Dance Magazine articles from May 2007

Dance Magazine archives from May 2007

Curtain up.
May 1, 2007... Last December a show called Tappy Holidays at Symphony Space in NYC celebrated a brilliant array of individual tap styles. There was Derick Grant, Jason Samuels Smith, Michelle Dorrance, Chloe Arnold, and the two hosts, Ayodele Casel and Sarah...

Left-out lovers.(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... The "Passionate Partnerships" story in February was a fantastic way to celebrate Valentine's Day. Your five couples represent several dance genres, but all were married and heterosexual. Why didn't you include gay or lesbian couples? Dance...

Dance luminary as Lunaire.(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... I remember seeing Glen Tetley ("Transitions," April) and his company perform Embrace Tiger and Return to Mountain, Pierrot Lunaire, and Mythical Hunters in 1969. Tetley himself danced Pierrot, with Scott Douglas and Carmen deLavallade. The...

Cuba for the record.(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... Your March article about the last Havana International Ballet Festival has struck a chord in my heart. I am Cuban by birth, and related to the Alonso brothers. The article states that the Cuban ballet school was founded in 1960 by Fernando...

What comes next?(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... I appreciated your supplement on post-performance careers for dancers (with Sept. 2006). There is a misconception that dance's only worthwhile manifestation is in performance. Many of the dancers you highlighted moved into corporate or...

Kudos.(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... Congratulations. Lisa Traiger's article, "From Bullets to Ballet" (Feb.), is a brilliant piece about THEARC arts outreach center in D.C. It has scooped all other media outlets in telling a remarkable story from a part of the nation's capital...

They paved paradise & put up a ballet.(VITAL SIGNS)(The Fiddle and the Drum, ballet by Joni Mitchell and Jean Grand-Maitre)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... When Joni Mitchell looked at love from "Both Sides Now," she described it as "the dizzy dancing way you feel." The legendary Canadian folk singer/songwriter has taken this feeling to the stage in a collaboration with Alberta Ballet artistic...

A tale of two cities.(VITAL SIGNS)(Spoleto Festival USA)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Now in its 31st year, the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, SC (the American counterpart to the Italian event), presents an array of American premieres of music, theater, and dance. Among the 125-plus performances during the 17-day festival...

Choreographing the catwalk.(VITAL SIGNS)(Celia Rowlson-Hall and Lindsey Hornyak performed for a fashion show)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Ever dreamed of dancing down the fashion runway? Well, Celia Rowlson-Hall and Lindsey Hornyak, both conservatory dancers, have brought this dream to life. During New York's February Fashion Week, they combined performance and fashion,...

Nationwide tap.(VITAL SIGNS)(National Tap Day)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Lace up your tap shoes and loosen your ankles--May 25th is National Tap Day. Chicago is celebrating May 24-26 with Windy City Rhythms, presented by Chicago Human Rhythm Project. Guest tappers include Roxane Butterfly, Reggio "The Hoofer"...

Movin' Out stands still.(VITAL SIGNS)(play)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... After three years on the road, Tharp's Movin' Out took its final bow last January in Birmingham, AL. The show, which premiered on Broadway in 2002, has been on tour since 2004 and gave a total of 1,111 performances. Holly Cruikshank, touring...

Good as gold.(VITAL SIGNS)(Ballet Austin's 50th anniversary )(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... As Ballet Austin's 50th-anniversary season comes to an end this month, the company concludes with an evening of premieres by artistic director Stephen Mills. In his seventh year with the company, Mills features three new works, including Ka the...

Dance in the Middle East.(VITAL SIGNS)(Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The second annual Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival is branching out beyond its borders. This year's festival is a collaborative effort between countries under the artistic network Masahat (Landscape), with the Haya Cultural Centre in Jordan...

Hero for a night.(VITAL SIGNS)(Cameron Grant, New York City Ballet pianist)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... It was an unusually long intermission for New York City Ballet. The audience was getting restless and the musicians were waiting in the pit. Cameron Grant, who had been the primary rehearsal pianist for Wheeldon's Evenfall, which was slated to...

