Juan Michael Porter II - Page 2

Donald McKayle was well represented at Lincoln Center on November 12th, 2019 with performances that touched on three periods of his long life as a choreographer and educator.

While I look forward to observing their world premieres, I am excited beyond words to experience 'Con Brazos Abiertos'' again. It literally deserves to make the best dance performance list of any year.

Under Michael Novak's artistic direction Paul Taylor American Modern Dance's dancers look smashing and ready to begin a new era while continuing to honour their forefather who passed away just over a year ago.

I could write more about the latter part of this evening's marvels, but I'd rather leave you with this: Forsythe can beguile an audience with three simple gestures. It feels perverse when he chooses not to.

Company XIV's seductively queer-flavored burlesque Queen of Hearts is celebrating Halloween with an end-of-month blowout. It's an out-of-this-world playground destination for sexy-folks of all persuasions who are looking for a safe place to get debaucherous without any of the accompanying shenanigans that NYC can throw one's way.

Ever the restless creature, Whelan uses The Day to confront her fans with the reality of who she is versus who they expect her to be.

Fini Dance Festival's students knock the audience's socks off while putting their elders to shame. But is that a good thing?

I'm certain that we will see Camille A. Brown awarded again soon. She deserves a nomination just for the performance she unleashed during this Bessie ceremony. Is there another dancer in the world whose deep scholarship comes through so clearly with every breath she or he takes?

Roberto Villanueva founded BalaSole Dance Company nine years ago to combat the discrimination against 'atypical bodies' that one encounters in dance. Take Villanueva himself: a dazzling soloist with sparkling technique and facility that puts him in Sylvie Guillem's league, at 5 foot 2 inches, his atypical height all but barred him from working with major companies. His response to that exclusion was to create BalaSole, a showcase for talented, atypical dancers.

Superstar 'Punk Ballerina' Karole Armitage reveals the secrets behind breaking cycles of obsession in this revealing interview about her upcoming show, 'You Took A Part Of Me'. This revival is back by popular demand following a sold-out run at Japan Society.

In a play on 'Sankofa', looking backwards to move forward served Dance Theatre of Harlem well in this sneak peek of the season to come. Returning to the Guggenheim Museum for the first time since 1971, the company revealed an incredible lineup of dancers who were eager to prove their mettle in ballets by George Balanchine and Arthur Mitchell.

José Luis Valenzuela reveals how he learned about Marta Carrasco's detainment by Homeland Security, the background story of their collaboration, and how Los Angeles Theatre Company is recovering from the cancellation of 'Perra de Nadie'.

What is interesting about watching this pas is that Factor does not need Giles to execute any of her choreography. That she always accepts his unnecessary assistance serves as commentary on their relationship: she validates him as a source of physical comfort even though all she requires of him is the moral assurance that they are not bad people. 

Battery Dance Festival's Tuesday and Wednesday night performances proved that choreography is only as wonderful as its music is rich. Led by Buglisi Dance Theatre, Ballet Nepantla, Vanaver Caravan, Ballet Boy Productions, and Battery Dance Company, this fact was never far from the concertgoers' minds as they swooned blissfully to fantastic dancing coupled with brilliant music.

The continued proliferation of rhythmless music plunges Fall For Dance 2019's Program 1 into a miasma of middling potpourri. From Kyle Abraham rendering Misty Copeland into a sterile robot to Crystal Pite's droning narration, this was an evening sorely in need of inventive rhythm and grooves. Thank goodness then for the visiting South Africans of Vuyani Dance Theatre.

Experimentation and zany movement were washed out by the paucity of interesting music during the second night of Battery Dance Festival.

As a character piece, Sancho: An Act of Remembrance is an absolute triumph. The emotional work that Paterson and his co-director Simon Godwin have invested into this piece is exquisite.

Phoebe Legere's dynamic performance is to put through its paces in this haphazardly arranged show.

Vangeline seemed to convulse as if she were peering through a scrying pool at something of mind-blasting awesomeness.

That's the beauty of this play - well before the misdeeds of Weinstein, Lauer, Spacey, and Rose detonated in our laps, it was showing the poison of sexual violence in quiet spaces.