A former Cunningham dancer, Toogood now juggles so many projects she has “often ended up at the wrong rehearsal space.” As a former member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Melissa Toogood knows about extremes. In the past few years, since the troupe’s closure, she’s taken the Cunningham ethos of attempting the impossible into her […]
Melissa Toogood during a rehearsal with Pam Tanowitz’s dancers. Photo by Jim Lafferty. Having a dance career means devoting countless hours to your craft—think of all the classes, rehearsals, PT appointments, yoga sessions and performances. But despite the shared time commitment, no two dancers’ careers are exactly alike. That was our biggest takeaway while filming our brand-new […]
PNB’s Carla Körbes and The Royal Ballet’s Eric Underwood in Agon at Vail 2012. Photo by Erin Baiano. Ballet lovers have been hanging their heads low ever since Carla Körbes announced that she would be retiring this spring. She initially mentioned that she wouldn’t be putting aside her pointe shoes entirely, but never […]
Freelancer Lindsey Jones is a study in contrasts. Her long limbs cut through the air with precision, not languor; a great physical comedian, she also carries herself with intense emotional restraint. As a company member of Dance Heginbotham, the 5′ 9″ dancer brings speed and specificity to his absurdist, angular moves. “It’s fascinating to see this […]
From All the Earth’s Corners EDINBURGH The global reach of this year’s Edinburgh International Festival is awe-inspiring. At the top of the dance agenda is the beguiling union of kathak/postmodern wizard Akram Khan and powerful Taiwanese modern dancer Fang-Yi Sheu. Their collaboration Gnosis is based on an ancient story about a blind king […]
What happens when one of America’s most iconic modern dance companies closes? Six former Cunningham dancers reflect on how the experience led them to where they are today. When the Merce Cunningham Dance Company gave its final performance on December 31, 2011—the culmination of its two-year, international Legacy Tour—many people wondered what would happen to Cunningham’s vast, pioneering body […]
Thodos Dance Chicago against Gang’s architecture. Photo by Katie Graves, Courtesy Thodos Dance. Dance Jam CHICAGO Merce Cunningham, George Balanchine, Wayne McGregor—choreographers past and present have long collaborated with architects to add grandeur to their work. But Thodos Dance Chicago’s Melissa Thodos is taking that a step further, commissioning a set design that is […]
Earth Dancing Every year the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers hold a rousing powwow on the Lower East Side. A New York troupe founded in 1963 by a group of Native Americans, the Thunderbird dancers represent a variety of nations descended from Mohawk, Hopi, Winnebago, and San Blas peoples. They are not professional, but they’ve handed […]
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.