Shen Wei, 30 Years of Art
To many, the name Shen Wei might conjure the distinctive choreography of the Opening Ceremonies at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
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World-class review of ballet and dance.
To many, the name Shen Wei might conjure the distinctive choreography of the Opening Ceremonies at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Continue ReadingIt will be impossible to walk past the Panthéon again without recalling what happened at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in late September 2025: the extraordinary transformation—verging on possession—of Germaine Acogny into Joséphine Baker.
Continue ReadingThe curtain opens on a stark, grey stage. Cut off from the vitality of the world, an aged man, shabby and nondescript, exists only for his books. Inspired suddenly by a romantic vision, he forces a lazing servant to attend him and leaves behind this colorless prison, carrying his fantastical determination along with the dated accoutrements of a crusading knight.
Continue ReadingFor its twentieth anniversary, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham showcased a trio of established works set to live music at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center.
Continue ReadingSemantic satiation is the psychological phenomenon in which repetition causes a word or phrase to temporarily lose meaning for the listener.
Continue ReadingI make my way up the stairs at the Substation. Along all four sides of the large room, rows of seats are arranged. Event warning: sudden loud noises. Content warning: death. I find a seat along the long side wall, with my back to the window.
Continue ReadingMartha Graham said that “movement never lies”—but what of stillness? For NYC Dance Project’s latest book, Martha Graham Dance Company: 100 Years, photographers Ken Browar and Deborah Ory set out to explore Martha Graham’s legacy through photos.
Continue ReadingFrom the back of the stage, a single searchlight points in the direction of the audience, and as it does, it sweeps across the forms of seven dancers in Stephanie Lake’s “Seven Days.”
Continue Reading“Are we cancelled now?” James Jordan queries mischievously, eyes shining. He’s just made some chancy quips regarding recent Strictly Come Dancing controversies, alluding rather than directly addressing the issues. “We were the good boys on all of our series,” he insists.
Continue ReadingAt a time when the arts in America are under attack and many small dance companies are quietly disappearing, San Francisco’s dance scene—for decades second in its volume of activity only to New York—still has a pulse.
Continue ReadingNoé Soulier enters the space without warning, and it takes a few seconds for the chattering audience to register the man now standing before them, dressed simply in a grey t-shirt and black pants, barefoot.
Continue ReadingIn the first few seconds that the lights come up on BalletX at the Joyce Theater, an audience member murmurs her assent: “I love it already.”
Continue ReadingTwo performers crawl in on hands and knees wearing neon green, hooded coveralls—the lightweight papery kind made for working in a sterile environment—and clusters of balloons pinned to their backs.
Continue ReadingWill Rawls makes boundaries visible by defying them. Known for the disciplinary and topical range of his projects, the choreographer, director, and performer approaches issues of representation in “[siccer],” a multi-part, multi-site work co-presented by L’Alliance New York’s Crossing the Line Festival. A live performance at Performance Space New York...
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It is always interesting when multiple theme steps emerge over the course of a mixed repertory evening, but it is uncanny on one featuring five different ballets, each with a different choreographer and composer, covering a twenty-year span (2005-2025).
Continue ReadingZvidance premiered its new work “Dandelion” mid-November at New York Live Arts. Founded by Zvi Gotheiner in 1989, Zvidance has been a steady presence in the New York contemporary dance scene, a reliable source of compositional integrity, and a magnet for wonderful dancers.
Continue ReadingCleveland native Dianne McIntrye received a hometown hero's welcome during her curtain speech prior to her eponymous dance group thrilling the audience in her latest work, “In the Same Tongue.”
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