The essence of tap is a rhapsody
Among the more quixotic ventures one might try, maintaining a tap dance company ranks somewhere between reviving the celluloid collar and loading mercury with a pitchfork. The degree of difficulty—in attracting and keeping good dancers, choreographing for their collective and individual talents, finding sympathetic musicians, securing a worthy facility, mounting shows, and obtaining funding—keeps growing. ...
Fresh air on a very hot night: No)one. Art House @ Highways
It was a sultry, sweltering, wonderful Saturday evening when a new dance posse, No)one. Art House, propelled ‘danse du moment‘ onto the stage of Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica. The audience, half-shvitzing from the room temperature, also seemed half-stunned by how stimulating, immediate and excellent the experience. An amazing cluster of nine dancers arising ...
Vaslav & the Tramp 2
Los Angeles, December 1916: An encounter between two great body-artists — Vaslav Nijinsky and Charles Chaplin. Never saw Nijinsky looking happier. Chaplin was making Easy Street. The Tramp met The Dying Swan in 1922. Like this? Read more: The Tramp meets the Dying Swan Charlie Chaplin in China
UNESCO cultural treasure Royal Ballet of Cambodia to Long Beach
Oct
1
2014
Three decades after near elimination by the Khmer Rouge, the Royal Ballet of Cambodia miraculously endures as the cherished emblem of Khmer culture. The Royal Ballet’s visit to Long Beach is part of a six week tour of the US and Mexico which follows a decade of resurgence after the 2003 designation by UNESCO of ...
Arts ladies of the weekend 2
It gave pleasure, in disparate performances over the weekend, to find and then ruminate on two outstanding players — both exemplary contributors operating in a mixed terrain. The duo included dancer Taisha Paggett and actress Carolyn Ratteray, both top notch, both, by happenstance, African-American artists. Ms. Paggett appears to be the muse of the savvy ...
Swans of Hollywood & Down Under
Sep
25
2014
In anticipation of The Australian Ballet’s “Swan Lake,” which will open the season of “Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center.” Swan Lake | The Australian Ballet | Dorothy Chandler Pavilion | Oct 9 – 12 Like this? Read more: Les Ballets de Monte Carlo plunges anew into “Swan Lake“ Transferring high art in ...
MoMA to bring Chakiris, arts·meme for talks, screenings Oct 26-27 4
A wonderful celebration of Los Angeles cultural history soon kicks off the Museum of Modern Art’s 12th annual “To Save and Project” film preservation festival. Three events, each related directly or indirectly to Hollywood dance history, will highlight the Festival’s opening weekend. The first, Sunday October 26, 2014, is an interview with dancer-actor George Chakiris ...
Critic’s round-up: Indian Jazz Suites, Laguna’s ‘Stars of Dance’ 1
L.A.’s big dance weekend — it had the dance-infatuated scampering up the heights of Bunker Hill, across the Cahuenga Pass and down Laguna way — has come to its close. Certainly the weekend’s big draw was the launch of a new contemporary dance company, Ezralow Dance, an event that also closed the Ford Amphitheatre for a ...
Flying men of Hollywood dance
Is it a bird? Is is a plane? No, it’s a Hollywood dance man, flying. Like this? Read more: Ailey guys fly
Review: Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre’s “Dancing at Dunbar” 1
“It’s site-specific work, so feel free to walk around so you can see,” offered choreographer Heidi Duckler at the outset of Saturday night’s “Dancing at Dunbar” performance by Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre. In doing so, she encouraged her audience to remain active during the site-driven dance event. A full spectrum of Duckler fans and curiosity-seekers ...