In a shadowy dance studio, people are caught by the camera halfway between dancing and falling

A wonderful future for RE | Dance, Chande

CHICAGO—Leaving Hamlin Park Fieldhouse Friday, tannins of RE | Dance’s “A Delicate Hand” still swirled in my brain. Its grape and oaky hues on costumes…

Continue Reading A wonderful future for RE | Dance, Chande

For Martinez and Ballet Des Moines, ‘Kiss’ represents a seismic shift in how ballet is presented. Bonus: it’s also really good.

DES MOINES, Iowa—A modest crowd, in comparison to the number of available seats, filed into the immense Des Moines Civic Center on Oct. 29 for…

Continue Reading For Martinez and Ballet Des Moines, ‘Kiss’ represents a seismic shift in how ballet is presented. Bonus: it’s also really good.

Latest from Owen/Cox an Easter Rachmaninoff surprise

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — I thought I knew Owen/Cox Dance Group. Turns out, a 10-minute dance film, released last month on Easter Sunday, changed my…

Continue Reading Latest from Owen/Cox an Easter Rachmaninoff surprise

Even a pandemic can’t stop Joy Johnson’s beat

OWENSBORO, Ky. — Parents, siblings and family friends filed into the RiverPark Center last March for In Concert, Owensboro Dance Theatre’s annual spring production. Masked…

Continue Reading Even a pandemic can’t stop Joy Johnson’s beat

‘Blue Roses Falling’ shows Big Muddy’s digital diversity—just when it’s (almost) time to get back to live

ST. LOUIS —The return to live shows is on the horizon for the Big Muddy Dance Company, which has made the most of a global…

Continue Reading ‘Blue Roses Falling’ shows Big Muddy’s digital diversity—just when it’s (almost) time to get back to live

Whiffs of nostalgia and currency run through digital RAD Fest

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — In an all-digital format, the 12th edition of the Regional Alternative Dance Festival (RAD Fest) brought tastes of this splendid festival to an…

Continue Reading Whiffs of nostalgia and currency run through digital RAD Fest

Dancing with a stranger on Zoom was something I didn’t think I needed until I was doing it: Nichole Canuso’s ‘Being/With’

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — To describe what happened last Tuesday evening feels a little like a betrayal of trust. I was one of two audience members…

Continue Reading Dancing with a stranger on Zoom was something I didn’t think I needed until I was doing it: Nichole Canuso’s ‘Being/With’

Film review: ‘TFW No GF’ mines quasi-empathy for bored and ignored millennial trolls

TFW No GF was released on Valentine’s Day. As a cruel joke? Or in ironic solidarity with the film’s subjects? Both, I hope. Alex Lee…

Continue Reading Film review: ‘TFW No GF’ mines quasi-empathy for bored and ignored millennial trolls

Big Muddy’s winter mixed-rep a smorgasbord of dance flavors

ST. LOUIS — The show must go on, as they say. Though this mantra has been questioned throughout the past year, as a raging pandemic,…

Continue Reading Big Muddy’s winter mixed-rep a smorgasbord of dance flavors

Big Muddy’s ‘Lemp Legends’ leans into St. Louis folklore—and pandemic dance making

ST. LOUIS—When the Big Muddy Dance Company made Lemp Legends for the Edison Theatre in 2018, I would bet, dollars to donuts, they expected to…

Continue Reading Big Muddy’s ‘Lemp Legends’ leans into St. Louis folklore—and pandemic dance making