Review: The History of Black Dance in America 4
It’s a safe bet that many in the audience at Saturday’s vibrant “The History of Black Dance in America,” performed by Central Avenue Dance Ensemble at Cal State Dominguez Hills’s University Theater, while attending an event that celebrated African-American creativity, were nursing bruised feelings over the insane racist violence targeting black people that shamed our ...
The death of a dancer: Albert Evans
Jun
23
2015
Our sadness is profound at the loss of a beautiful Balanchine dancer, a great veteran of New York City Ballet where he was a principal dancer. Albert Evans perished today at age 46. photo credit: Albert Evans, The Four Temperaments, Paul Kolnik/New York City Ballet Read more: The death of a dancer: Michael Jackson Death ...
Central Avenue dancers jive once more
Jun
15
2015
Looking very much forward to attending a special evening of important American dance history. A dance retrospective of African-American vernacular dances, starting from the slavery era to today, will be on view at Cal State Dominguez Hills, performed by the Central Avenue Dance Ensemble. Central Avenue, of course, the historic jazz and r&b black cultural ...
Fosse unfurled
Jun
12
2015
A true magnum opus, arts·meme contributor Larry Billman‘s authoritative essay on choreographer Bob Fosse written in 2012 for the Dance Heritage Coalition‘s “100 American Dance Treasures” series. Read it here. American dancer and choreographer Bob Fosse (1927 – 1987) works out routines alone at the Broadway Arts Studio (1755 Broadway at 55th Street), New York, January ...
Review: Lucinda Childs’ “Available Light” @ Disney Hall 6
It was the silver-mesh curtain draped across Disney Hall’s “McFries” pipe organ that gave the performance its first “wow” moment. Almost as though architect/set designer Frank Gehry tossed a throw-rug over a messy sofa to ‘red up for the guests. But Gehry’s living room is none other than L.A.’s stellar fantastic transformational concert hall named ...
Review: Los Angeles Ballet “Directors’ Choice” program
The last time I saw Los Angeles Ballet was at the Ford Theatre in the early 1980s – that, of course, was the other Los Angeles Ballet, the one directed by John Clifford. Always on shaky ground, and much maligned by the Los Angeles Times, it later faced dwindling financial support and stiff competition from ...
Biennale Golden Lion for De Keersmaeker
Jun
4
2015
An alluring invitation just arrived from Italy. The occasion is the Venice Biennale’s granting of a Golden Lion award, perhaps the most acclaimed honor the art world has to bestow, to Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, on June 27. It was wonderful to see Judson Church pioneer Steve Paxton honored in a similar way ...
L.A. ballet builders give boost to Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Jun
4
2015
A bevy of Angelenos joined forces with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and its artistic director, Glenn Edgerton, to make a June 1 gala fundraiser a rousing success. Los Angeles philanthropist Glorya Kaufman presented an artistic Spotlight Award to renowned choreographer William Forsythe, associate choreographer with the Paris Opéra Ballet as of fall 2015, and incoming faculty ...
Anton Dolin, a rapturous partner to Irina Baronova
May
31
2015
Not sure how others are coping, or not, with the lack of meditative time to peruse books — it’s pretty obvious that staring at an electronic screen (thank you for reading arts·meme!) is not remotely the equivalent. One place I read is on an airplane. Thus it was my pleasure to board United Airlines last ...
This was Denishawn
May
31
2015
We’re looking forward to spending an evening — picnic and free music concert — at outdoor-amphitheater Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles in MacArthur Park on June 12. Does everyone know the rich dance history of that neighborhood, whose prior name “Westlake” derived from the beautiful urban lake that the park surrounds? Read this, first, from the ...