Dance-Enthusiast.com Features

Two Improvisatory Evenings in January- NEVER BEFORE, NEVER AGAIN at Triskelion Arts in Brooklyn (part 1)

The Dance Enthusiast — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In Two Improvisatory Evenings in January- NEVER BEFORE, NEVER AGAIN at Triskelion Arts in Brooklyn (part 1):The Lovelies, a fourth generation company of practicing improvisers (“paying attention for six years,” they say) are the guest curators of Triskelions Arts’ sixth annual improv festival Never Before Never Again, and they do a remarkable job it. Christine Jowers, Brooklyn

IMPRESSIONS: New Adventures/Matthew Bourne’s “Swan Lake” at New York City Center

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In IMPRESSIONS: New Adventures/Matthew Bourne’s “Swan Lake” at New York City Center, "The inventive, provocative gender swap displays the impassioned, animalistic nature of these creatures rather than the traditional model of grace and delicacy." — Cecly Placenti, New York

IMPRESSIONS: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Jean-Guihen Queyras/ROSAS' "Mitten Wir Im Leben Sind (In the Midst of Life)" at NYU Skirball

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In IMPRESSIONS: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Jean-Guihen Queyras/ROSAS' Mitten Wir Im Leben Sind/Bach6 Cellosuiten (In the Midst of Life/Bach’s Cello) at NYU Skirball, "Besides the calibrated walking, arm swings, fouettés, and impulsive dashes that sometimes slam against the back wall, De Keersmaeker occasionally alludes to the period dances — the allemande, courante, sarabande, minuet, and gigue — with a gesture." — Deirdre Towers, New York

Cherylyn Lavagnino On "Tales of Hopper" & Painter Edward Hopper's Quiet Despair

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Cherylyn Lavagnino On "Tales of Hopper" & Painter Edward Hopper's Quiet Despair

We're Enthused! Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Was Named Best Independent Company at 20th National Dance Awards

The Dance Enthusiast — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

On February 20th, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance won Best Independent Dance Company at the 20th National Dance Awards organised by the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle.

Photo © Shobana Jeyasingh Dance

Shobana Jeyasingh says:

“I am delighted to receive this award on behalf of my company and all those who have contributed to its creative health over the years.

My company celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and in that time we have been fortunate enough to have been nominated for Best Independent Company four times in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2019. So, it is especially exciting to end up the winner this year. I would like to extend my good wishes to all the worthy nominees of the awards.

Shobana Jeyasingh Dance was also nominated for Best Modern Choreography for Contagion.

Shobana Jeyasingh Dance in "Contagion." Photo © Dance Tabs

Congratulations to Robert Mark Burke of 10 Hairy Legs For Receiving 2020 Choreography Fellowship

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

“For my new dance for 10 Hairy Legs, I am exploring the music of Louis Prima to create a tour de force quintet," said Burke.

IMPRESSIONS: Melinda Ring's “Strange Engagements” at Danspace Project

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In IMPRESSIONS: Melinda Ring's “Strange Engagements” at Danspace Project, "The dancers’ tasks subvert the personal; they make indulgence irrelevant. The piece is a Rube Goldberg machine of random yet interconnected cause and effect, with a sound score of fleshy noise." — Dot Armstrong, New York

IMPRESSIONS: Gabrielle Lamb/Pigeonwing Dance’s “Plexus: a work in knots” at John Jay College as part of CUNY Dance Initiative

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In IMPRESSIONS: Gabrielle Lamb/Pigeonwing Dance’s “Plexus: a work in knots” at John Jay College as part of CUNY Dance Initiative, "The five women and two men waft in and out of each other’s orbits, with ever-shifting alliances and power plays. Their actions appear spontaneous, a community that responds to potential until that potential becomes irresistible and, soon, exploitable." — Erin Bomboy, New York

The Dance Enthusiast Hits the Streets: New York City Center's Studio 5: Approaches to Mastering Choreography

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In The Dance Enthusiast Hits the Streets: New York City Center's Studio 5: Approaches to Mastering Choreography, "This insight into the rehearsal process offered a rare glimpse of a dancer’s work – a daily practice of details serving the magical synthesis later revealed to a paying public. The inherent tediousness of this process permeated the lecture/demonstration, resulting in a somewhat wearisome viewing experience." — Lauren Grant, New York

The Dance Enthusiast Asks: The Joyce Theater Director of Programming Aaron Mattocks on the Art of Presenting Dance

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In The Dance Enthusiast Asks: The Joyce Theater Director of Programming Aaron Mattocks on the Art of Presenting Dance, "When we opened our doors in September 2019, through the end of the calendar year, every single performance for those three and a half months featured some form of live music. I really wanted to start off with something special, a gift to the audience." — Aaron Mattocks in conversation with Theo Boguszewski, New York

The Dance Enthusiast Hits the Streets to see Brooklyn Ballet's Multi-Cultural "Pas De Quatre" and "Quartet" a Hip Hop Response to the Ballet

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

IMPRESSIONS: WOMEN IN MOTION 2019/2020 — Pop Performance Opportunity Project at Gibney

