Christina Pandolfi - Page 5

Bold. Miraculous. Spellbinding: these are just some of the words that come to mind when describing Parson Dance's residency at The Joyce Theater. A company known for its rule-breaking choreography and impressive style, they continued to exceed expectations last Tuesday evening at a program honoring iconic composer Stephen Schwartz.

As the weather warms up, the flowers stretch from their soil towards the sun in all their glory. So do the dancers of New York City Ballet. On May 1, 2018, the company celebrated the experimental prowess of great 21st Century Choreographers in a three-piece program to showcase both the present and future definitions of “ballet.”

So often, dance is portrayed as a mysterious enigma, dramatic and otherworldly through overly complicated choreography and a hard-to-follow backstory. As a result, its magic can get lost in translation. But at BalletNext's spring season at New York Live Arts, pure joy was served as the appetizer, entrée, and dessert in a spirited program curated by former American Ballet Theatre dancer and BalletNext Artistic Director, Michele Wiles.

It's easy for a premier ballet company to delight and amaze, but it's even more exciting when they leave you surprised, and on February 1 2018 at the David H. Koch Theater, New York City Ballet did just that. With an eccentric program that ran the gamut in both content and cadence, it was the world premiere of “dance odyssey” that ended up stealing the show.

It's no secret that it takes a spark to light a match: it's science. But have you ever thought about what it actually takes to create fire? The precision. The delicacy. The power. Its very ignition from flicker to flame is a dance; a spectacle of light and movement that entertains to its very last flare. And on the evening of November 15th at The Joyce Theater, Complexions Contemporary Ballet personified the very best of this kind of excitement, lighting up the stage with one-of-a-kind passion and fervor.

As the audience filled the David H. Koch Theater on Oct 24, 2017 to watch American Ballet Theatre's fall season, one thing became very clear: Appreciation for classical ballet is alive and well in New York City. In a time of great global uncertainty and turmoil, having the arts to go back to is an immense comfort, because we can see ourselves in it: the good, the bad, and the yet-to-be-discovered. And in this season's selections, American Ballet Theatre proved that completely, committing to showcasing the beauty of balance between polar opposites.

New York City staple Fall for Dance Festival kicked off this year on October 2 with Program A at the famed New York City Center. A true celebration of global dance and all of its many facets and layers, this year attracted the likes Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dorrance Dance, and Trisha Brown Dance Company how can any dance lover not be excited about that?

On October 1, 2017, the NYU Skirball Center was atwitter with a who's who of the global dance community at the Bright Lights Shining Stars Gala, celebrating the incredible New York Dance Alliance Foundation and paying homage to the recipient of their Ambassador for the Arts award, Ann Reinking. Broadway actors and dancers alike lit up the space with undeniable sparkle and the excitement was truly contagious. At a festive pre-show cocktail hour, Joel Grey stopped for pictures and Amra-Faye Wright and Dylis Croman chatted sweetly in the corner. But the room quieted as the incomparable Ann Reinking lithe and impossibly graceful walked in. She stopped for conversation and photos, and as I looked around the room, I noticed that every single person was beaming with admiration. In that moment, I knew that the evening was going to be very special.

On September 30, 2017, the David H. Koch Theater pulsed with excitement, anticipating the start of Peter Martins' rendition of Swan Lake. A New York City Ballet staple, the company first premiered this production 18 years ago. But with such crisp movement and staging, you would think it was the very first time.

On Sep 7, 2017, the American Dance Guild kicked off their 4-day festival at The Ailey Citigroup, marking 60 years of dance innovation with a promise to 'celebrate diversity'. Honoring dance visionaries Garth Fagan, Martha Myers, and the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, the mood was light and joyful; you could really feel the lingering excitement in the air, anticipating the incredible dancing to come.

To leave a permanent mark on the cultural landscape is a lifelong motivation for any artist. But for accomplished American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer James Whiteside, one medium simply can't contain his high-watt creativity. As a pop singer, choreographer, and storyteller, James seems to find inspiration wherever he goes.

It's always a bittersweet feeling when a company ends its season, and in the current political climate, one can never take the arts for granted. But on Friday July 7, 2017, the Metropolitan Opera House was atwitter with the promise of American Ballet Theatre's program dedicated to Tchaikovsky. Pre-show, the audience crackled with uproarious excitement, perfectly in keeping with the dazzling, multi-layered nuance to be found in the breadth of Tchaikovsky's compositions.

For 37 years, MOMIX has defied traditional boundaries in both choreography and set design, but it expands far beyond that. Moses Pendleton and the entire company are notorious for consistently creating complex, dizzying universes and inviting the audience to join their new realities. And one thing is certain: Every ride is an incredible, unforgettable journey.

If ever someone were to look up “classical ballet” in the dictionary, an image captured from Swan Lake would certainly accompany its definition, thanks to its timeless grace and poise. On Wednesday June 14, 2017, American Ballet Theatre more than lived up to Swan Lake's storied reputation, as the company danced with both precision and pixie dust to create lyrical beauty that echoed Tchaikovsky's magical score.

It's May 8, 2017 and I'm sitting in the National Dance Institute Center for Learning & the Arts' quaint auditorium in Upper Manhattan, waiting for the students to take the stage. As part of the celebrated Art Nest series, this evening's mixed medium program centers on the loneliest woman in mythology: Medusa. But as the audience quiets for NDI Founder Jacques d'Amboise's speech, it is exactly the opposite feelings of community and togetherness that drum up pure joy.

So often, the desire to dance is intrinsic at birth; it can't be separated from a person's essence and has always been in their very heart and soul. But what about when the passion is discovered later in life? When something moves you so powerfully that it becomes a new avenue for happiness and clarity?

It takes the perfect spark to light a match, and on Thursday May 18, 2017, that spark was Soloist Christine Shevchenko. Replacing a temporarily injured Gillian Murphy, her rendition of Kitri was the cherry on top of the already delicious sundae that is Petipa's 'Don Quixote,' presented during the company's first week of spring performances at their Metropolitan Opera House residency. The ability to adapt, adjust, and make something your own is a rare gift that so often gets taken for granted. But it's exactly that nuance that let Shevchenko - and the entire production - shine like the brightest star in the sky.

As audience members, we're often not privy to dress rehearsals. We don't get to travel behind the scenes and see the inside of a dancer's psyche. But “Places Please!” commissioned by DANCE NOW, broke traditional boundaries in both environment and format. Shown at the legendary Joe's Pub, longtime collaborators Larry Keigwin and Nicole Wolcott treated us all as friends, bringing us into the intimacy and anxiety that drives the creative process. And oh, what fun we all had!

The New York City Ballet kicked off day two of the company's 2017 Spring Season on Wednesday, April 19 at the opulent David H. Koch Theater. A performance dedicated to the iconic playfulness of Jerome Robbin's choreography, the evening started on a high note with the orchestra's charming “See the Music” section, treating the audience to teaser selections of the coming score. The bluesy, sultry notes of Bernstein's music set the scene beautifully; as the orchestra descended back into the pit, the curtain rose on “Fancy Free,” the legendary collaboration between Robbins and Bernstein, which later inspired Broadway's sensation “On The Town.”

As the first signs of spring crept into the air on March 25, 2017, the same was true at the GK ArtsCenter in DUMBO, at a performance of Gelsey Kirkland Ballet's Eternal Spring. Though I've seen the company perform twice, “third time's a charm” is an age-old adage for a reason.