Christine Darch News

The dance school choices for students, I recall, were ballet and jazz tap. Ne’er the twain shall meet, as Kipling said of the east and west. 

YYDC will present the world premiere of NOWHERE, the latest production by acclaimed Chinese American choreographer Yue Yin, on June 8-10, 2023 at Chelsea Factory.

Kennedy Caughell, Robert Cuccioli, Kate Rockwell and more will lead MOZART: HER STORY – THE NEW MUSICAL presentations at Carnegie Hall. See performance dates, and how to purchase tickets!

Battery Dance presents Battery Dance NOW, featuring the work of three female choreographers, on March 8-11, 2023 at 7pm at New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th St., NYC. Tickets are $35 (standard), $20 (student/senior/veteran), and $75 (VIP opening night reception).

Gibney Company's first national tour continues this week with stops in Los Angeles, CA (Jan 20, 2023); Lone Tree, CO (Jan 27, 2023); Provo, UT (Feb 3 & 4, 2023); Des Moines, IA (Feb 24, 2023); Tel Aviv, Israel (Feb 28 – Mar 2); Purchase, NY (Mar 11, 2023); Annandale-on-Hudson, NY (Mar 15, 2023) and Boston, MA (Mar 17-19, 2023).

Gibney Company has announced its summer 2022 season in New York City with a program of three world premieres by internationally recognized choreographers Rena Butler, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, and Yin Yue at New York Live Arts, June 14 through 18.

State Theatre New Jersey presents Complexions Contemporary Ballet on Friday, January 28, 2022 at 8pm.

Artistic Director and Choreographer David Parsons himself introduced the single performance evening at The Segerstrom to a thirsty audience, eager to see the dance company that had been lauded in advance at the beginning of this year's season and of course the much awaited return to live performances and audiences. He gave us a revised rundown of the pieces that were to be performed that night. He is very personable, relatable and captivating as he explains their endeavors, processes and the added hardships Covid placed on the company. The dancers, over the past year-and-a-half were in seven separate 'bubbles' to be able to work on and perfect the choreography. We learned after the performance, in a short Q & A with the dancers and David, that some of the dancers had only been with the company a few months! Their repertoire is quite extensive and precise with many lifts and lots of technique; not an easy feat! And not easy on the feet! They did not disappoint!

Parsons Dance opened on Tuesday night at The Joyce Theater to the delight of a captivated audience. It’s a pleasure to be back seeing live dance performances and the company made the night magical with new works and favorites.

While watching SNATCHED BACK, it hit me; Complexions is the ultimate American Contemporary Dance company. The choreography, choices, and dancers are diverse, raw, honest, emotional, proud, and full of attitude. The movements and music speak the truth of humanity and the concerns of today. Complexions is unparalleled and unabashedly all-American.

For me, an exciting evening in the theater and in the world of ballet. The name Ballet'X' connotes a modern term denoting non-gendered, non-binary, and inclusivity. I instantly discerned that this company was on top of the latest consciousness, and has incorporated not only this, but the latest trend of mixing forms of dance together, the latest in staging and technology, and superbly trained young, up-and-coming dancers. The program for the evening consisted of three new works, by three diverse, world-renowned choreographers, all set on the dancers in the company. This young company, based in Philadelphia, is amazingly together with an eclectic repertoire, presenting a clean, fully executed array of interesting choreography and interpretations.

State Theatre New Jersey presents Complexions Contemporary Ballet in Bach to Bowie on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 at 8pm. The works featured in this program include Bach 25 and StarDust. Tickets range from $19-$49.

