Author: artsair

International arts writer/critic for newspapers, magazines and websites.
Dance Reviews 2014

BalletMet’s Triple Bill of World Premiere Ballets Finds Beauty in Strange Situations

BalletMet Columbus – Innovations BalletMet Performance Space Columbus, OH October 24 – November 8, 2014 Reviewed by Steve Sucato One thing is clear about Edwaard Liang’s first full season as artistic director BalletMet Columbus; the honeymoon period with him as new director shows no signs of being over. On the heels of this past September’s landmark production of Twisted, Liang and company have kept the … Continue reading BalletMet’s Triple Bill of World Premiere Ballets Finds Beauty in Strange Situations

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Dance Reviews 2014, Pittsburgh City Paper

One misstep aside, Contemporary Choreographers is a strong program

Reviewed by Steve Sucato Emotionally powerful and thrilling was the ultimate effect of this past Sunday’s performance of Conservatory Dance Company’s Contemporary Choreographers program. The annual production showcases works by some of today’s best choreographers and talented up-and-comers. This year’s, however, began with a disappointing performance of David Morse’s “BWV 1063.” Set to vibrant music by J.S. Bach, the neoclassical ballet for 19 female dancers on … Continue reading One misstep aside, Contemporary Choreographers is a strong program

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Pittsburgh City Paper

Dance work summons the memory of the passenger pigeon

By Steve Sucato Once they were the most populous bird in North America, accounting for a quarter of all birds. But in less than half a century, starting in the late 1800s, unabated commercial and sport hunting and habitat destruction reduced the passenger pigeon’s numbers from billions to none. Their extinction inspires Passenger, a new program by fledgling company Shana Simmons Dance, staged Nov. 14 … Continue reading Dance work summons the memory of the passenger pigeon

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The Plain Dealer

No doubt about it: Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company stuns with ‘If At All’

Reviewed by Steve Sucato The idea of circularity in life and our existing in circles of the individual, the couple, and society was the theme for Israeli choreographer Rami Be’er’s 2012 dance work “If At All,” performed last weekend by Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company in the Ohio Theatre at at PlayhouseSquare in Cleveland. The underlying theme of circles, figurative and abstract, is a recurring one … Continue reading No doubt about it: Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company stuns with ‘If At All’

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Pittsburgh City Paper

The renowned Royal Ballet of Cambodia makes its Pittsburgh debut

By Steve Sucato With roots tracing to the seventh century, The Royal Ballet of Cambodia is a unique link to Southeast Asia’s temple dances and mythic tales, as handed down for generations. With their rich, ornate costuming and headdresses, the dancers appear like ancient museum statues come to life. After seeing the company on a rare tour to France in 1906, sculptor Auguste Rodin declared, … Continue reading The renowned Royal Ballet of Cambodia makes its Pittsburgh debut

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Dance Reviews 2014, Pittsburgh City Paper

Broken Hearts and Broken Minds Highlight GroundWorks’ Emotionally Penetrating Fall Program

GroundWorks dancers in Johannes Wieland’s wait. now. go. now. Photo by Mark Horning. GroundWorks DanceTheater – Fall Program October 24-25, 2014 Allen Theatre at PlayhouseSquare Cleveland, OH Reviewed by Steve Sucato Whoever coined the phrase “bigger is better” could not have accounted for what Cleveland-based GroundWorks DanceTheater has been able to accomplish with just five dancers.  In its 16th season the tiny troupe led by … Continue reading Broken Hearts and Broken Minds Highlight GroundWorks’ Emotionally Penetrating Fall Program

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Pittsburgh City Paper

Internationally known troupe makes rock-infused Pittsburgh debut

By Steve Sucato A one-time ballet prodigy, “beautiful boy” and heroin addict, Scottish dancer/choreographer Michael Clark created a Warhol-esque persona for himself in the 1980s. A cultural celebrity and iconoclast, Clark traded a promising mainstream dance career for one influenced by punk, with a desire to shock audiences with sexual content, gender-bending and provocative social messages. Clark’s globe-trotting, London-based troupe, the Michael Clark Company, makes … Continue reading Internationally known troupe makes rock-infused Pittsburgh debut

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Pittsburgh City Paper

Geeks and Ghouls

By Steve Sucato Who doesn’t enjoy a good ghost story this time of year? Combine those stories with creepy dance and you get Manifestations II: Ambitions Running Cold. The 90-minute production at the 99-seat The Maker Theater — Geeksdanz‘s sequel to last season’s Manifestations — features storyteller Stas Ziolkowski. He will spin original and classic spine-tinglers including W.W. Jacobs’ “The Monkey’s Paw,” about a mysterious, … Continue reading Geeks and Ghouls

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Dance/USA

Recent Hirings Illustrate There Is No One Approach To Finding A New Artistic Director

By Steve Sucato Hiring a new artistic director can be a daunting task especially if your organization has had little or no experience in doing so. Where to begin? Who to involve in the hiring process? What steps to take? These were some of the questions facing Pennsylvania Ballet, BalletMet Columbus, and Ballet San Jose recently when they went through a lengthy process of examining … Continue reading Recent Hirings Illustrate There Is No One Approach To Finding A New Artistic Director

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