“The Brahms-Haydn Variations,” “Deuce Coupe,” “In the Upper Room”
American Ballet Theatre
The Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
May 31, 2019

ABT’s Tharp Trio program was in some ways all about the once-new ways of looking at dance, and in others an unequivocal way to underscore the “American” in American Ballet Theatre. The three Twyla Tharp works – the crowd-pleasing modern “In the Upper Room,” the neo-classical “Brahms-Haydn Variations,” and the completely new to the company, blended-styled “Deuce Coupe”

“Moss Anthology: Variation #5,” “The Theory of Color,” “You Took a Part of Me,” “Snap Crackle Pop”
“Women/Create” – A Festival of Dance
New York Live Arts
New York, NY
June 11, 2019

Seeing four mature, successful female choreographers take the stage together in a program that celebrates women’s creative pursuits is still a powerful draw. By now, we shouldn’t need this reassurance, and the “Women/Create” festival (their fourth) still misses a broad swathe of the riskier

"The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude", "Approximate Sonata", "The Second Detail"
The National Ballet of Canada
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Toronto, Canada
June 1, 2019

The National Ballet of Canada's latest triple bill was a whirlwind tour through William Forsythe's choreographic world. The program was short, clocking in at just over one hour of dance (excluding the intermission), yet dense with a variety of terpsichorean riches. The dancers really sunk their teeth into the three works, using them

"Clearing", "Trio Sonatas", "Nights and Dreams", "Undercurrent"
Lydia Johnson Dance
The Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater
New York, New York
June 6, 2019

The small company (thirteen dancers plus a guest appearance by former New York City Ballet dancer Craig Hall) presented four works by Lydia Johnson, one premiere ("Clearing") and three older pieces.  Johnson has a wide-ranging taste in music and the evening had works set to Handel ("Trio Sonatas", Schubert ("Nights and Dreams"), Henryk Górecki ("Undercurrents"), and Philip

“Classically Dope” by Wavelengths Winds et alia;
Copland’s “Billy the Kid” Suite and
“From the New World” i.e., Dvorak’s Symphony #9 by
The National Symphony Orchestra
The Anthem
Washington, DC
June 5, 2019

An anthem is a hymn in praise of joy. DC’s huge, fairly new venue for the performing arts – The Anthem – is being called a concert hall. It opened on The Wharf, the city’s renovated Southwest waterfront, in October 2017 and is being

"Concerto Barocco," 'Garland Dance' from "The Sleeping Beauty", "New Sleep (pas de deux)", "Bourrée Fantasque"
School of American Ballet
Peter J. Sharp Theater
New York, NY
June 1, 2019 (matinee)

At this graduation performance by the students of the School of American Ballet, there was no single dancer who generated ongoing buzz (Paloma Herrera, 1991) or who made hearts stop (Monique Meunier, 1990). The virtues of this performance were not so much individual as collective: the ardor and scrupulousness of

“Jane Eyre”
American Ballet Theatre
Metropolitan Opera House
New York, New York
June 4, 2019

Cathy Marston’s expressionist ballet based on Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” got its first performance at American Ballet Theatre Tuesday night. Originally produced in 2016 in Doncaster, England by the Northern Ballet, this was its U.S. premiere. With an excellent score by Philip Feeney and scenery by Patrick Kinmonth (who also designed the costumes) the ballet’s twelve scenes over two acts were

“Rajastra: The King’s Cloth” “Hamsa” “”Jangala”
Oakland Ballet Company
Odell Johnson Performing Arts Center Oakland, CA
June 1, 2019

Making the most out of whatever resources are available to you probably is not the least of a successful artistic director’s skills. Graham Lustig, the heart and brain behind the blossoming Oakland Ballet Company, certainly has what it takes. The company’s last season program was smartly planned, admirably danced and well received by the sizable matinee audience at

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
New York City Ballet
Lincoln Center, New York
May 29, 2019

George Balan-chine’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a perfect antidote for our troubled times. Shakespeare’s play may include tensions and quarrels, but by the end, harmony is achieved and love triumphs. In Balanchine’s hands Shakespeare’s narrative is given an added abundance of humor and beauty. For a few hours, at least, we can enter an enchanted world where every