Imagination Abounds in Two New Nutcracker Productions [PREVIEWS]

By Steve SucatoDecember 8, 2023 ’Tis the season for Nutcracker, and that includes new productions. This month, Milwaukee Ballet and Orlando Ballet each present world premieres that reimagine the holiday ballet’s magical journey with a mix of tradition, cultural sensitivity, and imagination. Milwaukee Ballet Milwaukee Ballet artistic director Michael Pink reconceptualizes his 2003 The Nutcracker with his new The Nutcracker: Drosselmeyer’s Imaginarium. With his new production, Pink set out to solve … Continue reading Imagination Abounds in Two New Nutcracker Productions [PREVIEWS]

Adam W. McKinney Named Artistic Director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

By Steve Sucato for Pointe Magazine Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre announced today that it has named Adam W. McKinney as its new artistic director, effective March 2023. McKinney becomes the company’s seventh artistic director and first director of color in PBT’s 54-year history. He will succeed Susan Jaffe, who recently took the helm at American Ballet Theatre. The 46-year-old McKinney is a former dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance … Continue reading Adam W. McKinney Named Artistic Director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

Milwaukee Ballet Announces  2022/23 Season Roster 

By Addie Prochnow – Company welcomes two new dancers and celebrates Pink’s 20th season –  Milwaukee, WI – September 27, 2022 – Michael Pink announced Milwaukee Ballet’s roster of dancers for the 2022/23 Season, his 20th leading the Company as Artistic Director. The Company of 24 dancers officially returned to Baumgartner Center for Dance this week to begin preparing for the Season of Timeless Tales.  Theatrical productions will include favorites from Pink’s choreographic repertoire in honor of his 20th anniversary: Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Peter Pan, all to be performed at Marcus Performing … Continue reading Milwaukee Ballet Announces  2022/23 Season Roster 

Daring ‘To The Pointe’ Opens Milwaukee Ballet’s 2020-21 Season in Style [REVIEW]

Milwaukee BalletTo The PointeOn Demand Digital Stage ProductionFebruary 25 – March 7, 2021 Reviewed by Steve Sucato Coming on the heels of a year disrupted by pandemic, Milwaukee Ballet artistic director Michael Pink made the bold decision to open the company’s 2020-21 season with a program of challenging classical ballet works. Not fearing dancer technique rust from the sporadic training schedules that have been the … Continue reading Daring ‘To The Pointe’ Opens Milwaukee Ballet’s 2020-21 Season in Style [REVIEW]

Squirt Guns, T.S. Eliot and Live Music are all part of Chamber Dance Project’s ‘New Works +’

By Steve Sucato Award-winning choreographer Diane Coburn Bruning’s Chamber Dance Project celebrates its sixth Washington season with New Works +, June 20-22 at D.C.’s Sidney Harmon Hall. The summer-only, project-based company whose model is to bring together dancers when they are on layoff and pair them with musicians to create new work was founded in New York in 2000 and has continued its commitment to … Continue reading Squirt Guns, T.S. Eliot and Live Music are all part of Chamber Dance Project’s ‘New Works +’

4th Annual ‘The Benefit’ Worth Every Cent and More

The Benefit The Vern Riffe Center’s Jo Ann Davidson Theatre Columbus, Ohio May 21, 2017 Reviewed by Steve Sucato When it comes to all-star dance benefits, few outside the nation’s major metropolises pack in as much talent and great dancing as Columbus, Ohio’s The Benefit. Curated by former BalletMet stars Jimmy Orrante and Attila Bongar, the annual event, now in its fourth year, benefits The … Continue reading 4th Annual ‘The Benefit’ Worth Every Cent and More

Re-established Chamber Dance Project to make Washington debut at the Kennedy Center

By Steve Sucato Conventional wisdom dictates that bigger is better and that more trumps less. Not so when it comes to watching dance says Chamber Dance Project founder and artistic director Diane Coburn Bruning.  “I don’t want people seeing my work from a football field away,” she says on the phone from our nation’s capital. “The closer the audience can be the better.” Coburn Bruning … Continue reading Re-established Chamber Dance Project to make Washington debut at the Kennedy Center