Dance Magazine articles from May 2005

Dance Magazine archives from May 2005

Curtain up.(Editorial)
May 1, 2005... We all need someone to look up to. We enter dance class, and right away there is someone to watch, someone to admire. It's part of falling in love with dance. I think the first girl who captivated me in ballet class, when I was 7, was 13. Over...

Late bloomers.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... Words cannot describe how ecstatic I was to see "Better Late Than Never" in the February issue. I started ballet at 14, and as a late-starting female, a career in ballet looked impossible. But this article showed me that with the right amount...

Salute to Solov.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... I was so sorry to read about the passing of Zachary Solov in your March issue (see "Transitions"). It brought to memory my work with him as a dancer when he choreographed the ballet sections in the opera Die Fledermaus for the Metropolitan...

Criticism critique.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... I really enjoyed the "Coping With Criticism" articles in the March issue. It's uplifting for dancers to hear about other dancers who have struggled with self-criticism and who have turned an insecurity, whether it be with technique, performing,...

Monkeying around.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... Thank you for the article on Monkeyhouse (see "Previews," February). It's great to see a magazine of your caliber presenting such a wide spectrum of dance. I grew up in the Boston area and have always been a huge fan of Monkeyhouse. They...

Survivor's story.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... I began reading the magazine again last year and was happy to see that Wendy Perron, whom I remember from my dancing days in New York, is now editor in chief. (I used to dance with Cliff Keuter and Elina Mooney dance companies and I co-founded...

Correction.(Letters)(Correction Notice)
May 1, 2005... In the March "On Broadway" column The Rivals was referred to as a Restoration comedy. The play was written slightly later, in 1775.

Eifman's dancers: on the record.(DANCE MATTERS)(Albert Galichanin and Vera Arbouzova, about Eifman the choreographer)(Interview)
May 1, 2005... Why should this year be any different? Controversy will hover in the air when the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg launches its annual American tour this month. The fare will include the premiere of Anna Karenina, revivals of Don Juan & Moliere,...

Santa Fe report: the pulse of nature.
May 1, 2005... The quiet, stark beauty of northern New Mexico sustains a vibrant dance community, one that draws inspiration from its tricultural traditions--Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo. In addition, the recent renovation of a former movie palace,...

Helping hands, helping feet.(Dancers raised money for the victims of tsunami)
May 1, 2005... In a show of strength and compassion last winter, dancers joined forces for two separate events to aid victims of the devastating December tsunami in Southeast Asia. On February 11, fundraisers for victims of the catastrophe took place in New...

Retirement, Italian style: Carla Fracci: "another assault on the world of ballet.".
May 1, 2005... Last fall, for the first time in its history, the Italian ballet community found itself in agreement. The reason for this unity was to protest publicly a law that proposes to up the retirement ages of all performers in all categories working in...

Labor pains: a survey.
May 1, 2005... As dancers become more concerned with their working conditions, salary inequities, and contracted weeks of work, unions have played an important role in negotiating and resolving disputes between management and dancers. Several issues have...

Rachel Moore: back where she belongs: a veteran comes home with a lot on her mind.
May 1, 2005... Could it be that American Ballet Theatre has finally dismantled those revolving doors to its administrative offices? After five executive directors entered and exited within four years, those whirring portals were starting to wear out. It was...

Africa, BAM style.(New York Notebook)
May 1, 2005... DanceAfrica, under the direction of founding elder Baba Chuck Davis, is back for a 28th season at Brooklyn Academy of Music, May 27-30. This time around the theme is "Rhythmic Heritage: Going Full Circle," and true to his word, Baba Chuck is...

MOMIX on the moon.(New York Notebook)
May 1, 2005... Is there life on the moon? Yes, if you go there with MOMIX. Artistic director Moses Pendleton takes us on a trip to the moon in his latest full-evening work, Lunar Sea. It takes off at MOMIX's season at the Joyce Theater, May 10-29....

