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KLMNO 2010’s greatest hits} this year’s best
internet memes
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2010
VIA YOUTUBE
EXPLOITED? Antoine Dodson’s interviewwas prompted by tragedy.
BY MONICAHESSE In evaluating the year’s best memes
and viral videos, it’s tempting to look to theslickandbig-budget—theflashmob “Hallelujah” Chorus, for example—the thingsthatmakeyougoslack-jawedand wonderhowdidthey . . .But thisyear the memes that stuckwithmeweretheones that captured unplanned human emo- tionandunexpectedjoy. Bed Intruder Antoine Dodson’s local
ROBBIE JACK MUSICAL LUXURY: JulieWorden, left,Maile Okamura, Charlton Boyd, GregNuber and Amber Darragh are tiptop inMarkMorris Dance Group’s “V.” dance BY SARAH KAUFMAN The triumphant news that the year’s
best dance companies have proclaimed is this: Lean times don’t necessarily mean stingy art. A distinct generosity and energy coursed through the follow-
ingchampagne-qualityevents.Newcre- ationsdisplayedartful ingenuity(Alexei Ratmanskyoriginallypremiered“Seven Sonatas” in a New York venue with no orchestra pit, so his dancers fan out around a grand piano onstage) and vintage jewels were polished to an un- common glow. Alexei Ratmansky’s “Seven Sona-
tas,” performed by American Ballet Theatre inJanuary at theKennedyCen- ter OperaHouse. The Russian choreog- rapherprovedagainwhyhe isoneof the most exciting artists working in ballet today in this delicate tone poem, in which he coaxed profoundmusical sen- sitivity out of dancers accompanied by seven of Domenico Scarlatti’s “Key- board Sonatas.”
Diana Vishneva in the title role of
“The Sleeping Beauty,” performed by theMariinsky Ballet in February at the Kennedy Center Opera House. Vishne- va, one of the supreme dance artists of our day, warmed an audience that had braved a snowstorm to see her with luminous acting and dance phrasing thatwas sensitive toboththemusic and themoment. The Bolshoi Ballet’s production of
“Spartacus,” at the Kennedy Center Opera House in February. The 1968 ballet—aBolshoi signature—returned after 35 years, with its miniskirted Ro- man soldiers, grandiose feeling and overuse of eye makeup. All great fun, especially with that bighearted Bolshoi expressiveness in themix. SuzanneFarrellBallet at theKenne-
dy Center Eisenhower Theater, in March and November. Farrell’s small troupe invariably delivers what bigger ballet companies can overlook: intui- tivemusicality, subtlenessof feelingand clear, honest form. This was especially
true in its two programs this year. In March, that included the first perfor- mance in 17 years of Balanchine’s “Haieff Divertimento,” a charming and intimate 15-minute curio to a little- known modernist composition. In No- vember, the dancers left us breathless with Jerome Robbins’s “In Memory of . . .” andMauriceBejart’s “SonateNo. 5.”
Shen Wei Dance Arts, performing
“Re-” Parts 1, 2 and 3, in late April at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower The- ater. This triptych was inspired by Shen’s travels through Asia and cap- tured subtle distinctions in the charac- ter of eachplace: the airlessheights and enveloping spirituality of Tibet, the forceful energy of Shen’s native China and the quiet jungle beauty of Cambo- dia.
Mark Morris Dance Group’s “Visita-
tion,” “Empire Garden” and “V,” per- formed in June at George Mason Uni- versity. This programwas puremusical luxury, featuring live chamberworks by Beethoven, Schumann and, in the in- triguing “Empire Garden,” Charles Ives’s Trio for Violin, Violoncello and Piano. To Ives’s impressionistic panora- ma of squeaking and rumbling, scraps of folk songs and dizzy energy, Morris respondedwithjitteryphysicalplayand darker images of collapse that felt like a meditation on our time. Martha Graham Dance Company’s Political Dance Project in June at New
York’s Joyce Theater. An eye-opening program called “Dance Is a Weapon” featuredworks of the 1920s and ’30s by Graham’s lesser-known contempo- raries, activists suchas JaneDudley and Eve Gentry,who looked to the common man for inspiration and rendered time- less portraits. Liz Lerman Dance Exchange’s “The
MatterofOrigins,”whichpremieredin September at the Clarice Smith Per- forming Arts Center. Lerman took on the universe with exultant delicacy in this multimedia dance-theater piece, inspired by what unifies artists and physicists: a fascination with the mys- teries of life. Companhia de Danca Deborah Colk-
er in “Mix” in October at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. As her dancers scurriedupa climbingwall and spun from handhold to handhold at dizzying heights with no net, no pad- ding and no hesitation, the Brazilian choreographerwowed uswithwhat the human body can do and how fast the pulse can racewhilewatching it. Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Company’s
“Charlie Chan and the Mystery of Love,” which premiered in October at Dance Place. Burgess, who regularly turns out thoughtful and subtly provoc- ativecreations,developedhischildhood fascination with the wise Hollywood detective into a reverie on romance, memory and the inner life of an artist.
