PNB Brings New Charm to 32-year-old ‘Cinderella’ Production [REVIEW]

Pacific Northwest Ballet – Cinderella Digital Stream – Recorded at Seattle Center’s McCaw HallFebruary 12-16, 2026 By Steve Sucato There was a lot to love about Pacific Northwest Ballet’s remounting of Kent Stowell’s ballet Cinderella. The 32-year-old production, which debuted in 1994, was blessed with clear storytelling, heartfelt performances by PNB’s dancers, sumptuous sets and costumes, and the kind of storybook magic that has kept Cinderella … Continue reading PNB Brings New Charm to 32-year-old ‘Cinderella’ Production [REVIEW]

YY Dance’s Cleveland Debut Left The Audience Clamoring For More [REVIEW]

YY Dance CompanyMimi Ohio Theatre at Playhouse SquareCleveland, OhioApril 25, 2026 By Steve Sucato DanceCleveland’s 69th season came to a satisfying close Saturday night at Playhouse Square’s Mimi Ohio Theatre with the Northeast Ohio debut of YY Dance Company. The spellbinding performance by the New York-based troupe, established in 2018 by Chinese American dancer-choreographer Yue Yin, was part of the company’s very first domestic tour, … Continue reading YY Dance’s Cleveland Debut Left The Audience Clamoring For More [REVIEW]

Beguiling ‘For The Love Of Dance’ was BalletMet at its Best [REVIEW]

BalletMet – For the Love of DanceDavidson Theatre at Riffe Center TheatresColumbus, OHMarch 21, 2026 By Steve Sucato BalletMet’s latest triple-bill, For the Love of Dance, proved a high-caliber dance program befitting ballet companies several times its size.  The program at the Riffe Center’s Davidson Theatre in Columbus began with its marquee ballet, Alexi Ratmansky’s “Seven Sonatas” (2009).   The former Director of Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet … Continue reading Beguiling ‘For The Love Of Dance’ was BalletMet at its Best [REVIEW]

Emotionality Unbound [REVIEW]

“Ballet Unbound” was a diverse mixed-repertory program that landed squarely in Ohio Contemporary Ballet’s sweet spot as a company presenting classical, modern dance, and neoclassical and contemporary ballet works. PerformanceOhio Contemporary Ballet: “Ballet Unbound”  PlaceMimi Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square, Cleveland, March 28, 2026 WordsSteve Sucato The nearly four-decade-old Cleveland, Ohio-based troupe opened the program with Paul Taylor’s 1978 modern dance masterwork, “Airs.” Set to … Continue reading Emotionality Unbound [REVIEW]

Graham Dance Company Triumphs in 100th Anniversary Tour Performance [REVIEW]

By Steve Sucato A full house of enthusiastic dance fans welcomed the Martha Graham Dance Company back to Cleveland Saturday night for the first time in nearly two decades.  Presented by DANCECleveland and Playhouse Square, Graham 100, at KeyBank State Theatre, was part of the company’s worldwide 100th Anniversary Tour.  The company delighted the audience with a mixed repertory program of works spanning the company’s … Continue reading Graham Dance Company Triumphs in 100th Anniversary Tour Performance [REVIEW]

BEST OF 2025 

By Steve Sucato 2025 was a year of experimentation for me as a professional dance writer/reviewer. I launched a monthly Airings digest on my website, artsair.art, featuring select dance news, performance impressions, and upcoming event listings, and expanded my arts coverage to include more non-dance events. So, why not end the year with one more experiment, compiling best-of-2025 lists from the dance productions and dancer … Continue reading BEST OF 2025 

Hometown Hero Dianne McIntyre’s ‘In the Same Tongue’ was Superbly Spoken in Music and Dance [REVIEW]

Dianne McIntyre Group – In the Same TongueMimi Ohio Theatre at Playhouse SquareCleveland, OhioNovember 15, 2025By Steve Sucato There was no place like home for Cleveland-native Dianne McIntyre on Saturday night. The 79-year-old dancer/choreographer’s eyes welled up with heartfelt appreciation when taking her bow during a lengthy and enthusiastic standing ovation for her latest dance work, In the Same Tongue. Performed by her eponymous dance … Continue reading Hometown Hero Dianne McIntyre’s ‘In the Same Tongue’ was Superbly Spoken in Music and Dance [REVIEW]

The Game is On [REVIEW]

PerformanceGrand Rapids Ballet: “Diablo Rojo” by James Sofranko, “While Away“ by Jennifer Archibald, “Sherlock” by Penny Saunders PlacePeter Martin Wege Theatre, Grand Rapids, Michigan, October 24, 2025 WordsSteve Sucato for Fjord Review Move over, Matthew Bourne, there is a new voice in theatrical dance plays. Choreographer Penny Saunders’ bespoke production of “Sherlock,” performed by Grand Rapids Ballet, was not only a triumph in bringing literature’s favorite … Continue reading The Game is On [REVIEW]

Invisible Wounds [REVIEW]

Performance Wanjiru Kamuyu/WKcollective: “Fragmented Shadows” by Wanjiru Kamuyu in collaboration with Sherwood Chen and Elodie Paul Place Wexner Center, Columbus, Ohio, October 22, 2025 Words Steve Sucato for Fjord Review It was apropos that I attended choreographer Wanjiru Kamuyu’s latest work, “Fragmented Shadows,” just before Halloween. In many ways, the work felt like watching a horror movie—the dancers’ often contorted bodies and facial features looked as … Continue reading Invisible Wounds [REVIEW]

Ultimate Release [REVIEW]

Performance“Songs of the Bulbul” by Rani Khanam PlaceByham Theater, Pittsburgh, PA, October 11, 2025 WordsSteven Sucato for Fjord Review Perhaps not since Mikhail Fokine’s 1905 iconic “The Dying Swan” has there been as haunting a solo dance depiction of avian death as Aakash Odedra Company’s “Songs of the Bulbul” (2024). The 50-minute piece, inspired by the ancient Sufi myth of a bulbul (nightingale) held in captivity … Continue reading Ultimate Release [REVIEW]