Category: Pittsburgh City Paper

Pittsburgh City Paper

Moulin Rouge makes its Pittsburgh premiere

By Steve Sucato Celebrated on stage and screen and in literature, the most famous cabaret in the world is now a story ballet. Canadian choreographer Jorden Morris — whose Peter Pan the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre staged in 2011 — returns with his critically acclaimed 2009 box-office hit Moulin Rouge. The only ballet licensed by the Moulin Rouge to carry its name, Morris’ original story asks: If two good, … Continue reading Moulin Rouge makes its Pittsburgh premiere

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Pittsburgh City Paper

Pittsburgh product Kyle Abraham hits the big time in the dance world

By Steve Sucato Kyle Abraham’s career has tipped. That is, it has crossed the threshold into the dance world’s version of the big time. In the span of several years, the Pittsburgh native and his New York-based dance company Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion have gone from self-presenting in small venues to catching the eye of major dance presenters in the U.S. and abroad. The company’s résumé now … Continue reading Pittsburgh product Kyle Abraham hits the big time in the dance world

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Pittsburgh City Paper

Attack Theatre surprises with a poignant Soap Opera

By Steve Sucato Because Attack Theatre is best known for its clever, lighthearted fare, it would be easy to assume that the troupe’s latest program would fall into that category — especially when it’s titled Soap Opera. But uncharacteristically, the work’s subject matter is far more serious. This is a show chronicling the last days of a man on his deathbed. Inspired by both the legend … Continue reading Attack Theatre surprises with a poignant Soap Opera

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Pittsburgh City Paper

Cacalano & Cooper to debut new works in Pittsburgh before UK Tour

By Steve Sucato Gia Cacalano says it was the lure of the ocean’s smell and distant sound that beckoned her and her 7-year-old daughter to continue a long hike that led them to an as-yet-unseen Atlantic. The pair’s nature adventure this past summer, in Bangor, Maine — coupled with the anticipation of her daughter seeing the ocean for the first time — inspired the dancer-choreographer’s … Continue reading Cacalano & Cooper to debut new works in Pittsburgh before UK Tour

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Pittsburgh City Paper

Dance troupe explores notions of order and structure via the lives of service workers

By Steve Sucato In 2010, a JetBlue flight attendant who had argued with a passenger got fed up with his job, grabbed a beer, deployed the emergency slide and exited the plane. This well-publicized incident illustrated what a social psychologist might term a “deviation from structure.” The kind of emotional structure flight attendants and other service workers adopt for the sake of commerce is among … Continue reading Dance troupe explores notions of order and structure via the lives of service workers

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Pittsburgh City Paper

Hear Us Roar: Murphy/Smith Dance Collective Celebrates a Century of Women’s Social Progress

By Steve Sucato “Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.” The line is from “The Good Wife’s Guide,” a widely circulated list attributed to a 1950s women’s magazine. Though the list itself is likely apocryphal, it reflects that era’s gender norms. And for choreographers Jamie … Continue reading Hear Us Roar: Murphy/Smith Dance Collective Celebrates a Century of Women’s Social Progress

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Dance Reviews 2012, Pittsburgh City Paper

Contemporary Choreographers program is a triumph

Reviewed by Steve Sucato A clap of thunder and the sound of howling winds hailed the four dancers who appeared out of darkness, emerging into the spotlight upstage at Point Park University’s George Rowland White Performance Studio. The startling opening of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre corps de ballet dancer Cooper Verona’s “Very Instinctual” set the tone for an impressive ballet packed with surprises. The work opened … Continue reading Contemporary Choreographers program is a triumph

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Pittsburgh City Paper

Relationship Expectations Explored in the U.S. Premiere Luke Murphy’s ‘Drenched’

By Steve Sucato Romantic relationships are fragile creatures. Fantasy, and expectation of what is desired of them, can cloud partners’ thinking, or simply unravel in the light of reality. That’s the premise of dancer/choreographer Luke Murphy’s Drenched. The 60-minute multimedia work is coming off a successful run this past September as part of Ireland’s Absolut Fringe Festival. Drenched makes its U.S. premiere at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater on … Continue reading Relationship Expectations Explored in the U.S. Premiere Luke Murphy’s ‘Drenched’

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Pittsburgh City Paper

Hips Don’t Lie

By Steve Sucato It’s no ordinary dance competition. The Belly-Off 2012, at the Pittsburgh Dance Center, pits belly-dancers against one another in an impromptu skills improvisation to live music by Pittsburgh vintage belly-dance bandIshtar. As organized by local belly-dance queen Janim (pictured) and last year’s winner, Mehira, the second annual competition and show also features demonstrations in belly-dancing, aerial silks and tango. Upward of 20 local and regional … Continue reading Hips Don’t Lie

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Pittsburgh City Paper

A Celebration of Black Dance

By Steve Sucato In ancient civilizations they were called “keepers of the flame”: those entrusted with tending the sacred fires. In a sense, August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble artistic director Greer Reed has taken up that mantle when it comes to black dance in Pittsburgh. Reed is organizing the August Wilson Center for African American Culture’s second annual Black Dance Festival, held Nov. 2-4. “Like the … Continue reading A Celebration of Black Dance

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