Deux by Dorfman.(New York Notebook)(Brief Article)(Dance Review)
May 1, 2005... David Dorfman is an inveterate storyteller. His new piece, Older Testaments, made for his company's 20th anniversary, is partly informed by Dorfman's Jewish upbringing and his contemplations on how Jews and Arabs have moved apart over the...

What lies beneath.(New York Notebook)
May 1, 2005... Life, lying in wait beneath a frozen tundra, longs to emerge and greet opportunity in Landscape Over Zero, the newest work by the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company. Titled after a poem by exiled writer Bei Dao, the piece debuts May 6-7 at the John Jay...

Hiding/revealing.(New York Notebook)
May 1, 2005... As part of "New Faces New Voices New Visions' E-Moves 6," Nicholas Leichter's premiere at Aaron Davis Hall, Scrutiny (Harlem Watch), achieves a reverent fusion of techniques. His racially diverse cast combines the articulate torso of...

Madness in Mad Heidi.(New York Notebook)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... From the moment the audience filed in to Yvonne Meier's Mad Heidi/Limpopo and saw Ishmael Houston-Jones taped to the floor, jerking his head up, screwing up his nose, and glaring at visitors, we knew this was a manic fool in the best tradition....

Mind your body: Pilates or Gyrotonic? Don't be systematic.
May 1, 2005... These days dancers are encouraged to condition not only to be stronger and avoid injury, but also so classical movers can contract with the best Graham practitioners and modernists can pirouette on a dime. "Dance has come a long way, and so...

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.(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... ALL I'VE EVER WANTED IS TO BE A BALLERINA. NOW, I'VE PUT IN FOUR YEARS AT MY COMPANY PERFORMING IN CORPS, SOLOIST, AND EVEN A FEW PRINCIPAL ROLES, ASSUMING IT WOULD LEAD ONE DAY TO A PROMOTION. ONCE AGAIN, SOME YOUNG DANCER HAS CAUGHT MY...

The king of hearts: with adoring audiences and admiring partners, Carlos Acosta reigns from centerstage.
May 1, 2005... The London afternoon is darkand dank, but he swaggers into the cozy backstage room at the Royal Opera House as if strutting down the Malecon, Havana's famous seafront. His friendly manner and broad smile fill the room like Cuban sunshine. He's...

Amazing grace: its founder's fierce spirit has built Philadanco a thriving place at the heart of Philadelphia's dance scene.
May 1, 2005... "Once you come in that door, the arms embrace you. It's a rare jewel here--just a little piece of heaven. Aunt Joan doesn't know any other way to be. She's a nurturer, a fighter, a giver, a believer."--KIM BEARS-BAILEY Walk into the...

Dance idols: every dancer has heroes: 12 star performers talk about theirs.
May 1, 2005... Everyone has an idol, a mentor, a personal hero--someone whose influence inspires life-changing decisions. For dancers, those pivotal moments might come from seeing a breathtaking performance, watching the evolving artistry of a colleague, or...

Studio gear: turning downtime into quality time.
May 1, 2005... Savvy studio owners know that no matter what a dancer's level of accomplishment--student, teacher, or principal of a major company--they're always striving to improve. They need a rock solid barre for support, a mirror to check their alignment,...

When movement met modernism: a new essay collection offers fresh discoveries and insights.(DANCE MAGAZINE RECOMMENDS)(Legacies of Twentieth-Century Dance)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Legacies of Twentieth-Century Dance By Lynn Garafola. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press, 2005. 464 pages. Illustrated. $70; paper $27.95. Today's dance historians, especially those who spend time in academe, tend to...

On the Rise: Sarah Lane: this ABT corps member may be petite, but her onstage presence is powerful.(Biography)
May 1, 2005... Sarah Lane could be the smallest girl American Ballet Theatre has ever hired into the corps. Yet neither height nor technique are the first thing you notice about this vibrant 20-year-old. Instead your eye goes to her open upper body,...

Heartland hotspot: university faculty models performance careers for students.(TEACH-LEARN CONNECTION)
May 1, 2005... NOT THAT LONG AGO, it was common for young dancers to dismiss university programs as second-rate tracks to performing careers. But increasingly, college and university dance departments are challenging that perception. By including professional...

