Dance-Enthusiast.com Features

IMPRESSIONS: EMERGE125, Celebrating 10 Years of Tiffany Rea-Fisher's Artistic Leadership, at El Museo del Barrio

The Dance Enthusiast — Sat, 09 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Accolades for Tiffany Rea-Fisher’s dance company EMERGE125, celebrating its 10th year, were numerous. Filmed testimonials spoke of Rea-Fisher’s impact on the dance community, citing her “vision and consistency.” Taking the stage at El Museo del Barrio on April 30, Rea-Fisher introduced an evening that departed from the expected retrospective format. Instead, she offered two premieres and one work in progress for her company of ten, noting that she is not looking back but looking forward with appreciation. - Catherine Tharin, New York City

IMPRESSIONS: AXIS Dance in “Patterns” at Lincoln Center’s Big Umbrella Festival 2026

The Dance Enthusiast — Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"Since its inception in 1987, AXIS Dance Company, a pioneering integrated dance company, has advanced the field through artistry and innovation. AXIS collaborates with disabled, non-disabled, d/Deaf, and neurodiverse artists using visibility and advocacy to challenge ableist bias towards dance and dancers. This April, AXIS Dance Company performed at Lincoln Center for the first time, presenting Patterns, a collection of four new works that demonstrated technical prowess, emotional range, and choreographic complexity." — Rush Johnston, New York City

IMPRESSIONS: Spring in Brief | Jonathan González's "Swerve Fatigue" and Symara Sarai's "Angelic Architectures"

The Dance Enthusiast — Thu, 07 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"Two such performances this April catalyzed these reflections on effort and ease: Jonathan González’s multimedia group work, Swerve Fatigue, presented by The Kitchen in their loft at Westbeth, and Symara Sarai’s dance-play, Angelic Architectures, at Abrons Arts Center’s Experimental Theater." — Sarah Cecilia Bukowski, New York

IMPRESSIONS: Ballet Hispánico’s “Mujeres: Women in Motion” at New York City Center

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"Though the exciting program of three ensemble works spotlights the varying talents of its Latina choreographers, the real stars of the show are the Ballet Hispánico dancers who, under the artistic direction of Eduardo Vilaro, perform with fiery elegance, technical brilliance, and generous expressivity." — Lisa Jo Sagolla, New York

IMPRESSIONS FROM LA: Mythili Prakash in “She’s Auspicious” at Santa Monica's Broad Stage

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"As a child, choreographer Mythili Prakash questioned why they had to create a Goddess when there were already others able. Why must it be a Goddess made of male energy? In challenging the story, she started to shape her view of femininity and womanhood." — Steven Vargas, Los Angeles

IMPRESSIONS: “The Politics of Movement: When Dance Speaks Out” Presented at the 14Y Theater

The Dance Enthusiast — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"This performance marked the American Dance Guild and Clark Center's first joint presentation, uniting legacy institutions in a shared call for artistic and social engagement. Founded in 1959 with support from Alvin Ailey, the Clark Center provided critical opportunities for Black dancers and choreographers historically excluded from mainstream concert stages. ADG, established in 1956, remains one of the nation's first dance service organizations." — Deirdre Towers, New York

IMPRESSIONS: Stephanie Saywell & Helen Wicks at Arts On Site

The Dance Enthusiast — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"Stephanie Saywell and Helen Wicks shared an hour-long evening at Arts On Site, an intimate stage well-suited to their solo and duet program." — Catherine Tharin, New York City

THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST ASKS: Cameron McKinney on Kizuna Dance, His Global Style, and the CUNY Dance Initiative

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"I’ve been fortunate across my time here to be involved in a lot of different residencies and fellowships. But what I’ve found in New York City is that some of the residency opportunities have disappeared. The CUNY Dance Initiative is really the top opportunity that is offered to artists at all ends of the spectrum." — Cameron McKinney, Artistic Director/Choreographer, New York

