"I'm like a painter," said choreographer Doug Varone during his opening remarks for "Stripped/Dressed," the unique program on choreographic process and performance that he and his company of dancers brought to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts' Off-Center Festival in Costa Mesa on January 25-26 2013. The phrase sounds a little poetic (wouldn't a … [Read more...]
Wheeldon’s Wonderful ‘Alice’
[slideshow] When British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon left his dance company Morphoses in 2010, I was so worried he might retreat from choreography, exhausted from the battle of keeping a transatlantic dance company funded and strong. How glorious, then, to see the National Ballet of Canada (NBC) bring Wheeldon's robust new creation, a … [Read more...]
The Divine Axis of Akram Khan
The west coast premiere of “Vertical Road” at CAP UCLA’s Royce Hall this week had some vocal public detractors, which surprised me. Khan is one of the most promising and original voices on the dance landscape right now, and the only one who’s creating a completely new dance lexicon. Though its still relatively early in his career, Kahn already … [Read more...]
Benjamin Millepied Unveils his Gem-sized L.A. Dance Project
[UPDATE: Less than a year into this project, Millepied announced he was moving to Paris Opera Ballet, where he was offered the artistic director position. Since then, as the company toured the US and Europe, a series of exciting appointments unfolded: in 2014 James Fayette, another former City Ballet principal, became the company manager and in … [Read more...]
Radiolab with Pilobolus tours “In the Dark”
[This ran in the L.A. Times.] Before touring live versions of Radiolab, his gripping radio shows of scientific discovery and biography concocted with co-host Jad Abumrad, Peabody-winning reporter Robert Krulwich made just one brief stage appearance, decades ago, when he was recruited off the Manhattan streets to play a frozen, chair-bound Prince … [Read more...]
Ballet Geneve debuts Benjamin Millepied works
[This article first ran in the L.A. Times.] Touring with contemporary, soft-slippered ballets, Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève made its West Coast debut at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Friday with a trio of eye-catching works set to canonical ballet music choreographed by Benjamin Millepied, now known widely for his work in “Black … [Read more...]
Teams of Indie Artists Respond to “Einstein on the Beach”
[slideshow] Philip Glass’ symphonic music has grown commonplace on ballet programs, yet more often than not contemporary choreographers will concoct dense, breathless and safe movement phrases to accompany Glass’ launching and looping scores. Maybe you’ll see costumes that express ‘creativity,’ but for the most part the dance feels to be trying to … [Read more...]
A for Effort
So I am watching "Dancing with the Stars" now. It's the single reality show in my roster at this point. And though I felt no frisson when the list of Season 11 competitors was announced, I was pleasantly surprised by the pleasure I took in the first show. While my allegiance goes to Gladys Knight, who was rightly praised for the way she "oozes" … [Read more...]
Alvin Ailey in Costa Mesa/ 2012 North American Tour
[The Los Angeles Times originally ran this review.] Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, touring for the first time under new artistic director Robert Battle, delivered a heady, reverberating concoction of pieces -- including the company premiere of Paul Taylor’s Baroque pure-dance classic “Arden Court” (1981) and the California premiere of hip-hop … [Read more...]
Pilobolus Gets a Grammy Nod
[This ran first on the LA Times' Culture blog. And sadly, Adele's Grammy sweep included a win in this category] As the leadership team of Pilobolus Dance Theater readies itself to fly to Los Angeles for Sunday’s Grammy Awards -– the group is nominated for best short form music video for “All Is Not Lost” –- the dance troupe’s co-executive director … [Read more...]