Improved Cleveland Ballet Shines in ‘The Nutcracker’ [REVIEW]

Cleveland BalletThe NutcrackerPlayhouse Square – Connor Palace TheatreCleveland, OHDecember 3-5, 2021 By Steve Sucato Cleveland’s premier The Nutcracker production by the Cleveland Ballet returned once again to Playhouse Square December 3-5 after a yearlong hiatus because of the global pandemic. The annual production that regularly plays to sold-out audiences, was performed for the first time at the larger Connor Palace Theatre. In doing so, the … Continue reading Improved Cleveland Ballet Shines in ‘The Nutcracker’ [REVIEW]

Slick Meets Surreal in ‘Circles: going in’ [REVIEW]

STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy SosCircles: going inAugust Wilson African American Cultural CenterPittsburgh, PAOctober 28-30, 2021 By Steve Sucato The long-awaited world premiere of STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos’s Circles: going in, felt like the stylistic culmination of years of choreographer Staycee Pearl finding her voice. Not that the evening-length fusion of dance club vibe and contemporary, hip hop, and modern dance … Continue reading Slick Meets Surreal in ‘Circles: going in’ [REVIEW]

Boston Ballet Celebrates Dancing Again in Stylistically Diverse, ‘reSTART’ [REVIEW]

Boston BalletreSTARTDigital ProductionOctober 28- November 7, 2021 By Steve Sucato Kicking off Boston Ballet’s 2021-22 virtual season, reSTART was a bit of a throwback to the type of programming many dance companies offered up during the early part of the global COVID-19 pandemic. It featured the company dancing outdoors and in the studio, along with a previously recorded performance in South Korea by company dancers … Continue reading Boston Ballet Celebrates Dancing Again in Stylistically Diverse, ‘reSTART’ [REVIEW]

Dance and Visual Art Combine Superbly in Grand Rapids Ballet’s Season Opener [REVIEW]

Grand Rapids BalletOff the CanvasDigital Stage ProductionOctober 17-31, 2021 By Steve Sucato The opening production in Grand Rapids Ballet’s 2021-2022 virtual season, Off the Canvas, was a filmed version of the triple bill presented live by the company, October 15-17 & 22 at their Peter Martin Wege Theatre. In partnership with SALT Creative Production Studio, the productions featuring the works of three contemporaries of GRB artistic … Continue reading Dance and Visual Art Combine Superbly in Grand Rapids Ballet’s Season Opener [REVIEW]

Cleveland Ballet’s Condensed Don Q is a Keeper [REVIEW]

Cleveland BalletDon QuixotePlayhouse Square – Mimi Ohio TheatreCleveland, OhioOctober 15-16, 2021 By Steve Sucato A Don Quixote for a modern audience is how Cleveland Ballet artistic director Gladisa Guadalupe described the 7-year-old company’s new paired-down ballet production. In it, Miguel de Cervantes’s familiar Don Quixote tale was delivered in 2-acts instead of the traditional 3 or 4 acts often used. Guadalupe’s interpretation, with choreography after … Continue reading Cleveland Ballet’s Condensed Don Q is a Keeper [REVIEW]

Strife Inspired Art: CORNINGWORKS’ ‘the other shoe’ [REVIEW]

CORNINGWORKSThe Glue Factory Project – the other shoeThe New Hazlett TheaterPittsburgh, PAOctober 20-24, 2021 Reviewed by Steve Sucato Adding their voices to the endless stream of political and social discourse seemingly dominated by polarizing rhetoric and the ramblings of boorish pundits and outright loons, dancemaker Beth Corning along with co-creator, Kay Cummings offered up a more civil deep dive into the complexities of several of … Continue reading Strife Inspired Art: CORNINGWORKS’ ‘the other shoe’ [REVIEW]

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre: ‘Season Premiere’ [REVIEW]

Pittsburgh Ballet TheatreBenedum CenterPittsburgh, PAOctober 23, 2021Season Premiere Program: Petal, Grand Pas Classique, Through the Window (world premiere), Diamonds Steve Sucato To kick off its 2021-22 dance season and the return to in-theater performances, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre presented the mixed repertory production Season Premiere with the PBT Orchestra. It was the first offering in artistic director Susan Jaffe’s inaugural season of programming (postponed by the pandemic) and made good on … Continue reading Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre: ‘Season Premiere’ [REVIEW]

Charlotte Ballet: Celebrating 50 years / Stuart, Pite, Caniparoli, Aiello [REVIEW]

Reviewed by Steve Sucato Charlotte Ballet’s 50th Anniversary Celebration program, delayed from 2020 because of the global pandemic, was worth the wait. The final production for outgoing artistic director Hope Muir (now artistic director at the National Ballet of Canada), the program cast a wide net in terms of audience tastes, with four topflight works that not only celebrated the company’s past, but also how … Continue reading Charlotte Ballet: Celebrating 50 years / Stuart, Pite, Caniparoli, Aiello [REVIEW]

There’s Lots to Love about A.I.M’s ‘An Untitled Love’ [REVIEW]

A.I.M by Kyle AbrahamAn Untitled LoveMimi Ohio Theatre at Playhouse SquareCleveland, OHNovember 6, 2021 Reviewed by Steve Sucato Making their Cleveland debut Saturday night, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham performed the MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship recipient’s latest evening-length dance theater work An Untitled Love. Presented by DANCECleveland in collaboration with Tri-C Performing Arts, the work took inspiration from Abraham’s youth in Pittsburgh and the loving relationships … Continue reading There’s Lots to Love about A.I.M’s ‘An Untitled Love’ [REVIEW]

‘Plus One’ Adds New Stylistic Dimension to Attack Theatre [REVIEW]

Attack Theatre with Antonio Brown DancePlus One Digital Livestream September 29, 2021Reviewed by Steve Sucato To christen its new Attack Theatre Studios in Lawrenceville, the 27-year-old modern dance company joined forces with NYC-based Antonio Brown Dance in Plus One, a work about community viewed through the lens of Black cookout culture. Choreographed by former Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company dancer Antonio Brown, the hourlong contemporary … Continue reading ‘Plus One’ Adds New Stylistic Dimension to Attack Theatre [REVIEW]