Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater / City Center, NYC / December 3, 2003 – January 4, 2004 Time was, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, 45 years old this season, specialized in dances with humanitarian themes. Created largely by Ailey and a handful of other black choreographers working in the same vein, this repertory took as its subject the fight of a stalwart, resilient people, fueled by hope—a near-miraculous optimism, given their circumstances—to overcome injustice, oppression, and their corroding, often lethal, results. … [Read more...]

Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli: Philadelphia Museum of Art / September 28, 2003 – January 4, 2004 Musée de la Mode et du Textile, Paris / March 17 – August 29, 2004 … [Read more...]

Dayton Contemporary Dance Company / BAM: Harvey Theater / December 9-13, 2003 Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC to its friends) has been celebrating its 35th birthday and the 100th anniversary of the Ohio-born Wright Brothers’ first successful launch into space with “The Flight Project.” Comprising five commissioned works (from Bill T. Jones, Bebe Miller, Dwight Rhoden, Doug Varone, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar) plus a company premiere (by Warren Spears), it was delivered as a pair of programs at BAM’s Harvey Theater, the … [Read more...]