IMPRESSIONS: "Plato Caves: Screens vs Shadows" at The Chocolate Factory Theater

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"Steven Wendt and Wes Day’s Plato Caves: Screens vs Shadows was, on the sunny Sunday afternoon performance I attended, a massive delight for a rapt audience of children. The event is The Chocolate Factory Theater’s first venture into theatre for young audiences (TYA), and unlike other TYA shows I’ve attended (including in my own childhood), this one gave the adults in the room something real to think about: our dependence on screens." — Kate Purdum, Queens, NY

DAY IN THE LIFE OF DANCE: Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup Presents Moving Memory Project 2026: Next Gen

The Dance Enthusiast — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"What's bringing me the most joy in what I do in the dance world?' It's having a bunch of people walk into a room with zero expectations, no judgment, and leaving much happier than when they came in. That is a win! And for me, creating many opportunities for that to happen is my trajectory." — Stefanie Nelson, New York

THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST ASKS: Gabrielle Lamb on "Rising," a Collaboration with Composer Robert Sirota and the Neave Trio

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"As climate change accelerates and oceans rise, choreographer Gabrielle Lamb’s latest collaboration turns to water as both physical force and poetic metaphor [...] Lamb translates scientific ideas into embodied experience— an impulse which expands into a meditation on oceans, memory, and a planet in flux [...] The work invites audiences to examine and feel our evolving relationship with the natural world." — Theo Boguszewski, New York

IMPRESSIONS: Benjamin Millepied’s "Romeo & Juliet Suite" at the Park Avenue Armory

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"Walking past the enormous stage, the 1,200-person audience takes their places on risers facing the back of a glowing red sofa with a giant screen hovering behind it. The setting is impressive; one feels Lilliputian in the dark, cavernous Park Avenue Armory, the site of Benjamin Millepied’s Romeo & Juliet Suite, inspired by William Shakespeare’s tragedy and set to the traditional ballet score by Sergei Prokofiev." — Catherine Tharin, New York City

IMPRESSIONS: Jane Comfort at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club's Ellen Stewart Theatre

The Dance Enthusiast — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"Frisky and irreverent, choreographer Jane Comfort makes no secret of her contempt for America’s decadent political Establishment. The Gulf of America, the premiere that her Jane Comfort and Company presented on March 19, in La MaMa ETC’s Ellen Stewart Theatre, drew on recent events to portray a peaceful community assaulted by militarized police." — Robert Johnson, New York

IMPRESSIONS: Jodi Melnick's "Superbloom (Dancing Into Choreographic Forms)" at the 92NY

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"One of the most arresting moments occurs as Melnick and Mearns, in a meditative duet, envelop their bodies into looped sculptures of flowers. With this image, it is as if they become flowers themselves: representing not only the beauty of a fully realized bloom, but also the process of getting to that place." — Kristen Hedberg, New York

IMPRESSIONS: Mark Morris Dance Group's 45th Anniversary at the Brooklyn Academy of Music

The Dance Enthusiast — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"Costumed by Isaac Mizrahi in loose-fitting, long-sleeved jumpsuits — white on the front, black on the back — MOON’s nine dancers suggest the light and dark sides of the moon, or perhaps pajama-clad youngsters lured to view the mysterious object shining in the nighttime sky." — Lisa Jo Sagolla, Brooklyn

THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST ASKS: Donald Byrd Revisits "Occurrence #14" at La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival

The Dance Enthusiast — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"As an aging, aged, old artist, the question I'm asking is around relevance. Can I be relevant? [...] That can't be the same relevance that younger artists have [...] When you've done work for a long time, you become less interested in “pow, pow,” overwhelming the audience [...] I don't care about those things anymore. I care about the relevance of the work. What am I saying? Can I say something that speaks to our humanity in some way that may require contemplation?" — Donald Byrd, New York