That's show biz!(VITAL SIGNS)(ShowBusiness, a documentary by Dori Berinstein)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... When the curtain goes up on a Broadway stage, the audience is seeing the polished product of weeks of rehearsals. What they don't see is the making of the musical--from concept, to collaboration, to interpreting roles. Producer/director Dori...

Happy birthday.(VITAL SIGNS)(dance companies)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Cullberg Ballet, 40th anniversary Janis Brenner & Guests, 25th anniversary Ensemble Espanol, 30th anniversary Arthur Aviles Typical Theatre, 10th anniversary Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, 25th anniversary Compagnie...

Akram Khan.(choreographer)(Interview)
May 1, 2007... The British-Asian contemporary choreographer Akram Khan (a "25 to Watch," Jan. 2002) paired up with ballet superstar Sylvie Guillem last year in London. The unlikely duo will perform Sacred Monsters on this side of the ocean at UCLA Live, May...

Anniversary gallery hollywood covers.(Cyd Charisse, Rita Hayworth, Audrey Hepburn and Gene Kelly)
May 1, 2007... LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION From gorgeous leading ladies like Cyd Charisse, Rita Hayworth, and Audrey Hepburn to the warm smile of dancer-choreographer-director Gene Kelly, to the filming of West Side Story, the glitz and glamour of Hollywood has...

Romeo and Juliet for NYCB's next generation.(DANCE MATTERS)(New York City Ballet)
May 1, 2007... At first glance, Peter Martins' decision to mount a full-scale Romeo and Juliet seems surprising. It counters what New York City Ballet represents: the epitome of a neoclassical repertory ballet company. Romeo and Juliet, which premieres this...

It takes a village: celebrating 30 years of DanceAfrica.(DANCE MATTERS)
May 1, 2007... This year DanceAfrica marks a milestone. When founder and artistic director Chuck Davis, a striking 6'5" figure in flowing African robes, sweeps onstage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for America's largest festival of African and African...

Mostly Moses: touring the "Best of MOMIX".(DANCE MATTERS)(Moses Pendleton's dance company)
May 1, 2007... In 1971, the ingenious, irrepressible Moses Pendleton took a dance class at Dartmouth College, decided not to go to business school, and instead formed a dance company with friends. They named it Pilobolus. A decade later Pendleton created his...

Exit strategy.(NEW YORK NOTEBOOK)(dance by Rosane Chamecki and Andrea Lerner)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... After 15 years of making physically provocative and psychologically rattling work together, Rosane Chamecki and Andrea Lerner have decided to end it all--and we are invited to the funeral. In Exit, this month at The Kitchen, the Brazilian-born...

Fine LINES.(NEW YORK NOTEBOOK)(Alonzo King's ballet company)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... With a nearly Olympic intensity, the dancers of Alonzo King's LINES Ballet perform every movement with the utmost commitment, whether it's a sky-high developpe or an understated hand flutter. This month, King brings his San Francisco-based...

Music to my years.(NEW YORK NOTEBOOK)(Companhia Portuguesa de Bailado Contemporaneo to perform Requiem)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Choreographers often find music they love long before they have occasion to use it. For Vasco Wellenkamp, artistic director of the vibrant Companhia Portuguesa de Bailado Contemporaneo, it was Benjamin Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem, op. 20....

Body music.(NEW YORK NOTEBOOK)(David Parker and The Bang Group to perfrom Astridpark )(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... David Parker and The Bang Group bring their collective wit and movement invention to Dance Theater Workshop, May 8-12, with the premiere of ASTRIDPARK. The title refers to the park in Belgium's Bruges, and the work is accompanied by a...

Desmond's Othello redux.(NEW YORK NOTEBOOK)(Desmond Richardson to perform for American Ballet Theatre's Othello)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... When Lar Lubovitch choreographed Othello for American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Ballet in 1997, there was only one dancer he wanted to create the title role on: Desmond Richardson. Oozing expression out of every muscle, the former Ailey...

