Dance Magazine articles from March 2006

Dance Magazine archives from March 2006

Curtain up.(dancers attending college)(Editorial)
March 1, 2006... Should modern dancers go to college? Do they really learn to dance there, or are they better off taking tons of classes until they land a gig? What about going to a conservatory program? These questions were broached in an article in The...

Living and dancing.(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2006... "Brave New World" by Joseph Carman [Dec. 2005] was inspiring as well as emotional. It's wonderful that there are opportunities for dancers who are stricken with HIV to express themselves through their art. Now a ballet teacher myself, I vividly...

A double degree: dance and..?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2006... I'm 18, from Buenos Aires, and eager to get information about full scholarships for foreign students. I'm ready to pursue a higher degree, and I'd like to find a university that allows me to double major in engineering or nutrition and dance...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
March 1, 2006... Isaac Spencer, who was featured in January's "25 to Watch," was a Hubbard Street apprentice, not a member of Hubbard Street 2, before joining the main company.

DM style update.(dancers' outfits )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Information on the dancers' outfits at right was omitted in the January issue. They wrote: Outfit # 1 Capezio V-Neck Tank in white #W940151C; $24 Roll Waist Capri in black #W92700CJ; $38 Prima Soft Split...

Vaudeville Nation.(exhibition at New York Public Library )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Back in the days when dancers shared the bill with comedians, magicians, and animal acts, the national circuit called Vaudeville was the only way to get a performing gig. Vaudeville Nation, an exhibit at The New York Public Library for the...

Ballet best friend.(The Ballet Companion to know about ballet)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Need a good ballet reference book? Grab a copy of Eliza Gaynor Minden's new book, The Ballet Companion. It's brimming with useful stuff, including practical advice, auditioning tips, backstage etiquette, ballet history, and a big section on...

Happy anniversary!(Dance Alloy Theater )(Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley )(DanceArt Company )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... * Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley turns 20 this year. www.balletsanjose.org * Dance Alloy Theater (formerly Pittsburgh Dance Alloy) celebrates its 30th anniversary with a gala including a performance of Limon's The Moor's Pavane and a new...

Starter set.(modern dance at local punk club)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... A modern dance show at your local punk club? Sounds crazy, but a group of dancers, choreographers, and indie rockers have formed a collective called Starter Set, which is bringing dance to new venues. They made a DVD and, in January, toured to...

Together again!(Sebastian Gehrke and Isaac Spencer to perform together)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... You may remember Sebastian Gehrke and Isaac Spencer, the two dancers who got their first dance jobs on two different continents (see "Romance in Dance: Two Men, an Ocean, and a Love Affair," Feb. 2005). Now, they're together at last. In...

Link up, dancers!(dancers to come together by social networking sites )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Social networking sites are all over the Internet. Anyone can put up a profile and find old friends, hook up with new ones, get in touch with bands and musicians, or apply for a job. Now there's a new site that can bring visual artists and...

NYC [love]'s Dance.(New York City)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... New York City's transit strike in December left a lot of people stranded, but that didn't stop dance audiences. According to sources at NYCB and Alvin Alley American Dance Theater, their houses were full. You wouldn't have known there was a...

Seven at a blow.(New York City Ballet announces choreographers of the Diamond Project festival )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... New York City Ballet announced the choreographers of the Diamond Project festival for its spring season, and guess what? All seven are men: Mauro Bigonzetti, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Jorma Elo, Eliot Feld, Peter Martins, Alexei Ratmansky, and...

Les Ballets Africains.(VITAL SIGNS)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Founded in Paris in 1952 by Guinean choreographer Keita Fodeba Les Ballets Africains has performed almost non-stop since, usually to thunderous applause. This 35-member company of "roving ambassadors" hopes to foster a greater understanding of...

Phoenix Dance Theatre (UK).(first United States tour)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Phoenix Dance Theatre UK, pictured above in Planted Seeds, is embarking on its first U.S. tour in over 10 years. A fiery and energetic company, they perform works by the latest British postmoderns like Fin Walker, Javier de Frutos, and Ben Duke...

Dancing for Mark: memories on a silver anniversary.(DANCE MATTERS)(Mark Morris)
March 1, 2006... June Omura recalls her first exposure to Mark Morris: "When I was a sophomore in college and writing reviews, I saw the company at the second Next Wave Festival in the Lepercq Space at BALM. The program was Gloria, O Rangasayee, and...

