NYC Premiere!

Tonight is the NY premiere of New York Export: Opus Jazz, The Film, at Alice Tully Hall. This will be my first time watching it in its entirety. When I began this blog, I had imagined that I would write about the whole process, from rehearsing and filming, to editing and post production work, but soon after filming, I began to feel like I was having a baby, and I wanted to be surprised by the finished product. Tonight I will finally learn if it's a boy or girl. I never understood how parents could wait until birth to know if they'll have a son or daughter, but I get it now. I was able to hear from others that the "baby" was healthy and developing fine and that was good enough for me. But what I heard the most, and will hopefully have confirmed tonight, is that this "baby" is hot.

I've known Ellen Bar since I first moved to New York, she was one of my freakishly close friends that would spend nearly every waking second together. She always intimidated me with her dry sense of humor and staggeringly high SAT score. (I still remember what is is, but won't share it here) Sean and I became close after a few years of working together. He has happily remained one the most neurotic of friends, perfectly balancing his colt like energy with a near comatose state of exhaustion.

I have watched them pour their souls into this film, thrilled by successes and defeated by set backs. There were times when you just didn't want to ask how things were going because you could feel the stress and you knew that this film was always forefront in their minds. At times it seemed that giving up was the only way forward but they pushed ahead and have produced a film that will bring Jerome Robbins back in to living room just like when his Ballets USA was dancing Opus Jazz on 'The Ed Sullivan Show'.

Working on this film has been the most fulfilling experience that I've ever had as a dancer. I wish that it wasn't over so that I could do it again. I am so proud of Ellen and Sean for following their vision and never giving up. Congratulations to them and to everyone else who helped to bring this film to life.

The Opus Jazz Dance Off...Results.

The votes have been tallied, the count has been triple checked, and the winners of the Opus Jazz Dance-Off are........Robbie Fairchild and Amar Ramasar! It was such a close race, ending with a score of 78 to 74. Congratulations to both teams, especially our winners.

How will we ever forget the shock of Amar splitting his jeans and not missing a beat, or the sight of Rebecca wiping fake cake crumbs from her mouth? Did Robbie really just pretend to smoke a cigarette and ash it on the stage? And why is Craig suddenly a tranny- zombie, I thought they were cats? These dances will haunt our souls forever. This is the legacy of the Dance-Off.

One Bad Ass Moment

Over the course of filming Opus Jazz, I witnessed some pretty crazy moments. Most could only truly be appreciated by other dancers (man on man finger pirouettes anyone?) but one occurrence should amaze everyone. On one of the last days of filming, we were wrapping up a scene in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and getting ready to head for the next shooting location, my new favorite place on Earth, the Imlay Building in Red Hook. We were running behind schedule and the next shot required the sunset in the background. And wouldn't you know it, the Sun was tired and she was heading to bed. As we all packed in to our Opus Jazz-mobiles, a police cruiser pulled up in front of us and with a wave of the officers hand we began our motorcade. The Fuz lead us up one way streets, through red lights and over sidewalks to get around traffic. No one was sure just how this police escort came to be, but if there's one thing you learn fast growing up in NYC, it's don't question the NYPD.

Vote Vote Vote

One more day to vote in the Opus Jazz Dance-Off. It's a close race, the stakes are high. Vote Now.

Some Random Photos

Executive Producer Sean Suozzi (never thought I'd write that)
After dancing the fugue about 100,000 times, Austin begins to fade. But once that camera starts rolling, that boy can get his leg up.
Make-Up artist and heart melter, Jordan, puts the finishing touches on an already beautiful Amanda Hankes Stodola.
The gang awaits hair and make-up.
Everyone in this picture is thinking the same thing. 'Check the gate!'

The Opus Jazz Dance Off. Team 2

And here's Team 2. You have until September 26th to vote. Vote Now!

The Opus Jazz Dance-Off. Team 1

Here it is. Vote for your favorite in the comments section below the post. Voting will continue until Saturday, September 26th. Vote as many times as you want. Thanks

Week 4 Day 3

Tomorrow is most of the casts' last day of shooting. I hope that they all have enjoyed this experience as much as I have. One day, and I feel it's coming soon for me at least, we will all pine for the days when we could jump up at a moments notice and dance our asses off, and it is our benefit that we will be immortalized dancing on film.

Getting to work with such incredibly talented people for the past month has been so inspiring. Do I know how to work a movie camera? No. Do I know how to set up a lighting rig? No. Do I know how to make sure 20 dancers get through hair and make-up in time for the first shot of the morning? No. Do I know how to feed 100 plus people for 12 hours straight? Maybe. Everyone would get a can of Pringles at 7am and be told to shut up.

