Dance Magazine articles from April 2006

Dance Magazine archives from April 2006

Curtain up.
April 1, 2006... Choreographers are hard to pin down. They work in the dark, not knowing what they are creating until it's done--or until it's been done for a few years. So it's not always easy to interview them about their work. William Forsythe has...

Freelance dance.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I really enjoyed "The New Gypsies" (Jan.). I used to be a ballet/modern gypsy myself, and I understand their desire to feel respected by directors and choreographers, and the need to work in different genres. Even though I knew I had the best...

Wiining--and losing Fernando.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Having watched Fernando Bujones perform often with ABT in his prime, I appreciated Wendy Perron's touching "Curtain Up" on this memorable dancer. I guess that wonderful photo of him in front of the Met was taken at the time of their lunch; he...

Profile in courage.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I'm a modern dancer in Charlotte, NC, and reading Rosalynde LeBlanc's article "Turning Point" (Dec. 2005), I found myself crying. Ever since, I've been thinking about her. Isn't she brave to pursue what she wants most in her life and to talk...

Can't we all be colleagues?(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... December's "Curtain Up," a response to Gia Kourlas' New York Times article on New York losing ground as a dance capital, strikes me as exactly right. First, it gives credit to New York-based choreographers and dancers who inspired the next...

An inspired art.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Now that Dance Magazine has taken on race and gender in the dance world, I would love to read about "inspiration." How do dancers fall in love with the art and decide to make it part of their lives? Maybe it is a Nutcracker performance that...

Quote of the month.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... "Art is the highest form of culture, a force that unlocks the human imagination and allows us to become dreamers." --Harry Belafonte, keynote speech, The Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference, NYC, January 20, 2006

Corrections.(Correction notice)
April 1, 2006... "Wheels Welcome" in the October 2005 issue listed danceAble as part of the Florida Dance Festival. While the organization presents workshops and events there, it is produced by the Florida Dance Association and Tigertail (www.tigertail.org)....

Happy birthday!(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... San Francisco's ODC/Dance Downtown, 35th Several Dancers Core of Houston and Manta, 25th The Radost Folk Ensemble, Seattle, 30th Kaleidoscope Dance Company, Seattle, 25th, right Joe Goode Performance Group, San Francisco, 20th

To Bob, with love, Merce.(artistic works)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Robert Rauschenberg was Merce Cunningham Dance Company's artistic advisor from 1954-1964. He designed sets and costumes (sometimes raiding dumpsters to get what he wanted), including those for Antic Meet (above). The Merce Cunningham Dance...

Aristocratic Aristophanes.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Fortysome years into her career as a dancer and actress, Valda Setterfield is more compelling than ever. In January she exerted a magnetic pull as Aristophanes in David Gordon's Aristophanes in Birdonia at Danspace, St. Mark's Church. Whether...

A feast of a festival.(dance festivals)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Houston's huge international dance festival, Dance Salad, launches its 11th season with 11 companies, 8 U.S. premieres, 13 choreographers, and 60 dancers from 7 countries. Artistic director Nancy Henderek haunts worldwide festivals, handpicking...

How does it feel?(VITAL SIGNS ...)(ballet dance)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Jerome Robbins wanted his dances to be more than just the steps. In February, at a talk moderated by Deborah Jowitt at New York State Theater, New York City Ballet principal Benjamin Millepied said that even when your back was to the audience,...

Tap around the world.(VITAL SIGNS ...)(Keane Sense of Rhythm Tap Company gives away tap shoes)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Keane Sense of Rhythm Tap Company, based in Minneapolis, recently organized a tap shoe drive to help spread the joy of tap overseas-specifically Brazil and Africa. They thought they'd be able to send a few dozen pairs to each location and...

Charisma everlasting.(VITAL SIGNS ...)(Chita Rivera's show)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Once there was a young girl who used to danced so hard the table broke. Her parents' solution? Send the girl to ballet class. So begins the story of Chita Rivera, legendary dancer and sublime entertainer. Now, 60-some years later, no one rolls...

From ballet icon to screen gooddes.(VITAL SIGNS ...)(Lorena Feijoo)(Interview)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Lorena Feijoo of San Francisco Ballet jetes onto the silver screen mid-April in Andy Garcia's Lost Cily. In a recent interview, the actor-turned-director told Dance Magazine that after seeing Lorena sparkle onstage in Don Quixote, he knew that...