A ballet company grows in St. Louis.(DANCE MATTERS)(Saint Louis Ballet)(Interview)
March 1, 2006... Gen Horiuchi's hands undulate like water wending its way around rocks as he describes his six years as artistic director of the Saint Louis Ballet. "I had to relearn myself," the soft-spoken former principal dancer of the New York City Ballet...

Northern light.(DANCE MATTERS)(Norwegian National Ballet)(Interview)
March 1, 2006... Americans possessed of the idea that European ballet companies enjoy perpetual financial prosperity should talk to Espen Giljane, who, since 2002, has been artistic director of the Norwegian National Ballet. "In Norway, people think that...

The right to dance.(DANCE MATTERS)(International Conference on Dance and Human Rights)
March 1, 2006... "What kind of village do we create in the naaking" of art, asked dance critic and filmaker Philip Szporer at the 2005 International Conference on Dance and Human Rights. Indeed, can dance even contribute to the flourishing of human rights? And...

More Washington woes.(DANCE MATTERS)(labor issues)
March 1, 2006... The management of the Washington Ballet has again locked horns with its dancers and their union, the American Guild of Musical Artists, over collective bargaining issues. The impasse resulted in the cancellation of the company's entire...

Orlando Ballet.(Bruce Marks is interim artistic director )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... BRUCE MARKS has been named interim artistic director of the Orlando Ballet. He succeeds FERNANDO BUJONES, who died Nov. 10.

New York City Ballet.(Bright Sheng appointed )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... New York City Ballet has appointed BRIGHT SHENG its first composer-in-residence; the residency runs through 2007.

American Ballet Theatre.(Ormsby Wilkins is director)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... ORMSBY WILKINS is the new music director at American Ballet Theatre.

Kevin Bowles.(wins William Marrie Award for Dramatic Achievement)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... KEVIN BOWLES has won the William Marrie Award for Dramatic Achievement given by the National Ballet of Canada.

Boston Ballet II.(Bonnie Mathis is director )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... BONNIE MATHIS is the new director of Boston Ballet II....

Stuttgart Ballet artistic director REID ANDERSON has won the German Dance Prize 2006 for his contribution to the art of dance in Germany.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Stuttgart Ballet artistic director REID ANDERSON has won the German Dance Prize 2006 for his contribution to the art of dance in Germany. Other Stuttgart Ballet honorees include resident choreographer CHRISTIAN SPUCK and principal dancers...

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.(Harris N. Ferris is new executive director)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... HARRIS N. FERRIS is the new executive director of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.

Perfect imperfection.(NEW YORK NOTEBOOK)(dance festival)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Francesca Harper is familiar with trying to conform to the dance world's image of perfection. "I'm a 5' 10" muscular black woman," she says. So in forming her company, Modo Fusion, she took a cue from her mentor, William Forsythe, and hired...

A phoenix flies.(NEW YORK NOTEBOOK)(dance performance)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Last October Dwight Rhoden, who was born with a faulty heart valve, had an episode of heart failure while on tour in California and underwent open heart surgery. After the near death experience, the Complexions choreographer feels he has "a new...

Clear skies ahead.(NEW YORK NOTEBOOK)(dance theater workshop)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Petra Van Noort tears up the floor and chews her shirt (above). Luke Miller places a teacup on the bottom of an inverted dancer whose legs cling to him. Such whimsical tableaux round out the evening-length Cloudless by Susan Marshall & Company,...

Mind your body: continuum: from water to land.
March 1, 2006... Emilie Conrad begins to demonstrate a wave motion and suddenly the room quiets down to an intense hush. Her rippling spine appears more like water than bone. Students may feel like they are watching a performance rather than a demonstration....

Advice for dancers: 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.
March 1, 2006... THIS YEAR MY CAREER HAS TAKEN OFF. I'VE GOT CHALLENGING ROLES BACK-TO-BACK, PLUS GREAT GUESTING GIGS. BUT INSTEAD OF FEELING HAPPY, I'M BECOMING CRANKY AND IRRITABLE. I THINK, EAT, AND DREAM OF BALLET. WHAT'S WRONG?--DANCER ON THE GO, NEW YORK,...

From Hollywood to Downtown: Claire Danes explores her dance roots.(Interview)(Cover Story)
March 1, 2006... At Performance Space 122, Claire Danes twists her body into tangled shapes and struggles on the floor. She uses her arms to belly crawl, her legs following lifeless behind her. Her snake-like spine undulates as she hangs over her legs and...

