There’s dance in a variety of styles, stars and stripes this season. The mix runs from modern dance to Irish, contemporary ballet to tango, flamenco to Philippine. A dance fan can catch a Russian ballet classic—featuring a cast of Russians to the ballet born—then make tracks for really rad, cutting-edge dance theater. Incoming to South Florida are popular touring companies … [Read more...]
Marie Hale still dancing, teaching after Ballet Florida’s demise
Ballet Florida canceled the remainder of its season in March 2009. Wrecked by severe cash flow problems and long-term debt, the company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation in July. Yet for 23 years, Ballet Florida was the resident contemporary and classical ballet company of West Palm Beach. Its fine balance of the new and the traditional made it a one-of-a-kind. … [Read more...]
Ballet Florida standout Opdenaker launches new company tonight
It was so hard to see him go. Dancer Jerry Opdenaker retired from Ballet Florida in 2006 after 14 years with West Palm Beach’s resident contemporary dance and ballet company. He showed so much personality, imagination, even mischief in his dancing -- especially, he confided, when he was unrecognizable; say, costumed as a Cinderella stepsister or Nutcracker Mouse King. But … [Read more...]
Complexions Ballet astonishes at Duncan show
A chance TV viewing of One Last Dance (2003, Patrick Swazye) alerted me to Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Of the film’s extraordinary dance cast, Desmond Richardson’s exceptional segments burned Complexions into my brain. It has taken a long wait to get the troupe to West Palm Beach for anything more than just tantalizing one work on a festival program. But the 15-year-old … [Read more...]
‘Symphony’ provides much-needed spark at MCB show
For a season opener, Program I seemed a bit tame. Friday’s performance at the Kravis Center, heralding the start of Miami City Ballet’s 24th year, was remarkably low-key: No sets, for one thing. And of course, in these lean times, again no orchestra. And no new repertoire. Two ballets, from the midpoint of George Balanchine’s New York City Ballet career, announced a short, … [Read more...]
ArtsPreview 2009-10: The season in dance
Yes, Virginia, there will be a Nutcracker at the Kravis Center. But Santa is bringing it by sleigh -- from Russia. With Ballet Florida out of commission and Miami City Ballet staging it only in Broward and Miami, the door is open for the Moscow Classical Ballet (Dec.24-26, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach). Of the dizzying list of ballet companies with titles like Moscow this … [Read more...]
Show of new work bids affectionate farewell to Klein space
LAKE WORTH -- The tiny studio was packed. A Klein Dance Company audience normally fits onto the two rows of benches that overlook the dance floor and stretch the length of the Lake Avenue studio. Sunday night was different. Chairs had been added, lots of them, creating a semi-circle, as if embracing the stage and dancers. Modern-dance fans, former company dancers and family … [Read more...]
Rasta Thomas’s Bad Boys – and girl – electrify at Rinker
Each of Rasta Thomas’ three nights at the Kravis Center packed the little Rinker Playhouse to the gills. An imaginative lighting plot kept even the bare black-box stage looking good for the Bad Boys of Dance. And the eight dancers of enormous ability and facility – including Thomas and his wife of two years, Adrienne Caterna-Thomas -- could be mesmerizing in the sheer … [Read more...]