Dreamscape
The surge protectors needed replacement after the Hofesh Shechter Company’s concluded four nights performing “Theatre of Dreams” at the Powerhouse: International festival in Gowanus, Brooklyn.
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World-class review of ballet and dance.
The surge protectors needed replacement after the Hofesh Shechter Company’s concluded four nights performing “Theatre of Dreams” at the Powerhouse: International festival in Gowanus, Brooklyn.
Continua a leggereIn the 1996 comedy Multiplicity, Michael Keaton plays a man who decides to clone himself several times over in order to meet the demands of work and family. Chaos ensues. On November 14, San Francisco Opera premiered “The Monkey King” by Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang. While the narrative features chaos, the line drawn between the 30-year-old film and this new opera is that the titular Monkey King is played by three performers; or one singer, one dancer, and a puppet; or, six performers total, because the puppet Monkey King requires three puppeteers. The Monkey King is an agent...
Continua a leggereIf classical ballet training—from Vaganova to Cecchetti—idealises effortlessness, silence, and a body almost freed from its own weight, modern dance insists on the opposite: the blunt truth that we are made of flesh and bone, and that this matter can itself become an instrument of power.
Continua a leggereTides and the gravitational pull of the moon informed the latest work of Denison University of Ohio dance faculty members Marion Ramirez and Ojeya Cruz Banks.
Continua a leggereWhat drives the creative force in the universe? What impels motherhood? These are some of the questions that provoked the bold and colorful work that unfolded onstage as Gallim premiered “Mother” at the Joyce the first week of November.
Continua a leggereBird-themed dances are nothing new. In addition to the likes of “Swan Lake” (in its numerous iterations, Hello, Matthew Bourne!), “The Firebird” and “The Dying Swan,” there was also Merce Cunningham’s 1991 “Beach Birds.”
Continua a leggereJuliana F. May’s “Optimistic Voices,” which premiered last week at BAM Fisher, was pitched as an exploration of the “tangled contradictions of family, eroticism, and motherhood.”
Continua a leggereMove over, Matthew Bourne, there is a new voice in theatrical dance plays. Choreographer Penny Saunders' bespoke production of “Sherlock,” performed by Grand Rapids Ballet, was not only a triumph in bringing literature’s favorite super sleuth to the stage in dance form, but is an early contender as one of the 2025-26 dance season’s very best.
Continua a leggereOn the night of Halloween in South Bend, Indiana, I weave through costumed partygoers as I make my way to a special double bill at the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.
Continua a leggereThis fall, Japan Society is celebrating the centenary of legendary Japanese post-war author Yukio Mishima (1925-1970) with a series of works in theater, film, and dance inspired by his oeuvre.
Continua a leggerePowerhouse: International, the newly launched arts festival in Gowanus, Brooklyn, continued its fall offerings with the multidisciplinary work “Fampitaha, fampita, fampitàna,” co-presented with L’Alliance New York’s Crossing the Line Festival.
Continua a leggereIt was apropos that I attended choreographer Wanjiru Kamuyu’s latest work, “Fragmented Shadows,” just before Halloween.
Continua a leggereLong before the dancers take the stage, Dance Theatre of Harlem’s season at New York City Center feels like one of the most energizing cultural events of the spring.
Continua a leggereIt is rare for George Balanchine’s grand, bedazzled “Symphony in C” to open a program. Its champagne-popping finale for 52 dancers tends to be a nightcap.
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The Spring is Blooming festival, by Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, now in its fifth year, has become a highlight of the spring dance circuit.
Continua a leggereAs the audience come to their feet at the end of this ballet there is a noted difference to be seen on stage. Three women stand with joined hands, taking their call as the romantic leads of a loud and proud lesbian ballet.
Continua a leggereOne of San Francisco Ballet’s greatest assets is its home venue, the Beaux-Arts style War Memorial Opera House, with four rings of seating that require performers to project their energies practically to the exosphere.
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