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 

Classic Literature Meets Hip Hop in Raphael Xavier’s Brilliant ‘Skiff’ [REVIEW]

Raphael Xavier – SkiffThe John P. Murphy Foundation TheatreCuyahoga Community College (Tri-C)Cleveland, OHApril 13, 2025 By Steve Sucato Our eternal battle with Father Time was brilliantly explored in Philadelphia-based hip hop dancer/choreographer Raphael Xavier’s new work Skiff, this past Sunday at Tri-C Metro Campus’s John P. Murphy Foundation Theatre. Presented by DANCECleveland and Tri-C, Skiff was a hip hop dance theater contextualization of Ernest Hemingway’s … Continue reading Classic Literature Meets Hip Hop in Raphael Xavier’s Brilliant ‘Skiff’ [REVIEW]

New Summer Dance Festival in Cleveland the result of a Perfect Storm of Needs

“An 8-day dance festival July 29-August 5 at Playhouse Square. The inaugural event will include performances by international superstars Pilobolus (July 29), hip hop troupe Rapheal Xavier (August 2) and New York modern dance company Brian Brooks (August 5). In addition there will be a four-day educational workshop series taught by ADF faculty and free community events.” Continue reading New Summer Dance Festival in Cleveland the result of a Perfect Storm of Needs