kaufmans@washpost.com
television interview was prompted by tragedy, inspired by poetry and lifted to absurdity when Auto-Tune the News made a digitally remixed song out of Dodson’swarning, “Hide yourwife; hide your husbands. . . . They’re raping every- body out here.” Critics debated whether Dodson was being exploited or exulted, but everyone was mesmerized by the intersection of spontaneous live footage, polished production and fabulous hair. Seealso:TheRent IsTooDamnHigh. BPGlobalPR
seeking updates about BP’s oil spill in Maywere flummoxed by the company’s apparently tone-deaf Twitter account: “Reports of 79% of the oil remaining in the Gulf are false, according to the pie chart we made ourselves,” read one Tweet. In truth, BPGlobalPR was an anonymously created satirical account that doled out piercing criticism 140 characters at a time, and ultimately raisedthousands for clean-upefforts. Double Rainbow Was he high? Was
he faking? Are we high? Listening to a grownmandissolve intohysterical sobs over thebeautyofarainbowforcedus to examine our own discomfort with hys- terically sobbing men and public dis- plays of emotion. Also: Nature is gor- geous. Thanks for reminding us, Rain- bowMan. Sad Keanu After photographs sur-
faced in June of Keanu Reeves glumly munching a sandwich, the Internet leapt to cheer himup. A Photoshopped Sad Keanu suddenly began confabbing with Queen Elizabeth, storming the beachesofNormandy,picnickingwitha bear. Conceptually, itwas nomore than a digital “Where’s Waldo?,” but it was “Where’s Waldo?” with creativity and surprising heart. See also: Cigar Guy, PrancingMichaelCera. Pants on the Ground General Larry
theater BY PETER MARKS Whether they featured a man alone
at a desk, or a chorus dancing in formation, the best theater of 2010 in Washington shared a gratifying char- acteristic: the dazzle factor. For the sparkle of their prose, or the poetry of their performances, here are the top 10 productions of the past 12months: “Clybourne Park.” The best play in
Washington this year, and then some. WoollyMammoth Theatre gave scintil- lating life to Bruce Norris’s sly treat- ment of the rough etiquette applied to a neighborhood undergoing integra- tion and, later, gentrification. “Oklahoma!”Molly Smith’s endear-
ing revival for the reopening of the gorgeously renovated Arena Stage al- lowed audiences to see and hear this seminal American musical so freshly you wanted to jump out of your seat and bust a bronco yourself. “Antony and Cleopatra.” Little Syn-
etic Theater is not so little anymore. It graduated to the big time at the LansburghTheatrewith this gorgeous- ly realized, movement-based render- ing of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy. “Circle Mirror Transformation.”
