The Pointe - 2019 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 6

Synchronicity Theatre will produce Wayfinding, a new play by Whitney Rowland, March 6, 2020 - March 29, 2020. For tickets or more information, please visit synchrotheatre.com or call 404-484-8636.

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!

Nashville Ballet Company Dancer Kayla Rowser, who has performed with the organization since 2007, announced she will retire at the end of the 2019-2020 performance season. Rowser will dance in her final main stage production during the Ballet's Modern Masters series for a three-day run April 24-26 at TPAC's Jackson Hall.

Show One Productions presents the anticipated return of the world famous, all-male ballet company Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (Trocks), onstage March 7, 2020 at 8pm and March 8, 2020 at 2pm and 7pm at the Winter Garden Theatre. The RuPaul's Drag Race breakout star and classically trained ballet dancer Brooke Lynn Hytes a?' a Trock for four years from 2008 to 2012, and a Toronto native a?' will make an anticipated guest appearance, dancing in all three Toronto performances. The sensational program will showcase the company's wickedly absurd antics and serious dancing chops, featuring sly send-ups of beloved ballet classics and contemporary works. Infused with a heavy dose of highbrow hilarity, this antic-laden production will offer audiences a chance to experience high-powered diva energy as the men strut their stuff in size 11 pointe shoes.

The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts presents two very different works from two of the finest ballet companies in the western half of North America-Ballet West's beautifully traditional production of Giselle, and Ballet BC's stunningly reimagined take on the timeless tale of Romeo + Juliet.

Amy Jo Jackson in 'The Brass Menagerie' plays the Duplex Cabaret Theatre (61 Christopher Street, 2nd floor) on June 17, 2020, at 9:30pm. There is a $10 cover charge when tickets are purchased in advance ($15 at the door) and 2 beverage minimum. Tickets and information are available at www.theduplex.com. FOR INFORMATION CALL: (212) 255-5438

Celebrating 50 years of 'Bringing Dance to Life' in New Orleans, the New Orleans Ballet Association (NOBA) continues its golden anniversary year with a glittering, star-studded 50th Anniversary Evening of Stars on Jan. 25 at 6 p.m., at the Mahalia Jackson Theater.

Boston Ballet's 2019a?"2020 spring season opens with rEVOLUTION, a dynamic program showcasing three choreographers who transformed the world of ballet: George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and William Forsythe. rEVOLUTION runs Feb 27a?"Mar 8 at the Citizens Bank Opera House.

As 2020 approaches, a new appreciation of male virtuosity demands consideration. Possibilities for dancers have exploded over the last decade as extreme stretching and acrobatics have come into vogue, though not always for the best. While circus tricks and random moments now seem to rule the stage, not all 'innovation' has been destructive for men. Where once trying to play it straight was the norm, this generation of performers gives zero f*x for anything other than staying true to their artistry and health.

I will never look at classic cocktails the same way after experiencing Marilyn Klaus' immersive show, a?oeCocktail Houra?? by her New York based company, Ballets with a Twist. This innovative and clever show transcended time periods and dance styles with small stories inspired by drinks such as a?oeLemon Dropa??, a?oeCuba Librea??, and a?oeBloody Marya??. The Crest Theatre at Old School Square was the perfect venue to highlight a?oeCocktail Houra?? - it was like seeing history come alive.

If an audience is full of Black, Brown, Asian or whatever color people, you as a director will think twice about programming La Bayadere or Petrushka. I really believe that.

'If you ask me if a traditional Swan Lake at the Mariinsky can have a black girl in the corps de ballet, I can tell you honestly that I don't have the answer. But I feel like telling you no.' JC Maillot

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.

The year may be winding down, but Queens Theatre is just getting started with a trio of Queens debuts, two Family Series shows based on beloved children's books and the launch production of a family comedy that was a hit with our Reading Series audiences.

The year may be winding down, but Queens Theatre is just getting started with a trio of Queens debuts, two Family Series shows based on beloved children's books and the launch production of a family comedy that was a hit with our Reading Series audiences.

