Dance Magazine articles from October 2008

Dance Magazine archives from October 2008

Curtain up.(Editorial)
October 1, 2008... I've been totally charmed by Christopher Wheeldon since he's been choreographing up a storm for New York City Ballet and other companies. Not only is he putting a contemporary face on ballet, but his ballets are revelatory in quiet ways....

Beauty's all around.(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... In regards to "In the Eye of the Beholder," (July) and who makes me see dance in a new way, Camille A. Brown, Amina Olushola Heckstall, and Youssouf Koumbassa inspire me. They are very clear in their technique, but what sets them apart is their...

Flamenco fever.(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... Every month we look forward to receiving Dance Magazine. I was dismayed with your lack of coverage for the Festival Flamenco Internacional de Albuquerque 2008. This is the largest flamenco festival outside of Spain. In June there were over 300...

Dancing scholars.(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... As a dance teacher and morn of a dancer, I really appreciate your August "Scholarship Guide" listing. However I was disappointed that many are college-or program-specific. I'd like to find scholarships for my daughter that she could use at her...

Bodies with babies.(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... The July "Body Issue" had interesting observations about how the dance aesthetic has changed through time and dancing bodies have become more athletic. I think it would be useful to have an issue about dance and pregnancy. I remember that...

Omission.(letters)(Correction notice)
October 1, 2008... OMISSION: The photograph on page 72 in the July issue was taken by Lois Greenfield. The dancer is Ha-Chi Yu of Eliot Feld's Ballet Tech.

Correction.(Correction notice)
October 1, 2008... CORRECTION: August's Studio Supplement did not include Stagestep (www.stagestep.com) in a list of barremakers, or identify the company's Black Beauty barre in a photo that ran with the story.

Pharoah and King align again.(vital signs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This month, a world premiere by Alonzo King's LINES Ballet is set to music by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, the sixth collaboration with the celerated jazz musician. The company of nine dancers is flush from its...

The big dig.(Scottish Ballet)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The Scottish Ballet's long-awaited new digs opened this summer. The dancers began rehearsing at the Tramway complex in Glasgow in July. When the building process is complete the space will offer rehearsal studios, training and education...

Keep on truckin'.(vital signs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Collaboration, invention, and inspiration--ARENA Dances' program "Dancin' with Ethel at the Truckstop" premieres at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis. Twin Cities choreographer and 2007 "25 to Watch" Matthew...

Hubbe's new moves.(vital signs)(Nikolaj Hubbe )(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The Royal Danish Ballet is ready for a its first season with new artistic director Nikolaj Hubbe at the helm. To maintain the classical tradition of the company while adding his fresh take, Hubbe (see "Transitions," April) kicks off the season...

Strange fantasy.(vital signs)(Dance review)
October 1, 2008... An eerily magical view into a snow globe where elements of ballet, modern dance, mime, and acrobatics come together set the stage for Shaker. The hour-long work was created by Israeli choreographers Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak. The unique...

Hot dance in the summertime.(vital signs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The sold-out Fire Island Dance Festival raised more than $307,000 for Dancers Responding to AIDS. The Choreographic Sponsorship program fostered seven world premieres, including Jerry Mitchell's laugh-out-loud romp...

Stage fright.(vital signs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Alban Elved Dance Company celebrate Halloween with performances of Aestuo--Dogma Engine, a Frankenstein-esque piece choreographed by Karola Luttringhaus with Alayna Stroud. Art forms weave together in this fantastical piece with the help of the...

Bring in da tap!(vital signs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... What better way to kick off the Washington Performing Arts Society's 2008-2009 Dance Series than tap dancing at new heights? Savion Glover along with tappers Mourice Chestnut and Marshall Davis Jr. will combine acoustic syncopations with live...

Celebration of life.(vital signs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago pays tribute to the man himself this month (see "Transitions," June). The concert celebrates the late jazz master Gus Giordano's life and work. Pieces by Billy Siegenfeld, Nan Giordano,...

