Help Haiti, PNB 'Beauty' Discount, Chicago Dance Party!

posted by Author Outside on Friday, Feb 05

Come to Manhattan Youth Ballet and Nalini Method’s Healing for Haiti on  

Tiler Peck's Thrilling Debut as Aurora

posted by on Thursday, Feb 04

The second she appeared, the whole stage came alive. She was light and happy as the 16-year old princess, but not too happy. She never pushed it. She danced with her customary crispness, but also with the assurance and graciousness befitting a girl who is the hope of the kingdom. No, she…

I'm here at the Prix de Lausanne

posted by Wendy Perron on Sunday, Jan 31

This world renowned competition emphasizes potential, and there was plenty of it in the finals earlier today.  The big winner is a boy from Argentina who studies at the Ben Stevenson Academy in Houston. His first round was a solo from La Sylphide, in which he made a beautiful presentation, particularly the timing of his head and arm…

Romeo, Beauty and The Y

posted by Courtney E. Thompson on Friday, Jan 29

What could be better than the most romantic story on the most romantic day? Texas Ballet Theater presents Ben Stevenson’s Romeo and Juliet  Valentine’s Day weekend at the Nancy Lee & Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas. Performances are at 8 p.m. on February 12 and 13, and 2 p.m. February 13 and 14. T…

J.D. Salinger Liked Dance and Here Is How I Know

posted by Wendy Perron on Friday, Jan 29

I met J.D. Salinger around 1982 and visited him several times. He had a collection of old movies he loved to watch. One time he set up his screen and projector for me and watched a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movie. After all, the parents in his famous Glass family, Les and Bessie, had been a song-and-dance team in Vaudeville. Also, one of the charac…

Dress It Up

posted by Rebecca Ain on Thursday, Jan 28

If you’re making a low-fat salad, might as well top it with a fat-free dressing, right? Wrong. Despite the common perception that fat-free dressing helps your body, it actually deprives you of fats necessary to absorb the important nutrients in vegetables.…

Exhilarated by David Zambrano’s “Soul Project”

posted by Wendy Perron on Sunday, Jan 24

His performers were all so intense that at times they were hypnotic. Their solos, danced to soul music, were each unpredictable: hell-bent or convulsive, with sudden stops or loosenings. And each of the six dancers, including David (pronounced da-VEED) Zambrano, are unforgettable individuals. <…

Paquita, Opera and more!

posted by Courtney E. Thompson on Friday, Jan 22

If you’re looking for some nighttime entertainment after a day at the beach, the Sarasota Ballet is presenting the company premiere of Galina Samsova’s Paquita in Florida State University’s Auditorium, Sarasota, Fla. The Jan. 29, 30, and 21 performances offer $15 student rush tickets that are available one hour before e…

Where is the humor in Agon?

posted by Wendy Perron on Thursday, Jan 21

It’s there, in the choreography, but I don’t see it in the dancing. I never really focused on it before, cause there is so much going on in that ballet—the bold lines, the now-thick-now-thin Stravinsky music, the mathematics of trios, quartets, and duos. And it’s such an iconic …

Haiti, Katherine Dunham’s “Island Possessed”

posted by Wendy Perron on Tuesday, Jan 19

The catastrophe in Haiti made me re-look at what Haiti has meant in the dance world. It was the place and culture Katherine Dunham fell in love with, the place that helped her build her dance vocabulary and her spiritual, artistic self. If it weren’t for her research in Haiti, she wouldn’t have become the maj…

Don't Just Sit There...

posted by Tamara Clarke on Friday, Jan 15

If your work or school schedule has you sitting by day and dancing by night, sluggishness can set during those post-lunch, pre-dance hours. Battle the energy drain with these quick yet effective exercises that you can do at your desk. You’ll fly through the rest of the day and get a jump-start on warming your muscles before your feet even t…

Feet don't faill me now!

posted by Khara Hanlon on Wednesday, Jan 13

Baby, it's cold outside. It's probably chilly inside your dance studio, too. It's important to keep your feet warm while dancing. Check out these fun socks from Sugar & Bruno. They're functional and fashionable!   

