“POWER”
Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group
Ted Shawn Theater at Jacob’s Pillow
Becket, MA
July 13, 2019
When Reggie Wilson gets curious, the rest of us start to learn. Wilson’s ongoing choreographic research has delved into his African and Caribbean dance roots through multiple lenses including 20th century modern dance idioms, fractal math, and the Jewish Bible, among many. At heart, the Fist & Heel Performance Group starts with its name – the power of the fist
“Harlem on My Mind,” “This Bitter Earth,” “Valse Fantaisie,” “Balamouk”
Dance Theater of Harlem
Jacob’s Pillow
Becket, MA
July 13, 2019
It is hard to believe it was fifty years ago that Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook founded the ground- breaking Dance Theater of Harlem. Since then the company has had its ups and downs, including an eight-year hiatus from 2004 to 2012. But under the direction of Virginia Johnson, one of its first ballerinas, the company has regained
“Swan Lake”
American Ballet Theatre
Filene Center, Wolf Trap Park
Vienna, Virginia
July 13, 2019
Of the characters in “Swan Lake”, Odette and Odile fascinate because they are opposites as well as being similar. Suffering has given Odette her allure. Force is Odile’s magnet. However, Siegfried is just a routine prince. Perhaps he has a domineering mother, yet he both manages the courtiers and mixes with them to some extent. Like all princes who have just come of age,
“Grace and Mercy”
Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE
Sosoff Theater, Fisher Center at Bard College
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
July 5, 2019
What follows “Grace,” for Ronald K. Brown? Mercy, of course. In the world premiere of a well-balanced two-part performance at Bard College’s Fisher Center, Brown and his company, EVIDENCE, combined the 20-year old classic “Grace” with a new work, and added live music, to make for a beautiful full-evening length combination. Brown’s original work, choreographed for the Alvin Ailey
The Bournonville Legacy
"La Sylphide, Act II", "A Bournonville Square: pas de trois from 'The King's Volunteers on Amager', Jockey Dance from 'From Siberia to Moscow', the street singer from 'Napoli', pas de deux from 'Kermesse in Bruges', pas de six and tarantella from 'Napoli'
Members of the Royal Danish Ballet
Joyce Theater
New York, New York
July 9, 2019
Ulrik Birkkjaer, formerly with the Royal Danish Ballet and now dancing with the San Francisco Ballet, has put together a
American Ballet Theatre
"The Sleeping Beauty"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
July 6, 2019, evening
ABT's final performance of its spring season starred two of its group of talented soloists, Cassandra Trenary and Joseph Gorak, as Aurora and her prince. The only principal on view that evening was Stella Abrera as the Lilac Fairy; her arch enemy Carabosse was Craig Salstein, a former ABT soloist who left the company a year ago. The ballet is
New York City Ballet
"The Sleeping Beauty"
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
July 3, 2019, evening
Unlike Aurora, Alexei Ratmansky's 2015 production of Petipa's "The Sleeping Beauty" doesn't believe in long naps, and Ratmansky has added and subtracted elements over its brief life. This scrupulous attention to detail seems to keep the company awake and fresh, and the dancing, highlighted by Hee Seo's lyrical Aurora and Aran Bell's noble prince, was enticing. Ratmansky's version is a
"The Merry Widow"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
June 19, 2019
The National Ballet of Canada bid farewell to one of its most beloved principal dancers, Xiao Nan Yu, with Ronald Hynd's splashy ballet "The Merry Widow" set in fin de siècle Paris. It is a love story with humour, elegance and lively classical and character dancing – a perfect showcase for Yu's artistic gifts. The whole company came together to
Paul Taylor Dance Company
"Brandenburgs", "Rewilding", "Cascade"
Paul Taylor Dance Company
Neidorff-Karpati Hall
Manhattan School of Music
New York, New York
June 23, 2019, matinee
The final performance of the Paul Taylor Company's part of the Orchestra of St. Luke's Bach Festival was a heartfelt farewell for many in the packed audience, as it was their last chance to see so many members of the company Taylor molded by the choreographer – six members are retiring soon and it will inevitably be a different company.
“Journey”, “Rondo Ma Non Troppo”,
“Prufrock”, “Extremely Close”, “Songs by Cole”
and music by Chris Rogerson and Zoltan Kodaly
Chamber Dance Project
Harman Hall
Washington, DC
June 22, 2019 evening
The format chosen by artistic director Diane Coburn Bruning for Chamber Project’s summer program was an alternation of dance and music-only selections. All the pieces but one were short and for the one long number, the last, there was both dancing and just-concertizing. This format functioned well and, likely,
"Room for Error" "The Bedroom" "It's Uncle" "Cloudless" "Silent Scream"
SFDanceworks
Cowell Theater
Fort Mason Center
San Francisco, CA
June 20, 2019
In its fourth season, Founder James Sofranko's SFDanceworks offered three world premieres by Laura O’Malley, Brett Conway, and Andrea Schermoly. Local premieres of Hubbart Street Resident Choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo’s “Cloudless” and Olivier Wevers’ 2018 “Silent Scream” for his Whim W’Him company made for a well danced, well curated evening of contemporary choreography. This was an
"The Exceptionally Elderly Overweight Black Man Phoenix"
Robert Moses' Kin
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Forum
San Francisco, CA
June 14, 2019
While it’s true that most works of art on one level are about their creators, it’s also true that few artists manage to weave personal experience, artistic challenges, as well as social and philosophical issue into a seamless whole without overburdening the final product. But that’s exactly what Robert Moses attempted in his brave