Thursday, August 18

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A preview of Ballet Palm Beach's new season.

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Ballet Palm Beach turns to The Bard for its final production of the season, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” set for March 31-April 2 in the Kravis Center’s Rinker Playhouse. When Oberon sets out to teach Queen Titania a lesson, the mischievous Puck ensnares unsuspecting mortal lovers into the fray in this adaptation of William Shakespeare’s tale.

 

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  Ballet Arizona's "Ballet Under the Stars" performance series returns.

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The event features fully-staged live Ballet Arizona dancer performances of contemporary to classical ballet excerpts, complete with a professional stage, lighting and costumes. 

 

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A review of Sarasota Ballet by Robert Greskovic in The Wall Street Journal.

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Ashton’s “Birthday Offering” choreography sparkles on this bill as if animated by the finely tooled workings of a Fabergé goldsmith; his “Varii Capricci” is more like 1980s costume jewelry. Ms. Lang’s effort pales next to the rigors of Ashton’s dancemaking, even at their slightest.

A review of the company by Christina Pandolfi for Broadway World.

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The world premiere of Lang's Shades of Spring followed, which explored both the season and the word itself through its various incarnations. The dancers, donning a spectrum of neutrals and cool greens, were like a breath of fresh air. It was inspiring to see the incredible partner work come to life through inverted lifts, explosive leaps, and expansive groundwork. The addition of a curved ramp on the stage emphasized the dancers' ability to explore different planes of space, bringing new levels and dimension to the already-exciting choreography. It was the standout of the evening.

 

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Van Cleef & Arpels partners with the Australian Ballet to present "Bodytorque."

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Of course, those familiar with the Van Cleef & Arpels maison will know the long-standing affinity it has with dance. The exquisite and elegant aura of the brand fits seamlessly alongside the Australian Ballet and subsequent Ballet Ambassadors program, which the Maison has helped develop since 2021.

 

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 The National Ballet of Panama celebrates its fiftieth anniversary.

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In Panama, before 1972, ballet was a hobby that was studied “in private academies, which put on performances, and in which a few professional dancers participated, many of whom – at that time – were studying abroad.”

In addition, it was a discipline for women and members of high society, Barrios said, adding that “In my time, we had very few men. We almost always danced with the same fellow.”

 

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A review of the National Ballet of Canada and guest troupes by Paula Citron for Ludwig Van.

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Another side of Muir seems to be programming rising choreographic talents like Vanesa G.R. Montoya and Rena Butler. The former, who was born in Spain, is a principal dancer with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. She is represented on the season by the return of Crepuscular, while New York-based Butler will be creating a new work for the National. On the male side of things, Toronto-born Ethan Colangelo is featured on Program B of the summer program with as seen from before.

 

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In praise of New York City Ballet's engagement of Solange Knowles to compose the score for a new ballet, by Sarah L. Kaufman in  The Washington Post.

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According to NYCB spokesman Robert Daniels, Knowles came to the company’s attention after her 2019 work with dancers in a performance-art piece at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Former NYCB dancer Ryan Kelly had collaborated with Knowles on that piece, titled “Bridge-s,” where dancers moved through the museum’s outdoor plaza while Knowles sang, and suggested her to NYCB associate artistic director Wendy Whelan as a possible collaborator, Daniels said.