Ballet Legato’s Inaugural ‘The Nutcracker’ Combines Tradition with the Unconventional [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato New to Northeast Ohio’s The Nutcracker ballet offerings this holiday season is Ballet Legato’s first-ever production. It will be presented this Saturday, December 18 at Lorain County Community College’s Stocker Arts Center in Elyria. For Ballet Legato executive artistic director Jennifer Kraynik-Muselin the thought of there not being an audience for yet another The Nutcracker production in the area had crossed her … Continue reading Ballet Legato’s Inaugural ‘The Nutcracker’ Combines Tradition with the Unconventional [PREVIEW]

Heading into its 7th Season, Cleveland Ballet Is Making Huge Strides

By Steve Sucato If you haven’t been paying close attention to Cleveland Ballet of late, the company has gotten rather big, rather fast. Founded in 2014, it has gone from a fledgling ballet troupe with a handful of dancers and being funded out of pocket by company founders Gladisa Guadalupe, a dancer with the former Cleveland Ballet which folded in 2001, and Russian businessman, Dr. … Continue reading Heading into its 7th Season, Cleveland Ballet Is Making Huge Strides

DANCECleveland’s New Mainstage Season to Feature Familiar Favorites

By Steve Sucato Entering its 65th season of presenting dance to Northeast, Ohio audiences, DANCECleveland has new leadership as former DANCECleveland Executive Director and local dance icon Pamela Young retired. Filling Young’s shoes are and newly promoted Artistic Director, Sarah Sumbrum and new Executive Director Theresa Remnick. Young served as DANCECleveland Executive Director for the past 18 years pulling the organization out of financial life-support … Continue reading DANCECleveland’s New Mainstage Season to Feature Familiar Favorites

Inaugural ‘Lords of The Land’ Festival Spotlights Hip Hop Culture in Cleveland

By Steve Sucato The most ambitious and one of largest hip hop events to take place in Cleveland in recent years, 10K Movement’s inaugural Lords of The Land (LoTL) summer festival takes place this week starting Thursday, July 29 and running through Sunday, August 1 in sites around downtown. Modeled after some of the biggest hip hop events in the country, the festival’s marquee event … Continue reading Inaugural ‘Lords of The Land’ Festival Spotlights Hip Hop Culture in Cleveland

Hope Muir Is More Than Ready for Her New Role at National Ballet of Canada

By Steve Sucato On July 7, the National Ballet of Canada announced Hope Muir as its new artistic director, following a two-year international search. Muir, who was born in Toronto and is the current artistic director of Charlotte Ballet, succeeds Karen Kain, who stepped down on June 30. Muir began her dance training at age 3 in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke. In 1987, at age 15, she moved … Continue reading Hope Muir Is More Than Ready for Her New Role at National Ballet of Canada

Some of the other dance on tap as part of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s ‘Open Air: A Series in Celebration of the Performing Arts’

Compiled by Steve Sucato from press materials and artist websites OPEN AIR SERIES ARTISTS 2021 SHOWCASECurated by Richard ParsakianThursday, May 20, 2021 – 2:00 – 3:30pmPBT Stage at Flagstaff Hill, Schenley Park, Pittsburgh PA SHOWCASE ARTISTS:– Antonio Brown, choreographer/dancer, Antonio Brown Dance, NYC(his company, 5-6 dancers)– Nick Daniels, choreographer/dancer, Dana Movement Company, Pgh (dancers TBA)– Julia Erickson, dancer/choreographer, Pgh (setting work on 2 dancers)– Vanessa … Continue reading Some of the other dance on tap as part of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s ‘Open Air: A Series in Celebration of the Performing Arts’

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Susan Jaffe opens-up about ‘Open Air: A Series in Celebration of the Performing Arts’

By Steve Sucato One of the first things new Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre artistic director Susan Jaffe did in the job beginning the summer of 2020, was oversee the purchase of a portable outdoor stage. It was acquired to give the company more options in performing around the region especially in these pandemic times, but also to provide a means for PBT to bring their art … Continue reading Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Susan Jaffe opens-up about ‘Open Air: A Series in Celebration of the Performing Arts’

Saturday’s Exhibition Dance Battle the latest stop on Samuel McIntosh’s Unique Dance Journey

By Steve Sucato Dancer, teacher, choreographer, and hip hop ambassador Samuel McIntosh’s unique dance journey to where he is now has been one fueled by passion, interconnections, and a sense of cultural preservation. The 28-year-old who grew up in South Euclid, began that journey indirectly by following in his father’s footsteps taking up wrestling at an early age and continuing through high school. At Charles … Continue reading Saturday’s Exhibition Dance Battle the latest stop on Samuel McIntosh’s Unique Dance Journey

Pivoting and Pitfalls: BalletMet’s Edwaard Liang Talks Programming a New Season in a Time of Pandemic

By Steve Sucato With uncertainty being the underlying theme of 2020, Columbus, Ohio’s BalletMet has taken a wait and see approach to announcing its new 2020-21 dance season. While many ballet companies in the U.S. have given into the inevitability of having to conduct their seasons in the virtual world and have announced their new season, BalletMet artistic director Edwaard Liang and staff have chosen … Continue reading Pivoting and Pitfalls: BalletMet’s Edwaard Liang Talks Programming a New Season in a Time of Pandemic

Grand Rapids Ballet’s Adventurous Dance Season to Reflect New Norm in the Dance World

By Steve Sucato As the world gets used to the global pandemic imposed new normal, Grand Rapids Ballet is forging ahead with its new 2020-21 dance season entitled Moving Beyond and the new realities on how to deliver that season to an audience. Third-year artistic director James Sofranko says because of the pandemic Grand Rapids Ballet has had to turn away from live in-person performance … Continue reading Grand Rapids Ballet’s Adventurous Dance Season to Reflect New Norm in the Dance World