Onstage
Jeremiah Crank of Liss Fain Dance. Photo by RJ Muna, Courtesy John Hill.
Right Brain/Left Brain
SAN FRANCISCO
Can dancing be divided into hemispheres, like the brain? That is what Matthew Antaky will attempt with his split set design for A Space Divided at Z Space, April 9–12. The project is directed by Liss Fain, who has invited choreographers Christian Burns and Amy Seiwert to join her in exploring Antaky’s installation. Each will work with Fain’s company members to create their own way of simultaneously inhabiting the split space. Then they will team up to make seamless transitions. Performers can go through three portals on the set’s central partition. Audience members are invited to walk around the dancers as though in a gallery. zspace.org.
Alice Gosti’s I always wanted to give you a pink elephant. Photo by Andrea Medri, Courtesy Velocity Dance Center.
It Takes a Village
SEATTLE
Velocity Dance Center declares its pride for the Pacific Northwest’s dance scene with the annual Made in Seattle program, which gives a full year of support to a local artist. It has nurtured Seattle dance stars Amy O’Neal, Cherdonna Shinatra and Andrew Bartee. Up next is Alice Gosti, whose dances are unruly yet rigorous, feminine yet rebellious, task-like yet mischievous. The five-hour, come-and-go, immersive performance How to become a partisan, in collaboration with composer Hanna Benn, will kick off with a community procession from Velocity Dance Center to Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral on April 25. velocitydancecenter.org.
Rashaun Mitchell. Photo by Darial Sneed, Courtesy NYLA.
When Bodies Talk
NEW YORK CITY
Rashaun Mitchell
no longer needs the qualifier “former Cunningham dancer” to get audiences interested in his work. By pairing his delightfully zany aesthetic with Cunningham’s clean lines, the 2014 Guggenheim fellow has become one of the most intriguing creators in the downtown dance scene. His latest piece, tentatively titled Light Years, is an exploration of the way information gets absorbed and translated through the body. The dynamic intensity in the duets between Melissa Toogood and Silas Riener (also former Cunningham dancers) is worth the ticket alone. April 1–4, New York Live Arts. newyorklivearts.org.
International Standard finalists Oscar Pedrinelli and Lenka Kovalcíková. Photo by Jeffrey Dunn, Courtesy Moreno/Lyons Productions.
Bringing Ballroom to Your Living Room
ON AIR
Whether you’re a ballroom dancer, admirer or absolute novice, “America’s Ballroom Challenge” has a little bit of something for everyone, from swing to tango. Three Fridays, April 24–May 8 at 9 pm ET, PBS will air a competition of some of ballroom’s best, plus behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage. pbs.org.
Parlez-Vous Français?
Paris: A city of history, whimsy and romance. What more could you ask for in a musical? Joining Broadway staples The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables are four productions with French flair.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Photo by Kevin Berne, Courtesy Paper Mill Playhouse.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ
March 4–April 5
This rendition of Victor Hugo’s novel is choreographed by Chase Brock, whose biggest project to date is the flashy SPIDER-MAN: Turn Off the Dark. papermill.org.
Gigi
On Broadway
Opens April 8
After his success with On the Town, Joshua Bergasse has taken on this story about a high-society-girl-in-training, starring Vanessa Hudgens. gigionbroadway.com.
An American in Paris stars Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope. Photo by Sylvain Griproix, Courtesy An American in Paris.
An American in Paris
On Broadway
Opens April 12
Christopher Wheeldon has created large-scale ballets—Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Cinderella—but this is his first time directing for theater. anamericaninparisbroadway.com.
Ever After
Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ
May 21–June 21
Based on the 1998 film, Kathleen Marshall is directing this modern Cinderella. papermill.org.
