“Opus 19/The Dreamer,” “Lineage,” “The Shaded Line,” “Symphony in C”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center
New York
October 13, 2019

Lauren Lovette doesn’t look like a person who makes waves; the word “adorable” could have been invented for her. There is evidence, though, in her dancing, that she can recreate herself, as she did on Sunday in Jerome Robbins’ “Opus 19/The Dreamer,” where she became almost feral in a nightmarish segment of

“At the Wrong Time,” “Dust Duet,” “Dare to Wreck,” “Lazarus” (Act II)
Fall For Dance Festival - Program 3
The Mariinsky Ballet, English National Ballet, Skånes Dansteater, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
New York City Center
New York, NY
October 6, 2019

The third program of this year’s Fall For Dance Festival followed what is now an expected formula: there was a range of dance styles on display, at least one work on pointe, and at least one crowd rouser.

“Paquita”
The Mariinsky Ballet
Opera House
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC
October 8 and 10, 2019

The tastes and skills for this 2017 production of the ballet “Paquita” span several centuries. The story derives from the writings of Spain’s Miguel Cervantez (1547 – 1616). The first dance version premiered 1846 in Paris, choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to music by Edouard Deldevez. The work is named for its principal character: Paquita appears to be a

“Serenade,” “Summerspace,” “Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center
New York
October 10, 2019

Throughout the dance world this year, celebrations are taking place to mark the centenary of Merce Cunningham’s birth. New York City Ballet has had Cunningham’s “Summerspace” (1958) in its repertory since 1966, so it is logical that the company would bring it back as its own way of honoring the great modern dance innovator. The work

"Dances at a Gathering,” “Everywhere We Go”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center
New York, New York
October 8, 2019

In 1969, when Jerome Robbins returned to New York City Ballet after a twelve-year hiatus, he created “Dances at a Gathering.” He had intended to make a pas de deux and ended with an hour-long series of dances, the ease of invention surprising even him. The ballet was an instant success and has remained

“A Picture of You Falling,” “Rise,” “Ash,” “Bzzzz”
Fall for Dance 2019 – Program 1
City Center
New York, NY
October 1, 2019

With City Center’s annual “Fall for Dance” festival in full swing, the New York dance season is officially open. The first program included two world premiere City Center Commissions, including a new work by Kyle Abraham for Misty Copeland. An American company and an international company filled in the evening, and – always aiming to please the crowd

"Eleven", "Dans l'Engrenage", "Shadow Lands", "Salvaje"
Fall for Dance, Program 2
New York City Center
New York, New York
October 3, 2019

The second program of Fall for Dance opened and closed with live music, a rare luxury nowadays.  Mark Morris' women dominated the opening dance and the final performance was an all male affair from the Argentine group Malevo.  The two middle pieces had mixed casts, (very loud) recorded music, a lot of energy, and some

“(in)Visible"
Jess Curtis/Gravity
CounterPulse
San Francisco, CA
Oct. 3, 2019

Even in an area as rich in experimental dance as this one, choreographers can still surprise us with one more question asked. If the inquiries don’t always convince, if cogently asked, they at least resonate a little on the way out of the theater. Jess Curtis/Gravity’s “(in)Visible,” developed in Berlin and receiving its local premiere at CounterPulse, did much more than that. At seventy-

"Take Five" "The Man in Black" "Carmina Burana"
Smuin Contemporary Ballet
Cowell Theater
San Francisco, CA
September 27, 2019

Smuin Contemporary Ballet’s sixteen dancers opened the company’s 26^th season with an infectious verve and the confidence to take on whatever might come down the line. (The fact that soon they will move into a home of their own just may have contributed to the upbeat mood). They also welcomed five new colleagues, some of whom already

“Beach Birds”, “BIPED”
Merce Cunningham @ 100
Compagnie Centre National de Danse Contemporaine – Angers
Eisenhower Theater
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC
October 3, 2019

To celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of New York choreo-grapher Merce Cunningham (1919 - 2009), the Kennedy Center imported a contemporary dance company from Angers, France. The troupe is directed by Robert Swinston, a Juilliard School graduate who danced for Martha Graham, Kazuko Hirabayashi, José Limón 

“Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich”
Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker
New York Live Arts
New York, NY
September 26, 2019

It is hard to get much more minimalist than this, especially while offering so much. Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker’s latest re-staging of her early composition continues to mesmerize. On the bare stage, a pair of women moved in and out of hypnotic parallel to four musical “phases” by Steve Reich. In pale gray shifts and