Cleveland Ballet’s Lauren Stenroos Takes Her Final Bows As A Company Dancer In ‘Handel’s Messiah’ [INTERVIEW]

By Steve Sucato* After a 20-year professional performance career, Cleveland Ballet’s Lauren Stenroos is retiring from the company as a dancer this weekend, following the company’s performances of Handel’s Messiah with the Cleveland Chamber Choir and BlueWater Chamber Orchestra at KeyBank State Theatre in Cleveland.  A Bath, Ohio native, Stenroos began her dance training at Nan Klinger’s Excellence in Dance and the Cuyahoga Valley Youth … Continue reading Cleveland Ballet’s Lauren Stenroos Takes Her Final Bows As A Company Dancer In ‘Handel’s Messiah’ [INTERVIEW]

Premieres and Recent Works Feature in Ohio Contemporary Ballet’s ‘Ballet Unbound’ in Akron [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato Primed to chase away the winter doldrums, Ohio Contemporary Ballet (OCB) returns to the University of Akron’s E. J. Thomas Hall on Saturday, February 28, 2026, with Ballet Unbound*. The mixed repertory program will showcase four diverse dance works, including two premieres.   Choreographer Avree Walker’s commissioned work for OCB, “Eternal,” is a world premiere danced to music by Johann Sebastian Bach, including … Continue reading Premieres and Recent Works Feature in Ohio Contemporary Ballet’s ‘Ballet Unbound’ in Akron [PREVIEW]

Graham Dance Company Triumphs in 100th Anniversary Tour Performance [REVIEW]

By Steve Sucato A full house of enthusiastic dance fans welcomed the Martha Graham Dance Company back to Cleveland Saturday night for the first time in nearly two decades.  Presented by DANCECleveland and Playhouse Square, Graham 100, at KeyBank State Theatre, was part of the company’s worldwide 100th Anniversary Tour.  The company delighted the audience with a mixed repertory program of works spanning the company’s … Continue reading Graham Dance Company Triumphs in 100th Anniversary Tour Performance [REVIEW]

Lessons in Caring Highlight Dancing Wheels’ Production of “Puff the Magic Dragon” [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato First, there was the 1962 song made famous by folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary. Then, a 1979 juvenile fiction book adaptation by Romeo Muller. Now, Puff the Magic Dragon, the familiar children’s tale about childhood imagination and growing up, is being told as a multimedia ballet. On Saturday, February 7, 2026, at Lake Erie College’s Rickel Theater, Cleveland’s Dancing Wheels Company … Continue reading Lessons in Caring Highlight Dancing Wheels’ Production of “Puff the Magic Dragon” [PREVIEW]

BEST OF 2025 

By Steve Sucato 2025 was a year of experimentation for me as a professional dance writer/reviewer. I launched a monthly Airings digest on my website, artsair.art, featuring select dance news, performance impressions, and upcoming event listings, and expanded my arts coverage to include more non-dance events. So, why not end the year with one more experiment, compiling best-of-2025 lists from the dance productions and dancer … Continue reading BEST OF 2025 

Hometown Hero Dianne McIntyre’s ‘In the Same Tongue’ was Superbly Spoken in Music and Dance [REVIEW]

Dianne McIntyre Group – In the Same TongueMimi Ohio Theatre at Playhouse SquareCleveland, OhioNovember 15, 2025By Steve Sucato There was no place like home for Cleveland-native Dianne McIntyre on Saturday night. The 79-year-old dancer/choreographer’s eyes welled up with heartfelt appreciation when taking her bow during a lengthy and enthusiastic standing ovation for her latest dance work, In the Same Tongue. Performed by her eponymous dance … Continue reading Hometown Hero Dianne McIntyre’s ‘In the Same Tongue’ was Superbly Spoken in Music and Dance [REVIEW]

The 16th Season of Cleveland Dance Project’s ‘Choreographer Showcase’ to Feature 31 Dancemakers and over 225 dancers [PREVIEW]

By Angelina DiFranco, guest contributor  Cleveland Dance Project’s (CDP) Choreographer Showcase is returning to the stage for its 16th season at Berea Midpark High School this Saturday, November 22, for two shows. The showcase will feature the work of 31 choreographers and over 225 dancers. CDP was founded by local dancer Anna Cerveny in 2017, as she sought a space to train and perform with … Continue reading The 16th Season of Cleveland Dance Project’s ‘Choreographer Showcase’ to Feature 31 Dancemakers and over 225 dancers [PREVIEW]

Northeast Ohio’s Flamenco Queen Alice Lawhorn’s Latest Work Explores Finding Balance in a Fractured World [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato For their latest dance work, Ni más/ni menos, this Thursday and Friday at the Cultural Arts Center at Disciples Christian Church in Cleveland Heights, Northeast, Ohio’s flamenco queen, Alice Lawhorn, and her company Abrepaso, ask the question: What happens when invisible fault lines shift beneath our feet? The world premiere interdisciplinary work explores the struggle for balance in an increasingly fractured world. … Continue reading Northeast Ohio’s Flamenco Queen Alice Lawhorn’s Latest Work Explores Finding Balance in a Fractured World [PREVIEW]

Inlet’s 9th Annual Big Bash Fundraiser Is Set For November 7

By Erin Leigh Join the celebration at The Estuary at Pivot Center on November 7, 2025, and help Inlet Dance Theatre continue to impact the Northeast Ohio community with transformative art! Big Bash 2025 promises to be a fun and heartwarming event that celebrates Inlet’s past, shares our current artistic and educational impact, and helps invest in our organization’s future. Inlet honors Erin Cameron Miller, … Continue reading Inlet’s 9th Annual Big Bash Fundraiser Is Set For November 7

Cleveland Ballet’s Anna Cole Talks About Her Career And The Return Of ‘Dracula’ To Open The New Dance Season [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato Cleveland Ballet once again opens its new dance season with the Halloween thriller Dracula. Choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s one-act ballet, created in 2010, is back by popular demand to send hearts racing and chills down spines. The ballet adaptation of author Bram Stoker’s gothic horror novel will be paired with another of Corbett’s ballets, 2008’s Code of Silence, about the tortured souls of … Continue reading Cleveland Ballet’s Anna Cole Talks About Her Career And The Return Of ‘Dracula’ To Open The New Dance Season [PREVIEW]