But seriously, I'm completely grateful to be part this project. Even coming home tonight with splinters in my ass, literally, IN MY ASS, I can not wait to get back on set tomorrow morning. Chaz, get that french toast ready.

Week 4 Day 2

Bitch Moan Bitch Moan....I have splinters in my ass. Are they worse than lead paint chips in my nose? I guess I really don't care. Today was crazy exhausting. This movement has much longer shots than the previous sections so there are many more rehearsals for the camera which requires us to dance and dance and dance. Keeping energy and moral up is top priority right now but I'm pretty sure that we have the solution. We Are Opus Jazz will soon present 'The Opus Jazz Dance Off'. Later this week I'll post original dances created by cast members, then it's up to you to vote for your favorite dance in the comments section. Please stay tuned and vote.

The Last Week Begins

I'm actually sad to be in the last week of shooting Opus Jazz. It has been an enlightening challenge as a dancer, a co-worker and person. I have been going through an amazing journey with many friends and strangers. Strangers that I now can call friends.

Yesterday we had our final rehearsal/ costume fitting. I found it somewhat sad, at least for me. I don't know how much longer, or even if, I'll ever dance this ballet on stage again, and it has been great to be shown again just how incredible this ballet is. Being 'inside' of a ballet for so long can glaze your eyes over, making it harder and harder to see what the ballet is like to be seen from the outside. But throughout the filming process I have seen clips of what has been shot already, and it has given me an even deeper appreciation for this ballet. It makes the ballet look exactly how I feel when I'm dancing it.

This month has been grueling. My brain feels fried. My body feels on the brink of total collapse, but I don't want this to end yet. It has been great to experience something so new. To get to watch so many people work with such invested energy and talent on the transformation of this ballet to film has been amazingly humbling. It is a given that any dancer with half a brain loves and respects the gifts that Jerome Robbins left for us, but to have these gifts, and to share them with film directors, editors, camera operators, lighting designers, key grips, gaffers, make-up artists and craft service cooks (hell yeah Chaz), and countless others, is the best aspect of making Opus Jazz the Movie.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I said "yes" to Ellen and Sean, but I would be kicking myself in the ass for the rest of my life if I had said "no".

I Love This Project

One of the greatest things about being part of this film is getting to see Robbins through someone else’s eyes. Neither Henry nor Jodi (the directors) were ever dancers, and they have had no experiences with the Jerome Robbins way of dancing aside from coming to NYCB to watch. So needless to say I was looking forward to see their take on Opus Jazz.

For us it’s easy to describe dancing in a Robbins’ ballets in the same old ways. You “perform” less, you share the “communal feel”, and you use the “less is more” approach. But those ways of describing dancing Jerry’s ballets are selling the man short. Yes, his ballets are some of the best to dance, but the real benefit is how his ballets make you feel as a person, not just as a dancer, as a person. His works force you to examine why you dance, why you interact with certain things in life, why you feel certain things. People talk a lot about how Jerry was a task master and how he’d break you down if you didn’t give your all. But even though I never got the chance to work with him directly, I can say with out a doubt that Jerry was an extremely cool guy.

He wasn’t a kid when he made Opus Jazz, and yet he didn’t set Opus Jazz to be “lived” in his own adolescent days as others probably would have, but he captures the essence of all youth in angst. A spirit that gets past down through the ages, urging the young to rebel, explore themselves, explore others and don’t trust anything but yourself.

I find it amazing to watch Henry and Jodi find all of the hidden elements to this ballet. They don’t know the names of steps or the reason that one step comes after another, but they completely understand the reason of the ballet.

Having someone take a ballet that you know inside and out, having had already come up with your own inner story for it and then they give you theirs, seems like it would be a hindrance, but I actually find it quite liberating. We’ve all been able to take our own created stage characters and place them perfectly into Henry and Jodi’s world that they are creating around us. It feels like home. It feels right. I keep expecting to look up and see Jerry standing next to the camera with an old fashioned megaphone and a smile across his face. I think he would have loved this. To see a ballet filmed in truth. To see it danced with love.

Craig Hall Master Class

Mornings always start slow on set, so out of a necessity to get warmed up and kill boredom, Ballet Super Star Craig Hall has begun teaching warm up classes for the cast. Craig has come up with an amazing jazz dance for Rebecca, Gretchen and Amar that the whole cast later performed for the neighborhood. This is one of the rehearsals for it.

Wrapped!

We just wrapped on day two of 'Entrances'. We actually got through all of it. Twenty four different camera angles! I may be off, but I'm sure it was more if I am wrong.

'Entrances' has such a smokey, sexy feeling and having the hazy sun in your eyes while dancing gave us all a little extra bump on the sex factor.

