Nora Chipaumire’s ‘Miriam’ an exploration of Icons and Identities

Nora Chipaumire in Miriam. Photo by Antoine Tempe. By Steve Sucato Nora Chipaumire’s Miriam is the third dance work in the Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s current season to explore the idea of public versus private identities. But Miriam approaches the subject differently than did idiosynCrazy Productions’ Private Places and Kate Watson-Wallace/anonymous bodies’ Mash Up Body. Conceived, choreographed and performed by the award-winning Chipaumire, along with dancer Okwui Okpokwasili, Miriam makes its Pittsburgh premiere April 19 and … Continue reading Nora Chipaumire’s ‘Miriam’ an exploration of Icons and Identities

Geeks and Gamers

Geeksdanz dancers in “Challenge Mode” – (L to R) Sophia Levine, Laura Herbert, Jamie Campbell, LaMar Williams, Ella Mason, and Patty Petronello. Photo by Ben Peoples. By Steve Sucato Pittsburgh’s newest dance troupe, Geeksdanz, “is on a mission is to introduce dance to audiences that would not normally be drawn to it,” says founder/artistic director Ellen Deutsch. For the group’s first full-length production, Challenge Mode, Deutsch and … Continue reading Geeks and Gamers

The August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble delves into tragedy with ‘Paving the Road of Survival’

By Steve Sucato The final program in the August Wilson Center’s series “Great Collaborations: The Alliance Between Blacks and Jews in the Twentieth Century” is the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble‘s Paving the Road of Survival. It features two moving works inspired by dark chapters in the human experience. The first, Christopher Huggins’ gripping, Holocaust-themed “The List,” was premiered by Dance Alloy Theater in 2010. The 20-minute work … Continue reading The August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble delves into tragedy with ‘Paving the Road of Survival’