Freddie’s Gems

posted by Wendy Perron on Tuesday, Jan 12

It’s such a privilege to hear Freddie Franklin talk about his decades of dance experience—he is 95!—that I decided to write it down for those of you who missed his talk at the Guggenheim Works & Process program last night. It’s not only the memories of greats like Massin…

Oh Why oh Why Is Ragtime Closing?

posted by on Thursday, Jan 07

Ragtime is an epic, irony-infused, emotionally wringing experience. I can’t believe it’s closing because it’s one of the glorious things on Broadway. I left feeling fully satisfied, energized, educated, and weepy.

Based…

Talking About Momentum

posted by Wendy Perron on Wednesday, Jan 06

Benjamin Millepied’s 3 Movements was nonstop energy last night. It ended Pacific Northwest Bal…

Martha Graham Needed Her Rage

posted by Wendy Perron on Friday, Jan 01

I had heard about the fights with Louis Horst that were part of Graham’s creative process, but I had no idea how violent their sessions were—and how necessary. Dorothy Bird, who danced with Graham in the 1930s, describes an amazing scene when she, as a very young da…

Best of 2009 (and a few Worsts)

posted by Wendy Perron on Wednesday, Dec 30

As usual, I have no discipline when it comes to narrowing down my favorites to 10 best. There are way too many performances and people that I loved. 

On another note, the deaths of two giants, Merce Cunningham and Pina Bausch, cast a shadow over…

Why Is Memphis Staying Open and Bye Bye Birdie Is Closing?

posted by Wendy Perron on Saturday, Dec 26

A few decades back, when Chita Rivera and Dick Van Dyke danced and sang in Bye Bye Birdie, I loved it and learned all the songs. Dick Van Dyke was funny, vulnerable, and lovably dorky; Chita Rivera was brassy with…

Does Choreography Need to Have Momentum?

posted by Wendy Perron on Sunday, Dec 20

I just saw a performance that had everything going for it except one thing. It had interesting movement, a sense of humor, terrific music (on tape), a fascinating diversity of dancers, a beautiful visual setting (with hundreds of sparkling bottles of water), amazing lighting, a…

"Dance Porn": Is It an American Curse?

posted by Wendy Perron on Friday, Dec 18

I’ve been thinking about Roslyn Sulcas’ term “dance porn” that she used to describe Rasta Thomas’ “Rock the Ballet” in yesterday’s  New York Times (click here). I didn’t see the show, but I k…

The Sunshine Vitamin

posted by Tamara Clarke on Thursday, Dec 17

The harsh winter months can leave you sick, stiff, and lethargic, making your sofa and snuggie seem more attractive than dance class. Happily, Vitamin D is a natural remedy that strengthens your immune system, bones and muscles—and boosts your mood to boot. Known as the “sunshine vitamin” because of the body’s ability to p…

A Light Bulb Crashed to the Floor

posted by wendy perron on Monday, Dec 14

An uncanny thing happened in the middle of Arkadi Zaides' work in progress. Being a quartet for two Jewish men and two Arab men, it was very intense--the most intense, hard-to-watch thing I've seen here at International Exposure at the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv. One duet sequence had two men almost locked together in a kind of battle that w…

Fish and Fowl in Israel

posted by Wendy Perron on Friday, Dec 11

I've only been in Tel Aviv one day and have already seen two fantastic pieces. The first was Rooster by Barak Marshall. The second was Trout by Inbal Pinto. Both were totally absorbing and consuming and represent the best of International Exposure, which is sort of the Israel APAP but also for the public. In Rooster, the group sectons had wonderf…

Breathe Better...with Broccoli?

