Wednesday, October 16

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A preview of the Joffrey Ballet's "Atonement."

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For Atonement, Marston has choreographed a very steamy lovemaking sequence for Robbie and Cecilia in dance. Dancing Cecilia opposite Cuevas is Mexican dancer Anais Bueno, and he is full of praise and respect for her similar willingness to thoroughly explore the characters’ passions.

“We’re really able to talk about what we need and just accommodate and so we’re both comfortable and not breaking any boundaries,” Cuevas said. “It’s part of our job to just make that connection happen.”

 

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Miami City Ballet brings back "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

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Having received the green light from the Balanchine Trust, Lopez turned to widely commissioned, award-winning artist Michele Oka Doner—her local roots as strong as a banyan’s, her creative spirit sun-pierced and salty breeze-swept—to re-design the ballet’s set and re-design the costumes. MacArthur Fellow and Academy Award-winning scriptwriter Tarell Alvin McCraney, born in Miami’s Liberty City, came in to guide dancers through the dramaturgy. And New York-based theatrical projection designer, Wendall K. Harrington, who has a lengthy resume that spans decades designing Broadway, opera, ballet and concerts, created the spectacular projections.

 

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Orlando Ballet opens its season with "Romeo and Juliet" and live music.

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Guest choreographer James Sofranko, the artistic director of Grand Rapids Ballet, will lead this production.

"We’ve infused this story with a level of realness where the audience feels just how deep Juliet and Romeo’s feelings were for each other," Sofranko said. "No one can avoid becoming immersed in the drama of their tragic love story when you’re witnessing this level of dance and music.

 

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Atlanta Ballet holds its annual fashion show and lunch.

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This highly anticipated event, hosted by the Atlanta Ballet, raised more than $450,000 in support of Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education's community engagement programs that serve 16,000 underserved students across the metro Atlanta area.

 

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A portrait of Rowena Jackson is unveiled.

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As a 10-year-old, she saw a Russian ballet performance in Auckland, exulting in the rich costumes, music and excitement of the performance, which had cemented her determination to pursue what became an acclaimed international career as a prima ballerina and Royal Ballet soloist, and as a teacher.

 

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Ballet San Antonio opens its season with "Don Quixote." TV news clip.

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A review of New York City Ballet by Leigh Witchel for dancelog.nyc.

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Adrian Danchig-Waring was able to do Concerto DSCH finally, and the Ratmansky Effect held for him and the rest of the cast. They danced their best. Unity Phelan can flicker in and out of focus through a season. The lightbulb was not only fully screwed in here, but traded in for higher wattage. Her timing was on, she was hitting everything where it should be. She varied both her attack and her mood throughout and gave finely sculpted shapes in the haunting adagio (Shostakovich’s music will stay in your head for days). Her phrasing was unbroken, as if she were having a quiet conversational with Danchig-Waring. But most importantly, as she fell into his arms, then cradled her face with her own hand, there was more going on than a shape. When they looked back at one another at the end of the movement, it was simple and natural, but also a poignant story.

David Mead reviews NYCB for "Seeing Dance."

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New York City Ballet’s Contemporary Choreography programme, the company’s first-ever all-female affair, proved an evening that got better as it went along. While Gianna Reisen’s restaged Signs, created for the School of American Ballet in 2022, and Caili Quan’s new Beneath the Tides both showed promise, perhaps it was no surprise that both were well and truly trumped by the more experienced Tiler Peck’s Concerto for Two Pianos.