She’s our Yankee Doodle Dandy: Misty Copeland
Jul
1
2015
As we approach the Fourth of July weekend, 2015, we salute the lady in red, white and blue. It’s Misty Copeland, recently named as a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and one of only four American ballerinas to hold that prestigious title in our national ballet company. In addition to Misty, who was raised ...
‘PillowNote’ for BODYTRAFFIC @ Jacob’s Pillow
Excerpt courtesy of Jacob’s Pillow: Of the companies vying for the attention of Los Angeles’s newly fervored dance audience, BODYTRAFFIC, making its second appearance at Jacob’s Pillow, naturally aspired to top prominence. Lately, however, co-artistic directors Lillian Barbeito and Tina Berkett have adjusted that goal. “When people thought of Los Angeles, we wanted to BODYTRAFFIC ...
Hold onto your hats ~ here comes VPAC’s new season!
A new season at a performing arts center arrives as a list, perhaps just like any list. But if you pause to peruse the rich offerings on tap at Valley Performing Arts Center in the coming season, 2015-16, you’ll feel the fun. Arts energy that is fun, youthful, excellent and diverse will emanate from Cal ...
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 ...