posted by on Thursday, Dec 10

Broccoli, a vegetable often despised during childhood and secretly fed to the family dog, may be a natural remedy for asthma. Researchers at UCLA discovered that broccoli is rich in the antioxidant enzymes that decrease respiratory inflammation. Though not a cure, this veggie and its cruciferous relatives (like cauliflower and cabbage) can protec…

Why Is a Performer with Cerebral Palsy the Perfect Faun?

posted by Wendy Perron on Wednesday, Dec 09

A faun is half man and half animal. Gregg Mozgala is half man and half invalid. His upper body is wiry, strong, beautiful. So is his lower body; it just doesn’t work so well. As he explained in a talk after Tamar Rogoff’s Diagnosis of a Faun, the problem with CP is that the brain d…

Ballet Hispanico Breaks Through

posted by Wendy Perron on Thursday, Dec 03

Andrea Miller’s new Nací demolished all stereotypes of Ballet Hispanico. Like anyone else, I appreciate when the company is deli…

Great Gift Alert!

posted by Khara Hanlon on Wednesday, Dec 02

Need a dance gift for your best ballet friend? The Balanchine 2010 Calendar is just what you've been looking for. Your friend will get a year's worth of photos of New York City Ballet dancers in Balanchine pieces such as Jewels. Gorgeous dancers and breathtaking photos? What more could you ask for? Hop over to Discount Dance Supply and snatc…

Giving Thanks for NYCB, Its Music & Theater

posted by Wendy Perron on Wednesday, Nov 25

I got chills as the NYCB orchestra came into view, slowly rising magically so that the whole audience could see them—and hear them better. I hadn’t known that a movable orchestra pit would be part of the big renovation of the David H. Koch Theater (formerly NY State Theater), so I was completely surprised and moved. What a commitment …

Female Power, Male Power in Fela!

posted by Wendy Perron on Monday, Nov 23

Fela!, which opens tonight at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, starts with an intoxicating wave of female pelvic power. Fifteen or 20 gorgeous women dance to Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat music all over the stage, and Marina Draghici’s fantastic costumes make their rear ends look like bird…

A Triple Blast from the Sixties

posted by Wendy Perron on Thursday, Nov 19

It’s been a big week for the 1960s. Yvonne Rainer and Deborah Hay were produced by Performa 09 at Baryshnikov Art Center, and Anna Halprin’s Parades and Changes got “re-enacted” at DTW. The only common denominator among all three was experimentation—and a love of the absurd. Yvonne and Deborah share somethin…

Massage in a Jiff

posted by Tamara Clarke on Thursday, Nov 19

You’re moving freely through a modern dance warm-up and pop!—something pinches between your shoulder blade and your spine. Usually these mild muscle spasms disappear after a short tissue massage, but even after years of arm stretches, some spots on your back are just too hard to reach. Not to worry. Nifty, lightweight gadgets, like th…

A Gentle Reminder of the Devastation of AIDS

posted by Wendy Perron on Sunday, Nov 15

It’s been a while since I witnessed a piece about AIDS that was r…

Lighten Your Load

posted by Tamara Clarke on Thursday, Nov 12

Shoes, snacks, hair supplies, water bottle, a change of clothes—the contents of your dance bag can add up to a heavy load. While you might need all of these things for class, carrying that weight in one big shoulder bag can put considerable strain on your back, neck, and shoulders. In fact, constantly wearing a heavy bag on one shoulder can…

Here’s What I Meant to Say at the End of the Awards

posted by Wendy Perron on Wednesday, Nov 11

If I’d had my wits about me, here is how I would have wrapped up a very moving evening at the Dance Magazine Awards Monday night:

I LIKE Karole Armitage's new piece

posted by Wendy Perron on Sunday, Nov 08

Why is everyone so down on Karole Armitage? In the first five minutes of Itutu it’s clear that the white girls of her company do not dance like the black …

Hot Chicago jazz discount, $10 belly dance, more!

posted by Hanna Rubin on Friday, Nov 06