Author: artsair

International arts writer/critic for newspapers, magazines and websites.
Airings, Pointe Magazine, Profiles

With Steady Growth, Ballet Arkansas Is Making Its Presence Known in Little Rock and Beyond

By Steve Sucato for Pointe + Magazine With roots that can be traced back to 1966, Ballet Arkansas has had an off-and-on history as a professional dance company. During a period in the 1980s, the company had some paid dancers and an academy, and it presented tours by Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rudolf Nureyev, Miami City Ballet, and others. “But it was really in 2009 that the organization affirmed … Continue reading With Steady Growth, Ballet Arkansas Is Making Its Presence Known in Little Rock and Beyond

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Dance International, Dance Reviews 2023

Grand Rapids’ Romeo & Juliet: James Sofranko’s first full-length story ballet [REVIEW]

By Steve Sucato for Dance International Magazine The crown jewel in Grand Rapids Ballet’s 50th anniversary season, artistic director James Sofranko’s Romeo and Juliet, was decidedly a traditional classical ballet take on Shakespeare’s famous tale. The three-act production plus epilogue, the first full-length story ballet the former San Francisco Ballet soloist has choreographed, premiered on February 17 at home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the DeVos Performance Hall.  … Continue reading Grand Rapids’ Romeo & Juliet: James Sofranko’s first full-length story ballet [REVIEW]

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Dance Reviews 2023, DANCECleveland

LINES Ballet’s Deep River Plumbs the Depths of Humanity’s Relationship with Darkness and Light [REVIEW]

Alonzo King LINES Ballet – Deep RiverMimi Ohio Theatre at Playhouse SquareCleveland, OhioMarch 11, 2023 By Steve Sucato Physical beauty intertwined with the spiritual in Alonzo King LINES Ballet’s Deep River this past Saturday night at the Mimi Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square. Choreographed by company Artistic Director Alonzo King in 2022 for the San Francisco-based contemporary dance company’s 40th anniversary season, Deep River was … Continue reading LINES Ballet’s Deep River Plumbs the Depths of Humanity’s Relationship with Darkness and Light [REVIEW]

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Airings, Previews

Resurgent DanceWorks Series Set to Challenge and Entertain Audiences Beginning Thursday [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato (with Kim Furganson) Begun in 2004, Cleveland Public Theatre’s annual DanceWorks series is back in a big way this year with seven Northeast Ohio area professional dance troupes performing over seven weekends beginning with Part One of the series launching this Thursday-Saturday with MadJax Dance Company. Over its history, the DanceWorks Series has come to audiences in various configurations including split bill … Continue reading Resurgent DanceWorks Series Set to Challenge and Entertain Audiences Beginning Thursday [PREVIEW]

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Dance Reviews 2022

Verb, Ohio Contemporary Ballet’s ‘Schubert Melodies,’ a Splendid Mix of Music and Dance [REVIEW]

Verb, Ohio Contemporary BalletSchubert MelodiesBreen Center for the Performing ArtsCleveland, OHOctober 15, 2022 By Steve Sucato Newly renamed Verb, Ohio Contemporary Ballet returned to Saint Ignatius High School’s Breen Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, October 15 with Schubert Melodies, a double bill of ballets celebrating Austrian composer Franz Schubert’s music. The program began with a reprise of Heinz Poll’s 1975 ballet “Schubert Waltzes.” Danced to … Continue reading Verb, Ohio Contemporary Ballet’s ‘Schubert Melodies,’ a Splendid Mix of Music and Dance [REVIEW]

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Dance Reviews 2023

Broadway On Demand’s Release of ‘Metamorphosis’ Captures the Unrelenting Power of Maria Caruso’s Performance for All to Experience [REVIEW]

By Steve Sucato The adage “good things come to those who wait,” certainly applies to Pittsburgh-based dancer, choreographer, and entrepreneur Maria Caruso and her career-defining, one-woman dance theater production Metamorphosis. Four decades in the making, Caruso brought her lifetime of experiences to the hourlong work that became the big break every artist dreams of. A global tour and a bevy of accolades ensued culminating this … Continue reading Broadway On Demand’s Release of ‘Metamorphosis’ Captures the Unrelenting Power of Maria Caruso’s Performance for All to Experience [REVIEW]

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Airings, Pointe Magazine

Adam W. McKinney Named Artistic Director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

By Steve Sucato for Pointe Magazine Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre announced today that it has named Adam W. McKinney as its new artistic director, effective March 2023. McKinney becomes the company’s seventh artistic director and first director of color in PBT’s 54-year history. He will succeed Susan Jaffe, who recently took the helm at American Ballet Theatre. The 46-year-old McKinney is a former dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance … Continue reading Adam W. McKinney Named Artistic Director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

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Press Releases

ROYAL NEW ZEALAND BALLET ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PATRICIA BARKER ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AFTER 43 YEARS IN BALLET

By Siobhan Waterhouse The Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) has today announced the retirement of Artistic Director Patricia Barker. In her five and a half years at the helm of the national ballet company, Barker commissioned 12 new main stage ballets from New Zealand-based or born choreographers including six ballets with original scores by New Zealand composers. New commissions from local and international choreographers are … Continue reading ROYAL NEW ZEALAND BALLET ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PATRICIA BARKER ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AFTER 43 YEARS IN BALLET

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Dance Reviews 2022, DANCECleveland

Petronio Company’s Pandemic Delayed Cleveland Debut Proves Worth the Wait [REVIEW]

Stephen Petronio CompanyMimi Ohio Theatre at Playhouse SquareNovember 12, 2022 By Steve Sucato Call it a blessing in disguise that Stephen Petronio Company’s Cleveland debut was postponed in 2020 because of the global pandemic. Otherwise, the audience at Playhouse Square’s Mimi Ohio Theatre on Saturday night would not have experienced the company’s most spellbinding work of the evening, 2022’s New New Prayer for Now. Presented by DANCECleveland, the mixed … Continue reading Petronio Company’s Pandemic Delayed Cleveland Debut Proves Worth the Wait [REVIEW]

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Airings

After Its Delectable Opening Production, Balletmet’s 45th Anniversary Season Continues With Even More Delights

By Steve Sucato Columbus, Ohio’s BalletMet began its 45th Anniversary season with BalletMet at the Ohio, a tribute to 10-year Artistic Director Edwaard Liang featuring two of his most engaging ballets, Murmuration and Tributary. The production, September 16-18 at Downtown Columbus’ Ohio Theatre, showed Liang’s expert crafting of ballets both contemporary and classical. Murmuration, a contemporary ballet originally created in 2012 for Houston Ballet, takes … Continue reading After Its Delectable Opening Production, Balletmet’s 45th Anniversary Season Continues With Even More Delights

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