Cleveland Ballet’s New ‘Cinderella’ is a Fresh Take on the Classic Tale [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato  As a ballet, the first documented versions of Cinderella date back to 1813, but most modern productions are based on Charles Perrault’s 1697 book, “Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper,” and the 1940s Bolshoi Theatre’s ballet production with a libretto by Nikolai Volkov, music by Sergei Prokofiev, and choreography by Rostislav Zakharov, with a comedic handling of the stepsisters’ characters popularized by … Continue reading Cleveland Ballet’s New ‘Cinderella’ is a Fresh Take on the Classic Tale [PREVIEW]

YY Dance’s Cleveland Debut Left The Audience Clamoring For More [REVIEW]

YY Dance CompanyMimi Ohio Theatre at Playhouse SquareCleveland, OhioApril 25, 2026 By Steve Sucato DanceCleveland’s 69th season came to a satisfying close Saturday night at Playhouse Square’s Mimi Ohio Theatre with the Northeast Ohio debut of YY Dance Company. The spellbinding performance by the New York-based troupe, established in 2018 by Chinese American dancer-choreographer Yue Yin, was part of the company’s very first domestic tour, … Continue reading YY Dance’s Cleveland Debut Left The Audience Clamoring For More [REVIEW]

Emotionality Unbound [REVIEW]

“Ballet Unbound” was a diverse mixed-repertory program that landed squarely in Ohio Contemporary Ballet’s sweet spot as a company presenting classical, modern dance, and neoclassical and contemporary ballet works. PerformanceOhio Contemporary Ballet: “Ballet Unbound”  PlaceMimi Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square, Cleveland, March 28, 2026 WordsSteve Sucato The nearly four-decade-old Cleveland, Ohio-based troupe opened the program with Paul Taylor’s 1978 modern dance masterwork, “Airs.” Set to … Continue reading Emotionality Unbound [REVIEW]

World Premiere Ballet to Janáček’s Moving ‘From the Street’ Highlights OCB’s ‘Ballet Unbound’ in Cleveland [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato Premiered in February in Akron, Ohio Contemporary Ballet’s Ballet Unbound now moves to Cleveland at Playhouse Square’s Mimi Ohio Theatre on March 28, 2026. The diverse mixed repertory program of works by Paul Taylor, Heinz Poll, and Nycole Ray will now include the world premiere of Gordon Peirce Schmidt’s timely “From the Street.”  Set to a piano sonata of the same name … Continue reading World Premiere Ballet to Janáček’s Moving ‘From the Street’ Highlights OCB’s ‘Ballet Unbound’ in Cleveland [PREVIEW]

Cleveland Ballet Presents a Glorious Interpretation of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ [PREVIEW]

By Steve Sucato Cleveland Ballet continues its 11th season with Handel’s Messiah this weekend at Playhouse Square’s KeyBank State Theatre. The large-scale music and dance spectacle in partnership with the Cleveland Chamber Choir and Northeast Ohio’s BlueWater Chamber Orchestra is set to put composer George Frideric Handel’s masterwork “Messiah,” the 1741 English-language oratorio about the life of Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, into glorious motion.  Choreographed … Continue reading Cleveland Ballet Presents a Glorious Interpretation of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ [PREVIEW]

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]

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]

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]

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]