Frolicking down Fifth.(NEW YORK NOTEBOOK)(dance parade to protest against New York City cabaret law)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... To fight against NYC's cabaret law that bans dancing in venues without a license, the first large-scale dance parade in the U.S. will march down Fifth Avenue on Saturday, May 19. Organizers promise appearances from celebrity dancers like...

Zoning in: mobilizing mind and body for performance.(Mind your BODY)
May 1, 2007... It's no secret that dancers work long and hard in their quest to achieve great moments onstage. But how do they prepare for performances? Margot Fonteyn once wrote that she stayed in bed all day in order to get through her variations that...

Advice for dancers: former New York City Ballet dancer Linda Hamilton, Ph.D., is a psychologist, a wellness consultant for NYCB, and the author of Advice for Dancers (Jossey-Bass). She has offered advice to Dance Magazine readers since 1992.(Column)
May 1, 2007... AM I WASHED UP AT 18? MY DREAM WAS TO PERFORM IN BROADWAY MUSICALS, AND I'VE BEEN TRAINING MOST OF MY LIFE. THEN I GOT REJECTED BY MY FIRST CHOICE FOR A BFA PROGRAM IN DANCE. MY MOM TELLS ME IT'S ONLY BECAUSE I HAD MONO. I'M AFRAID IT'S BECAUSE...

The showstopper: tap sensation Jared Grimes melds hip hop, hoofing, song and star quality into his own unique style.
May 1, 2007... Hunched over, arms splayed and eyes glazed, a skullcap covering his head, a Coca-Cola T-shirt and basketball shorts flapping like flags in a hurricane around his wiry body, Jared Grimes is in the zone. WHACK dap da diddley dap cat cat cat. Da...

Global tap: the sound of tapping is heard around the world.
May 1, 2007... A young man walks onto the dance floor. He nods to the orchestra, which strikes up a stomping tune. His shoes begin to hit the floor like a drum. His feet follow the melody line, becoming conductors of the music. The dancer is hopping, chugging...

Christening a new Sleeping Beauty: American Ballet Theatre brings a legend back home.
May 1, 2007... "You're inviting the presence of the Lilac Fairy, so turn your palms up," says ABT's artistic director Kevin McKenzie as he demonstrates a magisterial circular walk. In a studio at the company's headquarters on lower Broadway, he's testing out...

Under the Spell of Aurora: in the ultimate fairy,-tale ballet, Aurora is the ultimate fairy-tale princess. The role offers challenges both technical and artistic. Dance Magazine asked seven ballerinas, some of whom have performed in more than one version of the ballet, about how they have tackled it.
May 1, 2007... ALEXANDRA ANSANELLI The Royal Ballet New York City Ballet Performing the role is the epitome of what it means to be a ballerina. Aurora passes through so many phases of a woman's life. It's crucial to be different in every act, to show it...

Pointes to ponder: tips, tricks & trade secrets.
May 1, 2007... Dancing on pointe is difficult, but preparing your pointe shoes doesn't need to be. When you have questions, just ask the pros. The' know the tricks for preventing slips, sewing elastic, and extending a shoe's life. Here seven dancers share...

Work it out: hone your technique at home.(DM STYLE)(Buyers guide)
May 1, 2007... A home studio is an invaluable tool. Whether you're looking for ways to complement your daily training of you just want to work out, nothing beats it. Luckily, a studio of your own is easy to assembled and ultra-convenient. Start with the...

Hollywood breaks: hip hop goes mainstream.(DANCE MAGAZINE RECOMMENDS)(Step Up)(Idlewild)(Rize)(Video recording review)
May 1, 2007... Step Up Directed by Anne Fletcher DVD, 98 mins. $29.99 In last summer's teen flick Step Up, jazz and hip hop go head-to-head. The faceoff between jazz's smooth moves and hip hop's raw energy spice up the dance scenes in an otherwise...

Ballet teachers' pet reeves: what irks teachers and why.(TEACH-LEARN CONNECTION)
May 1, 2007... Ask ballet teachers what bothers them about school-age students' behavior in class and you might expect a barrage of complaints. But when Dance Magazine put that question to teachers around the country, the same priority surfaced again and...