Global beat.(VITAL SIGNS ...)(Decadance-theatre performs)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A feisty crew of Brooklyn girls go popping, locking, and arabesquing in Gamon (meaning the "earless lute player"). The girls are the hippest blend of Japanese, American, and African American, with hair flying or tucked into caps. The toughest...

Feel the Earth move.(VITAL SIGNS ...)(Earthquake Festival of International Dance)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... This month Northern Ireland's Earthquake Festival of International Dance shows an ambitious program of international dance from kathak to Native American, from ballet to break dancing. The companies performing include Nederlands Dans Theater 2,...

The Hawaiian scene: grass skirts and dancing geckos.(DANCE MATTERS)
April 1, 2006... Hawaii may be a vacation paradise, but the state is rapidly gaining a reputation for its cultural offerings, too. Among a wide range of dance attractions, hula is still the predominant style, with hundreds of halau (schools) throughout the...

Aix and pains on the French dance scene.(DANCE MATTERS)(Danse a Aix stopped)
April 1, 2006... In November, against the dramatic backdrop of a rioting nation, Aix-en-Provence's mayor, Maryse Joissans-Masini, confirmed the demise of the 29-year-old summer festival, "Danse a Aix." She defended her surprise announcement that the festival's...

Yes to virtiosity!(DANCE MATTERS)(Agon reperformed)
April 1, 2006... Yvonne Rainer made her mark in the 1960s as an extraordinary champion of ordinary movement in contemporary dance. Yet, she's basing her new work (only her second dance in 30 years) on a landmark ballet by one of the 20th century's most...

"Sourcing Stravinsky".(DANCE MATTERS)(dance program)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Choreographer Annie-B Parson asked six contemporary artists to use the composer's music as a starting point for a new work. In addition to Rainer's contribution, expect dances by Dayna Hanson and Linas Phillips, Rennie Harris, Cynthia Hopkins,...

Dance Place turns 25.(DANCE MATTERS)(Organization overview)
April 1, 2006... Just up North Capitol Street from the seat of the government in Washington, D.C. is a soul-nurturing haven with some of the most exciting dance in the country. At Dance Place one clear, crisp evening last fall, two dancers, accompanied by...

One dancer's triumph.(DANCE MATTERS)(Fabrice Lamego)
April 1, 2006... Technically, chemotherapy gets the credit for curing Fabrice Lamego's skin cancer--but dance was the real medicine that saved this artist, and kept him fighting for health. A 29-year-old Guadelupe native, Lamego arrived in New York in 1997...

Oakland Ballet folds.(DANCE MATTERS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Only months after celebrating its 40th birthday, the Oakland Ballet announced Jan. 31 that it was dissolving immediately, thereby ending a historic chapter in both the Bay Area and American dance. The principal culprit in the company's closure...

Stars young and not-so-young.(NEW YORK NOTEBOOK)(Youth American Grand Prix)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... For its all-out gala this year, Youth American Grand Prix has chosen the theme "Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow." Representing tomorrow is Polina Semionova, the newest sensation in ballet to come out of Europe. With a gorgeously...

Honoring Agnes.(NEW YORK NOTEBOOK)(Agnes de Mille)(New York Theatre Ballet)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Agnes de Mille elevated the place of dance in American popular musical theater. In classics like Oklahoma!, Carousel, Brigadoon, and Paint Your Wagon, dance evolved from a tuneful diversion to an extension of the characters' dreams and...

Mixing it up.(NEW YORK NOTEBOOK)(Performance Mix Festival)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... For the past two decades, New Dance Alliances' Performance Mix Festival has focused mainly on dance, but it also celebrates its convergences with music, performance, and video. Sally Silvers, Douglas Dunn, Lisa Kraus (left), Jennifer Monson,...

Upper West side danceathon.(NEW YORK NOTEBOOK)(Symphony Space)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Symphony Space's 12-hour Dance Sampler on April 29 offers more than 25 performances, a handful of videos, and one film. In the first segment, Peter Pucci, Brian Brooks, and David Neumann will give children's imaginations a workout. The second...

