Art Intercepts

Pas de Queer: A brief primer on talking to trans and non-binary people

By Kaitlyn Dessoffy on October 10, 2018

In the spirit of full disclosure, this is not a post about dance. Recently, some of my friends, coworkers, and family members have asked me questions regarding my gender identity. With my content on Art Intercepts, I hope to spread awareness about the experiences trans dancers go through in concert dance. But to impact any […]

Rewriting the narrative to put women choreographers and dance leaders center stage

By Lauren Warnecke on October 6, 2018

In a letter dated January 1, 2018, Peter Martins stepped down from his post as artistic director of the New York City Ballet (NYCB) and head of the School of American Ballet amidst allegations of physical abuse from five dancers in the company. The accusations came at the height of #MeToo, a social media-turned activist […]

Civic Orchestra’s centennial season kicks off with ‘Concert for Chicago,’ played side-by-side with CSO

By Lauren Warnecke on September 22, 2018

CHICAGO — A summery breeze swirled through the Jay Priztker Pavilion Thursday evening, tempering an unseasonably warm day in Chicago and part of a picture-perfect evening in Millennium Park. Joining me were more than 10,000 Chicagoans, gathered for the season openers of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the CSO’s […]

Thirteen Days in Durban

By Lauren Warnecke on September 21, 2018

*Note: This piece appears in the JOMBA! Khuluma Digital, a magazine summarizing the 20th annual JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience. Five students at the University of Kwazulu-Natal participated in a Dance Writing Residency, engaging with dance writing and criticism in conjunction with the festival. Re-published with permission. DURBAN, KZN, SOUTH AFRICA — …and so begins my […]

Blame it on the rain: Three dances impacted, though not inspired by a spring rain in Durban

By Lauren Warnecke on September 10, 2018

*Note this review originally appeared on the JOMBA! Khuluma Blog, as part of the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience Dance Writing Residency and is re-published with permission. DURBAN, KZN, SOUTH AFRICA — A day of rain did not keep Ioannis Mandafounis and Emilia Giudicelli from dancing in the driveway outside the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre for the […]

‘Udodana’ lays bare personal and political identities of Musa Hlatshwayo

By Lauren Warnecke on September 7, 2018

*Note this review originally appeared on the JOMBA! Khuluma Blog, as part of the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience Dance Writing Residency and is re-published with permission. DURBAN, KZN, SOUTH AFRICA — In the opening tableau of Musa Hlatshwayo’s “Udodana,” Hlatshwayo revolves around himself at mid-stage. A hooded figure, made moody by top light with gobos, […]

‘You Don’t Own Me’ more than just a soundtrack at JOMBA! On the Edge

By Lauren Warnecke on September 6, 2018

*Note this review originally appeared on the JOMBA! Khuluma Blog, as part of the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience Dance Writing Residency and is re-published with permission. DURBAN, KZN, SOUTH AFRICA — Eleven days ago, I dipped my toes into the Indian Ocean for the first time. Standing on the edge of a continent that’s not […]

Legends and Legacy: Anita Ratnam’s take on a Hindu goddess locates women here and now

By Lauren Warnecke on September 3, 2018

*Note this review originally appeared on the JOMBA! Khuluma Blog, as part of the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience Dance Writing Residency and is re-published with permission. DURBAN, KZN, SOUTH AFRICA — I had just heard the news that Paul Taylor died as I left for the Sneddon Theatre to view Anita Ratnam’s “A Million Sitas,” […]

Highs and lows of the human condition in MIDM JOMBA! opening

By Lauren Warnecke on September 3, 2018

20th year of JOMBA! kicks off with a dance about human trafficking, and a journey to the moon and back

‘Open Spaces’ is about access and visibility to KC arts, but it’s also going to be awesome

By Lauren Warnecke on August 23, 2018

KANSAS CITY, MO — Years in the making, Open Spaces: Kansas City’s Arts Experience launches on Saturday, kicking off more than two months of carefully coordinated visual and performing arts events all over the city. Open Spaces is a product of Mayor Sly James’ 2011 task force for the arts, which led to the development a city-wide […]