Honing in on Limon.(TECHNIQUE)
May 1, 2007... The studio is boisterous with piano and singing. The dancers are swept up in suspensions, then suddenly falling, exhaling, and rushing into undercurving runs. They take another breath, another turn, a momentary pause, and then plunge through...

Vaganova in Indiana.(ACROSS THE FLOOR)(Russian Ballet Academy of Inidanapolis)
May 1, 2007... With a scarf thrown over her shoulders, Alyona Borisovna Yakovleva stands on a chair to get a better view of the young dancers. Later, the scarf tied around her tiny waist, she leads them through their paces, correcting positions. The...

American Ballet Theatre Studio Company.(Of Note)(filmed a documentary to be used as an educational resource)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... After filming the Cunningham Dance Company for 20 years, Elliot Caplan wanted to capture the process, not just the performance of dance. In January, the University at Buffalo's Center for the Moving Image (where Caplan serves as director)...

Bard College.(Of Note)(to host Dance Across Borders 2007)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... From May 29 to June 16, BARD COLLEGE will host Dance Across Borders 2007: The Body Politic. Now in its 12th year, the symposium returns to the U.S. for the first time since 1995, gathering international and New York City-based contemporary...

Wesleyan University.(Of Note)(students to perfrom Ghanatian Durbar)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... West African Music and Dance students at WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY will present a Ghanatian Durbar on May 11 to give thanks for a successful academic year. The celebration is traditionally performed by tribal chiefs and their subjects to honor...

Teacher's wisdom: Brenda Bufalino.(THIS MONTH)(Interview)
May 1, 2007... Recognized as a leading exponent and innovator in tap, Brenda Bufalino performs, lectures, and teaches throughout the U.S., Germany, Italy, England, France, Israel, and Australia. She performed in concert with the late Charles "Honi" Coles,...

Abby Silva: the Parsons Company dancer soars with intensity and confidence.(On the Rise)
May 1, 2007... Other modern dancers may have her sleek lines and limber ease, but no one has Abby Silva's particular magnetism. Even among the healthy, youthful dancers who make up the Parsons Dance Company, the blonde with the movie-star body draws the eye....

From star to swing: following the work means heading up to "the Heights.".(On Broadway)
May 1, 2007... In the real world, you train in your field, you get an entry-level job, then you start climbing the career ladder. But Broadway isn't the real world--it's where last season's leading player is this season's understudy. It's where you can go...

New York City Ballet.
May 1, 2007... New York City Ballet WINTER SEASON, JAN. 3-FEB. 25, 2007 NEW YORK STATE THEATER, LINCOLN CENTER In a season of 38 ballets, the dancing of NYCB's women came to the fore. In both familiar and new roles, the female principals blossomed into...

Vicky Shick: Dance Theater Workshop.
May 1, 2007... VICKY SHICK DANCE THEATER WORKSHOP FEB 20-24, 2007 In Vicky Shick's two-part program at DTW, a repeating sequence haunted both works. Shick and Jodi Melnick began to ballroom dance, and suddenly both leaned back as if momentarily...

Preview: Do Jump tour.(At Such a Dizzy Height by Robin Lane)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Women hover over a village, a cat loops around a low-flying trapeze, and a couple dances gently. Paying homage to Russian Jewish painter Marc Chagall, Robin Lane's At Such a Dizzy Height is inspired by the artist's light- and color-saturated...

Preview: Milwaukee Ballet.(Romeo and Juliet by Michael Pink)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... With drama in every bar, Prokofiev's score for Romeo and Juliet tells the lovers' tragic story. Michael Pink, Milwaukee Ballet's artistic director, will reveal his interpretation this month. "I wanted to focus on the big, bold statements about...

Patricia Barker's.(retires from Pacific Northwest Ballet)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Patricia Barker's dancing is imbued with nuance, wit, humor, and clarity. For 26 years, she graced the stage of Pacific Northwest Ballet, but this month she'll take her final bows. "A Celebration of Patricia Barker" is a fitting farewell for a...

Celia Franca (1921-2007).(founder of the National Ballet of Canada)(Obituary)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Celia Franca (1921-2007) By the end of her life Celia Franca, founder of the National Ballet of Canada, had become a beloved cultural icon, but those who'd worked with her can still recall the terror she struck in them. "She was all about...