Vital stat.(vital signs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Houston Ballet has 525 tutus in their costume shop--125 romantic and 400 classical. The company travels with more than SO and has an uncounted number of tutus in storage. That's a lot of tulle!

Quick Q&A: Jon Lehrer.(vital signs)(Interview)
October 1, 2008... Jon Lehrer started a new adventure in Buffalo, NY, in July 2007. LehrerDance made an exciting showing in Chicago last November (see the reviews online at dancemagazine.com/reviews). Last month the company made its official debut at his soon to...

Dance out of darkness: Doug Varone's newest work draws on music and tragedy.(dance matters)(Dance review)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tragic world events can inspire artistic creation, a fact which Doug Varone's newest work, Alchemy, reflects. At the heart of this piece for eight dancers is the abduction and murder of the Jewish-American journalist...

Limon rediscovers Rooms: restaging Sokolow's modern landmark.(Limon Dance Company's revival of Anna Sokolow's Rooms )
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Today, more than 50 years after its premiere, Anna Sokolow's Rooms remains relevant, profound, and disturbing. At its premiere in 1955, Louis Horst wrote in the Dance Observer that Rooms revealed "the psychological...

"Straight" talk: U.K.'s Lloyd Newson tackles more risky business.
October 1, 2008... As a socially conscious gay man, and the founding choreographer and artistic director of Britain's pioneering DV8 Physical Theatre, Lloyd Newson has frequently grappled with controversial subjects. In the 1988 landmark Dead Dreams of Monochrome...

Inspired by Obama.(BalletMet Columbus' The Audacious One, inspired by Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BalletMet Columbus, Ohio's most versatile ballet company, brings a diverse program to the Joyce, Sept. 30-Oct. 5. The program features South African choreographer Warren Adams' The Audacious One, inspired by Barack...

Catch the Wave.(dance festival)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... White Wave presents its third annual Wave Rising Series, a three-week international dance festival in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn. The 20 companies include emerging groups like Andrea Miller/Gallim Dance; Ballet Noir; and CorbinDances, headed...

Sibling rivalry according to Bill T.(A Quarreling Pair)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There are vaudeville-like sketches; beautiful and exotic dancing; and a parade of sets, costumes, slides, and videos that frame a nostalgic ride--and unpredictably, it's Bill T. Jones' latest work, A Quarreling Pair....

Don't miss them.(San Francisco Ballet Company)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's been six years since San Francisco Ballet appeared at City Center, and this time they are bringing a pocketful of gold. Or rather a truck full. Three programs highlight the hits from last season's New Works...

A mosaic of everything.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Korean-born, Minneapolis-raised Sonja Kostich got together with Alaskan native Brandi Norton and formed OTHERSHORE, a group that honors diversity within a contemporary aesthetic. Kostich has danced with ABT, San...

Neon lights don't fade.(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Career Transition For Dancers takes a trip back in time at its 23rd Anniversary Jubilee, "On Broadway! A Glittering Salute to the American Musical." The gala performance includes favorite numbers from West Side Story, A Chorus Line, and In the...

Marianela Nunez & Thiago Soares.
October 1, 2008... Last June they came to chat between rehearsals of MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, in which they were both making their debuts as the star-crossed lovers. (How apt!) This South American duo, Marianda Nunez from Buenos Aires and Thiago Soares from...

Vitamin myths: what you don't know can hurt you.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Many dancers have their own personal regimen when it comes to vitamins. They might take a multivitamin with breakfast, a calcium supplement after class, and then some glucosamine before bed for joint pain. Some like...

Q & A.
October 1, 2008... My foot hurts when I point it and releve! I just came back after a three-week break and pushed too hard in dance class. Every part of my body's sore and tight, which is no big deal. But my foot keeps feeling floppy and painful. It's been more...