National Dance Institute of New Mexico.(Kudos)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The NATIONAL DANCE INSTITUTE OF NEW MEXICO received one of 17 Coming Up Taller Awards made by President Bush's Committee on the Arts and Humanities for 2004. First Lady Laura Bush presented the award to NDI-NM co-founder Catherine Oppenheimer...

Canada's National Ballet School.(Kudos)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... CANADA'S NATIONAL BALLET SCHOOL celebrated a decade of deficit-free operations in December by unveiling a new logo for the 45-year-old institution directed by Mavis Staines. The School moves into expanded facilities in 2005....

D.A.R.E. Dance.(Kudos)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... D.A.R.E. DANCE marked its fifth anniversary in January. Students at more than 70 schools in nine states and the District of Columbia will each hold an in-school assembly led by a professional dance company using a drug and violence prevention...

National Dance Association.(Kudos)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Pierre Locker welcomed NATIONAL DANCE ASSOCIATION members to Chicago when they assembled in April for the 2005 national convention of the American Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. As director of education and...

Students of The Royal Ballet School and the ABT Studio Company traded spaces when Royal Ballet School director Gailene Stock's graduate students performed at NYU's Skirball Center in February.(Kudos)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Students of THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL and the ABT STUDIO COMPANY traded spaces when Royal Ballet School director Gailene Stock's graduate students performed at NYU's Skirball Center in February and when John Meehan's ABT Studio Company performed...

Jacob's Pillow.(Summer School)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... JACOB'S PILLOW has announced its summer program directors: Anna-Marie Holmes, Ballet; Rennie Harris, Cultural Traditions; Milton Myers, Contemporary Traditions; Chet Walker, Jazz; Susan Marshall and Suzanne Carbonneau, Choreographers' Lab....

Broadway Dance Center.(Summer School)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... BROADWAY DANCE CENTER holds its sixth annual summer intensive in New York City, June 25-August 10. Dancers age 11-24 participate in 5-day sessions in jazz, hip hop, and theatre dance, www.bdcsummerintensive.com.

Advanced ballet students, 10-18, who reside in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut may take part in the new Joffrey Ballet School Program this summer at Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts in Wheatley Heights, Long Island.(Summer School)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Advanced ballet students, 10-18, who reside in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut may take part in the new JOFFREY BALLET SCHOOL PROGRAM this summer at USDAN CENTER FOR THE CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS in Wheatley Heights, Long Island. The...

Mark your calendar.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
May 1, 2005... The U.S. chapter of DANCE AND THE CHILD INTERNATIONAL will host the second Intergenerational Gathering at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, June 23-27. The organization focuses on children's voices and ideas. Contact janzalesky@ aol.com. ...

BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange.(New Assignments)(appointment)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... PENE MCCOURTY is the new education director of BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange, in Park Slope, Brooklyn. McCourty is a former member of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. www.bax.org.

New York City Center.(New Assignments)(appointment)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... ARLENE JORDAN has joined New York City Center as director of education after 30 years with the Department of Education. www.nycitycenter.org.

University of New Mexico.(New Assignments)(dance professor)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... BILL EVANS has retired from the University of New Mexico and is visiting professor/guest artist with the SUNY Brockport Department of Dance, which in April produced his 65th birthday concert.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.(New York Celebrations)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The music could be heard a block from the new Joan Weill Center for Dance on Ninth Avenue and 55th Street on March 2. The sounds of the brass section of The Juilliard Jazz Ensemble and African drumming filled the air as ALVIN ALLEY AMERICAN...

The Joffrey School.(New York Celebrations)(alumni awards)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... THE JOFFREY SCHOOL has bestowed its first awards on its illustrious alumni. At its gala in February, it honored Arlene Shuler for business, Lawrence Rhodes in education, Francesca Corkle for service, Gary Chryst for lifetime achievement in the...

