Dance-Enthusiast.com Features

Queer|Art|Prize Ceremony Honors Drag Activist Joan Jett Blakk & Dance Artists Jumatatu M. Poe & Jermone Donte Beacham

The Dance Enthusiast — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0500

On Friday, November 1, more than 200 LGBTQ+ artists and allies packed into The Center (208 W. 13th St.) for the 2019 Queer|Art Annual Party.

IMPRESSIONS: Kayla Farrish/Decent Structures' "The New Frontier: my dear America (pt. 1)" at Danspace Project

The Dance Enthusiast — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0500

In IMPRESSIONS: Kayla Farrish/Decent Structures' "The New Frontier: my dear America (pt. 1)" at Danspace Project,

"She morphs and shape-shifts, flexing and collapsing, grooving, softening

She moves at warp speed, macho to delicate. She lets out a yell."

— Dot Armstrong, New York

MOVING PEOPLE: Alicia Graf Mack on Carmen de Lavallade, "Revelations," and Leading the Dance Division at the Juilliard School

The Dance Enthusiast — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0500

In MOVING PEOPLE: Alicia Graf Mack on Carmen de Lavallade, "Revelations," and Leading the Dance Division at the Juilliard School. Alicia Graf Mack says, "I’ve tried to live a life outside of dance, and it’s never worked."

Dance News: Center for Performance Research Announces 10 Artists-in-Residence For 2020

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Center for Performance Research Announces 10 Artists-in-Residence For 2020! Find out who they are.

IMPRESSIONS: Black Grace at the Joyce Theater

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0500

In IMPRESSIONS: Black Grace at the Joyce Theater, "Gathered in a circle, facing inward, the dancers take up various gestures that will become motifs. Pressing their palms together, they crouch and toss their joined hands over each shoulder. As the dance expands and begins to change direction, they squat with legs crossed, lift their knees, and rock backward." — Robert Johnson, New York

Margie Gillis on her "Rewilding" and its Lincoln Center Premiere with the Paul Taylor American Modern Dance at David H. Koch Theater

The Dance Enthusiast — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0500

In Margie Gillis on her "Rewilding" and its Lincoln Center Premiere with the Paul Taylor American Modern Dance at David H. Koch Theater, Gillis asks the artists to embrace all the vocabulary that’s lived in their bodies through their years of working with Taylor. Then, combined with her round, lush movement and pointed improvisations, they must take it out for an adventure...Christine Jowers, New York

Ranardo-Domeico Grays, Artistic Director of VISIONS Contemporary Ballet on Finding Clarity After Cancer and the Healing Power of Dance

The Dance Enthusiast — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0500

"Some survivors say they gained 'a new lease on life.' I feel differently about that," says Grays. "I never felt as though I started over; I simply continued on the path that I was meant to travel—a challenging path that was not new, just very different."

David Orr, Founder Of Boston Moving Arts Productions, On Dance’s Power To Open The Floodgates Of Emotion

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0500

David Orr, Founder Of Boston Moving Arts Productions, On Dance’s Power To Open The Floodgates Of Emotion

IMPRESSIONS: BalletX’s “The Little Prince” at the Joyce Theater

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0500

In IMPRESSIONS: BalletX’s “The Little Prince” at the Joyce Theater, "Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s choreography showcases luscious leg extensions, intertwining pas de deux between all genders, and animalistic pantomime. Pointe shoes appear in certain scenes and solos, but everyone has moments in socks and jazz shoes, allowing them to explore gymnastic floor work." — Stacey Menchel Kussel, New York

IMPRESSIONS: American Ballet Theatre in Balanchine, Bennett & The Beach Boys

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0500

In IMPRESSIONS: American Ballet Theatre in Balanchine, Bennett & The Beach Boys, "Juxtaposing classical ballet and contemporary social dance may not seem revolutionary today, but when Twyla Tharp first presented Deuce Coupe in 1973, it did. Set to songs by surf rock band The Beach Boys, the work compares and contrasts two movement vocabularies to expose different ways of expressing and interpreting the music." — Theo Boguszewski, New York

Dance News: Dance Lab New York (DLNY) Announces New Choreographers & Dancers In Partnership With The Joyce Theater Foundation

The Dance Enthusiast — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0400

Dance Lab New York (DLNY) Announces New Choreographers & Dancers In Partnership With The Joyce Theater Foundation.

Dance News: New York City Center Names Lear DeBessonet Next Artistic Director Of Encores!

The Dance Enthusiast — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0400

New York City Center Names Lear DeBessonet Next Artistic Director Of Encores!