Going platinum: as Miami City Ballet turns 20, Allegra Kent interviews Edward Villella about the company's anniversary season, and being true to the choreographers' visions.(Interview)
March 1, 2006... Long ago, at the School of American Ballet in 1951, I remember Mr. Oboukhoff stopping our class and asking a young boy with dark eyes to jump. The kid did so with a wild spring upward, lingering aloft; he created an unforgettable image. That...

The natural: San Francisco Ballet's Tina LeBlanc blends technique, verve, classicism--and range.(Biography)
March 1, 2006... At best, judging dancers by their national origin is a fool's game. But who can resist playing it when the dancer is Tina LeBlanc? Watch her perform for 20 minutes and you will know why she is the quintessential American ballerina. The...

Eating and drinking for energy: what--and when--to eat and drink before performing.
March 1, 2006... Whether you dance through a season's worth of high-powered performances, or just gear up periodically for a couple of big ones, you have probably tried every possible food combination to help fuel you past your first entrance. You've eaten...

Starting out: these dance program grads made the leap to professional life with persistence, training, and luck.
March 1, 2006... Some call it tunnel vision. Others speak of good timing. Many describe it as a matter of hedging one's bets. Bellamy F. Eure's journey from student at Philadelphia's University of the Arts to professional dancer with Philadanco involved all of...

Agents who has one? Who needs one? Today more dancers than ever rely on agents to get auditions, guest appearances, and tours.
March 1, 2006... When classically-trained Kim Craven showed up to audition for talent agency Kazarian/Spencer & Associates in Los Angeles, she had on the standard uniform of her profession: leotard, tights, and a French twist. Perfectly respectable, very Freed...

Americans abroad: performing overseas is more than an adventure. For these dancers, it means personal, artistic, and financial breaks.(Interview)
March 1, 2006... To launch her career, Isadora Duncan sailed for Europe in search of audiences who could appreciate her work and producers who could enable her to do it. In Paris she encountered Loie Fuller, another expatriate who had preceded her by a decade....

Home works: strengthen, tone, and hone in your own studio.(DM STYLE)(Buyers guide)
March 1, 2006... What's the latest trend among dancers? A home studio. Nothing beats it when you're recuperating from an injury or trying to stay in shape. If you choose items that are portable, a few square feet of space will work wonders. Some collapsible...

Play it again, Alicia: new on DVD: documentaries and dancer profiles.(DANCE MAGAZINE RECOMMENDS)(Video recording review)
March 1, 2006... Alicia Alonso: Prima Ballerina Assoluta Video Arts International; 74 minutes; $34.95, www.vaimusic.com. This comprehensive survey of a living legend of classical dance captures Alonso a smidgen past her peak in 10 selections filmed...

Moonlighting with Pina Bausch: Janet Panetta translates Cecchetti for contemporary dancers.(TEACH-LEARN CONNECTION)(Biography)
March 1, 2006... The sun filters into the A-frame studio atop Venice's famed, recently renovated opera house, Teatro La Fenice. Today is the "generale," or dress rehearsal, for Pina Bausch's epic, Fur die Kinder von gestern, heute und morgen (For the Children...

Hosting the ACDFA: hard work nets profit and visibility.(STUDIO TALK)(American College Dance Festival Association)
March 1, 2006... Each spring, hundreds of college students gather on campuses throughout the U.S. for American College Dance Festival Association-sponsored conferences. The three-day events include workshops, panels, and performances where student and faculty...

Teacher's wisdom: Donny Golden.(THIS MONTH)(Irish dancing)(Interview)
March 1, 2006... For more than 30 years, The Golden School of Irish Dancing in Brooklyn has been synonymous with the gold standard in Irish dance. Donny Golden has trained more than 1,000 students, including Jean Butler, the original star of Riverdance. He...

Carolyn Judson: lyrical yet cherubic, this 21-year-old is leaping into leads at Texas Ballet Theatre.(On the Rise)(Biography)
March 1, 2006... Onstage, Texas Ballet Theater's Carolyn Judson captures that rare mix of spontaneity and authority without a trace of aloofness. She is at once in control of her long limbs, and yet each step seems entirely new--one more word in a monologue as...

Debut: stepping into vintage Ailey.(Alvin Ailey's "Revelations")(Asha Thomas)
March 1, 2006... The first day of New York City's transit strike was not the best time for a debut performance. Technically, it would be Asha Thomas' second time in the duet "Fix Me Jesus" from Revelations, since she danced it three days earlier. And Thomas is...

