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Jean Lenihan: dance and other movements

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The Communal High of Twyla Tharp in Los Angeles

October 13, 2015 by Jean Lenihan

In advance of Twyla Tharp's 4-day run at the Wallis Theater in Beverly Hills on Oct. 1-4 -- the second stop on the company's 10-week 50th Anniversary tour across the U.S. -- a call went out for public volunteers to participate in a staging of Tharp's 1969 piece, "The Hundreds," to take place on September 29, two days prior the formal concerts. … [Read more...]

The Mariinsky’s Full-Force “Raymonda” Debuts in U.S.

September 26, 2015 by Jean Lenihan

Continuing its run of historic ballet firsts, the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa, CA opened its 30th season on Thursday night with the U.S. premiere of the Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra’s production of the rare three-act classical ballet “Raymonda” (1898), one of Marius Petipa’s final works, and arguably the most sublime unveiling yet. Unlike … [Read more...]

Eifman Ballet’s ‘Psychiatric’ Problem

June 9, 2015 by Jean Lenihan

Billed as “the culmination of the artistic director’s cycle of ballets on psychiatric themes,” Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg premiered “Up and Down” (2015) on the west coast on Friday. A cobbled story of love and madness set in the frenetic gaiety of the 1920s jazz-age, the off-key work earned tepid response from heretofore unshakeable fans at … [Read more...]

Could an L.A. Dance Hub Grow from a Mapping Tool?

March 31, 2015 by Jean Lenihan

Dance Map LA

The L.A. dance scene of late has felt a fresh momentum. And the decade-long accumulation  -- of new companies, new venues, new academies and institutions, prestige teachers and choreographers --  took a leap in cumulative power this past month, thanks to the debut of an elegant digital source called Dance Map L.A. Simple census taking can be a … [Read more...]

American Ballet Theatre’s Historical, Eye-Popping New “The Sleeping Beauty”

March 5, 2015 by Jean Lenihan

ABT Sleeping Beauty

Unveiled this week at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the world premiere of American Ballet Theatre’s newly envisioned “The Sleeping Beauty,” choreographed by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky with sets and costumes by designer Richard Hudson, is a fevered outpouring of love for the art of ballet. Aiming to resuscitate the formal … [Read more...]

Los Angeles Ballet’s Notable “The Sleeping Beauty”

March 2, 2015 by Jean Lenihan

It’s all shiny and assured good news for Los Angeles Ballet -- as well as the evolving character of Princess Aurora -- in the lean, deftly satisfying production of “The Sleeping Beauty” that L.A. Ballet founders Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary have been debuting this winter in four different SoCal theaters. The third concert in L.A.B.’s … [Read more...]

Best Dance of 2014

December 30, 2014 by Jean Lenihan

Norwood Pennewell, of the Garth Fagan Company, danced exquisitely in "Prelude," performed at the Nate Holden Center -- it's my no. 1 pick.  Now in his 50s, Pennewell's continuing power and delicacy raises the hairs on the back of my neck. It's thrilling to watch. How glorious to see Pina Bausch's "Kontahkof," captured in both radiant … [Read more...]

Smokin’ Ivan Vasiliev Manifests “The Flames of Paris”

December 2, 2014 by Jean Lenihan

By the third performance of the West Coast debut of Mikhail Messerer’s 2013 revival of “The Flames of Paris” (1932), the engine of the recently revamped Mikhailovsky Ballet and Orchestra was running incredibly hot. Never before has a three-act ballet burned by so fast, alternating multilayered scenes of street rebellion and palace treachery … [Read more...]

Rare Early Soviet Ballet in High Demand

November 22, 2014 by Jean Lenihan

Segerstrom Center for the Arts Executive Vice President Judy Morr adores Russian ballet and loves to make history. She was the first U.S. presenter of Eifman Ballet – also appearing this season at the center – and she makes sure the Mariinsky and Bolshoi ballets perform as often as possible. But past Segerstrom Center events could barely … [Read more...]

Australian Ballet’s Earthly, Wrenching ‘Swan Lake’

October 11, 2014 by Jean Lenihan

While it sounded unpredictable on paper, the 12th season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center opened on a high note with the West Coast debut of Australian Ballet’s “Swan Lake,” choreographer Graeme Murphy’s 2002 reimagining of Tchaikovsky’s epic beauty through the lens of the Princess Diana tragedy. Though a hybrid … [Read more...]

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About Jean Lenihan

Formerly the staff dance critic for the Seattle Times, Jean Lenihan now lives in Los Angeles where she's written for the … [Read More...]

About Fresh Pencil

This blog began as an aggregation of published freelance pieces on a wide range of dance-makers and touring troupes, from Miss Prissy to ABT premieres to  Benjamin Millepied to Ryan Heffington. Nowadays I often review and write straight into this blog.

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Recent Comments

  • Jean Lenihan on Phantasmic Freaks and Geeks in ABT’s Scrumptious “Whipped Cream”: “One more quick hit: Isn’t there something in Ryden’s creatures that makes them quietly imploring? Like they’re stuffed with impossible…” Mar 17, 07:54
  • Michael Wilson on Could an L.A. Dance Hub Grow from a Mapping Tool?: “There are not nearly enough respondents to draw any real conclusions. This strikes me as a mostly pointless exercise with…” Apr 2, 19:44
  • m. beth on Los Angeles Ballet’s Notable “The Sleeping Beauty”: “I know it’s pricey, but you should REALLY go see Allynne Noelle dance the role of Aurora in The Sleeping…” Mar 10, 17:07
  • m. beth on Los Angeles Ballet’s Notable “The Sleeping Beauty”: “You are certainly right!!! The casting was amiss!” Mar 10, 16:05
  • Diana Batista on Los Angeles Ballet’s Notable “The Sleeping Beauty”: “Overall really enjoyed LAB’s Sleeping Beauty at Valley Performing Arts Center last Saturday night. I’ve also seen their Swan Lake…” Mar 3, 12:52

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