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[dirac]

The Chicago Dancing Festival kicks off.

The Sun-Times

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The Joffrey Ballet performed an equally demonically difficult work — “In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated,” by the American-bred, European-based choreographer William Forsythe. The dancing — by Victoria Jaiani, Rory Hohenstein, Christine Rocas, Amber Neumann, Graham Maverick, Alexis Polito, Ricardo Santos, Anastacia Holden and Jenny Winton — was uniformly dazzling in its razor-sharp, knife’s-edge precisionism and fierce technical brilliance. Set to the mechanically percussive electroshock score of Thom Willems, the dancers must move like highly competitive, ultra-chic urbanites with killer attitudes and plenty of sexy alienation. Pitched into the most extreme and extended positions, they often resemble poisonous spiders in their black tights and green leotards. Though a fascinating showcase for the bravura Joffrey dancers, this work often feels painfully emblematic of its 1980s vintage and all its hot-and-cold narcissism.

Chicago Now

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When the Hip Hop Culture Dance Ensemble of the After School Matters program stormed on stage during an original work commissioned just for them by the Chicago Dancing Festival I thought, "This could change their lives." There were a bunch of talented artists sharing the stage with world-renowned, professional dancers from Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the Giordano Dance Chicago and the Joffrey Ballet. Can you imagine being able to put that an application to a college dance program?

[dirac]

A preview in brief of Northern Ballet's "Madame Butterfly."

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Madame Butterfly is directed and choreographed by the company’s Artistic Director, David Nixon who originally created the piece on his wife, Yoko Ichino, the internationally renowned ballerina, who is now Ballet Mistress and Academy Associate Director at Northern Ballet.

Northern Ballet’s Madam Butterfly is based on the original Belasco play that inspired the great opera and premiered at Leeds Grand Theatre in 2002.

[dirac]

Pacific Northwest Ballet invites Mohawk Guy and other NASApeople to its season kickoff celebration.

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The guests will also take part in a panel discussion afterward on "From Hollywood to Mars: A look at how 1960's Science Fiction invented the future of Space Exploration."

It's all meant to celebrate both PNB's 40th anniversary (Microsoft is a season sponsor) and the 50th anniversary of the Seattle World's Fair. The panel discussion will center on the world's fair and its focus on science, technology, innovation, and the arts, and how the imaginings of popular culture helped drive the space race and future scientific endeavors.

[dirac]

The National Ballet of Cuba will present three new works by Alicia Alonso.

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The legendary dancer will present a choreographic version of Handel’s opera “Acis and Galatea,” in whose staging will also participate soloists from the Opera of Cuba, the National Concert Band and the Camerata Vocal Sine Nomine male choir.

[dirac]

An appreciation of Remy Charlip by Rita Felciano for The San Francisco Bay Guardian. Video clips included.

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In the Bay Area — though he would have smiled at this label — he quickly became an older statesman for a generation of dancers, much younger, very different from him and each other, such as Krissy Keefer, Anne Bluethenthal, Jules Beckman, and Keith Hennessy. For Oakland Ballet he choreographed a charmer, Ludwig and Lou, an homage to composer and former partner Lou Harrison. He watched over and delighted in the performance of some of his Air Mail Dances by, among others, Joanna Haigood, June Watanabe, and AXIS Dance Company.