Wainwright and rite.(NEW YORK NOTEBOOK)(Rufus Wainwright)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The slinky/sleazy movement of Stephen Petronio is just right for Rufus Wainwright's funky/bluesy music. The premiere, BLOOM, intends to tread the line between the "purity of youth" and the "bittersweet poignancy of transformation." (Is there...

Robbins via Villella.(NEW YORK NOTEBOOK)(Jerome Robbins, Edward Villella)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A rare chance to see Miami City Ballet--and a rare chance to see two of Robbins' greatest works back to back. Both Fancy Free (1944) and Dances at a Gathering (1969, above) are ballets in which Edward Villella, now artistic director of MCB,...

Classic Pilates: down to the mat.(HEALTH and Fitness)
April 1, 2006... Dancers tend to be flexible, often to their detriment: looseness can make movement harder to control. Weight training tends to focus on one muscle group, and cardio workouts build stamina, not core strength. But Pilates can strengthen your...

Advice for dancers.
April 1, 2006... former New York City Ballet dancer Linda Hamilton, Ph.D., is a lecturer, a psychologist in private practice, and the author of Advice for Dancers (Jossey-Bass). She has been offering advice to Dance Magazine readers since 1992. Many...

The force of Forsythe: not content with remaking ballet, the choreographer is pushing theatrical boundaries.(William Forsythe)(Interview)(Biography)
April 1, 2006... William Forsythe made his first work (a pas de deux called Urlicht) in his living room in 1976. Since then--as a choreographer with the Stuttgart Ballet; then as head of the Ballett Frankfurt; now with his own company--he has fundamentally...

Dancing in tune with the earth: Eiko & Koma take "Cambodian Stories" on their latest tour.(Cover story)
April 1, 2006... It's a breezy night in late May 2004. People are still gathering at the gate of New York's St. Mark's Church in the Bowery, hoping to grab a chair or a cushion on the ground for Eiko & Koma's free performance in the churchyard. Some have been...

What are they thinking? Choreographers an their dancers, their inspirations, and why na Piece is ever finished.(Interview)
April 1, 2006... DANCE MAGAZINE INTERVIEWED 16 CHOREOGRAPHERS of different ages, styles, and nationalities. We asked four questions. What do you look for in a dancers? how do you know when a work is finished? When you think something is beautiful, what is...

The sleep cure: what to do when zzzs are but a dream.
April 1, 2006... You've kicked the blankets to the floor, turned the pillow over and upside down (10 times), lowered the shade, raised it, and turned out the light--again! You've danced Swan Lake and gone over your new choreography, all inside your tired brain....

Yesterday & tomorrow: Jewish choreographers grapple with their heritage.
April 1, 2006... "I don't think of myself as religious," says Bay Area choreographer Nina Haft, "but I feel some sense of longing to connect with my Jewishness." Likewise Maryland-based choreographer Liz Lerman says she has "an ongoing internal struggle with...

Spring fever.(clothing)
April 1, 2006... Catch the fever--spring fever that is. Put away the sweaters and leg warmers. Spring is all about a fresh start, so treat yourself to a bright new look. Here's a sampling of leotards (with their suggested retail prices). When it comes to...

Howling Near Heaven: Twyla Tharp and the Reinvention of Modern Dance.(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Howling Near Heaven: Twyla Tharp and the Re-Invention of Modern Dance By Marcia B. Siegel. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2006, 288 pages. Illustrated. $25.95. Twyla Tharp's often turbulent career, now on the cusp of its fifth decade, may...

May O'Donnell: Modern Dance Pioneer.(Book review)
April 1, 2006... May O'Donnell: Modern Dance Pioneer By Marian Horosko. Foreword by Jennifer Dunning. University Press of Florida, 2005, 136 pages. Illustrated. $21. www.upf.com The essence of May O'Donnell's long career (she died in 2004 at the age of...

National Dance Week: the California Bay Area celebrates.
April 1, 2006... Sarah David, the producer of a company called And Still Dancing, thought she'd be lucky if 10 people turned up for the National Dance Week event she organized last spring. Her group, a showcase for dancers over 40, was new in San Francisco. She...

