Dance Magazine articles from March 2009

Dance Magazine archives from March 2009

Curtain up.(editorial)(Editorial)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Right in step with the rest of the country, dancers are looking for jobs. You can get gigs through websites, bulletin boards, or word of mouth. But nowhere else will you find the sheer quantity of possibilities that...

Getting inside the critic's head.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2009... I read with interest Joseph Carman's piece "Why Do They Say What They Say?" (Dec. 2008). As a writer for the Dallas Morning News, I've found that readers are far more interested in getting a closer look behind the creative spirit than reading a...

Fusion shouldn't trump tradition.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2009... I was fascinated by your Global issue (Nov. 2008) and appreciate that you featured contemporary dance artists with a background in traditional, ethnic dance (for lack of a better term). However, not all artists find their traditional forms...

Memories of Eleo Pomare.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2009... I was a dancer with Eleo Pomare ("Transitions," Nov. 2008) in the 1970s. No matter where we performed, whether in African American colleges, in Australia, or on Broadway, audiences had never seen anything like the work we brought to them. We...

Correction.(letters)(Correction notice)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The photo that ran with Eleo Pomare's obituary was not of Pomare, but of Stanley Joseph performing Pomare's Morning Without Sunrise (photograph by David Fullard). Here is a correct photo of Pomare, also by David...

Collaborative choreography.(Full Circle Dance Company's The Unconscious Dreams and Fears )(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Full Circle Dance Company of Baltimore will be premiering its new project entitled The Unconscious Dreams and Fears at the Baltimore Museum of Art on March 20 and 21. The company worked with schoolchildren and solicited ideas from Baltimoreans...

Knock On Wood.(Tappers with Attitude Youth Ensemble )(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Wanna get your spring tap fix? Tappers with Attitude Youth Ensemble performs this month at Washington, DC's Dance Place. The troupe celebrates its 18th season of classic and contemporary tap dance. Twenty-five members ranging from 10-18 years...

Family Flamenco.(Los Farruco )(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Three generations of dancers bring a legend to life. Descendants of the late flamenco master El Farruco, his daughters and grandsons (minus Farruquito, who was only granted limited work release from jail last year),...

Revitalizing down under.(Sydney Dance Company's Rafael Bonachela's work)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Sydney Dance Company's new artistic director, Rafael Bonachela, is "unfolding, blossoming and removing the coverings," in his new work for the company, we unfold. The group has undergone devastating changes after the departure of longtime...

Oprah's dreaming.(Oprah Winfrey in Alvin Alley American Dance Theater's gala)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When Alley celebrated the big 5-0, the big O came to town. An avid fan of Alvin Alley American Dance Theater, Oprah served as honorary chair of the gala last December. She stuck around after the red carpet and...

Interactive traffic jam.(Anouk van Dijk's work)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... One of the Netherland's most distinctive choreographers, Anouk van Dijk, brings her troupe, anoukvandijk dc, all the way to Portland, OR, to stop traffic with STAU, meaning "traffic jam." In this piece, the audience seating seems to cage the...

Colin Dunne.(Quick Q&A)(Interview)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Since saying good-bye to Broadway about a decade ago, Irish dance icon Colin Dunne has delved into the world of contemporary dance. If you saw his first full-length solo Out of Time, which premiered to rave reviews...

From the ground up: Cleveland's GroundWorks Dancetheater turns 10.
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What's in a name? For Cleveland-based GroundWorks Dancetheater, pretty much everything. It describes not only what the company is but also its modus operandi. Company founder, former Ohio Ballet dancer and rehearsal...

Ballet Nacional de Cuba's 60th anniversary: the world gathered to dance in Havana.(dance matters)
March 1, 2009... Americans were noticeably absent when the 21st International Ballet Festival convened last October in Havana, Cuba. This was not a surprise, of course, in light of the trade embargo that the U.S. has maintained against Cuba since 1962. But the...

