Category: Airings

Previews

Chamber Dance Project Honors Departing Founder-Director with ‘Iconic Works’ Program [PREVIEW/INTERVIEW]

By Steve Sucato From its founding in 2000 in New York City to its relocation to Washington, D.C. in 2014, and up until now, a few things have remained constant with the contemporary ballet company, Chamber Dance Project (CDP): Its bringing together of soloist-level professional ballet dancers during their lay-off periods from major professional companies and partnering them with equally talented musicians and boundary pushing … Continue reading Chamber Dance Project Honors Departing Founder-Director with ‘Iconic Works’ Program [PREVIEW/INTERVIEW]

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Previews

Ajayi Dance’s ‘Half the Sky’ to Explore Themes of Masculinity, Identity, Injustice, and the Female Condition [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato Dancer-choreographer Melissa Ajayi’s interest in creating her own dance works came at a young age in her hometown dance studio in New Philadelphia, Ohio. It only grew stronger over the years as a dance major at Kent State University and as a freelance dance artist living in New York City and Lexington, Kentucky. So, forming her own eponymous project-based dance company in … Continue reading Ajayi Dance’s ‘Half the Sky’ to Explore Themes of Masculinity, Identity, Injustice, and the Female Condition [PREVIEW]

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Previews

Female ’80s Music Stars Provide the Soundtrack to Dancing Wheels’ 45th Anniversary Gala Benefit Celebration [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato Cleveland’s Dancing Wheels Company goes back to the future for its upcoming 45th Anniversary Gala Benefit Production, Ladies of the ’80s.  Founded in 1980 by Mary Verdi-Fletcher, America’s oldest physically integrated dance troupe revisits the era’s music by highlighting several female artists who helped define the period, in a program of new contemporary dance works celebrating the company’s 45th Anniversary. The Gala … Continue reading Female ’80s Music Stars Provide the Soundtrack to Dancing Wheels’ 45th Anniversary Gala Benefit Celebration [PREVIEW]

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Previews

Third Annual ‘ChoreoLab’ Shines the Spotlight on Cleveland Ballet Dancers’ Creativity [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato Cleveland Ballet’s company dancers will stretch their choreographic wings once again in the third annual ChoreoLab, an evening of dance for and by the dancers.  The stylistically diverse program, featuring 13 works by 10+ choreographers, performed by 31 dancers, will take place this Friday, June 5, at Near West Theatre in the Gordon Square Arts District. ChoreoLab stands apart from Cleveland Ballet’s … Continue reading Third Annual ‘ChoreoLab’ Shines the Spotlight on Cleveland Ballet Dancers’ Creativity [PREVIEW]

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Previews

AI Theme is at the Center of Maria Caruso’s ‘Counterpoint of Chaos’ Premiering in London’s West End [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato Humanity’s evolving relationship with artificial intelligence in our lives and the growing fears surrounding it are the themes of dancer, choreographer, and actress Maria Caruso’s latest evening-length solo work, Counterpoint of Chaos. Following the London successes of the Pittsburgh-native’s one-woman productions Metamorphosis in 2023 and Incarnation in 2024, which were inspired by events in her life, Caruso returns to London’s West End … Continue reading AI Theme is at the Center of Maria Caruso’s ‘Counterpoint of Chaos’ Premiering in London’s West End [PREVIEW]

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Interviews

Cleveland Ballet’s Erinn Crittenden Winds Down Her Performance Career In Dream Role [INTERVIEW]

By Steve Sucato For almost as long as this current iteration of the Cleveland Ballet has existed, dancer Erinn Crittenden has been a fixture. With her bright eyes, million-watt smile, and an affinity for playing charismatic characters, including the fiery street dancer Mercedes in Don Quixote, Collette in Dracula, Red Riding Hood in The Sleeping Beauty, and the comedic Grandmother in The Nutcracker and Tweedle … Continue reading Cleveland Ballet’s Erinn Crittenden Winds Down Her Performance Career In Dream Role [INTERVIEW]

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Previews

Cleveland Ballet’s New ‘Cinderella’ is a Fresh Take on the Classic Tale [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato  As a ballet, the first documented versions of Cinderella date back to 1813, but most modern productions are based on Charles Perrault’s 1697 book, “Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper,” and the 1940s Bolshoi Theatre’s ballet production with a libretto by Nikolai Volkov, music by Sergei Prokofiev, and choreography by Rostislav Zakharov, with a comedic handling of the stepsisters’ characters popularized by … Continue reading Cleveland Ballet’s New ‘Cinderella’ is a Fresh Take on the Classic Tale [PREVIEW]

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Previews

Star Spangled Ballet to Highlight City Ballet of Cleveland’s ‘Spring Repertory Concert’ [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato City Ballet of Cleveland, the pre-professional student company in residence at Cleveland City Dance, will present its 17th annual Spring Repertory Concert on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at the Lorraine and Bill Dodero Center for Performing Arts at Gilmour Academy. The 90-minute program includes three premieres: two by CBC Artistic Director Courtney Laves-Mearini and one by former CBC dancer Adrienne Chan.  The … Continue reading Star Spangled Ballet to Highlight City Ballet of Cleveland’s ‘Spring Repertory Concert’ [PREVIEW]

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Interviews, Previews

CorningWorks’ Latest Dance-Theater Work Taps Into Today’s Uncertainty Zeitgeist  [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato Veteran dancer-choreographer Beth Corning doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve; it is reflected in her choreographic works if you look with intent. Not one to spoon-feed or preach to audiences, Corning’s works pose thought-provoking questions, often steeped in metaphor, and are sharp-witted, a touch humorous, a tad poignant, and magnificently beautiful in their visuals and craft.  Her latest evening-length work, Foolish … Continue reading CorningWorks’ Latest Dance-Theater Work Taps Into Today’s Uncertainty Zeitgeist  [PREVIEW]

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Broadway World, Previews

Maria Caruso’s Latest Ballet for Bodiography Contemplates the Afterlife [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato Maria Caruso’s Bodiography returns to Pittsburgh’s Kelly-Strayhorn Theater this weekend, April 17-19, 2026, for Arcadia, a mixed repertory program of past company favorites and new works, all choreographed by company Founding Director Maria Caruso, including the world premiere of the program’s namesake ballet. Approaching its 25th-anniversary season, Bodiography, under the leadership of Caruso and Artistic Director Lauren Suflita Skrabalak, has remained a … Continue reading Maria Caruso’s Latest Ballet for Bodiography Contemplates the Afterlife [PREVIEW]

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