Sharing the wealth.(ACROSS THE FLOOR)(ODC School)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... In other parts of the world February 2 was Groundhog Day. But in San Francisco the mayor proclaimed it ODC Dance Commons Day for the grand opening of the ODC School's heralded new space ("Dance Matters," Oct. 2005). In addition to inviting the...

New Orleans report.(TEACH-LEARN CONNECTION)(helping dance students and teachers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Not even a natural disaster can keep dancers away from the studio for long. Within a month after Hurricane Katrina struck in August ("Dance Matters," Jan.), instructors and students displaced from Tulane University's Newcomb College Dance...

California Institute of the Arts has concluded a lengthy search by appointing Stephan Koplowitz dean of the Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... California Institute of the Arts has concluded a lengthy search by appointing Stephan Koplowitz dean of the Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance. Koplowitz ("Doing Double Duty," Nov. 2003) is known for his site-specific works that take place in...

Nancy Raffa will direct summer intensives for American Ballet Theatre in New York, Detroit, Alabama, Texas, California, and Bermuda.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Nancy Raffa will direct summer intensives for American Ballet Theatre in New York, Detroit, Alabama, Texas, California, and Bermuda. The former dancer with ABT and Miami City Ballet received her early training with Mme. Gabriella Darvash and...

Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and Nikolais/Louis Foundation for Dance have teamed up to present a summer workshop in Salt Lake City, July 24-Aug. 11.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and Nikolais/Louis Foundation for Dance have teamed up to present a summer workshop in Salt Lake City, July 24-Aug. 11. In this first time gathering and transfer of experience, Murray Louis, Alberto Del Saz, and...

Jacob's pillow.(Summer School)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Jacob's Pillow has announced 2006 faculty and programs: Anna Marie Holmes, Ballet; Richard Gonzalez and Rosamaria Roberts, Cultural Traditions: Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico; Milton Myers, Contemporary; Cher Walker, Jazz; Celeste...

Broadway Dance Center.
April 1, 2006... The Broadway Dance Center in New York is accepting applications for its '06-'07 Professional Program. The 10-month program for 21 students culminates in a concert choreographed by industry professionals. Last year, the choreographers included...

Goucher College.(Now Enrolling)
April 1, 2006... The Goucher College dance program now requires incoming undergraduate students to participate in at least one course of study abroad: History and Performance of Dance in Brazil, Dance and Theatre as Cultural Metaphors (London), Culture and Arts...

National College Choreography Initiative.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... From the Campus to the Real World (And Back Again): A Resource Guide for Artists, Faculty, and Students ($16) is now available through Dance/USA. A series of articles and essays written by 20 artists and experts including David Dorfman, Terry...

Teacher's wisdom: Sam Weber.(dancer)(Interview)
April 1, 2006... As a child, Sam Weber first delved into tap dancing as a means of escaping reality. Now in his 50s, this protege of Stanley Kahn has tapped his way to international acclaim. Weber's dancing exudes an effortless grace that comes from his years...

Snappy dance theater: they're shaking up Boston's dance scene with a snap, crackle, and pop package of athleticism and creativity.(dance troupes performances)
April 1, 2006... Snappy Dance Theater, one of the Boston area's most popular modern dance troupes, has won its following by creating medleys that tap athletics, clown technique, silent film images, and, oh yes, studio technique. In general, SDT works tell...

Debut: leaping into a Limon classic.
April 1, 2006... After her initial panic dissipated, Ryoko Kudo settled down to tackle the character Emilia, the wife of the sinister Iago, for her debut in Jose Limon's masterpiece, The Moor's Pavane. Kudo danced two performances in Ann Arbor, Michigan,...

On broadway: Lisa Shriver gets down home and country in her first outing as a choreographer, Ring of Fire.
April 1, 2006... The first and only time Lisa Shriver performed in a musical, it was a high-school production of Anything Goes in Colorado Springs. "I wanted Reno Sweeney," she says. She got a small part instead. But it didn't really matter. As far as she was...

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.(Dance review)
April 1, 2006... Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater City Center, New York, NY November 30, 2005-January 1, 2006 Reviewed by Susan Yung Alley's annual City Center run included three premieres--two by seasoned hands and a collaboration by three...

