You think you know where the piece is going, and then in the last few minutes a solo changes everything.

Stephen Petronio has done this before. In City of Twist (2002) Ashleigh Leite, swathed in strings that swung as she danced, came out at the end with a wild, thrashing … Read More >

As I pull myself up with arms outstretched in front of me, I sense, more than I see, five gorgeous strong women to the right of me, dancing in unison. For a moment they are my backup dancers. I am performing a phrase alone on Side A that I have just done part of on Side B as a duet. I take a breat… Read More >

When Lance Gries invited 50 dancer friends to improvise with him for The FIFTY Project, it not only celebrated his 50th birthday, but also celebrated a rich vein of downtown dance. Videotaped moments from these 50-minute duets spread across the walls of La Mama Galleria last week.
Read More >

The ballet world gasped in horror at the violent attack on Bolshoi artistic director Sergei Filin on January 17. But now we are murmuring in puzzlement. In between there were some absurdist moments. Here’s a brief summary of post-attack news:

• First there were the bizarre st… Read More >

Paul Taylor and Jirí Kylián are both airing their rebellious streak right into their advanced years. Having survived past the point of vulnerability in their careers, they are saying things that might have gotten them into trouble if they’d said them earlier. Yesterday Taylor&r… Read More >

Two recent ballets performed at New York City Ballet begin with walking. Not the noble, pointed-toes, ballet way of walking, but normal, kids-off-the-street, heel-first walking—sauntering, striding. Both are by Jerome Robbins.

In the context of a ballet stage, this is startling… Read More >

Dance people around the world are horrified by yesterday’s acid attack on Sergei Filin. I don’t know why this happened but I do know that Ser… Read More >

This year, a single performance stood out as gut-wrenching and unforgettable: Nadia Beugré, from Cote d’Ivoire, delivered an almost unbearably compelling solo titled Quartiers Libres, wherein pleasure and pain, freedom and oppression, intermingled. It was part of the Voices o… Read More >

All photos by Vladimir Lupovskoy, Courtesy IFMC.

Judging choreography can be problematic, especially when six judges come from vastly different cultural contexts. But at the International Festival of Modern Choreography in Vitebsk, Belarus, in Novembe… Read More >

I always have the best seat in the house at the Dance Magazine Awards because I get to watch from backstage.

On Monday night I got to see Hee Seo’s extra swooning surrender when she fell back into Cory Stearns arms in Tudor’s The Leaves Are Fading.

Sometimes I wish costumes onstage were more like Halloween. I mean at least when you’re trick-or-treating, you get to choose your own costume according to your own fantasies. You don’t go around in your group all wearing the same costume.

I have two complaints about most of … Read More >

Sometimes I wish costumes onstage were more like Halloween. I mean at least when you’re trick-or-treating, you get to choose your own costume according to your own fantasies. You don’t go around in your group all wearing the same costume.

I have two complaints about most … Read More >

Some kind of alchemical reaction happens in Christopher Wheeldon’s new Five Movements, Three Repeats, shown at Fall for Dance. Mixing one modern dance star with one ballet superstar and two other NYCB dancers, it could have been a disaster. Instead, it’s a beautifully patient … Read More >

Watching Einstein on the Beach prompts big thoughts—about art, theater, numbers, discoveries, religion. These questions only gradually arise, as mostly one is mesmerized by Philip Glass’ meditative, circular music and the sheer imagination of Robert Wilson. You’re in a z… Read More >

Only certain kinds of performances do well in a tiny space like Joe’s Pub. Humor does well up close. So does sex drenched in irony. Muscular, underwear-clad duets, not so much. Full-out dancing with a touch of glamour, yes. Actually, lots of dances are fun to watch … Read More >

The first night of American Dance Guild’s festival contained three really special performances, coming from three vastly different artists on the modern dance map: Elaine Summers, Harald Kreutzberg, and Dianne McIntyre. Known for honoring the elders of modern dance, ADG also includes younger… Read More >

Sometimes you get hooked on a dance from the minute the lights go up, and you ride with it all the way. It reels you in. Other dances don’t grab you right away and then you gotta work at giving it a chance. If you’re lucky, you can feel your own opinion change…and something emer… Read More >

What happens when the performers are engaged to each other and you’re watching them kiss? Does it change how you see the choreography? Does it change how you respond to their onstage partnership? What if they’re married? What if they’re brother and sister? Mother and daughter? Do… Read More >

I’ve been in love with Russia since I was 15—the ballet, the language, the literature—and have made several trips. What struck me this time around is how much Nacho Duato has infiltrated the ballet scene. There’s even talk—or rather hope—of his being the next Pe… Read More >

We were in the presence of jewels, of incredible riches at the ABT gala last night. Every performance had a grandeur, every dancer was someone you wanted to keep watching. And there was just enough variety to keep you wanting more. It didn’t feel like a grab bag of hits, as it can someti… Read More >