Saturday February 5th: Just say ‘no’ to Netflix!


an untitled love, chor: kyle abraham As we bumble our way down the primrose path formerly known as real life, many have grown a tad too comfortable passing our evenings looking for love on streaming teevee services. I get it! #metoo! Guilty as charged! But don’cha think maybe the couch routine has outlasted its usefulness? ...
‘S.O.S.’ cries Diavolo’s timely ‘The Veterans Project’ 1


photo: george simian When Jacques Heim, founder/choreographer/director of Diavolo Dance Theater and one of the most consistently engaging of Los Angeles creative talents, launched The Veterans Project in 2016, hearing of it, I thought of it as an ambitious and laudable community outreach program. Partnering with the “V.A.,” the Veterans Administration, Heim and his dancers ...
Review: ‘Ailey,’ the choreographer, the man, the figurehead, in PBS American Masters doc


The opening moments of Ailey—Jamila Wignot’s deeply rewarding documentary about Alvin Ailey’s life, work and company—show the choreographer receiving a huge ovation as a Kennedy Center Honoree. Cicely Tyson speaks movingly about the depth of his achievements; his company performs a fervent finale from Revelations as he takes evident pride in watching them. Ailey, 57, ...
Cover girl. The great Chita Rivera.


Chita Rivera, DANCE Magazine Nov 1957 West Side Story opened on Broadway in September 1957. By November, DANCE Magazine had a new cover girl.
Chita & ‘chicas’: WSS’s original ‘America’ dance crew 1


Chita Rivera out front. Behind, L to R: Carmen Gutierrez, Lynn Ross, Liane Plane (unseen behind Chita), Frances Taylor “Chita was so incredible as Anita,” our friend George Chakiris told the audience when I interviewed him in 2015. He played “Riff” in the London production of West Side Story circa 1958/59. Doing that meant keeping ...
Dancer’s ploy for getting on Ed Sullivan Show 1
Dec
30
2021


You want to dance on Ed Sullivan, right? So why not make a dance about … Ed Sullivan? The creators used this ultimate ploy to tickle a narcissist’s fancy and also entertain the public. This tidy dance number, which echoes Bob Fosse’s “Rich Man’s Frug” in many ways, is the work of two choreographers, Hal ...
Beloved Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater stays safe on stage & screen


Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Alvin Ailey’s Revelations, 2021 Opening Night Gala. Photo: Christopher Duggan On December 1, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returned triumphantly to New York City Center – its home base in the city for 50 years – having foregone its 2020 season (and a great deal of touring) during ...
From our Washington D.C. correspondent, Toni Basil


photo courtesy toni basil, and the kennedy center awards Toni, who choreographed multiple of Midler’s ornate staged pageants, writes on Facebook: So proud to have been with my incredible, long-time friend, Bette Midler, to watch her receive her lifetime achievement award for artistic achievement at The Kennedy Center Honors. Other honorees included Berry Gordy, Lorne ...
Love is Love: Pride Night at ABT ‘Nutcracker’ December 15
Dec
8
2021


In the video above, Hee Seo, rehearses for opening night of American Ballet Theatre‘s “The Nutcracker”Friday night at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The video displays what an exquisite ballerina she is. There is no doubt that every night at the ballet is a pride night for gay men and women. That’s indicated by the ...