Friday, October 29

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A review of Program 5 of "Fall for Dance" by Marianne Adams for danceviewtimes.com.

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The balance of performance time was clearly shifted to Casel’s premiere, with the other two works feeling, somewhat regrettably, more like opening acts.  But, to call this work strictly Casel’s is probably inaccurate, as the stage was taken up as much by dancing as by the original music and luscious live singing of Crystal Monee Hall, who was also the musical director of the production.  The work as a whole, with gentle social justice undertones, felt like a call for inclusivity, but not just in the diversity sense that we are used to encounter in this topic.  Sure, Hall’s reimagining of “This Land Is Your Land” elegantly and beautifully struck those chords, but the production also intertwined music and dance, integrating the movement and tap expression further into one presented whole. By far the best moment of it was when Casel sat down and listened to Hall, adding gentle taps while still seated. The connection between these two artists in that moment cannot be overstated, and it was interaction of the most organic sort.

 

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A review of Milwaukee Ballet by Lauren Warnecke for Milwaukee.

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A sense of palpable excitement and, dare I say, normalcy buzzed through the Marcus Performing Arts Center Thursday. It’s not as though Samantha Stephens wiggled her nose and dance simply picked up where we left off; things have changed. (The Marcus Center, too, is changed, with a major overhaul of Uihlein Hall’s seating arrangement yielding two glorious new aisles carving through a sea of plush red chairs.) Walking in with vaccination card in hard for a heartily programmed evening of dance now feels like an act of resilience, by dancers and audience, both – and a reminder that there has been progress since that chilly day at the Baumgartner Center.

 

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Miami City Ballet prepares its new production of "Swan Lake."

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He was inspired by archival documents Ratmansky showed him and other research into the nineteenth-century costumes. “We came back, more or less, to the tutu at the time of the original Swan Lake,” says Kaplan. “It’s a short, knee-length, romantic tutu. It’s not a skirt and not a flat tutu; it’s in between. It is very soft and must move a little bit.” 

It proved rather technical to make, but the final product comes close to the original form, albeit slightly lighter and not as stiff. The costume includes a small round hat at the back of the head, with hair hanging in ringlets—a fashionable style at the time that also emphasizes that the swans are really maidens under a spell.  

 

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The Royal New Zealand Ballet presents "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

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Choreographer Liam Scarlett died tragically earlier this year. He was touted as a new wunderkind for the art of ballet. Throughout the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s spectacular production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Scarlett’s innovation and creativity is evident.......

A lovely touch in the online programme is a note from Rowena Jackson. Her husband Philip Chatfield passed away earlier this year. Bravo for acknowledging these kaumatua of the dance.