A Night at Norwood: 'NY Export: Opus Jazz'

by Kate Taylor
Thu, 7 Feb 2008 at 1:53 AM

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Musicians, filmmakers, and dancers descended last evening on Norwood, a new social club on West 14th Street, for a sneak preview of "NY Export: Opus Jazz," a film of Jerome Robbins's 1958 urban ballet. Erica Orden wrote in the Sun last year about the film, which was the brainchild of two New York City Ballet dancers, Sean Suozzi and Ellen Bar.

The evening was hosted by the pop singer and pianist Vanessa Carlton. The small crowd at the 7 o'clock screening included the actress Julia Stiles, as well as the publicity queen Peggy Siegal and the art consultant Barbara Guggenheim, who has built collections for Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise. Ms. Siegal said that she was a member of Norwood, but had never been before. She and Ms. Guggenheim left soon after the screening for dinner at the Waverly Inn.

The preview was intended to call attention to and help raise money for the film, whose budget is around $500,000, the art director, Ariel Schulman, said. Of the ballet's five movements, the one that was previewed –– the fourth movement, set on the High Line –– is the only one that has been shot. The other movements will be filmed in the Tobacco Warehouse in DUMBO, in a fort on Staten Island, on a rooftop in Manhattan, and on a bare stage.

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