Wim Wenders’ recent movie Pina has opened up a wealth of discussions, panel presentations, commentary, and musings on the artist, as well it should. As one of the best films on Dance covering one of our century’s great Dance artists, Pina is as evocative as the woman it portrays. ...more...
Arts America Blog
Brooklyn Mack: What’s In a Name?
February 20, 2012 by
In this case… everything.
First the stats: from Elgin, South Carolina, he started his career at 12 years old, studying with Radenko Pavlovich and Milena Leben and then getting himself a scholarship at the Kirov in Russia. From there he apprenticed with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, joined the American Ballet Studio Company, and danced with a number of other solid companies, winning medals and prizes until today where he is now in his 3rd season with the Washington Ballet. ...more...
Gustavo Ramirez Sansano: Current and Classic
February 17, 2012 by
Gustavo Ramirez Sansano’s choreography is getting a lot of notice, especially right now in the Chicago area where he is Artistic Director of Luna Negra Dance Theater, appointed as of 2009. ...more...
St Louis, Missouri’s Salute to Dance: 2012’s National Dance Week
February 6, 2012 by
Fourteen years ago the United Dance Merchants of America decided to revive a tradition started by Capezio and Dance Magazine to celebrate dance. The community of St. Louis jumped onboard and today the free event, National Dance Week, which is featured throughout the country from April 20 – 29, boasts many sponsors, over 50 local professional, university, and dance studio companies, as well as classes and workshops. ...more...
Courtney D. Jones: Mind, Body, and Soul
February 2, 2012 by
Courtney D. Jones ~ Photo: Simon Gentry
A graduate of New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida where she also danced with the Freddick Bratcher and Company Contemporary Dance Theatre, Courtney D. Jones went on to dance with the Kevin Wynn Collection and then four seasons with Jennifer Muller/The Works. As an ensemble member of Wicked, she joined the company’s national tour and is now in Houston, Texas …more…
Anna Tikhomirova: Exuberance and Light
January 31, 2012 by
Ana Tikhomirova
The daughter of a dancer, Tikhomirova studied at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy where she was later given leading roles in school performances. When she entered the Bolshoi Ballet as a corps member in 2004, she was soon dancing soloist parts and is now a full-fledged soloist in the company.
Watching Tikhomirova dance the first variation of the Grand Pas De Deux in Don Quixote, or in Asaf Messerer’s Spring …more…
Kleber Rebello: The Real Thing
January 20, 2012 by
Kleber Rebello
Kleber Rebello is one of the few male ballet dancers of today embodying the essence of princeliness so essential to the great classical ballets. His presence on stage at once announces that we are looking at the real thing, not a man engaged in bravura only, but also in true majesty of the art form.
From Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Rebello trained at the trained at Escola de Dança …more…
August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble: Pittsburgh’s Dynamic Force
January 18, 2012 by
The Dynamic Women of Dance ~ photo: Cassie Kay Rusnak
It’s for a good reason that Dance Magazine has placed AWCDE on their top 25 list for 2012. This Pittsburgh, PA company has been astounding audiences with its highly trained dancers who, in the words of Director Greer Reed-Jones, are “hungry, committed, and passionate.”
With their first season in 2009-2010, the company demonstrated its commitment to bringing different ethnicities together to …more…
New York Live Arts: 2012 Spring BASH
January 14, 2012 by
Fresh Tracks: Celebrating Women Choreographers
New York Live Arts is the product of Dance Theater and Workshop’s liaison with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. The project is designed to bring contemporary work to the fore through commissioned funding given by foundations and individual donors. Dance Theater Workshop, which was created in 1965, is one of the longest running juried platforms for presenting new dance to the public, …more…
Yonah Acosta: One of Dance Magazine’s Top 25 of 2012
January 10, 2012 by
Born in Havana, Cuba, Yonah danced with the Ballet Nacional de Cuba until he was invited to join the English National Ballet in 2011. Entering the company as a first artist, he soon graduated to junior soloist, gaining leads in ballets such as Roland Petit’s Le Jeune Homme et la Mort. ...more...
Keenan Kampa: Racehorse Ballerina
January 9, 2012 by
Another stellar member of Dance Magazine’s top 25 for 2012, Keenan Kampa is a young ballerina from Oak Hill, VA with the limbs, legibility, and corporal freedom of the brilliant French dancer, Sylvie Guillem. It is no wonder that Kampa was one of the first Americans asked to attend the Vaganova Ballet Academy in Russia as just a mere teenager. The Vaganova Academy is where the great Mikhail Baryshnikov, among a bevy of other great ballet stars, was formed and nurtured. ...more...
One of Dance Magazines Top 25, Caleb Teicher: Suave with a Groove
January 7, 2012 by
As adorable as they come, you can immediately sense the charm in this young, talented dancer who taps out rhythms as elegantly as the greats, but with a thoroughly updated sensibility. ...more...
Ana Lopez: One of Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch for 2012
January 6, 2012 by
Ana Lopez and Alejandro Cerrudo ~ Photo: Todd Rosenberg
It is Dance Magazine’s tradition of highlighting dancers and dance companies to watch as each year new constellations appear over the horizon. I am about to present a series of blogs honoring each of these future stars, helping to cast light on each one’s attributes so that you the reader and member of the audience can seek each one out and …more…
Dance Theater of Harlem Returns!
