Dance Magazine articles from November 2008

Dance Magazine archives from November 2008

Curtain up.(Editorial)
November 1, 2008... During this election season, every American over 18 is trying to decide what or who is best for our country. While I hope you all go out and vote, I also want to say: Let's keep our eyes open to the rest of the world. In the dance field we're...

Relief to the Middle East.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... Alissa Johannsen Rubin's story "Ballet in Baghdad" ("Dance Matters," Sept.) brought tears to my eyes. It breaks my heart that the students and teachers of the Baghdad Ballet School have to risk their lives to pursue an art form that transcends...

Keep on dancin'.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... As a former professional dancer and current lawyer who still dances, I was envious of the Chicago dancers in the Mature Dancers Project covered in September's Beyond Performance supplement. I've been suggesting for years to friends who are...

From less to more.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... So often in a dancer's life, one feels less--less turned out, less flexible, less thin, less than the person standing next to you in class. But I appreciate the theme that rang true in every interview in "In the Eyes of the Beholder" (July):...

High art over high kicks.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... In "Feeling Caught" (Sept.), Jennifer Thompson Peters' article discusses the struggle that many dancers experience not only to continue striving for technical progress but to flourish artistically. The question we as a community need to...

Corrections.(letters)(Correction notice)
November 1, 2008... The lead role of Elemental Brubeck was not originated by Rasta Thomas, as stated on p. 58 of the Sept. issue. Lar Lubovitch created the piece for San Francisco Ballet in 2005. The lead was made on Gonzalo Garcia, who now dances with New York...

Quote of the month.(letters)(Quotation)
November 1, 2008... "The deeper I go into the local, the greater chance I have of reaching a universal. It is like digging deep under my feet until I reach that common pool of water that could link us all." --Faustin Linyekula Ngoy, "World Travelers," p. 42

Cross-continental collaboration.(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dance Theatre of Ireland and NOW Dance Company Korea (above) take their cultural collaboration to Irish stages this month. Parallel Horizon/Under the Roof features a cast of eight dancers (four from each company) and...

Vital stat.(vital signs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... To every season, tour, tour, tour. San Francisco Ballet has performed in 21 countries over its 75-year history. Paul Taylor Dance Company has performed in more than 520 cities in 62 countries to date. The Martha Graham Dance Company has...

A palm beach variety.(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... What do Lar Lubovitch, Trey McIntyre, Ma Cong, and Daniel Ezralow have in common? Their works are being danced during Ballet Florida's fall lineup. For opening weekend, Nov. 14-15, the company will perform Mclntyre's fun and flirty Second...

Join us!(vital signs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... This summer, the 26th Joinville Dance Festival welcomed dancers from across the globe to their Brazilian city, where the Bolshoi Ballet School has an outpost. In 2005, the event was cited by the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest dance...

Around the world in 14 months.(Matt Harding's Dancing)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Matt Harding, 31, has created his third video, "Dancing" (2008), documenting his ridiculous yet endearing dancing--a simple stepping back and forth, half-jog motion--performed on a voyage of 14 months in 42 countries...

Rwanda's dance extravaganza.(vital signs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... The 10th Festival Panafricain de la Danse (FESPAD) coincided with the 100th anniversary of Kigali, Rwanda's capital and one of three Rwandan cities where the festival was held this past summer. Founded in 1998 after the genocide to promote...

Quick Q&A Germaine Acogny.(vital signs)(Interview)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Known as "the mother of African dance," Senegalese dancer/choreographer Germaine Acogny directed the Bejart-affiliated school Mudra Afrique in Dakar from 1977 to '82. She then worked with Bejart in Belgium and taught...

Far East Flamenco: Japan's Spanish dance scene.
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With dark hair slicked back, cascading ruffles, and percussive feet, a dancer called "Soledad" moves like a typical flamenca with fast rhythms and sensuous hands. But her performance is far from Andaluda's...

The Rolex initiative's global reach: the pairing of mentors and proteges.(dance matters)
November 1, 2008... In a far-reaching effort to stimulate artistic activity across cultures, The Rolex Mentor and Protege Arts Initiative culls talent from all corners of the world. In its seventh year, the program bestows grants on an international group of...