It's so frustrating to not get to see how things look as they go, but everyone who does get to watch the monitor is excited by how well this ballet looks on screen. How has this not been done before? It seems a given that this ballet gets shot for a film. I guess better late than never. Get your minds ready, they will soon be blown.

Lunch Break at the Pool

We are finally on our lunch break. Given how many handfuls of M&Ms I've thrown back this morning, I'm amazed that I had room for pulled pork and baked ziti. The craft service here is unbelievable. We get any kind of breakfast sandwich in the morning, there is a never ending stream of coffee (hot and iced), tons of snacks and drinks, and surprisingly no one looks at us like we're pigs. I admit that I do get a little embarrassed while running to set with a candy bar dangling from my mouth, but hey, if I needs my sugar, I needs my sugar.

We're trying really hard to get 'Entrances' shot today since the forecast for tomorrow seems rainy. It feels like we have a load still to cover and I hope that we can keep our energy up until the last shot. As long as Craig keeps us as entertained as he has so far I'm sure we'll be fine.

The Pool.

The Crew sets up the camera to film 'Entrances'.

Robbie passed out from apparently drinking way too much water.
Our pool/dance floor/napping area/tanning bed.

Day 2 'Entrances' McCarren Pool

This morning, Opus Jazz Super Star, NYCB Soloist Dancer, Mr. Craig Hall lead the cast in a 6:30 am free form movement class, deep within the McCarren pool. No one got injured today. Coincidence?

'Statics' Last Day.

Amar practices hitting his mark for after the slides. This will be his glamour shot. Get your curry popcorn ready.
Sun Rise or Sun Set. I don't remember.
Gina and Andy work through the Pas de Deux with Cobra the Steady-Cam operator before sun down. Cobra would have been a great dancer.

We Slayed the Dragon. Her Name Was Imlay.

Week 2 is over. Why are there 7 days in a week? My body was crying by day 2.

Did I mention that the filming suffered a set back? Well, after 2 day of shooting 'Statics' at Imlay, we were evicted and told that the building was condemned. It was a crushing blow to the entire project. It had taken so much work to schedule each week of shooting around the cast members many other obligations, and it seemed likely that Opus Jazz would be defeated.

Ellen and Sean pulled every string and used every connection that they had to fight the eviction. This was the perfect location for 'Statics' and we had already done so much work that would be lost. But we forged ahead and filmed some of the non-dancing, or Interludes, at other locations while many great people fought to get us back into Imlay for our remaining 2 days of shooting.

On Thursday, just as we wrapped on filming 'Improvisations' we all got word that we were let back into Imlay. We had Friday and an extra workday on Saturday to finish shooting. We were all thrilled that we weren't going to lose all of the amazing shots so far, but then it hit us, we had to go back to Imlay.

I didn't want Imlay to be condemned, but I was dreading dancing there again. To call in hazardous would be the understatement of the decade. It will be the craziest place ever danced in. Seriously.

When we perform Opus Jazz with NYCB, it doesn't require much of a warm up. It is social dancing without the normal ballet technical demands. The opening section gets you lose enough to get through the rest of the ballet. 'Statics' is the only section that calls for full force, "balls to the wall", "give every thing you've got", kind of energy. So it was only fitting that we shot it in an abandoned warehouse with lead paint chips on the ground, an uneven dirt encrusted cement floor, and ceilings with pigeons stooped, with a penchant for pooping right where you had to lie down mind you.

I have never been so filthy in my life. I've been dirty. I was once a little boy with a love of dirt and fire. I have swam in muddy streams and set myself on fire. None of which came close to the level of filth that I came home covered in each morning. ( I did mention that these were overnight shoots that went from sundown until 5:30 am right?) If you've never spent all night dancing in a condemned warehouse with some of the craziest male dancers in the world...don't.

In 2 days we did manage to film the entire section. We all hurt. We all wanted to cry, bitch, moan, kill Sean and just take a shower. But somehow we didn't. Well we did take a shower, or at least I did, I can't speak for everyone else.

Sometimes a crazy experience is good for you. It challenges you in ways that you assumed would break you. And when they don't, you emerge stronger, wiser, and sometimes covered in lead paint chips.

Best Directors' Quote Ever

"It's not morning time, it's 'Dance O' Clock'". -Jody Lee Lipes

Today is our last day of shooting 'Improvisations'. There is a rumor that we might even get done early today, but we've all heard that rumor countless times at NYCB and so we are not putting too much stock in it. The past few days have been exhausting for all of us. It has been early mornings and painful nights, but we're all staying in relatively good spirits.

It's a strange new way of working for all of us. We are so use to having instant gratification in a dance studio where you can see in the mirror exactly what things look like, but now we have to give our trust to the directors and believe in what they want. Everything will come down to editing. We give our best each take and hope that when the shots are put together that we are happy with what we see.