‘Weave the Wind’ Highlights Program A of Chamber Dance Project’s Festival of Ballets [REVIEW]

Chamber Dance ProjectSLAM: A Festival of Ballets – Program AGreenberg TheaterWashington, DCJune 22, 2023 By Steve Sucato In celebration of the company’s ten years in Washington, D.C., contemporary ballet company Chamber Dance Project (CDP) presented SLAM: A Festival of Ballets, June 22-25 at Washington’s Greenberg Theatre. Program A of SLAM: A Festival of Ballets on June 22 featured two world premiere dance works, reprises of … Continue reading ‘Weave the Wind’ Highlights Program A of Chamber Dance Project’s Festival of Ballets [REVIEW]

Gerald Arpino: His time to be celebrated

By Steve Sucato The Joffrey Ballet, co-founded in 1956 by Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, is proudly described on the company website as “America’s Company of Firsts.” It was the first dance company to appear on American television, the first to grace the cover of Time magazine, the first to perform at the White House, and the first classical dance company to use multimedia and a rock music … Continue reading Gerald Arpino: His time to be celebrated

Verb, Ohio Contemporary Ballet Cain Park Program to Celebrate Retiring Dancer Lieneke Matte [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato After a decade with the company, beloved dancer Lieneke Matte is retiring from Verb, Ohio Contemporary Ballet. The company will recognize Matte with the free program, Celebrating the Career of Lieneke Matte, on June 23 at Cain Park’s Evans Amphitheatre. A native of the Bronx, New York, Matte received her early dance training at New York’s Ballet Tech, the School of American … Continue reading Verb, Ohio Contemporary Ballet Cain Park Program to Celebrate Retiring Dancer Lieneke Matte [PREVIEW]

Paul Vasterling Reflects on His More Than Three-Decade Career at Nashville Ballet

By Steve Sucato for Pointe Magazine In his 33 years with Nashville Ballet, artistic director Paul Vasterling has left an indelible mark on the organization. This month, he retires from the company, marking the end of an era. A Louisiana-bayou native, Vasterling joined Nashville Ballet in 1989 as a dancer. After a back injury cut short his performance career, he became the company’s ballet master … Continue reading Paul Vasterling Reflects on His More Than Three-Decade Career at Nashville Ballet

Part Two of DanceWorks Series to Feature More of Cleveland’s Dance Stalwarts [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato (with Kim Furganson) In welcoming back eager audiences to re-engage with its annual DanceWorks series again, Cleveland Public Theatre decided on a two-part approach. In Part One of the series that ran from February 23 – March 11, Cleveland mainstay dance company Inlet Dance Theatre was paired with two relatively new dance troupes to Cleveland’s dance scene, MadJax Dance Company, and Reflections Dance Theater. … Continue reading Part Two of DanceWorks Series to Feature More of Cleveland’s Dance Stalwarts [PREVIEW]

‘Nina-isms’ highlight Cleveland Ballet’s Masterclass with Legendary Ballerina Nina Ananiashvili 

By Steve Sucato The week before Nina Ananiashvili’s State Ballet of Georgia’s U.S. tour began, the former Bolshoi Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Houston Ballet star came to Cleveland to fulfill a promise she made to friend Gladisa Guadalupe to teach a masterclass for her Cleveland Ballet. Ananiashvili and Guadalupe became fast friends after meeting as jurors at the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition in 2019. … Continue reading ‘Nina-isms’ highlight Cleveland Ballet’s Masterclass with Legendary Ballerina Nina Ananiashvili 

With Steady Growth, Ballet Arkansas Is Making Its Presence Known in Little Rock and Beyond

By Steve Sucato for Pointe + Magazine With roots that can be traced back to 1966, Ballet Arkansas has had an off-and-on history as a professional dance company. During a period in the 1980s, the company had some paid dancers and an academy, and it presented tours by Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rudolf Nureyev, Miami City Ballet, and others. “But it was really in 2009 that the organization affirmed … Continue reading With Steady Growth, Ballet Arkansas Is Making Its Presence Known in Little Rock and Beyond

Grand Rapids’ Romeo & Juliet: James Sofranko’s first full-length story ballet [REVIEW]

By Steve Sucato for Dance International Magazine The crown jewel in Grand Rapids Ballet’s 50th anniversary season, artistic director James Sofranko’s Romeo and Juliet, was decidedly a traditional classical ballet take on Shakespeare’s famous tale. The three-act production plus epilogue, the first full-length story ballet the former San Francisco Ballet soloist has choreographed, premiered on February 17 at home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the DeVos Performance Hall.  … Continue reading Grand Rapids’ Romeo & Juliet: James Sofranko’s first full-length story ballet [REVIEW]

LINES Ballet’s Deep River Plumbs the Depths of Humanity’s Relationship with Darkness and Light [REVIEW]

Alonzo King LINES Ballet – Deep RiverMimi Ohio Theatre at Playhouse SquareCleveland, OhioMarch 11, 2023 By Steve Sucato Physical beauty intertwined with the spiritual in Alonzo King LINES Ballet’s Deep River this past Saturday night at the Mimi Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square. Choreographed by company Artistic Director Alonzo King in 2022 for the San Francisco-based contemporary dance company’s 40th anniversary season, Deep River was … Continue reading LINES Ballet’s Deep River Plumbs the Depths of Humanity’s Relationship with Darkness and Light [REVIEW]

Resurgent DanceWorks Series Set to Challenge and Entertain Audiences Beginning Thursday [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato (with Kim Furganson) Begun in 2004, Cleveland Public Theatre’s annual DanceWorks series is back in a big way this year with seven Northeast Ohio area professional dance troupes performing over seven weekends beginning with Part One of the series launching this Thursday-Saturday with MadJax Dance Company. Over its history, the DanceWorks Series has come to audiences in various configurations including split bill … Continue reading Resurgent DanceWorks Series Set to Challenge and Entertain Audiences Beginning Thursday [PREVIEW]