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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

World Premiere Ballet to Janáček’s Moving ‘From the Street’ Highlights OCB’s ‘Ballet Unbound’ in Cleveland [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato Premiered in February in Akron, Ohio Contemporary Ballet’s Ballet Unbound now moves to Cleveland at Playhouse Square’s Mimi Ohio Theatre on March 28, 2026. The diverse mixed repertory program of works by Paul Taylor, Heinz Poll, and Nycole Ray will now include the world premiere of Gordon Peirce Schmidt’s timely “From the Street.”  Set to a piano sonata of the same name … Continue reading World Premiere Ballet to Janáček’s Moving ‘From the Street’ Highlights OCB’s ‘Ballet Unbound’ in Cleveland [PREVIEW]

Cleveland Ballet Presents a Glorious Interpretation of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato Cleveland Ballet continues its 11th season with Handel’s Messiah this weekend at Playhouse Square’s KeyBank State Theatre. The large-scale music and dance spectacle in partnership with the Cleveland Chamber Choir and Northeast Ohio’s BlueWater Chamber Orchestra is set to put composer George Frideric Handel’s masterwork “Messiah,” the 1741 English-language oratorio about the life of Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, into glorious motion.  Choreographed … Continue reading Cleveland Ballet Presents a Glorious Interpretation of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ [PREVIEW]

Cleveland Ballet’s Lauren Stenroos Takes Her Final Bows As A Company Dancer In ‘Handel’s Messiah’ [INTERVIEW]

By Steve Sucato* After a 20-year professional performance career, Cleveland Ballet’s Lauren Stenroos is retiring from the company as a dancer this weekend, following the company’s performances of Handel’s Messiah with the Cleveland Chamber Choir and BlueWater Chamber Orchestra at KeyBank State Theatre in Cleveland.  A Bath, Ohio native, Stenroos began her dance training at Nan Klinger’s Excellence in Dance and the Cuyahoga Valley Youth … Continue reading Cleveland Ballet’s Lauren Stenroos Takes Her Final Bows As A Company Dancer In ‘Handel’s Messiah’ [INTERVIEW]