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

The Stages are set this Weekend for ‘The City is Our Stage’, a Live Performance Arts Tour of Cleveland

By Steve Sucato The first large-scale citywide arts event since the global pandemic hit, The City is Our Stage on Saturday, August 15 from 1-6 p.m., is a tapas-crawl-style drive-to sampler of a variety of local music, theater, poetry, dance, and circus performers’ work throughout greater Cleveland neighborhoods. The brainchild of nationally known lighting and production designer Trad A. Burns, MorrisonDance founder/director Sarah Morrison and … Continue reading The Stages are set this Weekend for ‘The City is Our Stage’, a Live Performance Arts Tour of Cleveland

New Look Chamber Dance Project Takes to the Virtual Stage for its Annual Summer Season Production

By Steve Sucato The familiar quote, “If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain,” takes on new meaning for Washington, DC-based Chamber Dance Project’s annual summer performance series, New Works. “Because of the pandemic” — a phrase now firmly rooted in the global lexicon — the company had to cancel its in-theater performances this summer in favor of a virtual experience for audiences. New … Continue reading New Look Chamber Dance Project Takes to the Virtual Stage for its Annual Summer Season Production

New summer dance program ‘nextSPACE’ one of a few recent developments for GroundWorks DanceTheater

By Steve Sucato (with Jimmy Schlemmer) Amid uncertainty over the global pandemic and the ways forward for arts organizations, Cleveland’s GroundWorks DanceTheater is making the best of the uncertainty by doing what dance companies do best; getting creative. Their new summer dance program nextSPACE, running now – August 22 is an interconnected series of activities and performances in both live and virtual spaces around Cleveland … Continue reading New summer dance program ‘nextSPACE’ one of a few recent developments for GroundWorks DanceTheater

Verb Ballets Wades into the Uncertain Waters of Performing under Pandemic

By Steve Sucato Verb Ballets‘ in-studio performance of The Cleveland Havana Ballet Project Return Celebration on March 13 was the last in-person performance I attended and one of the very last given in Northeast Ohio before pretty much the entire dance world shutdown operations because of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Now more than 3-months later Verb along with the rest of the state of Ohio … Continue reading Verb Ballets Wades into the Uncertain Waters of Performing under Pandemic

Gabriel Gaffney Smith Says Farewell to BalletMet for Careers in Visual Art and Music | Steve Sucato – Arts Air

By Steve Sucato In addition to cancelled shows, the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted final performances for many retiring dancers. Pointe is giving several retiring principals and soloists a chance to reflect on their careers and offer advice to the next generation. For 35-year-old Gabriel Gaffney Smith, retiring from BalletMet is more about switching focus than a bona fide farewell to dance. A modern-day Renaissance man, Smith is … Continue reading Gabriel Gaffney Smith Says Farewell to BalletMet for Careers in Visual Art and Music | Steve Sucato – Arts Air

Carolina Ballet’s Lara O’Brien Looks Ahead to Family and Her Growing Business | Steve Sucato – Arts Air

By Steve Sucato In addition to cancelled shows, the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted final performances for many retiring dancers. Pointe is giving several retiring principals and soloists a chance to reflect on their careers and offer advice to the next generation. Carolina Ballet principal dancer Lara O’Brien planned to retire from the company she hasspent her entire 19-year career with this spring. Her final onstage appearance, as Lady Macbeth … Continue reading Carolina Ballet’s Lara O’Brien Looks Ahead to Family and Her Growing Business | Steve Sucato – Arts Air

After 23-Year Career, Colorado Ballet’s Chandra Kuykendall Hopes for Onstage Closure | Steve Sucato [Arts Air]

By Steve Sucato In addition to cancelled shows, the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted final performances for many retiring dancers. This week, Pointe is giving several retiring principals and soloists a chance to reflect on their careers and offer advice to the next generation. After 23-years as a professional dancer, 22 of those with Colorado Ballet, Chandra Kuykendall felt it was time for change. The 41-year-old principal dancer, who officially … Continue reading After 23-Year Career, Colorado Ballet’s Chandra Kuykendall Hopes for Onstage Closure | Steve Sucato [Arts Air]