Dance now and again.(new york notebook)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Plunge full force into the NYC dance scene with the 2008 DanceNOW Festival, held Oct. 27-Nov. 1 at DTW. Showcasing 65 artists ranging from those just getting their feet wet to those whose names you know, the festival presents 40 new works as...

Unearthly delights.(new york notebook)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ever since she emerged from Pilobolus nearly three decades ago, Martha Clarke has been at the forefront of those who seek to re-infuse our puritanically American dance abstraction with overt theatricality. Like most...

ABT fetes Tudor.(American Ballet Theatre, Antony Tudor )(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... American Ballet Theatre mounts its centennial tribute to Antony Tudor during their City Center season Oct. 21-Nov. 2. Works slated include gems such as Jardin aux Lilas, Pillar of Fire, and a pas de deux from Romeo and Juliet, Oct 31 is an...

Why I dance.(from the heart)
November 1, 2008... Why do we do what we do? This question is usually coupled with, "What made you want to start?" I have been asked these questions a lot, especially as a guy growing up in tights. And yet the "why" is still hard to explain. Words just don't flow...

Pushing the limit: don't force it: overstetching can harm you.(your body)
November 1, 2008... Dancers sometimes stretch to the point of contortion to improve their flexibility. But painful forced stretches can cause micromuscle tears or pulls. Even seemingly harmless ones can do damage. Here are some popular stretches that physical...

Advice for dancer.(Column)
November 1, 2008... After a summer dancing at my ballet intensive with a swollen, painful ankle, I finally got a diagnosis: FHL tendonitis. Now I can't dance and have to wear a boot until it recovers. How can I ever improve if I can't work on my technique? ...

2008 Dance Magazine awards.
November 1, 2008... Each year Dance Magazine gives awards to leading members of the dance field. Each awardee chooses the person from whom they Would like to receive the award. This year, on December 8 at New York's Florence Gould Hall, Harvey Lichtenstein will...

East and West meet in the body of: Akram Khan.(Interview)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One of the most intriguing d ance artists on the international scene today, Akram Khan is known for his fusion of the classical Indian form of Kathak with contemporary dance. As a performer, Khan is a riveting...

World travelers: 14 dance artists who cross cultures.(global dance)(Cover story)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fang-Yi Sheu Born in Taiwan, lives in NYC and Taiwan Guest artist, Martha Graham Dance Company; co-artistic director, LAFA Interviewed by Emily Macel When I was 11, I started studying a Taiwanese-style...

Dancing the dawning: Bangarra Dance Theatre delves into Australia's Aboriginal past.(global dance)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Tighten up your soutenu," urges Bangarra Dance Theatre's rehearsal director Bill Pengelly, speaking to the company at large. "Daniel, be more confident with your ballet!" he calls out to a young man who, in between...

This boy's life: choreographer Peter Darling tells Billy Elliot's story on Broadway.
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Peter Darling puts on a pair of red leather boxing gloves and spars with himself in the mirror of a dance studio above Times Square. He looks more like an athlete--a boxer even--than a dancer. But this month, it's...

Embrace the winter blues: warm up to the season's cool colors.(style)(Buyers guide)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Winter is here. Don't be sad about it! Instead, use it for fashion inspiration. For our favorite cold weather warm-ups (here with their suggested retail prices) we took a cue from the cool blue of the wintry sky,...

Behind the curtain: new DVDs of Soviet-era idols.(Raymonda, and Romeo and Juliet)(Video recording review)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Raymonda. DVD. 133 mins. $34.95. www.vaimusic.com Romeo and Juliet. DVD. 145 mins. $34.95. www.vairnusic.com Before the Internet, before globalization, before glasnost, there was the international...

Bhangra boom: from Punjab villages to American college frenzy.
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Last April, over 3,000 people assembled at the 15th annual Bhangra Blowout in Washington, DC, to witness America's top college bhangra teams compete. Eager crowds watched as dancers wove through each other, combining...