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In IMPRESSIONS: WOMEN IN MOTION 2019/2020 — Pop Performance Opportunity Project at Gibney, "The producers of the Women in Motion series are deadly serious about supporting female artists, but that doesn’t mean they present boring dances. Far from it. The latest installment in their program, Thursday night in The Theater at Gibney, featured a trio of works that were alternately touching, playful, and rambunctious." — Robert Johnson, New York

Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) Announces Spring 2020 BAC Residencies

The Dance Enthusiast — Fri, 07 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) Announces Spring 2020 BAC Residencies

Hollerin Space Wins Queer|Art's Second Annual Eva Yaa Asantewaa Grant for Queer Women(+) Dance Artists

The Dance Enthusiast — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

“With this award, we seek to record and honor the creative innovation and labor of queer women(+) dance artists. To acknowledge them as full humans and artists informed and nourished by love, by experience, and by culture."

— Yaa Asantewaa.

The Making of A “West Side Story” for the 21st Century - Guggenheim Works and Process with Ivo van Hove and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In The Making of A “West Side Story” for the 21st Century - Guggenheim Works and Process with Ivo van Hove and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker: "Briefly, as van Hove described approaching Scott Rudin to produce, he was worried about what this project might do for his reputation. 'I am going to be the most hated person,' he thought...Then he went for it." Christine Jowers, New York

Karen Bernard On "Lakeside" & The Residencies In Canada & Portugal That Shaped Her Newest Work

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Karen Bernard On "Lakeside" & The Residencies In Canada & Portugal That Shaped Her Newest Work

IMPRESSIONS: PROTOTYPE's “Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro” by Vuyani Dance Theatre at the Joyce Theater

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In IMPRESSIONS: PROTOTYPE's “Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro” by Vuyani Dance Theatre at the Joyce Theater, "Music, text, and dance meet onstage in a graveyard. Moving through a landscape of crosses — most upright, several akimbo — four singers and nine dancers commune, mourn, and, most of all, physically embody grief." — Erin Bomboy, New York

Day in the Life of Dance: A Conversation with Mira Cook of NYC Community Ballet

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In Day in the Life of Dance: A Conversation with Mira Cook of NYC Community Ballet, "In 2015, along with dancer friends, she founded NYC Community Ballet, a collective dedicated to providing affordable ballet classes to the professional dance community. Each class costs $5, which goes to cover the cost of the space and a stipend for the teacher." — Theo Boguszewski, New York

The Dance Enthusiast Asks Laurel Snyder about “To What End” at Spectrum

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In The Dance Enthusiast Asks Laurel Snyder about “To What End” at Spectrum, "I often find myself at the crossroads between music and dance. While that can sometimes make me feel like a “jack of all trades, master of none,” I’ve recently found comfort in that balance." — Laurel Snyder in conversation with Dot Armstrong

IMPRESSIONS: "Distances Smaller Than This Are Not Confirmed" by David Neumann and Marcella Murray, Presented by Abrons Arts Center and The Chocolate Factory

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In IMPRESSIONS: "Distances Smaller Than This Are Not Confirmed" by David Neumann and Marcella Murray, Presented by Abrons Arts Center and The Chocolate Factory, "Though both performers seem uncomfortable, this conversation is important to them and neither is willing to give up trying to connect." — Robert Johnson, New York

Artistic Director Stephen Pier on the 25th Anniversary of Hartt Dance at University of Hartford

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In Artistic Director Stephen Pier on the 25th Anniversary of Hartt Dance at University of Hartford, "With an equally strong commitment to modern and ballet, Hartt Dance maintains a relationship to both past masters and contemporary virtuosos."

Dancewave Announces Spring 2020 Artists-in-Residence

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Dancewave Announces Spring 2020 Artists-in-Residence. Congratulations, Rohan Bhargava, Winston Dynamite Brown & Latra Ann Wilson!

IMPRESSIONS: Thomas L. DeFrantz/SLIPPAGE’s “Soundz in the Back of My Head” at Gibney

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In IMPRESSIONS: Thomas L. DeFrantz/SLIPPAGE’s “Soundz in the Back of My Head” at Gibney, "For much of the hour-long piece, DeFrantz speaks, sometimes academically (he is a professor at Duke University), and other times personally." — Erin Bomboy, New York

IMPRESSIONS: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at New York City Center with Choreography by Camille A. Brown, Robert Battle, and Alvin Ailey

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In IMPRESSIONS: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at New York City Center with Choreography by Camille A. Brown, Robert Battle, and Alvin Ailey, "My impressions may echo the words of many other dance reviewers, but I write with the fresh enthusiasm of a first-time Ailey audience member on a particular night in a particular year." — Dot Armstrong, New York

IMPRESSIONS: caitlinadams/Heidco and Collin Kelly in Split Bill at Triskelion Arts

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In IMPRESSIONS: caitlinadams/Heidco and Collin Kelly in Split Bill at Triskelion Arts, "The world on stage exists for those who occupy it — we can’t quite enter, not yet, as they haven’t opened the box." — Dot Armstrong, Brooklyn