Verb Ballets gives all in Jam-packed ‘Going Solo’

Verb BalletsGoing SoloDigital Stage ProductionFebruary 26, 2021 Reviewed by Steve Sucato Popular catch phrase, “make it work,” used by fashion guru Tim Gunn of Television’s Project Runway was often uttered to motivate the show’s designer contestants to overcome obstacles in the creation of their works. Verb Ballet’s has seemingly also adopted that mantra in overcoming the obstacles presented to the company by the current global … Continue reading Verb Ballets gives all in Jam-packed ‘Going Solo’

DANCECleveland Names Sarah Sumbrum New Artistic Director

(Cleveland, Ohio – April 13, 2021) – DANCECleveland announced the appointment of Sarah Sumbrum as Artistic Director. This newly created position will be responsible for curating the organization’s programming, including its annual world-class performance series.   Sumbrum has been with DANCECleveland for over a decade in many positions that most recently have include Marketing and Associate Artistic Director.   Pam Young, the Executive and Artistic Director for … Continue reading DANCECleveland Names Sarah Sumbrum New Artistic Director

Verb Ballets: ‘Carnival Macabre’, ‘Building Bridges Together’ [REVIEWS]

Reviewed by Steve Sucato Carnival MacabreVerb Ballets with Neil ZazaVirtual PerformanceOctober 30, 2020 Created as a stand-in for Verb Ballets and guitarist Neil Zaza’s popular One Dark Night…, A Rock Symphony of the Macabre (2019), Carnival Macabre (2020) was a made for the internet short film seeking to capture the spirit of One Dark Night’s Halloween rock symphony live show. The October 30 pay-to-view virtual … Continue reading Verb Ballets: ‘Carnival Macabre’, ‘Building Bridges Together’ [REVIEWS]

‘Fall For DANCECleveland’ Virtual Dance Film Series Hits Entertainment Bullseye [REVIEW]

Reviewed by Steve Sucato For DANCECleveland’s second virtual dance film series, Fall For DANCECleveland (October 10 -November 18), the 64-year-old dance-only presenting organization culled together five previously recorded dance films of works by three dance companies familiar to their audiences and one new to them. And as with their other pay-to-view virtual dance film series this summer, Fall For DANCECleveland came with bonus features including … Continue reading ‘Fall For DANCECleveland’ Virtual Dance Film Series Hits Entertainment Bullseye [REVIEW]

‘Inside’ the Class of GroundWorks’ Outdoor Dance Film Screenings [REVIEW]

GroundWorks DanceTheaterDrive In Dance Film ScreeningsDunham Tavern Museum Parking LotCleveland, OhioOctober 31, 2020 Reviewed by Steve Sucato Part of GroundWorks DanceTheater’s nextSPACE Fall 2020 programming, the company presented a screening of two dance films October 31 at Dunham Tavern Museum’s parking lot in Cleveland. Facing a giant inflatable screen provided by Free Akron Outdoor Movies, a select number of audience vehicles were lined up drive-in … Continue reading ‘Inside’ the Class of GroundWorks’ Outdoor Dance Film Screenings [REVIEW]

Despite Inclement Weather and Staging Compromises, Cleveland Ballet’s ‘The Magic Flute’ Delivers Modicum of Artistic Magic [REVIEW]

Cleveland Ballet – The Magic FluteStan Hywet Hall & GardensAkron, OhioSaturday, October 17, 2020 Reviewed by Steve Sucato Adopting the adage “the show must go on,” Cleveland Ballet’s dancers braved forty-degree weather to perform their new production of The Magic Flute outdoors at Akron’s Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens on October 17. Using stage side heaters and a warming tent for the dancers that helped … Continue reading Despite Inclement Weather and Staging Compromises, Cleveland Ballet’s ‘The Magic Flute’ Delivers Modicum of Artistic Magic [REVIEW]

Dickinson’s ‘KL3668′ Highlights Verb Ballets’ Engaging ‘NeoClassical Lines’ Program [REVIEW – Arts Air]

Verb BalletsNeoClassical Lines – ACCESS/Verb LivestreamOctober 9, 2020 Reviewed by Steve Sucato Founded in 1987 as The Repertory Project and changing its name (and vision) in 2003, Verb Ballets has had a history of reinvention and adaptation. Keeping with the latter, Verb was one of the first Northeast, Ohio dance troupes to fully embrace virtual performance programming because of the global pandemic. Rather than going the dance film … Continue reading Dickinson’s ‘KL3668′ Highlights Verb Ballets’ Engaging ‘NeoClassical Lines’ Program [REVIEW – Arts Air]

Northeast Ohio’s Dance Troupe’s Show Out in ‘Moving Still’

Ballet Legato & FriendsMoving StillShaker Heights, OhioSeptember 26, 2020 Reviewed by Steve Sucato Carrying on the multi-troupe parking lot pop-up performance format introduced in Urban Dance Cleveland’s Dancing Through the Pandemic this past August, Moving Still, presented by Ballet Legato and friends, offered up a similar repertory program of multi-styled dance works. The program, with some performers wearing masks and others not, took place in … Continue reading Northeast Ohio’s Dance Troupe’s Show Out in ‘Moving Still’

The Stages are set this Weekend for ‘The City is Our Stage’, a Live Performance Arts Tour of Cleveland

By Steve Sucato The first large-scale citywide arts event since the global pandemic hit, The City is Our Stage on Saturday, August 15 from 1-6 p.m., is a tapas-crawl-style drive-to sampler of a variety of local music, theater, poetry, dance, and circus performers’ work throughout greater Cleveland neighborhoods. The brainchild of nationally known lighting and production designer Trad A. Burns, MorrisonDance founder/director Sarah Morrison and … Continue reading The Stages are set this Weekend for ‘The City is Our Stage’, a Live Performance Arts Tour of Cleveland

New summer dance program ‘nextSPACE’ one of a few recent developments for GroundWorks DanceTheater

By Steve Sucato (with Jimmy Schlemmer) Amid uncertainty over the global pandemic and the ways forward for arts organizations, Cleveland’s GroundWorks DanceTheater is making the best of the uncertainty by doing what dance companies do best; getting creative. Their new summer dance program nextSPACE, running now – August 22 is an interconnected series of activities and performances in both live and virtual spaces around Cleveland … Continue reading New summer dance program ‘nextSPACE’ one of a few recent developments for GroundWorks DanceTheater