do. And I love their range of classic to contemporary style.

Los Trompos | Sifly Plaza | High Museum of Art

Mark your calendars and be sure you see the season's final Atlanta Ballet Wabi Sabi performance at the High Museum of Art in Sifly Plaza among their Los Trompos exhibition, pictured above.

And check out the 2015-2016 Atlanta Ballet season!

(The photos in this post were all captured by me and the opinions in this post are all my own expression. A great many of the Wabi Sabi performances are free to the public, as was this one.)