Meta Morphoses: Christopher Wheeldon forges ahead with phase two.
October 1, 2008... Few thrive on challenges more than Christopher Wheeldon. The internationally renowned choreographer's dance card is bursting for the next few years with plum commissions. Yet last year, amid much fanfare, he launched his own troupe,...

Across the other border: the dance scene is booming in Montreal.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Head north and cross the border to Montreal and you'll find a place of unbridled creativity. Ardent travelers know that this bilingual city resonates with both the style and charm of Europe and the bright-lights...

Woman warrior: Shani Collins embodies the spirit of Ronald K. Brown's evidence--and then some.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Evidence, the acclaimed, Brooklyn-based ensemble of Ronald K. Brown, swirls, pumps, and springs across the stage. One dancer swerves away from the audience, her powerful swimmer's torso rising from the low dip in...

To their own music: dancers who are deaf--and defying the odds.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The word "def," taken from the word, "definitive," is hip hop slang for great. Add an "a," however, and that word--leaf--becomes something altogether different. Especially for a dancer. A profound hearing loss...

One true tutu ballerinas pick their faves: a tutu is more than just a bodice connected to layers of tulle. It's an extension of a ballerina's being, capable of mesmerizing audiences of all ages. A dancer can be transformed into a swan, a ghost, and, of course, a princess. Dance Magazine asked eight ballerinas to share stories of the tutus they treasure.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Victoria Jaiani Dancer, Joffrey Ballet Interviewed by Lynn Colburn Shapiro I love romantic long tutus because they're so airy, the way they trail back. The white tutu Giselle wears in the second act...

Designing dancers: where movement and material meet.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dancers know what looks good. Be it their line, the quality of their movement, or how a leotard flatters their body. So it's no surprise that more and more dancers are taking to the sewing machine to design...

Turn back time: celebrate moments in movement history.(dm style)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ever heard the saying, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it?" When it comes to costumes, repeating the past is a good thing. Themed outfits capture the essence of a moment in time by quickly...

Class notes: great music CDs for many genres.('Dance Class II', 'Percussion for the Dance Technique of Lester Horton, Vol. 1.', 'Live Choreography Collection Vol. 1.', 'Ciao, Amore!', 'Ballet Music for Barre & Center Floor A Fabulous Ballet Class', 'Dances for Recitals and Exams', 'Beethoven's Wig 4: Dance Along Symphonies', 'Scott Killian, New Ballet Music 12')(Sound recording review)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ballet teacher Kathryn Sullivan says the class accompanist is "another teacher." So true. The accompanist can expand even a basic tendu combination or a magnificent adagio. The sound emanating from a piano (or drum...

Dance/movement therapy: learning to use dance to help others.(tech-learn connection)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 1993, I was a New York City-based modern dancer in my 30s thinking about my next steps in life. My body hurt, I had little money, no savings, and was working several jobs to support myself. I had graduated from...

Improving contractions.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Every time you breathe life in or expel it is a release or a contraction," wrote Martha Graham. "You are born with these two movements, and you keep both until you die." She based her technique on the contraction,...

Adelphi honors Ruth St. Denis.(ACROSS THE FLOOR)
October 1, 2008... Ruth St. Denis came to Adelphi University in 1938 and started one of the first academic dance departments in the U.S. She lectured, performed, and lent her lofty and exotic spirit to the campus. Some of her dancers, including Jack Cole, taught...

Dancewave.(Awards)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The Edward and Sally Van Lier Fund of the New York Community Trust awarded a $50,000 two-year grant to Dancewave, a nonprofit arts organization offering pre-professional performing arts training to NYC youth. The grant will provide five members...

Manhattan Movement and Arts Center.(Notes and News)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... New York City's new Manhattan Movement and Arts Center opened in west midtown this past August. The facility houses six studios, two of which convert into a theater, on the bottom levels of a luxury condominium. MMAC is the new home of...

San Francisco Ballet School.(Lynne Charles as guest teacher)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... San Francisco Ballet School announced the addition of Lynne Charles as a guest teacher for the 2008-2009 school year. Charles danced professionally with The Hamburg Ballet and Bejart Ballet Lausanne, among others, and has taught at such...