It's a celebration: Dance Magazine honors Waters, Bausch, Rhodes, and Stiefel.(Sylvia Waters, Pina Bausch, Lawrence Rhodes, and Ethan Stiefel )
March 1, 2009... As 2008 drew to a close, Dance Magazine took an evening to celebrate some of the dance field's finest treasures. Sylvia Waters, Pina Bausch, Lawrence Rhodes, and Ethan Stiefel were the guests of honor at the 51st Dance Magazine Awards, which...

Savion's gypsy journey.(Savion Glover's Solo in Time)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Savion Glover returns to the Joyce this month with a debut of Solo in Time. With his ability to be coolly smooth and intensely hard-hitting at the same time, Glover plans to take the audience on an auditory journey in his own "Hooferz" style....

Life is still chaos.(Paul Taylor Dance Company)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The title Scudorama suggests cheesiness on a grand scale. That was Paul Taylor's intention when he made the work for the American Dance Festival in 1963, planning it as a contrasting companion piece to his upbeat...

Improved in the mix.(Sally Silvers' new work)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Sally Silvers calls herself an "iconoclassic"--both a breaker of tradition and a classicist. Her new work, Yessified, for 10 superb dancers, premieres at RS. 122 March 22-29. It ponders race--in particular whiteness. Don't expect a didactic...

Ache vs. injury: how long has it hurt? When an ache isn't routine.
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When Nicholas Leschke, a Houston Ballet first soloist, experienced pain in his left knee while rehearsing at the end of the season, he thought the summer break would take care of it. "If I just made it through the...

Advice for dancers.(Column)
March 1, 2009... I'm coming back from an injury, and everyone is mad at me, from my ballet master to the other dancers, because I can't perform my old roles yet. I understand that they're tired and resent filling in for me, but my body just isn't ready. One day...

Breakin' out: choreographer Shane Sparks goes from battling to Broadway.(Cover story)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "I am the one. They don't know yet, but I'm going to change the world." Make no mistake about it. Shane Sparks is on a mission. The' hip hop choreographer who has helped thrust this genre of dance into the mainstream...

Don't get lost in Los Angeles: new to the L.A. dance scene? Here's an insider's perspective on getting gigs from four top Hollywood choreographers.(Jennifer Hamilton, Tyce Diorio, Liz Imperio and Joann Jansen)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JENNIFER HAMILTON WHERE YOU'VE SEEN HER WORK: As long-time associate choreographer to Marguerite Derricks, you've seen Jennifer Hamilton's footprint on movies like the Austin Powers trilogy, Little Miss...

Be your own agent: wanna make it in L.A.? Get ready to work it.
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's every commercial dancer's dream: You move to Los Angeles, get an agent within your first week, and are immediately inundated with job offers. Because someone else is doing the hard part--finding audition...

The Glass Slipper Diaries: ballerinas on dancing a fairytale favorite.(Suzanne Lopez, Sonia Rodriguez, Yao Wei, Semionova, Polina, and Tina Martin)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Popular story ballets come in waves, and it seems like we're now experiencing a virtual tsunami of Cinderellas. We've counted at least 25 companies who mounted a production in the last few years. Riding that crest,...

Fruity fun: refresh your rehearsal clothing with these sweet shades.(Buyers guide)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Have as much watermelon, strawberry, kiwi, lemon, orange, and apricot as you want. We're not talking about a new diet plan. We mean color! Sprinkle some fruity-hued dancewear into your rehearsal wardrobe this spring....

2009 Dance Magazine Jobs Guide.(List)
March 1, 2009... All information is current as of press time and subject to change. Be sure to contact a program for the most up-to-date offerings. DANCER POSITIONS UNITED STATES ALABAMA Alabama Ballet Birmingham, AL Contact: Joelle...

When movement spells success: an L.A. elementary school uses dance to sharpen minds.(Los Angeles, Gabriella Charter School )
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At a tiny charter school in one of Los Angeles' poorest neighborhoods, students learn the alphabet by shaping letters with their bodies. They study other cultures through folk dance. They're taught multiplication...

