Texture Contemporary Ballet’s Season-Ender a mix of Old and New

By Steve Sucato Texture Contemporary Ballet wraps up its fourth season with Unleashed Emotion. The program in three acts at the New Hazlett Theater features five ballets that run the gamut of emotions, including the premiere of Texture associate artistic director Kelsey Bartman’s “Old Skin.” The 25-minute “earthy” ballet for five dancers, set to music by Olafur Arnalds, Patrick Wolf and others, explores the idea of … Continue reading Texture Contemporary Ballet’s Season-Ender a mix of Old and New

Fine Texture

By Steve Sucato You could say the title of Texture Contemporary Ballet’s latest program, Synergy, also names what has made the three-year-old troupe a success. The combined efforts of artistic director Alan Obuzor, associate artistic director Kelsey Bartman and an array of energetic dancers and choreographers have consistently produced programs whose total effect has exceeded the sum of their individual contributions. This Sept. 26-28 program, mixing new and … Continue reading Fine Texture

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

Texture Contemporary Ballet’s New Season begins with ‘Life, Love, & Jazz’

By Steve Sucato Pittsburgh’s “other” professional ballet company, Texture Contemporary Ballet, opens its fourth home season July 17-20 at the New Hazlett Theater with four performances of Life, Love, & Jazz. The program features three world premieres that continue the company’s winning formula of pairing contemporary ballet styles with popular music to create moving, vibrant and energetic ballets. Such works have captivated audiences here and on … Continue reading Texture Contemporary Ballet’s New Season begins with ‘Life, Love, & Jazz’

Local dance troupes and voguing battle highlight PrideFest Pittsburgh’s dance showcase

By Steve Sucato “Ladies with an attitude, fellows that were in the mood / Don’t just stand there, let’s get to it / Strike a pose, there’s nothing to it.” Madonna’s 1990 call to vogue lives at this year’s PrideFest Pittsburgh. The free June 15 street fair’s dance showcase on Liberty Avenue includes newcomers True T Entertainment’s voguing tribute to the 1990 LGBT-ballroom-scene documentary Paris Is … Continue reading Local dance troupes and voguing battle highlight PrideFest Pittsburgh’s dance showcase

Back from a successful New York show, Texture offers new work at the New Hazlett

By Steve Sucato On the heels of a recent successful performance at New York’s Ailey Citigroup Theater, Texture Contemporary Ballet returns home to the New Hazlett Theater this week for Shades of Light. The program features the premiere of company associate artistic director/resident choreographer Kelsey Bartman’s ballet “This.” Set to the music of Icelandic composer/musician Valgeir Sigurosson, the 15-minute ballet for five dancers is a response … Continue reading Back from a successful New York show, Texture offers new work at the New Hazlett

Nationally rising talent Alan Obuzor debuts a new dance work

By Steve Sucato Ever since Alan Obuzor was young, his mother, Marjorie Liese, encouraged her children to try different things. Having enrolled Alan and his three sisters in gymnastics at Gymkhana, in Point Breeze, Liese had them also try dance classes at a studio in the same building. The move would change Obuzor’s life. “After my first ballet class, I told my mother I wanted … Continue reading Nationally rising talent Alan Obuzor debuts a new dance work