Winter in New York City is not known for being particularly steamy (though the unseasonably mild weather this year gives one reason to pause), but there is always Complexions Contemporary Ballet's season at the Joyce Theater to turn up the heat to a feverish, sweltering boiling point! For the 26th season, the company revived recent seminal works -- Bach 25 and Woke -- alongside favorites spanning from 1994 to a brand new solo in Essential Parts, which acted as a 'Greatest Hits' compilation for the ever-evolving, always revolutionary dance troupe. This year also marked the World Premiere of their latest exploration of the full canon of a particular musician's oeuvre -- Love Rocks featuring the music of the iconic Grammy-winning rockstar, Lenny Kravitz. For patrons unable to attend all programs, FOMO (fear of missing out) syndrome is understandable, but for those who are highly familiar with the group's work or only getting their first taste, Program C -- which featured the latter two mentioned -- was the most delectable sampling of Complexions offerings old and new. The fascinating thing about such juxtapositions is that, in seeing the latest creations from 2020 side-by-side with choreography premiered in the early 1990s, it is remarkable to note how the level of innovation, depth of emotion and current relevance remains the same. It's a reminder that timeliness and timelessness can coexist, given the right mediums and masters. The genius of legendary Co-Founders, Co-Artistic Directors Desmond Richard and Dwight Rhoden (also the Principal Choreographer) cannot be underestimated. Indeed, it has not. They have both achieved phenomenal success and longevity, been lauded as trailblazers and received numerous accolades from peers, critics and audiences alike since they burst on the dance scene. It's no wonder that they have utilized the music of David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Kendrick Lamar and Lenny Kravitz to tell their stories through bodies in motion -- they are rockstars themselves!

The CUNY Dance Initiative and John Jay College, in collaboration with Pigeonwing Dance, present the World Premiere of Gabrielle Lamb's Plexus: a work in knots on Friday, February 7, 2020 at 7:30pm at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, 524 W. 59th Street, NYC. Tickets are $25 ($15 students/seniors)and can be purchased at https://www.pigeonwingdance.com/pwd/plexus.

The CUNY Dance Initiative and John Jay College, in collaboration with Pigeonwing Dance, present the World Premiere of Gabrielle Lamb's Plexus (a Work in Knots) on Friday, February 7, 2020 at 7:30pm at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, 524 W. 59th Street, NYC. Tickets are $25 ($15 students/seniors) and can be purchased starting January 2, 2020 at https://www.pigeonwingdance.com/pwd/plexus.

November 22, 2019 Astonishing in their choice of repertoire, their innovative choreography, their elaborate and colorfully creative costuming and their commanding performance of the choreography. Don't let this first photo confuse you. This Company is so many things, and the picture represents but one facet of their dance works ~ I just had to use it for the beauty and uniqueness of it. The evening commenced with a sextet of pieces that were entitled The Heritage of the Great Steppe, following the history and traditions of the Kazakhstan people. Beautifully executed and visually stunning, each one was unique.

BalletX, America's premier contemporary ballet led by Artistic & Executive Director Christine Cox, kicks off its 2019-2020 Season with Fall Series 2019 at The Wilma Theater, a limited engagement of 13 performances running Dec. 4-15. The company, named “among America's best” by The New York Times, and recently featured on the cover of Dance Magazine, will perform two world premiere ballets: one by the creative team of choreographer Matthew Neenan with composers Rosie Langabeer and Tara Middleton, and a second by choreographer Jo Strømgren.

The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, located on the campus of California State University, Long Beach, presents the Southern California premiere of Complexions Contemporary Ballet's a?oeWOKEa?? on Oct. 5. The evening also includes Complexions' 2016 tribute to David Bowie, a?oeSTARDUST.a?? Tickets are on sale now.

Your intrepid reviewer headed off last Wednesday night to the Providence Performing arts Center (PPAC) for the Complexions Contemporary Ballet's performance of FROM BACH TO BOWIE, part of the FirstWorks Artistic Icons Series. The first half of the New York dance troupe's performance featured 'Bach 25,' a fusion of contemporary dance and ballet technique performed to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The second part was 'Stardust,' which turns an assortment of Bowie's hits into a rock-inspired ballet to honor him. Songs such as Lazarus,' 'Heroes,' 'Young Americans,' 'Life On Mars' and 'Let's Dance' were featured. So, full disclosure, I am vastly unqualified to write a review about Bach, Bowie or dance. Now that we understand each other, here goes.

The Joyce Theater catapults its scintillating 2019 season that encapsulates an entire spectrum of contemporary international movement with a renowned and acclaimed audience-favorite, COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet.