Wednesday, February 22

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Montgomery Ballet performs virtually and in person.

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With Mardi Gras season still in the air, Montgomery Ballet is offering a new version of its “The Masks We Wear” dance series. This time they’re taking it to the web, though the Friday and Saturday performances are definitely in person.

“We did one, the Mardi Gras party, and the second time was with the doors. This time the theme is online,” said Danny Mitsios, artistic and executive director of the Montgomery Ballet. “The idea is what people portray on their social media profiles is not really the truth in real life.”

 

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Houston Ballet presents Cathy Marston's "Summer and Smoke."

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In Summer and Smoke, inspired by the original play, Principal dancer Jessica Collado is Alma Winemiller, an unmarried minister's daughter who lives next door to John Buchanan (Principal dancer Chase O'Connell), a doctor and wild young man. There's attraction, but their world views are 180 degrees apart.

 

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A CBS News interview with Virginia Johnson.

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Virginia Johnson, the artistic director of Dance Theatre of Harlem, is stepping down this year. Michelle Miller takes a look at her 50-year career in ballet and the legacy she is leaving behind at the historic institution.

 

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A review of Alice Robb's "Don't Think, Dear" by Fiona Sturges in The Guardian.

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A Russian émigré in America, Balanchine’s dictum was: “Don’t think, dear. Just do.” He was, by all accounts, a control freak and a bully, demanding impossible standards from his charges, and seeking to control how they looked, what they ate, who they dated and even what perfume they wore. He had sexual relationships with multiple dancers; those who rejected him often paid for it with their careers. Carol Sumner, a Balanchine protege, tells Robb: “He was very grabby. He was always wanting the girls. He’d be arrested by now.” Sumner, who is in her 80s, says this with laughter rather than disapproval. She still regards Balanchine as a hero.