Deborah Vinton was named director of ballet for SRQ Dance, Inc., a studio in Sarasota, FL, offering dance styles from ballet to hip hop, music programs, and theater arts programs.(Notes and News)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Deborah Vinton was named director of ballet for SRQ Dance, Inc., a studio in Sarasota, FL, offering dance styles from ballet to hip hop, music programs, and theater arts programs. A current fellow/examiner of Cecchetti USA, Vinton's West Coast...

The Landing Dance Center.(Notes and News)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The Landing Dance Center opened in Vancouver, British Columbia, this summer. An affiliate of the New York Institute of Dance and Education, the school brings New York resources to Canadian dancers. Brenna McLaud was selected as president and...

Jan Erkert: directing energy and effort.(teacher's wisdom)(Interview)
October 1, 2008... Jan Erkert is a dancemaker, teacher, and head of the Department of Dance at University of Illinois, Urbana/ Champaign. As artistic director of Jan Erkert & Dancers from 1979 to 2000, she began exploring the concepts of yield/push and reach/pull...

Africa rising: Bill T. Jones salutes Fela's life and music off-Broadway.(on broadway)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Broadway usually knows a good thing when it sees it. Let someone hit it big with a self-referential comic spree like The Producers, and it doesn't take long before someone else comes along with Spamalot. Mamma Mia!...

Ian Robinson: this Aszure & Artists dancer has quirky brilliance.(on the rise)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With his gangly limbs and quirky humor, Ian Robinson can look a little awkward onstage. He can pull off a triple pirouette with his head cocked to the side while an elbow flaps in one direction and his toes wiggle in...

American Ballet Theatre.(Dance review)
October 1, 2008... American Ballet Theatre Metropolitan Opera House, NYC May 19-July 12, 2008 Rabbit and Rogue, Twyla Tharp's premiere for ABT, is submerged in darkness at the start. The dancers wear camouflaging black bodysuits by Norma Kamali with...

Royal Ballet of Flanders.(Dance review)
October 1, 2008... Royal Ballet of Flanders Impressing the Czar Rose Theater, Lincoln Center Festival July 17-20, 2008 William Forsythe's importance to contemporary dance is such a given that it's sometimes easy to forget why, especially when...

Keigwin + Company.(Dance review)
October 1, 2008... Keigwin + Company The Joyce Theater, NYC July 28-August 1, 2008 You might need binoculars to spy the little Mercury wings flapping from Larry Keigwin's heels but, I assure you, they're there. In elements, devoted to the Western...

Going abroad.(transitions)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sascha Radetsky, one of American Ballet Theatre's audience favorites, is headed to the Dutch National Ballet as a principal dancer. Born in California, Radetsky studied at the schools of the Bolshoi, Kirov, New York...

Irina Baronova (1919-2008).(DEATHS)(Obituary)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The year was 1932, and the Russian-born Colonel W. de Basil and Rene Blum, with others including Balanchine and Massine, were trying to put together a new Diaghilev-style ballet company. They found amid the Paris studios the three 13-year-old...

Petrus Bosman (1928-2008).(DEATHS)(Obituary)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... A former principal dancer at The Royal Ballet, Petrus Bosman died in July of cardiac arrest. Bosman danced with legends like Margot Fonteyn and Natalia Makarova, but was most well-known for his character roles. He formed The Bosman Follies,...

Frank Warren Bourman (1934-2008).(DEATHS)(Obituary)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Dancer, ballet master, and director, Frank Bourman died in May. Bourman, who also composed and choreographed original works, founded both the Union City Ballet in NJ and The Dancer's Place in Minneapolis, where he was co-artistic director for...

Gladys Celeste (1936-2008).(DEATHS)(Obituary)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Gladys Celeste, an ABT rehearsal pianist and performance soloist for over 40 years, died in July. Born in the Philippines, she played for notables such as Rudolf Nureyev, Carla Fracci, Cynthia Gregory, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gelsey Kirkland, and...