Nicholas Johnson (1947-2007).(ballet dancer)(Obituary)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Nicholas Johnson (1947-2007) One of the most interesting dancers of British ballet's Golden Age, Nicholas Johnson performed with a technical grace, enormous vivacity, and a rare immediacy that emerged as much from his acting skills as his...

Josefina Mendez (1941-2007).(ballet dancer)(Obituary)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Josefina Mendez (1941-2007) Prima ballerina of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba from 1962 to 1996, Josefina Mendez died of cancer in January. Born in Havana, Mendez began her studies in 1948 with Alberto Alonso and joined the Ballet Alicia Alonso...

United States.(DANCE FINDER)(Directory)
May 1, 2007... 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 THEATRE...

International.(DANCE FINDER)(Directory)
May 1, 2007... ARGENTINA MANUEL VALLEJOS DANCE JAZZ STUDIO Lavalle 1579 C.P. 1048-Buenos Aires Tel/Fax (541) 371-6811 AUSTRIA SALZBURY INTL. BALLET ACADEMY (SIBA) Yehuda Maor, Ballet teacher/Master Salzburg Ballet. Phone +43+069911134586...

Somatic practices, movement arts, and dance medicine.(DANCE FINDER)(Buyers guide)
May 1, 2007... Certification and training in somatic and movement-based arts. Contact: dcastro@dancemagazine.com AERIAL DANCE/ACROBATIC/CIRCUS ARTS LAVA HOME STUDIO / BROOKLYN, NY Acrobatics & trapeze emphasizing strength, flexibility, communication &...

Students of Tharp unite.(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Piano students study Chopin and Schubert, so why shouldn't dance students study Tharp? Five college dance departments in the NYC area are plying their students with Tharp classics, and the results can be seen for one performance only, on May 12...

Attitudes.
May 1, 2007... No, Lincoln Center wasn't named for Lincoln Kirstein, but by rights perhaps it should have been. It would have been a fitting monument to a man who, as much as any other, played a key role in the performing arts in 20th-century America. As the...

Lifetime learners: teacher training III.(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... No matter your level of mastery, there is always something new to know about one's own body. Former San Francisco Ballet dancer, Augusta Moore, became interested in the Feldenkrais Method[R] as part of a larger investigation of anatomy and...

Teaching tots: Beverly Spell introduces ballet with imagery and stories--and a sequential lesson plan.
May 1, 2007... "Good morning knees!" sings out Beverly F. Spell as she and her students bend over to make verbal and facial contact with their kneecaps. The four-year-olds don't realize that, through this exercise of straightening their legs in time with the...

Performance primer: two teachers in Omaha share their stage experience with a new generation of artists.(Sara Mau, Deborah Carr )(Interview)
May 1, 2007... In Omaha, Nebraska, two retired dancers keep their students motivated by giving them a taste of the rewards and challenges of an intensive performing experience rivaling that of professional dance. Writer Jim Williams talked with Sara Mau of...

Finding your spine: Augusta Moore blends Feldenkrais[R] and ballet.(Interview)
May 1, 2007... Augusta Moore is director of ballet for the ODC School in San Francisco, CA. As a young dancer, she studied with Maria Tallchief and became a member of her Chicago City Ballet, where she was partnered by Jacques D'Amboise. Moore's later...

Mastering the American Dance Festival: mid-career artists establish credentials and build community in a new MFA program.(Hollins University Master of fine Arts degree)
May 1, 2007... In late 2005, dancer/choreographer Doug Elkins was on his way through the airport in Oakland, California when he ran into Donna Faye Burchfield, artistic director of the Hollins University/American Dance Festival MFA program. "I've been looking...

Resources: teacher training workshops, summer 2007.(Directory)
May 1, 2007... American Academy of Ballet 212-787-9500 www.ameracademyofballet Program director: Mignon Furman Purchase, NY August 3-5; August 9-11 American Dance Festival 919-684-6402 www.americandancefestival.org ...