Attack Theatre co-founders Michele de la Reza and Peter Kope return to the stage
By Steve Sucato For most people, turning 20 is a minor milestone. But for dance companies, whose ages are measured in something more like dog years, it’s a pretty big deal. Attack Theatre’s co-founders, Michele de la Reza and Peter Kope, say their company’s 20th anniversary was the perfect excuse to get the old gang back together on stage. That’s something de la Reza, Kope … Continue reading Attack Theatre co-founders Michele de la Reza and Peter Kope return to the stage
Glass, Confetti and Funny Faces
By Steve Sucato Fortune smiled on Monica Bill Barnes when she met Ira Glass, host of public radio’s This American Life, in 2012. She and her 18-year-old New York-based dance troupe, Monica Bill Barnes & Company Productions, have since enjoyed life-altering success, teaming with Glass for Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host. In its second year of touring, the 90-minute, intermissionless extravaganza blends music, … Continue reading Glass, Confetti and Funny Faces
Bodiography founder Maria Caruso stages her swan song as performer with her company
By Steve Sucato After 14 years as Bodiography Contemporary Ballet’s most prominent and compelling dancer, Maria Caruso is retiring as a performer with her company. She will take her final bows in the Bodiography program My Journey, Feb. 20 and 21, at the Byham Theater. A fixture on the Pittsburgh dance scene, Caruso will carry on as director/choreographer of the company and school she founded … Continue reading Bodiography founder Maria Caruso stages her swan song as performer with her company
Preparing for the Unthinkable: Dealing with Death in the Dance Workforce
By Steve Sucato Dancer Pedro Pupa, a Brazilian native, couldn’t have been more excited about Sarasota Ballet’s upcoming season he told the ballet’s assistant director Margaret Barbieri after a class on the morning of June 4th this past summer. Tragically, within hours of that conversation the energetic and amiable 20-year-old’s hopes for the new season ended after the bicycle he was riding hit a delivery … Continue reading Preparing for the Unthinkable: Dealing with Death in the Dance Workforce
Ben Sota and Jil Stifel present the hybrid dance event ‘WaywardLand’
By Steve Sucato There are journeys in life, and then there are journeys of being. Jil Stifel and Ben Sota’s new work,WaywardLand, explores the idea that we’re on a journey in our human evolution. The 55-muinute abstract work combines circus, dance and physical theater, says Sota, 34, artistic director of the Zany Umbrella Circus.WaywardLand, part of The New Hazlett Theater’s Community Supported Art Performance Series, … Continue reading Ben Sota and Jil Stifel present the hybrid dance event ‘WaywardLand’
Ronald K. Brown/Evidence brings 30th Anniversary Tour to Pittsburgh
By Steve Sucato Dance artists find inspiration just about anywhere, from fairy tales to world conflicts. But perhaps the most fertile area for inspiration is human relationships. For dancer/choreographer Ronald K. Brown, the death of close friend and mentor Sherrill Berryman Johnson from cancer, in 2010, and her memory inspired the positive messages behind the two works his company Ronald K. Brown/Evidence will perform Feb. … Continue reading Ronald K. Brown/Evidence brings 30th Anniversary Tour to Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre begins moving up to the majors with ‘Beauty and the Beast’Â
By Steve Sucato In his 18 years as Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre‘s artistic director, Terrence Orr has seen the company through myriad ups and downs. They ranged from rough financial periods and a Pittsburgh Musicians Union labor dispute, in 2005, to onstage triumphs, including the first-ever sensory-friendly production of The Nutcracker and the recent expansion of PBT’s Strip District facility. In its 45th season, Orr feels, … Continue reading Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre begins moving up to the majors with ‘Beauty and the Beast’Â
International Association of Blacks in Dance conference wraps with astounding ‘Founders Showcase’ event
Reviewed by Steve Sucato CLEVELAND, Ohio — Saturday’s “Founders Showcase” proved an emphatic exclamation point to The International Association of Blacks in Dance’s 27th annual conference and festival held for the first time in Cleveland. The all-star program presented by Cleveland Dance Movement of some of the nation’s top dance companies  at PlayhouseSquare’s Ohio Theatre was unlike any in magnitude and quality in recent memory in … Continue reading International Association of Blacks in Dance conference wraps with astounding ‘Founders Showcase’ event
Dance Magazine 2015 “25 to Watch” Profile: Robyn Mineko Williams
By Steve Sucato There is a sophistication about Robyn Mineko Williams’ works that many choreographers never quite attain. Her inventive movement phrases, compositional clarity and heartfelt emotion are informed by captivating simplicity—she lets the quiet spaces between movements color the work. It’s especially evident in her cinematic One Take for Grand Rapids Ballet. In one section, beautifully fragile images backed by the haunting melody of … Continue reading Dance Magazine 2015 “25 to Watch” Profile: Robyn Mineko Williams
fireWALL Dance Theater’s ‘Uproar’ an Unexpected Holiday Treat
Reviewed by Steve Sucato For its sophomore effort, fireWALL Dance Theater embarked on a unique project. The resident dance company at Carnegie’s Off the Wall performing-arts center created a companion dance-theater piece to the Liz Duffy Adams play Or, now being staged by Off the Wall’s acting troupe. Adams’ Or, tells a fictional story of 17th-century British poet, spy and playwright Aphra Behn’s efforts to write … Continue reading fireWALL Dance Theater’s ‘Uproar’ an Unexpected Holiday Treat
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