Is it real, or is it memorex? Learning masterworks via videotape.(STUDIO TALK)
May 1, 2005... FOR A HIGH SCHOOL junior, Joyce Pleasant is well versed in work Donald McKayle made during the early '60s before she was born. "His choreography," says the enthusiastic 16-year-old, "is passionate, filled with energy and exaggerated movements."...

Teacher's wisdom: Gerri Houlihan.(THIS MONTH)(Interview)
May 1, 2005... A former dancer with Lar Lubovitch's company, Gerri Houlihan is renowned for her fluid fusion of modern and ballet techniques that serves today's contemporary dancers. Houlihan trained with Antony Tudor and Jose Limon at the Juilliard School....

On Broadway: words can't say it all in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.(Theater Review)
May 1, 2005... One of the big differences between dance in the musical theater and dance on the concert stage is that in a musical, movement can sneak up behind you and lift you out of your seat. At American Ballet Theatre or Paul Taylor Dance Company,...

Burnout: the problem with hard work.(Rants & RAVES)
May 1, 2005... In dance, hard work is the name of the game--from extra technique classes in ballet, modern, and jazz to supplemental training at the gym. While advanced training is crucial to improve technically, I often worry that summer dance programs go...

Miami City Ballet.(Dance Review)
May 1, 2005... MIAMI CITY BALLET JACKIE GLEASON THEATER, MIAMI BEACH, FL FEBRUARY 11-13, 2005 Three company premieres gave Miami City Ballet's winter season the vigor of spring. Balanchine's Sonatine, the only restaging, still bore a flesh bloom in the...

Random Dance.(Nemesis)(Dance Review)
May 1, 2005... RANDOM DANCE ROYCE HALL, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Los ANGELES, CA JANUARY 28-29, 2005 In modern dance, national stereotypes no longer hold. (Did they ever?) The U.S. premiere of Wayne McGregor's Nemesis (2002), presented by UCLA Live,...

Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras.(Suenos)(Dance Review)
May 1, 2005... BALLET FLAMENCO SARA BARAS ROYCE HALL, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Los ANGELES, CA FEBRUARY 9-10, 2005 Vamping as if there were no tomorrow, a sizzling Sara Baras made her West Coast debut in an 80-minute program, Suenos. Offering glimpses...

Pilobolus Dance Theatre.(Megawatt)(Dance Review)
May 1, 2005... PILOBOLUS DANCE THEATRE MARIN VETERANS' MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM, SAN RAFAEL, CA JANUARY 28, 2005 The preadolescents in the audience loved the slackers' kneepads, the pratfalls, the dancers scootching on their bottoms like toddlers. They warmed...

DanceBoom!(Critical Essay)
May 1, 2005... DANCEBOOM! WILMA THEATER, PHILADELPHIA, PA JANUARY 21-FEBRUARY 6, 2005 For the fourth edition of DanceBoom!, the Wilma Theater's multi-program winter dance festival, curator Nick Stuccio built on the theme of "African Threads." Inspired by...

Verb Ballets.(Dance Review)
May 1, 2005... VERB BALLETS OHIO THEATRE AT PLAYHOUSE SQUARE CENTER, CLEVELAND, OH JANUARY 28, 2005 Call it sacrilege or merely creative license. In either case, Verb Ballets' new set designs and costumes for its reconstruction of Martha Graham's...

Stars of the 21st Century International Ballet Gala.(Critical Essay)
May 1, 2005... STARS OF THE 21ST CENTURY INTERNATIONAL BALLET GALA NEW YORK STATE THEATER, NEW YORK, NY FEBRUARY 14, 2005 High-powered international galas are occasions for the dancer rather than the dance, aren't they? Once in a while in the past you...

Preview: Boston Ballet's Sleeping Beauty.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Boston Ballet's treasury of 19th-century classics takes a turn toward Britain with its revised staging of The Sleeping Beauty. The company owns British designer David Walker's sets and costumes, now to be joined with the legendary Sadler's...

