reviews
Mariinsky Ballet: Les Saisons Russes
by Carmel Morgan
January 18, 2012 -- JFK Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC
This year, rather than performing an evening length story ballet, the Mariinsky presented a popular program titled, “Les Saisons Russes” (The Russian Seasons), featuring three beloved shorter works from the early 1900s choreographed by Michel Fokine: “Chopiniana,” “The Firebird,” and “Scheherazade.”
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New York City Ballet - 'Who Cares' and 'Union Jack'
by Colleen Boresta
January 22(m) , 2012 -- Koch Theatre, New York, NY
January 22nd is George Balanchine’s birthday. This year New York City Ballet gave the audience the special present of two of Balanchine’s most delightful ballets – Who Care? and Union Jack. “Who Cares?” is a valentine to the music of George Gershwin and New York City in the 1920s and early 30s.
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Winter Dance Concert
by David Mead
December 17-18, 2011 -- Dance Theatre, Taipei National University for the Arts
Fernando Suels Mendoza and Luna Dance Company
by Rosella SImonari
December 11, 2011 -- Teatro Alfieri, Montemarciano (Ancona), Italy
A bare-chested male dancer slowly moves on a stage filled with see-through balloons. It is a poetic, almost melancholic image, especially when he bends his knees and simulates the act of flying with his arms. The dancer in question is Fernando Suels Mendoza, the piece is called "I Lost Something on a Hill" and is dedicated to the memory of Pina Bausch... read more...
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Fernando Suels Mendoza and Luna Dance Company
by Rosella SImonari
December 11, 2011 -- Teatro Alfieri, Montemarciano (Ancona), Italy
A bare-chested male dancer slowly moves on a stage filled with see-through balloons. It is a poetic, almost melancholic image, especially when he bends his knees and simulates the act of flying with his arms. The dancer in question is Fernando Suels Mendoza, the piece is called “I Lost Something on a Hill” and is dedicated to the memory of Pina Bausch...
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Boston Ballet: New Year's Eve 'Nutcracker'
by Carla DeFord
December 31, 2011
This is the second year that Boston Ballet has presented a New Year’s Eve performance of what artistic director Mikko Nissinen described as “The Nutcracker on steroids.” As an innovation for 2011, the major roles were split among several dancers, including two Dewdrops, three Sugarplums, and four Cavaliers.
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December at the SouthBank: 'Murmurs'
by Charlotte Kasner
December 20, 2011
Physical theatre has always been a fairly rarefied experience in the UK: not quite dance, not quite circus, but not “straight” theatre, it fits into its own small niche and tends not to attract too much attention.
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Great Performances : San Francisco Ballet - 'The Little Mermaid'
by Dean Speer
December 16, 2011
The performance is a triumph for its star, Yuan Yuan Tan, whose amazing length of limb and textured dancing and acting lift the work from the maudlin to the sublime. Yuan Yuan is one of those rare dancers in a class of her own whose physical attributes, combined with technical audacity and depth of feeling and artistry make each performance special.
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Live at Lincoln Center: 'The Nutcracker'
by Dean Speer
December 14, 2011
Some of the glories are the charm of the Party Scene; the Snowflake Dance; Waltz of the Flowers and the Dewdrop [Ashley Bouder whose sharp attack and speed were a revelation]; and the Marzipan Shepherdesses, led by Tiler Peck. The concluding Pas de Deux is in the grand manner, elegant and refined.
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'The Bollywood Trip'
by Charlotte Kasner
December 13, 2011 -- Queen Elizabeth Hall, London UK
Choreographer Gauri Sharma Tripathi claims that the work is based on Dale Wasserman's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"; there is certainly more than a passing resemblance, but there are as many differences too as the cultures of Denmark, India and the treatment of mental illness come under scrutiny. Oh yes - complete with Bollywood choreography.
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Oregon Ballet Theatre - Holiday Revue
by Dean Speer
December 10, 2011 -- Keller Auditorium, Portland, OR
Good cheer, cabaret revue-style was busting out all over with OBT’s second edition of popular fare, its "Holiday Revue." Essentially light with the occasional hint of melancholy and of the sweetly romantic and nostalgic, the creative team that put this baby together hit gold, which is a musical and dance tribute to over 100 years of popular Christmas & holiday tunes.
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Imperfect Dancers Company of Italy in Concert
by Carmel Morgan
December 10, 2011 -- Lansburgh Theatre, Washington DC
Paul Gordon Emerson, founder and former artistic director of the now defunct CityDance Ensemble, heads up Company E, a new contemporary dance company/performing arts presenter in Washington, DC. Company E intends to promote an ongoing series of performances featuring diverse international artists. In December 2011, Company E, in cooperation with the Embassy of Italy, among others, brought to DC the Imperfect Dancers Company from Pisa, Italy.
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Synetic Theater : 'Romeo and Juliet'
by Carmel Morgan
November 25, 2011 -- Synetic Theater at Crystal City, Arlington, VA
The final installment of Synetic Theater’s three-part “Speak No More” Silent Shakespeare Festival was “Romeo and Juliet.” I admit that I was living in Washington, DC, when Synetic’s “Romeo and Juliet” debuted in 2008, but when I saw an advertisement for it, I balked.
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Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker & Jerome Bel: '3 Abschied'
by David Mead
November 21, 2011 -- Sadler's Wells Theatre, London, UK
Is it possible to choreograph to “Der Abschied” (“The Farewell”), the final part of Mahler’s “Song of the Earth”? That is the question that set Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker off on a journey of discovery that is retold in a fascinating, absorbing and very special evening’s theatre that is part discussion, part concert, part dance performance. It’s also full of the unexpected as we learn as much about her as we do about the music itself.
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Christopher K. Morgan & Artists: 'Reveal'
by Carmel Morgan
November 18, 2011 -- Music Center at Strathmore, CityDance Studio Theatre, Bethesda, MD
On November 18, 2011, a special performance titled “Reveal” at the Music Center at Strathmore, in Bethesda, Maryland, featured two debuts at once: the opening of the new CityDance Studio Theater and the first concert of Christopher K. Morgan & Artists, the inaugural resident professional dance company of CityDance.
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Diablo Ballet: Triple Bill
by Toba Singer
November 19, 2011 -- Dean Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA
Diablo Ballet hits the ground running in their 18th season opener. While the company of eight retains a shank of veteran dancers: Edward Stegge, Erika Johnson, Mayo Sugano, and David Fonnegra, it has made some new and promising additions to its roster.
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Rambert Dance Company : Triple Bill
by David Mead
November 15, 2011 -- Sadler's Wells Theatre, London, UK
Of the two world premieres on Rambert’s latest London programme it was Javier de Frutos’ “Elysian Fields” that took the honours, the title being a reference to the New Orleans street in the Tennessee Williams classic “A Streetcar Named Desire”, from which liberal use is made of the text, spoken by the cast.
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al and modern ballet talents.
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