DAY IN THE LIFE OF DANCE: Alison Cook Beatty Dance Prepares for Two Evenings of Modern Dance

The Dance Enthusiast — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"What stood out from my observation of rehearsal, and from my conversations with Cook-Beatty and her company, was their passion for movement and their commitment to one another and to the work. The uplift that comes from being in the same room with that kind of spiritual and physical energy is remarkable, and audiences will have a chance to experience it this weekend." — Amy Meisner-Threet, New York

IMPRESSIONS FROM BOSTON: Stefanie Batten Bland and Daniel Bernard Roumain's "CLOSE UP"

The Dance Enthusiast — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"What captivates me about CLOSE UP from start to finish is the clarity and force of its images. Vignettes rush past, emerging from darkness; they shift across time and tell nonlinear stories, introducing us to different figures, or spirits, fully inhabited by Batten Bland and Roumain [...] The work unfolds according to a surreal dream logic, and I am swept up in it." — Christine Jowers, Boston

IMPRESSIONS: New York Flamenco Festival (Part II)

The Dance Enthusiast — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"The New York Flamenco Festival programmed a series of events including Irene Morales in La Argentinita at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and RAW at Joe's Pub, Sara Baras in Vuela at New York City Center, Juan Tomás de la Molía at Joe's Pub, Jon Maya and Andrés Marín in Yarin, Uptown Rhythm Dance Festival, Works & Process, the Guggenheim Museum, Sonia Olla & Ismael Fernández in Vinculo at Joe's Pub, andn Olga Pericet in From Carmencita to Pericet, and the film, La Carmencita, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The history of Spanish dancing in New York is a long one." — Robert Johnson, New York City

IMPRESSIONS: American Ballet Theatre's 2026 Spring Season at Lincoln Center

The Dance Enthusiast — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"Susan Jaffe, the artistic director of American Ballet Theatre, has introduced a spring season to the company’s New York City schedule. Performed were dances: Raymonda, Mozartiana, Nuages, Neo, Firebird." — Henning Rübsam, New York City

IMPRESSIONS: (VACA) Valentina Baché’s “Dog God//Germ Angels” Presented by Triskelion Arts

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"Valentina Baché is a choreographer without inhibition. They take risks playing with violence and danger as they carry us on a journey through a hurricane. They hope this experience will jolt us into action." — Rush Johnston, Brooklyn

IMPRESSIONS: Emma Judkins Presents "At Matins or Evensong" at Kestrels, Brooklyn

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"It’s amazing what a few well-placed lights in a clear and well-tended space can do. Kestrels, an artist-run venue in Gowanus, Brooklyn, is just such a space. The subtly-shifting washes of color and dramatic shadows conjured by lighting designer Shana Crawford narrate Emma Judkins’ extended duet At Matins or Evensong with the kind of care and intention that only light, with its elemental power to illuminate or obscure, can imbue. I begin with light because it’s the first thing I notice, and the thing that I continue to feel present as a voice in this spare and moving work." — Sarah Cecilia Bukowski, Brooklyn, New York

IMPRESSIONS FROM PARIS: Dance Theatre of Harlem at the Palais des Congrès, Paris

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST ASKS: Luke Murphy on the Us Premiere of “Scorched Earth” at St. Ann’s Warehouse

The Dance Enthusiast — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"Within my work, my philosophy is that we can do anything if we learn. And similarly, the shows can be anything they want to be. Leaning into this cinematic genre felt like the right thing to do; I decided to explore the story as an unsolved crime that's being reinvestigated." — Luke Murphy, Creator/Director/Artist

IMPRESSIONS: Lucinda Childs’ Early Works from 1963-1973 at the Guggenheim’s Rotunda

The Dance Enthusiast — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"Viewed from the dizzying height of the fourth spiral of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Lucinda Childs’ early works from 1963-1973 were splendidly fresh. They could have been choreographed at the beginning of a career, or at the end." — Catherine Tharin, New York City