DANCE THEATER REVIEWS

It takes more than talent to tell the life story of a well-known person with passion, humor, and originality in sixty minutes and succeed, but that's just what Francesca Harper accomplished performing her one woman show The Look of Feeling, a Celebration of American Dance Pioneer Denise Jefferson on...

A roll call of dance greats - performers, directors, critics, and historians - took the stage one after the other at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts in New York City on the evening of May 30th 2014 to share their memories of one of the greatest of them all, Frederic Franklin....

Happy National Tap Dance Day! I know I'm a little late, but that's because on the actual date, which was chosen to commemorate Bill "Bojangles" Robinson's birthday, I was too busy celebrating with the American Tap Dance Foundation!...

Wednesday, May 28th, New York City Ballet presented a program bookended by Balanchine. Concerto Barocco articulated propriety and decorum in delicate glances; Jerome Robbin's Other Dances promulgated gentle desire in the pas de deux; Benjamin Millipied's Neverwhere delved into power plays; and Bala...

The National Ballet of Canada opens its summer season with a mixed programme of twentieth century works....

The New York City Ballet proved that only the best can perform on this stage. It takes great talent to leave a solo dancer on a stage that large without them getting lost, especially when the costumes blended into the matching background (both of which literally caused the crowd to gasp as the curta...

On Friday, May 16th, I was privileged to be in attendance of the opening night of Ballet Academy East's 2014 Spring Performance. These young dancers displayed good training and a delight to be performing in eight varied works. Having seen a number of school performances this year, the school shows i...

La Voz del Cuerpo/The Body Speaks, the film written and directed by Christine Dakin, was screened on May 16th as part of the 'Fridays at Noon' programming at the 92nd Street Y. This truly beautiful movie presents an insightful view of the art of dance and integrates the vibrant culture of Mexico....

Houston Ballet's current season is wrapping up quickly. Last night they opened a mixed repertory program titled MODERN MASTERS, and in about two weeks they'll be opening SWAN LAKE, this season's closer. As everyone expected, Houston Ballet's current program is filled with beautiful and stunning move...

Balanchine and Massine on the same program on February 20, 2014? I can't remember that last time I saw that. I wonder if the two would approve. But there is one fundamental difference separating the two choreographers. Balanchine, even 30 years after his death, is still in the forefront of modern ba...

Halfway through celebrating its 50th year at the David H. Koch Theatre in Lincoln Center, the New York City Ballet showcased three diverse pieces influenced by the Company's greatest artists - Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, and of course, George Balanchine....

On a warm, sunny Sunday I wasn't exactly thrilled to sit inside an air-conditioned theatre. The dread mounted as elementary school aged children poured into the theatre. However, once the lights dimmed and a dancer, dressed in a black suit with lights on it, bounded through the hall to warn the au...

Michele Wiles' BalletNext gave its best performance at BAM Fisher (Fishman Space), on Friday, May 17, Founded in 2011, the dancers have developed and matured into a cooperating, fluid dance company, rather than a group of interesting soloists without connection to each other. The two works presented...

Last weekend, The Brooklyn Academy of Music saw the return of the Lyon Opera Ballet and the American premier of Christian Rizzo's Ni Fleurs, Ni Ford-Mustang. While commissioning works by contemporary choreographers is now a staple with ballet companies (particularly in Europe), Lyon Opera Ballet has...

Ballet West closes its' 50th anniversary season with their annual production of Innovations, a program thought up by Artistic Director Adam Sklute 7 years ago. Innovations is a concept that allows choreographers to try out new material and give all the artists of Ballet West an opportunity to create...

On the rain-soaked evening of May 16th 2014, ABT delivered a mood-boosting performance of 'Don Quixote' for a full house of grateful dancegoers at the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center. Dazzling Gallic-flavored dancing and full-throttle comedy to the music of Minkus helped to push dire flas...

Michael Pink's World Premiere Mirror, Mirror conjures a spell that leaves the audience speechless except for the applause of a standing ovation in Uhlien Hall at Milwaukee's Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. In collaboration with the Milwaukee Ballet Company, Andrews Sill and the Milwaukee Ball...

New York Theatre Ballet presented, by arrangement with The Estate of Antony Tudor and The Antony Tudor Trust, an A. Tudor Celebration. The night was a treasure trove of ballets by the great English choreographer Antony Tudor: three of his masterpieces from the 1930s, originally staged in London and...

The All Robbins program offered this spring season by New York City Ballet is a testament to the range and depth of the choreographer's genius. 'Glass Pieces', the 1983 work to the driving rhythms of music by Philip Glass, is an ideal opener with its masterful blend of postmodern and classical movem...

Frederic Nauczyciel's The Fire Flies explores the relationship between the Baltimore and Paris Ballroom scenes....

For hundreds of years, storytelling has been an essential part of African-American culture. Through both song and dance, they have passed down their struggles, their hopes, their history. When actress, dancer and singer Francesca Harper decided to pay homage to her mother the late dance pioneer Den...

To jumpstart their 50th anniversary at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, the New York City Ballet began their Spring season not looking back but rather looking forward, presenting works from 21st century choreographers and showcasing the Company's ever-evolving mastery of their art....

What does a dance company do when its founder and visionary dies? While some leave with succession plans in place, this question still troubles many prominent dance companies. While they might chose to only perform their namesake's original works, they risk being labeled as irrelevant. If the com...

A judicious mix of now-classic Limon works from the 1950s and 1960s along with pieces by current choreographers made for a superb evening of dance on Friday, May 3rd 2014 at the Joyce. For me, Limon's decades-old masterworks have stood the test of time. Not only that, but I applaud artistic director...

Baldwin through Dance: Charles O. Anderson, Dianne McIntyre...