Lora Strum

Lora Strum

An award-winning freelance journalist specializing in long-form, community-focused storytelling, Lora has written for the Washington City Paper, the PBS NewsHour, Marquette Magazine, BroadwayWorld.com, PhillyVoice, PoliticsPA.com, Philadelphia Neighborhoods, Army News Service, and more.  




MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

Interview: Mark Morris is Not Here to Fix You
Interview: Mark Morris is Not Here to Fix You
July 31, 2023

As the esteemed choreographer prepares to premier works new and familiar at the Joyce Theatre this August, he reflects on why art is not a “cure all” for the world’s post-COVID ills.

Review: For Ballet Hispanico Making Art is About Making Change
Review: For Ballet Hispanico Making Art is About Making Change
June 2, 2023

In celebration of its founder Tina Ramirez, the ballet company’s latest installment at the New York City Center focuses on how dance can build community and celebrate the LatinX culture to make a difference.

Feature: The Long Journey Home
Feature: The Long Journey Home
May 27, 2023

Standing in a rehearsal room aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, haloed by the sun setting behind an American flag flapping in the wind off the Hudson River, Román Baca gives his performers their mission: They must complete their choreography for a special Memorial Day weekend performance that’s just five days away. 

Feature: Breaking Down Barriers at The Brooklyn Ballet
Feature: Breaking Down Barriers at The Brooklyn Ballet
April 20, 2023

For Lynn Parkerson, the founder and artistic director of the Brooklyn Ballet -- one of the only ballet companies to feature an interdisciplinary performance style -- looking back on 20 years of breaking down barriers is what inspires her to keep moving forward.

Review: Alvin Ailey Considers What it Means to “Aspire To” in Latest Ailey II Performance
Review: Alvin Ailey Considers What it Means to “Aspire To” in Latest Ailey II Performance
March 23, 2023

Alvin Ailey’s roster of classic performances is long because it has never shied away from leveraging its foundational strengths to try something new. The company’s latest performance from Ailey II builds on this practice to breathe life into classic works, and ground new material in what the company does best. 

Review: LES BALLET AFRIK Brings Ball Culture to Chelsea
Review: LES BALLET AFRIK Brings Ball Culture to Chelsea
January 11, 2023

'Opening night of any show is an invitation for more. The expectations are always high. Les Ballet Afrik’s “New York is Burning” not only met those expectations, but exceeded them.' @lorastrum reviews Les Ballet Afrik's 'New York is Burning' @TheJoyceTheater

Review: Twyla Tharp Puts Originality Center Stage at New York City Center
Review: Twyla Tharp Puts Originality Center Stage at New York City Center
October 20, 2022

In an era where everything feels like a repeat -- or a remake -- Twyla Tharp’s “In The Upper Room” and “Nine Sinatra Songs” is that rare thing that would feel fresh no matter how many times it’s performed.

Review: The City Center FALL FOR DANCE Festival Has Something For Everyone
Review: The City Center FALL FOR DANCE Festival Has Something For Everyone
September 25, 2022

The @NYCityCenter Fall for Dance Festival's diverse programming lets audiences 'choose their own adventure' through the arts, @lorastrum writes.

Review: Pacific Northwest Ballet Trades Timeliness For Timelessness  at The David H. Koch Theater
Review: Pacific Northwest Ballet Trades Timeliness For Timelessness at The David H. Koch Theater
June 23, 2022

To designate something as a “classic,” like a diamond, is to guarantee its significance forever. The Pacific Northwest Ballet is by this definition, wholly classic, @lorastrum writes.

BWW Review: GALLIM Dance Company's BLUSH is Anything But Shy
BWW Review: GALLIM Dance Company's BLUSH is Anything But Shy
April 28, 2022

In GALLIM Dance Company's 'BLUSH,' so many moments feel like a mental breakdown. Perhaps that madness is what lies just outside the theater, or perhaps that’s what audiences will leave behind.

BWW Review:  The Dance Theatre of Harlem Takes Audiences on a Journey at New York City Center
BWW Review: The Dance Theatre of Harlem Takes Audiences on a Journey at New York City Center
April 10, 2022

In a diverse, three-part program featuring choreography by Robert Garland, Claudia Schreirer and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, audiences are gently guided through the hope and despair at war in every place.

BWW Review:  Ballet Hispánico's Doña Perón Is Not Just a Performance
BWW Review: Ballet Hispánico's Doña Perón Is Not Just a Performance
April 2, 2022

Making its New York premiere at the City Center Dance Festival April 1-3, Doña Perón is an explosive and emotional retelling of the life of Eva “Evita” Perón, one of the most recognizable and controversial women in Argentinian history.

BWW Review: THE PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY USHERS IN NEW ERA IN THE ARTS at New York City Center
BWW Review: THE PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY USHERS IN NEW ERA IN THE ARTS at New York City Center
March 27, 2022

It’s clear that night three of the City Center Dance Festival will not be a carefree return to our yesteryears, but a step into what comes next in the arts.  There is no better steward for this unknown future than The Paul Taylor Dance Company. 

BWW News: New Digital Theater Festival Creates a Platform for Irish Artists in America
BWW News: New Digital Theater Festival Creates a Platform for Irish Artists in America
November 12, 2021

“We want people to put down that green beer and pick up real Irish culture and literature,” Rex Daugherty, Solas Nua’s Artistic Director of Theatre, says. “The arts are one of Ireland’s biggest exports, and its best work is happening now.”

BWW Review: Washington Stage Guild's 'Dear Liar' sees George Bernard Shaw match wits with his headstrong muse
BWW Review: Washington Stage Guild's 'Dear Liar' sees George Bernard Shaw match wits with his headstrong muse
October 1, 2021

A dramatic reading of letters Shaw exchanged with the actress Mrs. Patrick Campbell reveals the strong-willed woman who captured Shaw’s heart and inspired the playwright’s iconic Eliza Doolittle.

BWW Review:  Studio Theatre's COCK is a Raw, Raunchy Rant on Choice, Need and Identity
BWW Review: Studio Theatre's COCK is a Raw, Raunchy Rant on Choice, Need and Identity
March 26, 2021

It's crass and callous, heart-breaking and hilarious as it examines the nomansland where choice and identity collide.

BWW Review: Synetic Theatre's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Omits Much, Adds Very Little
BWW Review: Synetic Theatre's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Omits Much, Adds Very Little
February 24, 2021

This reimagined 'The Phantom of the Opera' has its roots in the novel of the same name; a work immortalized in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway adaptation. Those roots, however, never grow into anything in Synetic’s take.

BWW Review: Patrick Page Explores Shakespeare's Best Villains, Gives Audiences An Acting Masterclass
BWW Review: Patrick Page Explores Shakespeare's Best Villains, Gives Audiences An Acting Masterclass
February 4, 2021

In 2021, evil lurks in crowded grocery stores, on unmasked faces or on Facebook. So, what would today's audience want with a tale about villany? 'All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain' has the answer.

BWW Review: “I Hate it Here” Nails the Nuance of “these unprecedented times”
BWW Review: “I Hate it Here” Nails the Nuance of “these unprecedented times”
January 21, 2021

“I hate it here” is so 2020 that it is the perfect title for Studio Theatre’s second audio play; a work so zeitgeist-y it is exposure therapy for “these unprecedented times.”

BWW Feature: When Resilience May Not be Enough
BWW Feature: When Resilience May Not be Enough
June 29, 2020

When past government shutdowns forced Ford's Theatre to close its doors, its artists grew resilient in the uncertainty. Today, shut down by the coronavirus pandemic, that resilience may not be enough.



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