Ahead of opening the 59th annual production of The Nutcracker on Nov. 30, Colorado Ballet announces the promotion of four Corps de Ballet Dancers:

UCSB Theater and Dance presents their annual Fall Dance Concert a?oeOut of Manya??.  The concert opens on December 5th and runs through December 7th in the UCSB Hatlen Theater. 

In their second visit to London's dance house, Acosta Danza return with a varied bill, following a successful debut in 2017. It culminates in a guest appearance from the man himself as he approaches his second Artistic Director role with Birmingham Royal Ballet in the new year. 

Set in a pastoral German village, GISELLE has all the components of a quintessential romantic work. The titular character is a beautiful young woman living with her strict-yet-loving mother (Lorna Geddes). Although a local forester (Piotr Stanczyk) wants to marry her, Giselle has fallen for another man in the village a?" the Count of Silesia, Albrecht (Harrison James), who has donned a disguise to escape the responsibilities of his noble status. When the forester exposes the Count's identity, Giselle goes mad and dies a?" in some productions by suicide, but in this version it seems more likely that a pre-existing heart condition is to blame. She returns as a Wili in the second act to defend Albrecht from the other Wilis and their queen (Heather Ogden), who force men in the woods to dance to their death.

The Flea Theater announces its winter 2019-2020 Anchor Partners, an initiative designed to support small independent theater, music and dance companies. This season, The Flea welcomes companies Tiffany Mills Company, Elisa Monte Dance, Notch Theatre Company, Gabrielle Revlock, The Bang Group and TOSOS.

Dance Lab New York (DLNY) is halfway through its Lab Cycle in collaboration with The Joyce Theater Foundation supporting female choreographers of color in ballet. Over the past two weeks, Amy Hall Garner and Preeti Vasudevan, have been exploring the classical and neoclassical ballet idioms with a company of eight professional dancers, supported by the DLNY Lab Cycle grant in space provided by The Joyce Theater Foundation. DLNY provided each of them with 30 hours of incubation, a stipend, eight paid professional dancers, a rehearsal director, insurances, and administrative support from DLNY staff and Founding Artistic Director, Josh Prince.

Anthony Williams' Urban Nutcracker, the modern Boston-centric holiday classic, celebrates its 19th season this December. The performances at the historic Boch Center Shubert Theatre allow theatregoers an opportunity to experience what The Boston Globe has deemed 'a holiday arts tradition reflecting the rich multicultural diversity of Boston.'

Just over a year ago Natalia Osipova premiered her own curated programme of work, Pure Dance, to mixed reviews. Amazing how, just one year later and with the pieces sitting more comfortably with the artists on stage, the momentum shifts, making for a much more powerful evening than before. 

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School. The ABT Gillespie School opened on September 14, 2015. and has become one of the most respected ballet schools on the West Coast. Combining the resources of American Ballet Theatre, America's National Ballet Company, and Segerstrom Center for the Arts, one of the nation's leading presenters of dance, the school offers unrivaled training and performance opportunities for students ages 3 a?" 18. Already, many of the school's students have performed in productions by American Ballet Theatre, the Mariinsky Ballet and the Mikhailovsky Ballet. Center Executive Vice President Judy Morr said, a?oeWe are so proud of the extraordinary success of our ABT Gillespie School and the achievements of our students. The Center cannot thank Bill Gillespie enough for making our school possible and the talent and guidance of Alaine Haubert, the school's principal. And, of course, we treasure our relationship with American Ballet Theatre, whose presence at the Center through the school's National Training Curriculum and their glorious performances on our stages have helped to make Orange County the dance capital of the West Coast.a??

Stay True, An LGBTQ+ Theatre Company presents their debut production of Adam & Brian, a new play written by Craig Donnelly, on Friday November 22nd and Saturday November 23rd at 8:00 PM at The Playroom Theater. Adam & Brian will star Roberto Araujo (Evita, In The Heights, West Side Story) as Brian and Gregory Ramsey (On The Town, Hair) as Adam. Ryan Andrew Arthur (Equus, The Secret Garden) will be the standby for both roles. Stay True's Founding Artistic Director Andrew Victor Myers directs the production.