Turning Up the Heat

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

Holy flamenco-dancin’ hottie! Joaquin Cortes is taking the stage at City Center tonight through September 19. And if you’re in the mood for ogling a buff, sometimes-shirtless man as he shakes his money-maker – or, I should say, as he dramatically presents flamenco with a modern edge – you might want to consider showing up.


Mr. Cortes is the sole dancer in his two-hour show “Live,” which includes 15 live musicians on stage. While there is a distinct respect for tradition here, Mr. Cortes changes up the look and vocabulary by mixing in a bowler hat and Fosse-style tap. In another number he’s more restrained and elegant in a suit and tie. In still another, he’s got slow come-hither moves while sporting a trench coat and long, wet hair.


Just so there’s no confusion: Mr. Cortes is not bare-chested for the entirety of his show. But his costumes were designed by Giorgio Armani. That’s not the only name Mr. Cortes has been associated with. He’s wowed the crowd at the Grammy Awards with Alicia Keyes, and appeared in a Jennifer Lopez broadcast from Puerto Rico. (Those were the glory days of La Lopez – who is appearing on “Will & Grace” this Thursday.) And Mr. Cortes is headed to the White House this week to give an afternoon performance in celebration of Hispanic Heritage month.


Undecided voters beware.


***


When the new World Trade Center opens in 2009, the dance world will have a new stage to flock to. That’s because the Joyce Theater was selected as one of several arts groups to have a presence in the new colossus. “What we want to do is build a first-class theater for dance,” the executive director of the Joyce Theater Foundation, Linda Shelton, told me. The new venue will be de voted exclusively to dance and will have 900 to 1,000 seats – by no means an arbitrary number. Though there are many stages in this city, there are too few for medium-sized companies. The current Joyce Theater in Chelsea, for example, has 472 seats, no orchestra pit, and space limitations backstage. The next notable stage is a big jump: City Center has ample technical abilities and more than 2,000 seats. This keeps many companies, especially those not based in New York, from performing here.


But the larger the house, the more tickets must be sold – and that requires name recognition. So if a dance company is bigger than, say, Buglisi/Foreman Dance (a Joyce regular), but not as widely known as, say, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (a City Center regular), finding a stage is a complicated matter.


Though Ms. Shelton was reluctant to name names on companies she’d like to see at the new Joyce, there is a broad direction in which the theater will be oriented: “Our focus will be on international companies that seldom have played New York.” Furthermore, the ad ministration will be committed to making dance more visible and convenient for audiences. “It’s part of our mission to build an audience for dance,” Ms. Shelton said. “It takes programming.”


Part of what she expects to create is a venue with flexible curtain times, perhaps as early as 6 p.m. This sounds somewhat unbelievable at first, but early curtains help accommodate people who work in the city but live outside it. The thinking is that people could leave work, attend a performance, then make their way back to wherever it is that commuters go.


Another aim is to make dance more visible – literally – by creating a studio that passers-by can peek into. “We’d love to have a rehearsal studio with open glass at street level,” said Ms. Shelton. “We’ve looked at the best things about a number of theaters.”


Chief among them is the need for a dance space around which there is a great deal of clear activity. And let’s face it, love it though we do, the current Joyce Theater is a brick house – not immediately identifiable as a house of dance. If Ms. Shelton has her way, the new facility will be a bustling hive of dance-related goings-on.


Though the direction is set for the new theater, the real work of planning is yet to come. In the next six months, Ms. Shelton expects to send out a request for proposals to consultants for help with the long-range organizing. She will also add staff to the Joyce as things move forward.


And there are the funds that will inevitably have to be raised. “Congratulations have been pouring in, but no one has made a lead gift yet,” said Ms. Shelton. So if you want your name kept in lights for decades to come, give a call to the Joyce Theater, where naming opportunities eagerly await.


***


In other backstage news, New York City Ballet has a new general manager: Kenneth Tabachnick. A “nearly 50 year old” native New Yorker, Mr. Tabachnick – whose job description covers all the many details of making a dance company run, such as overseeing production departments, union negotiations, and touring madness – got into arts administration by a circuitous route.


He started his career as a lighting designer. After nearly 20 years designing for dance companies (including Martha Graham and the Kirov), opera (including City Opera), and television productions, he decided to settle down and go to law school. “I was spending seven or eight months a year out of New York City,” he said. And after getting married and starting a family, he wanted to stay put. So off to Fordham Law School.


Upon graduating, he built a solo practice by representing designers and choreographers in matters of licensing and intellectual property. But old habits die hard. “I missed being in the arts,” he confessed. “I was looking for a way to use my creative background and my negotiating skills.”


He certainly has that opportunity at City Ballet. Still in his first few weeks on the job, Mr. Tabachnick is treading lightly and sticking to broad plans. His first goal is to continue the company’s reputation as an outlet for creativity. “That starts with the dancers and continues to the orchestra and designers. We should foster and encourage that.”


As for the challenges ahead, dealing with the “economics of our environment”- that means cultivating ticket sales and keeping up the company’s identity – is on the list. And then there’s the question of whether City Ballet will continue to return to Saratoga Springs each summer.


Though Mr. Tabachnick pled new-guy status, he did confirm that the company is committed through 2005. And just for the record, the new general manager is a longtime friend and fan of City Ballet’s current lighting designer Mark Stanley, of whom Mr. Tabachnick says, “We grew up together!”


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use