BWW Review: DANCERS FOR GOOD 2019 Outdoes Itself Again!July 29, 2019Last year, in 2018, the third annual Dancers For Good Benefit supporting the Actors Fund Dancers Resource in East Hampton was so impressive that I challenged the founders to 'high-kick it up a notch even higher next year'. I'm thrilled to announce that not only did they clearly accept that challenge, they superseded all expectations!
BWW Review: DOUG VARONE AND DANCERS IN THE SHELTER OF THE FOLD / EPILOGUE is Transcendent and TransfixingJune 11, 2019Doug Varone and Dancers in the shelter of the fold / epilogue is a transcendent and transfixing inquiry into public and private relationships to faith through seven vignettes that intermingled fluidly at BAM's Fisher from June 5-8th. The thirteen bodies in nearly continuous motion -- choreographed by Varone -- were so mesmerizing that the captivated viewers were on the edge of their seats during the entire performance. The evening was as sonically spellbinding as it was visually enchanting thanks to the complex, varied and at times otherworldly or ethereal sounds provided a diverse array of multiple compositions played by Bang on a Can All-Stars with PUBLIQuartet and Lesley Flanigan.
BWW FEATURE: Chita Rivera Awards 2019: A Colorful Celebration of Dance & DiversityMay 28, 2019The stars were on their feet (toes, taps and standing ovations) on a warm Sunday night, May 19th, for the Chita Rivera Awards a?" an annual ceremony recognizing the very best in dance on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in film that honors icons and trailblazers while also nurturing future generations simultaneously. It could have been dubbed a?oeChita Rivera's Dance Salona?? for the presenters, attendees and honorees read like a Who's Who of Chita's friends, fans and fellow Fosse favorites, including hosts Ben Vereen and Anne Reinking.
BWW Preview/Interview: Manga and Macbeth Merge in KPR's ASHITA NO MA-JOE at Japan Society May 15-18May 14, 2019While even savvy New York theatregoers aren't able to keep up with everything in the city that never sleeps, hopefully after five opportunities to enter the ring with the wildly innovative and imaginative Japanese Theatre Company Kaimaku Pennant Race (KPR) from May 15-18th at Japan Society, they will become -- in Shakespeare's own words -- 'a household name' with Ashita no Ma-Joe: Rocky Macbeth.
BWW Review: Mark Morris' PEPPERLAND at BAM Brings Camp and Playfulness to The Beatles' Iconic AlbumMay 13, 2019Well before The Met Gala's kitschy theme for 2019 inspired the likes of Lady Gaga, Jordan Roth and countess celebrities to strut their most outrageous stuff down the pink carpet, Mark Morris has been the reigning King of Camp in choreography, celebrating this gleeful genre in company classics such as The Hard Nut. This spring he elevated the playful style integrated with expressive movement in Pepperland, an exuberant homage to the 1960s counterculture and The Beatles' seminal 1967 concept album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
BWW Review: MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY Demonstrates Timeless Innovation Across Eras at The JOYCE in AprilApril 26, 2019What has not been said or proclaimed about the majesty and mastery of Martha Graham, her company and her legacy? She revolutionized the way that dance was created and experienced by re-shaping how movement was expressed and performed in the 20th century that has, in turn, inspired and laid the foundation for the dancers and choreographers of today. A sculptor of bodies and painter of gestures, Graham contrasted sharp angles with fluid movements and molded her dancers into statuesque and broken shapes, more akin to Pablo Picasso's repositioning of beauty standards and body parts than her dance peers' styles. Never before or after Graham have knees been so enchanting. To encounter the work of Martha Graham is to understand the capacity of the human form in motion and appreciate the splendor of every sinew.
BWW Review: PRETTY GUARDIAN SAILOR MOON THE SUPER LIVE Launches the 2.5D PhenomenonApril 2, 2019The 2.5D Phenomenon from Japan finally arrived stateside in Washington D.C. and NYC in March.
With the remarkable and unprecedented success of 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon' The Super Live launching a new dimension of entertainment in the states, the question is not if, but when and where the next showing of these sensational spectacles will occur.
BWW Review: CIRCUS ABYSSINIA Ethiopian Dreams Come True in NYCDecember 26, 2018When one thinks of Ethiopian imports, coffee and extraordinary runners might grace the top of the list but circus artists aren't usually associated with the sovereign African nation. However, with Circus Abyssinia - an all-Ethiopian contemporary circus company, the brainchild and heart project of a pair of brothers, Mehari 'Bibi' Tesfamariam and Binyam 'Bichu' Tesfamariam, who are both talented jugglers and global arts entrepreneurs - the world might start to see Ethiopia in a different light. The siblings' journey to fulfill their dreams reads more like a fairytale or Cinderella story, where the heroes persevere and make magic happen with their unshakable willpower and determination, though not despite many struggles and frustrations on their way to fulfilling their dreams.