"From Russia with Love".(Dance review)
April 1, 2006... "From Russia with Love" Lori Belilove & Company Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation, New York, NY January 12-14, 2006 Reviewed by Wendy Perron Lori Belilove is arguably the best, most devoted Duncan interpreter in the...

Preview: Inbal Pinto.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Otherworldly images can resonate most deeply with our everyday lives. Such is the case with Oyster, an evening-length piece created by Israeli artists Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak, which tours the States this spring. A journey into an...

Preview: Maida Withers' Dance Construction Company.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... "I've always been political, and living in D.C., we eat, live, and breathe politics," says Maida Withers, who celebrates the 30th anniversary of her Dance Construction Company this month with the premiere of Thresholds Crossed. The piece, which...

Fayard Nicholas (1914-2006).(dancer)(Obituary)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The elder and taller of the brilliant Nicholas Brothers, Fayard was known as "having the best arms and hands in the business." His fluid torso and eloquent hands wove poetry in counterpoint to the complex tapping. Watching this perfect tap duo,...

Rebecca Wright (1947-2006).(dancer)(Obituary)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Although the Joffrey Ballet promoted its "all star/no star" policy, Rebecca Wright, who danced there from 1966-1975, was indisputably a star. Sadly, after a prolonged battle with cancer, her star faded on January 29. A dancer of remarkable...

Moira Shearer (1926-2006).(dancer)(Obituary)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... With the groundbreaking 1948 movie The Red Shoes, she probably inspired more girls to dream of ballerinadom than anyone since Anna Pavlova. And yet it was a dream that eluded its Scottish-born star Moira Shearer herself. It was a film, she...

Madovia Ruiz.(dancer)(Obituary)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Madovia Ruiz, identified as the first dancer of color to perform in a major American company, died last New Year's Eve at age 95. Born in Mexico and raised in San Francisco, Ruiz performed with the San Francisco Ballet, Balanchine's American...

Gertude Hallenbeck.(dancer)(Obituary)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Remembered for her great enthusiasm and energy, dance teacher Gertrude Hallenbeck died last December. Her ballet, jazz, tap, and ballroom training was passed on to her students at The Hallenbeck School of the Dance in Albany, New York.

Paul Grinwis.(dancer)(Obituary)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Ballet dancer, teacher, choreographer, and painter Paul Grinwis, 85, died last January in Gent, Belgium. Grinwis founded the Gent Ballet Academy.

Ted Berger.(retires from New York Foundation for the Arts)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Last January New York Foundation for the Arts held a "Ted Fest," a gala for retiring executive director Ted Berger. Hosted by Kathleen Chalfant, the evening included a performance by Nicholas Leichter Dance and other New York artists.

In January American Ballet Theatre soloist Erica Cornejo married Boston Ballet principal Carlos Molina in Colombia.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... In January American Ballet Theatre soloist Erica Cornejo married Boston Ballet principal Carlos Molina in Colombia. Members of Molina's family hosted the ceremony at their home overlooking the mountains. Guests included Cornejo's brother Herman...

Birth.(Chan Hon Goh begets son)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Chan Hon Goh, principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada and founder of the dance shoe company Principal by Chan Hon Goh, and her husband Chun Che, teacher and choreographer, are proud parents of a baby boy. Aveary Gene Leon Che was...

Schools, studios, colleges, universities, companies, teachers, dancers, choreographers, somatic practices, movement arts, dance medicine, yoga.(DANCE FINDER)(Directory)
April 1, 2006... United States ALABAMA ALABAMA BALLET Wes Chapman, Artistic Director Alice Cox, Director of External Affairs 2726 1st Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35233 (205) 322-4300; Fax (205) 322-4444 www.alabamaballet.org ...

Beauty and the Beast.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Don't expect dancing spoons or singing candelabras when Atlanta Ballet performs Beauty and the Beast this month. This version, choreographed by Northern Ballet Theatre (Leeds, UK) artistic director David Nixon, takes a bow more toward the...

Attitudes.(American modern dance)
April 1, 2006... We seem to be in the middle of a serious debate on whether New York is (or is still) the center of the dance world. Wow! Big stuff! Big argument! But, as first pointed out in these pages by editor Wendy Perron ("Curtain Up," December 2005), in...