Aligning your pelvis.(DO'S & DON'Ts)
March 1, 2009... Good alignment starts with a well-placed pelvis. Most dancers, however, find themselves at one end of the tilt-tuck spectrum, tilting the top of the pelvis forward and swaying in the lower back, or tucking the tailbone to flatten the lumbar...

Bring in the swing.(Swing Concerto)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... In his classic Swing Concerto from 1993, Danny Buraczeski told a quintessentially American story through a startling blend of musical traditions. Warbling klezmer notes met '30s big-band swing, with movement abstracted from Eastern European...

Decade of vision.(San Francisco's Dance Repertory's anniversary)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... San Francisco's Dance Repertory (a.k.a. dRep) holds its 10th Anniversary Special of the Vision Series Dance Festival, March 7-8 at Fort Mason's Cowell Theater. The Vision Series unites talented youth with professional artists for an interactive...

Lupe Serrano: crafting precision on pointe.(Interview)
March 1, 2009... Take one look at Lupe Serrano and you'll see a petite, incredibly fit, unassuming woman in her golden years. Take her class and before you've finished barre you'll know you're in the hands of a master. Her combinations are simple yet...

Laura Halzack: lyrical yet grounded, this balletic dancer shines as a Paul Taylor muse.(Paul Taylor Dance Company )
March 1, 2009... As the Virgin of Guadalupe in Paul Taylor's De Suenos, Laura Halzack glows against the darkened stage like a golden idol come to life. In a gleaming beaded bodysuit and a headdress that frames her delicate face, she must walk barefoot on releve...

A classic redux: Sergio Trujillo's Guys and Dolls salutes the 1930s.
March 1, 2009... The list of roles in the 1950 classic Guys and Dolls evokes a colorful, bygone world of charmingly harmless bums, bookies, and wise guys. Nicely-Nicely Johnson. Rusty Charlie. Angle the Ox. Harry the Horse. Along with the musical's main...

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
March 1, 2009... Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater New York City Center December 3, 2008-January 4, 2009 Ailey's 50th anniversary season featured three new productions, two world premieres, and two programs of Ailey/Ellington works with live...

BAM Next Wave.(dance festival)
March 1, 2009... BAM Next Wave Brooklyn Academy of Music, NYC September 28-December 20, 2008 Catching cutting-edge dance at BAM's Next Wave Festival is like finding true love in a bar--unlikely, but you can still have a good time. The 2008...

Next step.(Alicia Graf)(Brief article)(Column)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] How did Alicia Graf, who wrote last July's "Why I Dance" column, become the subject of this month's "Transitions" page. The five years that Graf, 29, spent as a member of Alvin Alley American Dance Theater were...

Daniel Nagrin (1917-2008).(DEATHS)(Obituary)
March 1, 2009... He was a volcano of a dancer. With piercing blue eyes, his greyhound-like body, and a sense of barely contained violence, he threw himself into every action onstage. In his marathon antiwar solo, Peloponnesian War (1968), he was a fighter, a...

Eartha Kitt 1927-2008.(DEATHS)(Obituary)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Best know for her role as Catwoman in the Batman TV series, Eartha Kitt was also famous for her sultry rendition of the Christmas song "Santa Baby." But a lesser-known fact is that she started her career as a dancer. Born in South...

University and College dance programs, schools, studios, dance companies, choreographers, teachers, pilates, gyrotonic[R], somatic practices, certification.(dance finder: a career & learning resource guide)(Directory)
March 1, 2009... 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 ALABAMA DANCE...

Small town, big stars.(dance finder: a career & learning resource guide)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sprawling across 300 leafy acres in rural Pennsylvania, the Grier School usually seems worlds away from NYC. But next month the all-girls boarding school will be brimming with the energy of Broadway. For the third...

Why I dance.(from the heart)(Column)
March 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I have always needed to dance; my life has never been without it. I've been a practitioner of the art form since nearly the day I could walk. My mother thought a toddler ballet class would be a great outlet for my...