Three Shows That Have Helped Me Through Fall 2019, PART 1: "INHERITANCE: A LITANY," "FALLING & LOVING"

The Dance Enthusiast — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0400

In Three Shows That Have Helped Me Through Fall 2019, PART 1: "INHERITANCE: A LITANY," "FALLING & LOVING" AND "LOOK WHO'S COMING TO DINNER: "This fall dance season three particular shows have given me the strength to deal with the daily barrage of 2019. The creators of these experiences need to be called out for their bravery, compassion, and artistry... "Christine Jowers, NYC and Montclair, NJ

Three Shows That Have Helped Me Through Fall 2019, PART 2: "LOOK WHO'S COMING TO DINNER" — Stefanie Batten Bland with Company SBB at LA MAMA Experimental Theatre Club

The Dance Enthusiast — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0400

MOVING PEOPLE: Lucy Sexton on the Bessies, the Factress, and Her Favorite Artist of All Time

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0400

In MOVING PEOPLE: Lucy Sexton on the Bessies, the Factress, and Her Favorite Artist of All Time, she says in response to question, What event (dance-related or not) has transformed you? , "I was changed the day I saw Merce Cunningham in a video by Charles Atlas on WNET. Something about the crystal shapes and unpredictable movement captivated me, I started studying at Cunningham's studio in Westbeth when I was 15."

IMPRESSIONS: American Ballet Theatre’s The Masters Program with George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, and Alexei Ratmansky

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0400

In IMPRESSIONS: American Ballet Theatre’s The Masters Program with George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, and Alexei Ratmansky, "One mark of a great choreographer is that he or she is able to make us hear the music differently. Tharp achieves this in A Gathering of Ghosts, translating whirring passages for the strings, for example, as a driving rhythmic pulse." — Nicole Dekle Collins, New York

IMPRESSIONS: Kyle Abraham’s A.I.M at the Joyce Theater with Keerati Jinakunwiphat and Trisha Brown

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0400

In IMPRESSIONS: Kyle Abraham’s A.I.M at the Joyce Theater with Keerati Jinakunwiphat and Trisha Brown, "Ranging from introspective to sensual to playful, the spectrum of Abraham’s artistic influences and interests are on display. The pieces are lovely, well-produced, and offer visual interest, yet the most effective ones provide a clear trajectory." — Theo Boguszewski, New York

Nicole Wolcott On The Insidious Absurdity of Airports & Presenting "Luggage Lost" At Triskelion Arts

The Dance Enthusiast — Fri, 25 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0400

Nicole Wolcott calls out the "insidious absurdity of airports" and discusses what led to creating "Luggage Lost," which premieres at Triskelion Arts this November 1-2, 2019.

Connor Walsh, Karina González & Yuriko Kajiya On Dancing Houston Ballet's 50th Anniversary Season At New York City Center

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0400

Connor Walsh, Karina González & Yuriko Kajiya On Dancing Houston Ballet's 50th Anniversary Season At New York City Center.

IMPRESSIONS: Teac Damsa’s “Swan Lake/Loch na hEala” at BAM Harvey

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0400

In IMPRESSIONS: Teac Damsa’s “Swan Lake/Loch na hEala” at BAM Harvey, "A 75-minute work of Irish tanztheater, Teac Damsa’s Loch na hEala manages the impossible by being radical yet familiar, universal yet singular. The Guardian recently crowned it the second-best dance piece of the 21st century, so my zeal isn’t hyperbole. After seeing it, you might actually be a different person." — Erin Bomboy, Brooklyn

IMPRESSIONS: New York City Ballet’s George Balanchine and Merce Cunningham Program — David H. Koch Theater

The Dance Enthusiast — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0400

In IMPRESSIONS: New York City Ballet’s George Balanchine and Merce Cunningham Program — David H. Koch Theater: "In a time when fashion dictates adding technology and special effects to works of dance, returning to the choreography of George Balanchine and Merce Cunningham reminds us how much can be accomplished simply with the body in space." Lauren Grant, New York.

Remembrances of the Cuban Icon, Prima Ballerina Alicia Alonso

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0400

In Remembrances of the Cuban Icon, Prima Ballerina Alicia Alonso, "In 1942, as a young dancer with American Ballet Theatre, she suffered a detached retina. Though nearly blind, she never let her disability diminish her focus, nor hamper her drive.In 1942, as a young dancer with American Ballet Theatre, she suffered a detached retina. Though nearly blind, she never let her disability diminish her focus, nor hamper her drive." — Deirdre Towers, New York

IMPRESSIONS: William Forsythe’s “A Quiet Evening of Dance” at The Shed

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0400

In IMPRESSIONS: William Forsythe’s “A Quiet Evening of Dance” at The Shed, "Because it’s Forsythe, there’s a lot to see. What you see — and why you see it — may reflect your dancing history." — Erin Bomboy, New York

92Y to Unveil "Excercizes for the Dance," A Handwritten Isadora Duncan Manuscript

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0400

92Y to Unveil "Excercizes for the Dance," A Handwritten Isadora Duncan Manuscript!

IMPRESSIONS: Monica Bill Barnes & Company’s “Days Go By” at Brookfield Place

The Dance Enthusiast — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0400

In IMPRESSIONS: Monica Bill Barnes & Company’s “Days Go By” at Brookfield Place, "Soon, the separation between performer and non-performer becomes clear. Walking patterns develop into choreographed phrases peppered with hops, chassés, and pivots." — Cecly Placenti, New York