Ohio Contemporary Ballet Celebrates Beloved Retiring Company Dancers in a Free Performance at Cain Park [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato Ohio Contemporary Ballet’s annual free performance at Cain Park this Saturday, June 21, is a bittersweet one as the company celebrates the retirements of longtime company dancers Kate Webb and Antonio Morillo. The beloved dancers have been the focal point of many of the company’s marquee dance works, thrilling audiences and critics alike.  A native of Richmond, Virginia, 31-year-old Webb will retire … Continue reading Ohio Contemporary Ballet Celebrates Beloved Retiring Company Dancers in a Free Performance at Cain Park [PREVIEW]

OCB’s Man in the Middle, Antonio Morillo, Discusses His Dance Career, Retirement, and His Next Adventure [INTERVIEW]

By Steve Sucato Whether the red-caped focal point in Heinz Poll’s Bolero, or the male anchor of many of the company’s marquee works, Ohio Contemporary Ballet’s Antonio Morillo has been the man in the middle of some of what’s been best about the company the past nine years.   An audience favorite, the 34-year-old Morillo will take his final curtain call with OCB this coming Saturday, … Continue reading OCB’s Man in the Middle, Antonio Morillo, Discusses His Dance Career, Retirement, and His Next Adventure [INTERVIEW]

Ohio Contemporary Ballet’s Kate Webb Talks about Her Career, Retirement, and What’s Next [INTERVIEW]

By Steve Sucato One of Northeast Ohio’s most beloved dancers, Ohio Contemporary Ballet’s Kate Webb, will take her final bow with the company this coming Saturday, June 21, in a free performance at Cain Park’s Evans Amphitheater.  A native of Richmond, Virginia, Webb trained in dance at the School of Richmond Ballet, where she was also a trainee with the professional company. After graduating from … Continue reading Ohio Contemporary Ballet’s Kate Webb Talks about Her Career, Retirement, and What’s Next [INTERVIEW]

Airings: May 2025

A monthly digest of select dance news and performance impressions, primarily from the regions I cover in Ohio, and parts of Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania. By Steve Sucato Welcome to my first Airings monthly digest. I see a lot of dance and receive a lot of news that I cannot always write separate articles or reviews about. This monthly digest is my way of … Continue reading Airings: May 2025

Cleveland Ballet offers up an Exciting ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Ballet Steeped in Tradition [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato A production of firsts in how Cleveland Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet this weekend can be characterized. It was the very first story ballet choreographer Robert Weiss created for his newly formed Carolina Ballet in 1999, and is now the first Romeo and Juliet production for Cleveland Ballet under Artistic Director Timour Bourtasenkov. A founding member of Carolina Ballet, Bourtasenkov was also the … Continue reading Cleveland Ballet offers up an Exciting ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Ballet Steeped in Tradition [PREVIEW]

BalletMet’s Rachael Parini To End Her 20-Year Dancing Career with Her First Villainess Role in ‘Sleeping Beauty’ [INTERVIEW]

By Steve Sucato As the story goes, Rachael Parini’s dance journey began at age three when she told her mother that she wanted to play football like her father, who was then a player at Florida State University. The next day, her mother enrolled her in ballet class.  A native of Snellville, GA, her early dance training began at the Mazza-Smith Dance Studio in Jacksonville, … Continue reading BalletMet’s Rachael Parini To End Her 20-Year Dancing Career with Her First Villainess Role in ‘Sleeping Beauty’ [INTERVIEW]

Ohio Contemporary Ballet Celebrates Visionary Choreographer Heinz Poll’s Legacy in Program at Akron’s EJ Thomas Hall [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato It’s been 19 years since former Ohio Ballet co-founder and choreographer Heinz Poll died at age 80 from kidney disease. Since then, Ohio Contemporary Ballet (formerly Verb Ballets) has been the primary force behind keeping Poll’s legacy and his ballets alive. The company has several of Poll’s ballets in its repertoire that are performed regularly.  This Friday, April 25, at E.J. Thomas … Continue reading Ohio Contemporary Ballet Celebrates Visionary Choreographer Heinz Poll’s Legacy in Program at Akron’s EJ Thomas Hall [PREVIEW]

Murder, Reckoning, and an A Cappella Choir: CPT’s DanceWorks 2025 Presents Five Weeks of Evocative Dance [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato  The 21st iteration of Cleveland Public Theatre’s DanceWorks series — the longest-running annual dance series of its kind in the region — will treat audiences to five weeks worth of eclectic dance and dance theatre works, running every Thursday through Saturday evenings, April 17 – May 17, 2025, at CPT’s James Levin Theatre.   This year’s line-up of local dance artists will include … Continue reading Murder, Reckoning, and an A Cappella Choir: CPT’s DanceWorks 2025 Presents Five Weeks of Evocative Dance [PREVIEW]

New Name, New Ballet, and a Celebration of Franz Schubert’s Music [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato For the third time in its 35-year history Verb Ballets, formerly The Repertory Project, is getting a new name. The slow rollout to becoming Ohio Contemporary Ballet in the next 2-3 years begins this season with the transitional moniker of Verb, “Ohio Contemporary Ballet”. The new name reflects the vision, direction, and branding of the company by Producing Artistic Director Dr. Margaret … Continue reading New Name, New Ballet, and a Celebration of Franz Schubert’s Music [PREVIEW]

Cincinnati Ballet: Triumphant Bold Moves Festival [REVIEW]

Cincinnati BalletProcter & Gamble Hall at the Aronoff Center for the ArtsPittsburgh, PA May 21, 2022, afternoon and eveningBold Moves Festival Program 1: Petal, Nine Sinatra Songs, Minus 16Program 2: Children of the Passage (Dayton Contemporary Dance Company), Our Story (world premiere), Bolero Steve Sucato for CriticalDance.org For her last production as Cincinnati Ballet’s Artistic Director, Victoria Morgan programmed a mix of tried-and-true repertory favorites along with a new ballet by company dancer … Continue reading Cincinnati Ballet: Triumphant Bold Moves Festival [REVIEW]