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]

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]

MOMIX’s Trippy ‘ALICE’ Feeds Audiences’ Heads With Wonder [REVIEW]

MOMIX – ALICEMimi Ohio Theatre at Playhouse SquareCleveland, OHOctober 11, 2025 (2 & 7:30 pm)By Steve Sucato Using Lewis Carroll’s famous 1865 novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” as a jumping-off point, MOMIX founder Moses Pendleton’s dance version of the iconic tale appeared to follow more of the hallucinogenic inferences in Jefferson Airplane’s 1967 song “White Rabbit” along with the surrealism of Salvador Dali’s 1969 Illustrations … Continue reading MOMIX’s Trippy ‘ALICE’ Feeds Audiences’ Heads With Wonder [REVIEW]

Mostly Marvelous Malpaso Delights at Chautauqua Institution [REVIEW]

Malpaso Dance CompanyChautauqua InstitutionChautauqua, NYJuly 9, 2025 By Steve Sucato Arguably Cuba’s best-known contemporary dance export in the United States, Malpaso Dance Company, returned to the Chautauqua Institution for its first mainstage Amphitheater performance on July 9, which featured a triple bill of repertory works.  The 9-member troupe opened its performance to a partially filled Amphitheater audience with New York City-based b-girl Ephrat Asherie’s “Floor… … Continue reading Mostly Marvelous Malpaso Delights at Chautauqua Institution [REVIEW]

Heavenly Bodies [REVIEW]

Chamber Dance Project – Red AngelsSidney Harman HallWashington, D.C.June 25-27, 2025 By Steve Sucato Washington, D.C.’s 100° June weather wasn’t the only thing generating heat in the city. Chamber Dance Project’s 11th annual D.C. summer season production, “Red Angels,” produced its own scorching intensity as one of this summer’s early triumphs. Founded in 2000 in New York City by artistic director Diane Coburn Bruning and relocated … Continue reading Heavenly Bodies [REVIEW]

PNB’s Jam-Packed ‘Emergence’ was Contemporary Ballet at its Finest [REVIEW]

Pacific Northwest BalletEmergence – Digital PerformanceMarch 27-31, 2025 By Steve Sucato The fourth repertory program on their 2024-2025 season, Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Emergence, was some of the finest contemporary ballet presented this dance season. The jam-packed program kicked off with the world premiere of PNB soloist Price Suddarth’s second mainstage ballet for the company, “Dawn Patrol.” The digital performance of Emergence, which I reviewed, was … Continue reading PNB’s Jam-Packed ‘Emergence’ was Contemporary Ballet at its Finest [REVIEW]

CorningWorks’ ‘Stand By’ Proves a Clever Allegory for our Divisive Times [REVIEW]

CorningWorks – Stand By — an allegoryCarnegie StageCarnegie, PAMarch 28- April 6, 2025 By Steve SucatoThe marquee work on CorningWorks 15th Anniversary Season, Stand By — an allegory, conceived by company director, choreographer, and performer Beth Corning, continued her string of recent productions that have reflected on the world around us.  An allegory, defined by the Oxford dictionary as “a story, poem, or picture that … Continue reading CorningWorks’ ‘Stand By’ Proves a Clever Allegory for our Divisive Times [REVIEW]

Classic Literature Meets Hip Hop in Raphael Xavier’s Brilliant ‘Skiff’ [REVIEW]

Raphael Xavier – SkiffThe John P. Murphy Foundation TheatreCuyahoga Community College (Tri-C)Cleveland, OHApril 13, 2025 By Steve Sucato Our eternal battle with Father Time was brilliantly explored in Philadelphia-based hip hop dancer/choreographer Raphael Xavier’s new work Skiff, this past Sunday at Tri-C Metro Campus’s John P. Murphy Foundation Theatre. Presented by DANCECleveland and Tri-C, Skiff was a hip hop dance theater contextualization of Ernest Hemingway’s … Continue reading Classic Literature Meets Hip Hop in Raphael Xavier’s Brilliant ‘Skiff’ [REVIEW]