CorningWorks’ Latest Dance-Theater Work Taps Into Today’s Uncertainty Zeitgeist  [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato Veteran dancer-choreographer Beth Corning doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve; it is reflected in her choreographic works if you look with intent. Not one to spoon-feed or preach to audiences, Corning’s works pose thought-provoking questions, often steeped in metaphor, and are sharp-witted, a touch humorous, a tad poignant, and magnificently beautiful in their visuals and craft.  Her latest evening-length work, Foolish … Continue reading CorningWorks’ Latest Dance-Theater Work Taps Into Today’s Uncertainty Zeitgeist  [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 

CorningWorks’ ‘Stand By’ Proves a Clever Allegory for our Divisive Times [REVIEW]

CorningWorks – Stand By — an allegoryCarnegie StageCarnegie, PAMarch 28- April 6, 2025 By Steve SucatoThe marquee work on CorningWorks 15th Anniversary Season, Stand By — an allegory, conceived by company director, choreographer, and performer Beth Corning, continued her string of recent productions that have reflected on the world around us.  An allegory, defined by the Oxford dictionary as “a story, poem, or picture that … Continue reading CorningWorks’ ‘Stand By’ Proves a Clever Allegory for our Divisive Times [REVIEW]

CorningWorks’ ‘The Tipping Point’ Brings Home the Global Refugee Crisis [REVIEW]

CorningWorksThe Tipping Point25 CarrickPittsburgh, PAJanuary 27, 2022 By Steve Sucato Postponed since March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CorningWorks’ The Tipping Point, in collaboration with Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières, is said to have become an even more refined and timely production during its 20-month delay. The long-awaited premiere of it seemed to bear that out. Performed at Pittsburgh’s 25 Carrick Ave, … Continue reading CorningWorks’ ‘The Tipping Point’ Brings Home the Global Refugee Crisis [REVIEW]

Strife Inspired Art: CORNINGWORKS’ ‘the other shoe’ [REVIEW]

CORNINGWORKSThe Glue Factory Project – the other shoeThe New Hazlett TheaterPittsburgh, PAOctober 20-24, 2021 Reviewed by Steve Sucato Adding their voices to the endless stream of political and social discourse seemingly dominated by polarizing rhetoric and the ramblings of boorish pundits and outright loons, dancemaker Beth Corning along with co-creator, Kay Cummings offered up a more civil deep dive into the complexities of several of … Continue reading Strife Inspired Art: CORNINGWORKS’ ‘the other shoe’ [REVIEW]

CorningWorks’ ‘with a shadow of…’ a Muddling of Liminal Space

CorningWorks – with a shadow of… New Hazlett Theater Pittsburgh, PA March 27-31, 2019 Reviewed by Steve Sucato In the lead up to her latest GLUE FACTORY PROJECT work with a shadow of…, dancer/choreographer Beth Corning said “I hope nobody makes any sense of this work; none.” Mission accomplished. Pittsburgh’s queen of metaphor outdid herself with the hourlong collection of mind minutia and movement that … Continue reading CorningWorks’ ‘with a shadow of…’ a Muddling of Liminal Space

CorningWorks revisits an audience favorite with notable guests

By Steve Sucato Of all Beth Corning’s dance-theater works, none in recent memory has been remounted more often than At Once There Was a House. Choreographed in 2004 for Cleveland’s GroundWorks Dancetheater, the piece was reworked twice for Corning’s former company, Dance Alloy Theater (most recently in 2006), and is being revisited to celebrate her company CorningWorks’ fifth anniversary. A new, hour-long version of the … Continue reading CorningWorks revisits an audience favorite with notable guests

Several Prominent Pittsburgh Dance Companies Mark Big Anniversaries As New Dance Season Begins

By Steve Sucato The new dance season features milestones for several local companies. Attack Theatre, CorningWorks, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and the Pillow Project all celebrate major anniversaries. They, along with a bevy of other artists, promise even more memorable moments. Here’s a sampling. Opening its fifth season, CorningWorks examines our growing disconnect with traditional interpersonal communication in Parallel Lives (Wed., Sept. 10-14), at the New Hazlett … Continue reading Several Prominent Pittsburgh Dance Companies Mark Big Anniversaries As New Dance Season Begins