Preview: San Francisco International Arts Festival.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The second biennial installment of producer Andrew Wood's multidisciplinary celebration promises a mix of dance traditions presented in venues spread all over town. The festival has expanded to 18 days and will run the gamut of the performing...

Preview: Balletmet Columbus' Firebird.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Tackling the choreography for Stravinsky's famed score, BalletMet's artistic associate, Stanton Welch, premieres a new Firebird. Well known for his diverse choreographic styles and his respect for the classics, Welch (who is also Houston...

Jodie Gates.(RETIREMENT)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... A former dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and Ballett Frankfurt, Jodie Gates will dance her final performances in New York City with Complexions at the Joyce, May 3-8. Though certain facets of Gates' career are just...

Martine Lamy.(RETIREMENT)(National Ballet of Canada)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Martine Lamy leading ballerina with the National Ballet of Canada, is retiring at the age of 40. Lamy will perform with the company during their engagement at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in April and will dance her final show in Toronto in...

Wei Dongsheng.(RETIREMENT)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... A dancer with the Atlanta Ballet for 14 years, Wei Dongsheng retired last December. Wei, who was perhaps most known for his lead role in Michael Pink's Dracula, trained at the Beijing Dance Academy and performed with the Central Ballet of China...

Erika Goodman (1945-2004).(DEATHS)(Obituary)
May 1, 2005... Erika Goodman, one of the eminent ballerinas of the Joffrey Ballet during the 1960s and 1970s, died at the age of 59 after falling in her Manhattan apartment in December. She lent her beautifully stretched lines and ardent presence to Arpino...

Warren Spears (1954-2005).(DEATHS)(Obituary)
May 1, 2005... Warren Spears, a former dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and modern dance choreographer, died in January at the age of 50. Born in Detroit and trained at the Juilliard School in New York, Spears created works for his own...

Dancescape: Dance images past and present.
May 1, 2005... Force of nature: Dance Theatre "Isadora," based in Russia's Rostov-on-Dom, performs Without name, choreography and design by Svetlana Golova. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Schools, studios, colleges, universities, companies, teachers, dancers, choreographers, somatic practices, movement arts, dance medicine, yoga.(A CAREER & LEARNING RESOURCE GUIDE)(Directory)
May 1, 2005... 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...

Beyond Riverdance.(A CAREER & LEARNING RESOURCE GUIDE)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... What happens when Irish step dance, known for its very specific structure and coordination, merges with modern? How has Riverdance had an impact on the traditional form? How are tap and Irish dance related? These are some of the questions that...

Attitudes.(Michael Fokine, father of the modern ballet, coreographer)
May 1, 2005... AN ARTIST'S reputation is always influenced by the vagaries of cultural trends. Around the end of World War II, to take one example, it was not uncommon to hear the Finnish composer lean Sibelius spoken of as a symphonist in the same breath as...

It's not just about dance.
May 1, 2005... Some dancers seem born to teach. Others transition to the role after a career on the stage. Many begin by teaching alongside their own favorite teachers. In an art form that is handed down from teacher to student, one generation to the next, it...

Lesson plan: student teaching with David Dorfman.
May 1, 2005... A residency with cutting-edge modern dance choreographer David Dorfman might seem like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any aspiring dancer. But the experience proved equally life changing for future dance teachers during an innovative...

Hissing nerves and homework: a former dancer heads back to the studio--this time to teach.
May 1, 2005... I was on the 86th Street cross-town bus on my way to work when my cell phone rang. It was John Meehan, artistic director of education and training at American Ballet Theatre, asking me to substitute teach on Saturdays at the Jacqueline Kennedy...

Summer sampler: 2005 summer teacher training workshops.(RESOURCES)(Calendar)
May 1, 2005... AMERICAN ACADEMY OF BALLET TEACHER INTENSIVE SUNY Purchase College Purchase, NY August 6-13 www.ameracademyofballet.com AMERICAN TAP DANCE INSTITUTE Chicago, IL July 18-20 www.usatap.org/ATDIconference.htm...