Improving partnering.(THE NEXT LEVEL)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Whether the bold geometry of Pilobolus or the elegance of a Petipa pas de deux, partnering is one of dance's most exciting elements. It can be pure, it can be tawdry, it can be transcendent. And for today's dancer,...

From minor to major.(Kennesaw State University's dance program)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Twenty miles from the heart of Atlanta, at Georgia's third largest university, a new destination for college-bound dancers is in the making. January 2009 marks the launch of a full-fledged dance major at Kennesaw...

Workshops and events.(Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies)(Conference news)
November 1, 2008... It's been a global year for New York's Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies. Honoring its 30th anniversary, 50 years since Rudolf Laban's death, and the cross-cultural legacy of his theories, the institute hosted conferences in Rio de...

Wilhelm Burmann: finding the freedom in ballet.
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fast and hard--that's the reputation of Wilhelm Burmann's class at Steps on Broadway. Although principals from New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre take his class regularly, Burmann pays attention to any...

Courtney Elizabeth: versatile and daring, the SFB dancer loves new challenges.( )
November 1, 2008... "No, I just don't aspire to dance Odette," declares the San Francisco Ballet's Courtney Elizabeth, puncturing the notion that for budding ballerinas Swan Lake remains the apex of a dancing career. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What Elizabeth...

London calling (again): British musicals have shaped our own--right from the start.
November 1, 2008... By the time you read this, Billy Elliot will be at the Imperial Theater, previewing before its November 13 opening. And even if the critics quibble and the cognoscenti sneer, the show will be a hit. Audiences adored the movie; the musical has...

Trey McIntyre project.(Jacob's Pillow)(Theater review)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jacob's Pillow Becket, MA August 20-24, 2008 Trey McIntyre is doing something right. Anchored in strong craft, his dances invite the audience to enjoy his mix of classical ballet, playful movement...

CorbinDances.(Patrick Corbin )
November 1, 2008... Dance Place Washington, DC August 2-3, 2008 For 16 seasons in the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Patrick Corbin stood out among a cohort of beautiful and bold dancing men. CorbinDances, founded in 2005, shares many Taylor attributes:...

Dorian Gray by Matthew Bourne.(Theater review)
November 1, 2008... Sadler's Wells Theatre London September 2-14, 2008 It starts with a humorous ear-shattering blast, then slumps quickly into vivid depictions of amoral pursuits. Matthew Bourne's eagerly awaited production, his first in three...

The first lady of Latin dance moves on.(transitions)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "My organization is like my family," said Tina Ramirez, founder and artistic director of Ballet Hispanico in New York. "After June, I won't be involved in the day-to-day running of the company, but I'm certainly...

Deaths.(transitions)
November 1, 2008... Eleo Pomare (1937-2008) With the passing of Eleo Pomare, the world loses a choreographer, dancer, and teacher whose voice is as unique today as it was in 1958, when he created the Eleo Pomare Dance Company. Pomare's dramatic power is...

Wedding.(transitions)(Photograph)
November 1, 2008... Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre principal dancers Kumiko Tsuji (see DM's Jan. 2008 cover) and Daisuke Takeuchi married in July in Sapporo City, Japan. PBT artistic director Terrence S. Orr, PBT ballet mistress Marianna Tcherkassky, and PBT dancers...

Births.(transitions)
November 1, 2008... In August, former New York City Ballet dancer Deanna McBrearty and her husband Steve Parker had a baby girl they have named Isla Memphis Parker.

Schools, studios, colleges, universities, companies, teachers, choreographers, dancers, somatic practices & movement arts certification, & dance medicine.(dancefinder a career & learning resource guide)(Directory)
November 1, 2008... 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...

Goddesses in motion.(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ancestral spirits come whirling, rippling, and pulsating to life in the works of Viver Brasil. Through dances that tell stories, the L.A.-based group gives radiant human form to the orixas, or deities, at the core of...

Second thoughts, and perhaps third: we are too ready to place laurel wreathes around heroes; we value success and worship fashion.
November 1, 2008... I don't know how impressed the czar would have been with William Forsythe's full-evening ballet Impressing the Czar, or even whether his aunt, Queen Victoria, would have been "not amused." But speaking for myself, I found it a very mixed dance...