Weddings.(transitions)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... National Ballet of Canada principal Greta Hodgkinson and first soloist Etienne Lavigne married in July. Lavigne proposed to Hodgkinson in Dec. 2006 after a performance of The Nutcracker.

Births.(transitions)
October 1, 2008... Pennsylvania Ballet principals Julie Diana and Zachary Hench had a baby girl, Riley Diana Hench, on June 23.

United States.(dance finder: a career & learning resource guide)(Directory)
October 1, 2008... 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 Kitty...

Evil dancing doctor.(dance finder: a career & learning resource guide)(Dance review)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Think ballet is just tiaras and tutus? Alabama Ballet thinks otherwise. In keeping with its well-received production of Dracula--choreographed by Wes Chapman and Roger Van Fleteren--the company opens its 27th...

International.(dance finder: a career & learning resource guide)(Directory)
October 1, 2008... ARGENTINA MANUEL VALLEJOS DANCE JAZZ STUDIO Lavane 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/Movement.(dance finder: a career & learning resource guide)(Directory)
October 1, 2008... Somatic Practices, Movement Arts, and Dance Medicine Certification and Training in Somatic and Movement-Based Arts. Contact: dcastro@dancemagazine.com ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE BALANCE ARTS CENTER NYC Alexander Technique for Dancers...

A word or two for design.(attitudes)
October 1, 2008... A few months ago, I was sitting in my usual seat at the New York State Theater, focused on and enjoying New York City Ballet's offering of an all-Balanchine program. Mozartiana, Le Tombeau de Couperin, Divertimento from Le Baiser de la Fee--a...

Smart snacking: what to munch on during a marathon weekend of competing.(UP FRONT)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When you're cooped up in an auditorium Friday through Sunday, you can't survive on the greasy chicken fingers and candy bars in the cafeteria (OK, you probably can, but you shouldn't). Here's what School of American...

Change that tune: the judges have heard it all--almost. Avoid these overplayed tracks, and try some less familiar but great alternatives.(UP FRONT)
October 1, 2008... Every year there are songs that competition audiences hear over and over (please, not another teen lyrical solo to "Rock Your Soul"!). When the judges are too familiar with a song, it gives the routine a sense of predictability. They know that...

Fundraising can be fun! Here are a few ways to get your team to competitions without breaking the bank.(UP FRONT)
October 1, 2008... With entry fees, costumes, and the ever-rising cost of gasoline, dancers' parents are stressing about the costs of getting their dancers to competition. You can help by organizing fundraisers at your studio. Whether you choose to put the money...

Why didn't you pick me? Navigating the hurdles of casting a routine.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Most of the 16 girls that Robin Dawn Ryan wanted to use in an upcoming competition routine could do a penche well, so she planned a special section that would include a penche or two. One student, however, kept...

Etiquette check: you've perfected your team's routine--now here's how to clean up your studio's offstage act.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Competitions are a great venue for dance trend-spotting--rhinestones and ponytails are in, French braids and sequins are out--but sometimes the trends don't stop with the latest styles. Like bad manners. Nowadays...

Broadway now! showstoppers from the Great White Way star on the competition scene.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With a deluge of Broadway numbers presented--and winning--at competitions, probably you're now planning your next Broadway piece to wow judges and audiences. Ray Leeper, executive director of NUVO Productions, says...

Solo savvy: your guide to costuming, choreographing, and casting soloists.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] For serious dance students, large group dances eventually become second nature. They start to crave standout attention--a solo. Each year more and more students want the stage to themselves, but teachers must decide...

Where are they now: the competition circuit is a proving ground for stars in-the-making.
October 1, 2008... The cutthroat competition world is a great jumping-off point for dancers hoping to make it big. From commercial sets in L.A. to world-famous stages at NYC's Lincoln Center, here are a few up-and-coming dancers who started out on the competition...