On Broadway: all steamed up: Kathleen Marshall's new "Pajama Game" salutes Fosse's classic moves.(Bob Fosse)
March 1, 2006... The way the story goes, it was Jerome Robbins who suggested to his co-director, George Abbott, that they give the job of choreographing their 1954 show Pajama Game to a newcomer named Bob Fosse. While the show could certainly have coasted...

Sasha Waltz.(Impromptus)(Dance review)
March 1, 2006... SASHA WALTZ NEXT WAVE FESTIVAL BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC, BROOKLYN, NY DECEMBER 6, 8-10, 2005 Entering BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House for Sasha Waltz's Impromptus felt like landing on the moon. The stunning, gargantuan, Richard Serra-like...

Wally Cardona Quartet.
March 1, 2006... WALLY CARDONA QUARTET NEXT WAVE FESTIVAL BAM HARVEY THEATER, BROOKLYN, NY DECEMBER 13, 15-17, 2005 Wally Cardona may not construct his choreography in easily identifiable building blocks, but he frames it by creating structures that limit,...

Preview: Alberta Ballet's Alice in Wonderland.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Drawing from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, choreographer Edmund Stripe says he's aiming for a lighthearted, family-oriented, classical ballet--Alice dances on pointe--combining absurdity, humor,...

Preview: Tero Saarinen Company.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... This month award-winning dancer/choreographer Tero Saarinen and his Helsinki-based company (formerly Company Toothpick) makes its U.S. debut. The ultra-contemporary group will present three of Saarinen's works, including his signature solo,...

Preview: Travesty Dance Group.(Hometown)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Karen Stokes, a native Houstonian and director of Travesty Dance Group, has made a collection of short works about her beloved hometown called Hometown. The piece chronicles Houston's famed swampy weather, the space program, even the traffic...

Taking a hesitant step off the stage.(dance contracts)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... During Ballet Hispanico's season at The Joyce Theater in November, Pedro Ruiz received a star's glorious farewell from an enthusiastic audience. After 20 years with the troupe, the elegant 42-year-old dancer will no longer tour with the...

Jennifer Smith.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Jennifer Smith retired after 12 years with the Pennsylvania Ballet. Smith's roles included Bianca in John Cranko's Taming of the Shrew and Dewdrop in Balanchine's The Nutcracker.

Selma Jeanne Cohen (1920-2005).(dancer)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
March 1, 2006... Known as the first American dance scholar, Dr. Selma Jeanne Cohen died in December in Manhattan. She was the founding editor of the monumentally ambitious six-volume International Encyclopedia of Dance (Oxford University Press, 1998). In...

M. Rosalind Pierson (1941-2005).(dancers)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
March 1, 2006... Dancer and teacher, M. Rosalind Pierson passed away at her home in Columbus, Ohio last October. Pierson performed with the Charles Weidman Company and The Garden State Ballet. She directed the Five-College Moving Company and the Mount Holyoke...

Joe Vilane.(dancer)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
March 1, 2006... Joe Vilane, a Broadway dancer and dance teacher, died last fall. He directed more than 100 productions.

Charles Engell France.(American Ballet Theatre's staff)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
March 1, 2006... Charles Engell France, who served as Mikhail Baryshnikov's right hand man at American Ballet Theatre in the 1980s, died last December at age 59. He collaborated on two books about Baryshnikov's ballet career.

Schools, studios, colleges, universities, companies, teachers, dancers, choreographers, somatic practices, movement arts, dance medicine, yoga.(DANCE FINDER)(Directory)
March 1, 2006... United States ALABAMA ALABAMA BALLET Wes Chapman, Artistic Director Alice Cox, Director of External Affairs 2726 1st Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 55233 (205) 3224300; Fax (205) 322-4444 www.alabamaballet.org ...

Working class dance.(DANCE FINDER)(Peter Spading Dance Company)(Rudolf Arnheim Studio Theater)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Who needs red velvet seats and gold trimmed balconies? Peter Spading prefers the "raw, industrial ambience" of his company's new home--a converted factory in Ann Arbor, MI. The choreographer will inaugurate the new studio/theater space on March...

Attitudes.(Fernando Bujones)(Obituary)
March 1, 2006... Fernando Bujones, dancer, 1955-2005. It was a short life and, in some ways, a life not completely fulfilled, for he died still a man of promise. Bujones' story mingled the good luck that jump-started his career with the ill fortune that cast a...