January 5, 2012 by
One of the most iconic ballet companies in the United States is about to return to life as auditions are underway for 18 dancers. When DTH closed its doors in 2004, it boasted a company of 44, dancing some of the greatest ballets created by George Balanchine and other renowned neo-classical, classical, and contemporary choreographers. Now the company readies itself for a more modest beginning that befits the time. With contributions amounting to $2.5 million, the company ultimately needs $5K to bring itself up to speed. A touring schedule that begins in October will help bring in these revenues that can embrace a New York season by April 2013. ...more...
ALABAMA DANCE FESTIVAL 2012
January 2, 2012 by
Based in Birmingham, the 2012 Alabama Dance Festival runs from January 21 to 31st, featuring a myriad of activities for not only the local dance community, but also for Alabamans of all ages who want explore the vast dimensions of the art form. Presented by the Alabama Arts Council, the festival celebrates dance on many levels by bringing dancers, choreographers, and teachers together, as well as allowing the general community to become incorporated in enriching activities that expand and inspire. ...more...
Artist to Watch: Dara Friedman and “Dancer”
January 2, 2012 by
Known for her innovative film and video installations, Dara Friedman lives and works in Miami where she creates work that features spontaneous performances taking place in public spaces. Reversing or looping shots, presenting fragments of a scene or an entire scene sometimes with variations in speed, the sense is always one of improvisation. Using ambient sounds like breathing and traffic noise, the watcher gets the sense that he/she is there, watching images unfold as they happen in present time. ...more...
The Kaplan Theatre Celebrates Dance Month: January 11 – February 12, 2012
December 31, 2011 by
Funded by the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center Patrons of the Arts, a grant from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Houston Endowment, JP Morgan Chase, and RBC Wealth Management, Dance Month at the Kaplan celebrates its 32nd season in Houston. Featuring a variety of companies, choreographers, dancers, and master teachers, Dance Month opens up vistas for the community, allowing audiences to gain a greater perspective on new work that is being created locally and nationally. ...more...
San Diego Dance Theater: Ruby Red Cabaret Dances in January!
December 31, 2011 by
SDDT was founded in 1972 and throughout its 40 years of existence has proven to be a company that consistently offers some of the most creative performances in San Diego. In 1997, Jean Isaacs became Artistic Director, bumping up the professionalism of the dancers and creating unconventional programming that keeps the community continually interested and involved. With a mission to include a range of nationalities, ages, and points of view, SDDT is able to inspire audiences to empathize with and feel a part of the work, which includes site specific performances such as Trolley Dances, summer dance workshops, and the current Ruby Red Series that begins in January. ...more...
Dance and Multi-Media Artist Profile: Michelle Ellsworth
December 29, 2011 by
Dancer, choreographer, videographer, writer, cartoonist, web designer, and all around multi-talented Michelle Ellsworth is one to follow. With her particular physical and visual language, she creates a world that combines her look at human foibles with current technology to illustrate her take on life’s idiosyncrasies. ...more...
Dance Place: Washington DC’s Hub for Dance
December 20, 2011 by
Adding its heft to the cultural scene, Washington, DC’s Dance Place has become a haven for dilettantes who enjoy learning how to move their bodies as well as aficionados who want to perfect their dance technique. By providing the community with artistic inspiration, Dance Place expands audience awareness while giving young people viable alternatives to expressing themselves through movement and creative expression.
Dance Place offers a diverse range of classes such …more…
Culture Shock Dance Troupe: A Hip Hop Universe Dedicated to Inspiring Values, Self-Worth, and Teamwork
December 20, 2011 by
Culture Shock Dance Troupe has created a highly organized program using the energy and dynamism of hip hop dance to instruct and inspire people of all ages through education, outreach, and performances. With older dancers mentoring younger aspirants, the mission of Culture Shock is to nurture self-confidence, a positive body image, and to offer a constructive alternative to life on the street through involvement in a positive and rewarding environment. ...more...
Alexei Ratmansky Creating New Work for Miami City Ballet
December 12, 2011 by
With a large grant from the Knight Arts Foundation, Miami City Ballet has been able to commission new work from one of the most in-demand choreographers today, Alexei Ratmansky.
Ratmansky was a principal dancer with many illustrious companies such as the Ukrainian National Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet. He then went on to become the Artistic Director of the Bolshoi Ballet, revitalizing and revamping the company to create a …more…
Miami City Ballet Set to Premier New Ballet By Young UK Choreographer
December 12, 2011 by
Miami City Ballet is one of the few ballet companies in the United States that is dedicated to preserving the work of George Balanchine, as well as other essential choreographic masters of the 20th century, such as Jerome Robbins and Paul Taylor. With his mission to stay true to his classical repertoire, director Edward Villella is also highly tuned to keeping the company fresh by presenting new choreographic work created by some of the most important artists of today. ...more...
FIVE POINTS: Five World Premiers by TAKE Dance Company and PULSE
December 12, 2011 by
TAKE (tak-eh) Dance Company, founded by former Paul Taylor dancer Takehiro Ueyama, has come together with PULSE, one of the foremost “new music” groups in NYC, to create an evening of work representing five points of view on provocative themes. Delivered by five choreographers, five composers, and five musicians, each piece delineates a given perspective on the exigencies of life and the light and shadow of what it takes to be human. With the customary intelligence and questing spirit that colors all of TDC’s and PULSE’s work, the collaboration delves into ephemeral and rhetorical questions that demand an equal effort from its audiences. ...more...