An exciting new talent, playwright Annie Baker, received an invigorating Washingtonwelcomewith Studio The- atre and new artistic director David Muse’s sterling staging of this portrait of five confused souls struggling through a community center acting class. “Passing Strange.” If the theater
world presumed that this autobio- graphical rock musical could not be a vivacious night of entertainmentwith-
out its author, the songwriter Stew, Studio Theatre’s satisfying 2ndStage production emphatically proved it wrong. “New Jerusalem.” The improbable
hit of summer 2010 was at Theater J, whereDavid Ives’s bracing exploration of the philosophical heresies of 17th- century thinker Baruch de Spinoza sated audiences’ appetites for plays with both substance and intellectual panache. “The Liar.” The ubiquitous Ives
minted newlaughs aplenty in his aptly hammy rhyme-scape for this Corneille classic, reworked uproariously for di- rector Michael Kahn and Shakespeare Theatre Company. “In theRed andBrownWater.” The
second leg of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s movingly lyrical trilogy at Studio The- atre merged myth, classic tragedy and harsh contemporary reality to chart the rise and terrible fall of a young Louisiana track star. “The Last Cargo Cult.” The excep-
tionally gifted storyteller Mike Daisey transformed Woolly Mammoth’s stage into a rousing bully pulpit for a mellifluous rant about the global bank- ing system and his visit to an island where prayers were offered formateri- al enrichment. “Sycamore Trees.” The value of
Signature Theatre’s American Musical Voices Project was affirmed with the premiere presentation of Ricky Ian Gordon’s autobiographical musical, which revealed with sharpness and affectionate eccentricity the joys and tensions in one Long Island Jewish household.
marksp@washpost.com KATHERINE FREY/THE WASHINGTON POST
‘ANTONYANDCLEOPATRA’: Synetic’s movement-based production, with Ben Cunis and Irina Tsikurishvili, was one of the season’s highlights.
Performances from these actors also merit round of applause
And . . . performances I’d gladly watch again: Michael Hayden. Doing extraordinary double duty for the Shakespeare
Theatre Company as Richard II andHenry V,Hayden confirmed his status as a bona fide Bard star. Danielle Drakes. This gracious actress did exemplary work on the toughest
of stages — the noisy streets of Washington — portraying the real-life Civil War-era dressmaker Elizabeth Keckly in a 90-minute sidewalk tour for Ford’s Theatre. Laurence Fishburne. Portraying the Supreme Court justice and elegant
raconteur ThurgoodMarshall, Fishburne presided charmingly and hilariously in the Kennedy Center’s springtime offering “Thurgood.” June Schreiner and CodyWilliams. The breakout debuts of 2010 belong to
two young actors singing musical theater roles created before their parents were born. Schreiner and Williams were the adorable Ado Annie and Will Parker in “Oklahoma!,” and they managed to make these characters seem as though they had emerged from a writer’s imagination only yesterday. Alex Mills. As Synetic’s tireless go-to guy for feats of uncanny flexibility, this
performer showed this fall in both “King Arthur” and “The Master and Margarita” that he’s made of rubber — and steel. Whatever compensation he receives, Synetic should double it.
marksp@washpost.com
Platt opted to audition for “American Idol” using a self-penned rant against low-slung trousers. It was funny, but became funnierwhen other artists used it as a launching point for their own performances. I especially appreciated Jimmy Fallon doing Neil Young doing LarryPlatt. Xtra Normal Text-to-movie services
arrived in 2009, but this year users discovered the software’s best use: cre- atingdeadpanvignettes about the small soul-sucks of everyday life. See: “So You Want to Get a PhD in Humanities.” In OctoberXtraNormalwentmainstream when Geico nicked it for car insurance commercials. Old Spice Man The man your man
could smell like became a pioneer in TV/Internet crossoverswhen he started responding to user tweets with more videos.Hisvirtual loveaffairwithAlyssa Milano is especially sumptuous. Up and Over It Irish step-dancers
who dance with their hands, not feet. Perfect choreography, performed by a couple so astonishingly pretty youwant tobaskintheglowof their shiningfaces. This Drummer Is at the Wrong Gig
RickK. and theAllnighters is a gig band specializing in synthesized covers and gold lame jackets. But drummer Steve Moore isamagnificent rockgodwaiting to be freed fromhis Kool and the Gang handcuffs.WatchingMoore thrash and headbang hisway through cheesy cover songs is a testament to the ways we all rage against our cubicledlives.
And theworst . . . Memes are a way we make sense of
and comment on the world around us, but they feel slimy when it’s unclear whether the subjects are in on the joke. For theworstmemes of 2010, Iput forth Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Ba- sil Marceaux and Epic Beard Man, whosewig-outonacitybuswaspresent- ed without the context of his possible mental illness.
hessem@washpost.com DVIDEOONTHEWEB To viewclips of the best viral videos, go
towashingtonpost.com/style.
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