Devotees of dance around South Florida have a satisfying season ahead, not just with regular performances by Miami City Ballet and visits to the Duncan Theatre and Kravis Center by some of the world’s best-known troupes, but also in the innovation and promise on view in the work of the area’s local companies and schools. Miami City Ballet mounts its 33rd season, as always, … [Read more...]
‘Concerto DSCH’ a spectacular MCB season sendoff
Alexei Ratmansky is undoubtedly the leading choreographer in the ballet world today, clearly poised to become the next Balanchine. So what better place was there to see one of his most acclaimed creations than on the quicksilver and ebullient dancers of Miami City Ballet? The centerpiece of the closing program of Miami City Ballet’s season was the third work that Ratmansky … [Read more...]
Buck and Boogz’s ‘woke’ dance at Rinker inspires, astonishes
The impact of the March for Our Lives was felt across this divided country and around the world. People of all ages took time March 22 to show their support, and I couldn’t have had a better introduction to the events than going to see Love Heals All Wounds, by Lil Buck and Jon Boogz at the Rinker Playhouse in West Palm Beach. In times of change, artists have often taken on … [Read more...]
Parsons Dance delights Duncan audience in season finale
A staunch modern dance aficionado might say that Parsons Dance was light fare, but they would also have to say that it was gourmet quality. Closing the Duncan Theatre’s 2018 dance series with winning style, Parsons Dance left the loyal modern dance audience more than satiated – they were swooning. Parsons Dance has been around a long time, performing around the world, and … [Read more...]
‘One Line Drawn’ marks exciting departure for MCB
When the curtain opened for Miami City Ballet’s world premiere of One Line Drawn at the Kravis Center on March 2, we immediately knew we were in for a complete change-up. There would be no tutus here. With what seemed to resemble five sets of blaring headlights (stacked on top of each other) shining directly in our eyes, the dancers entered – first one, then another and … [Read more...]
Amid the camp, Trocks present some startlingly good dancing
There is a whimsical banner on Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo’s website that almost looks like it could be for a vaudeville show. It says: “The World’s Foremost All-Male Comic Ballet Company. Though initially it might be hard to envision classical ballets performed en travesti, it certainly was easy to sit back, relax and go just along – laughing all the way – with … [Read more...]
Contra-Tiempo’s ‘Agua Furiosa’ ambitious but uneven
When I am sitting in the audience, I have a certain expectation: I want to be rewarded. By the end of the performance, I want to take away a vision, a purpose or even just a feeling that makes me believe that the whole experience was worth my while. In a full-length work, this expectation is even more pronounced as there isn’t the option (as there is in a repertory program) … [Read more...]
MCB’s Robbins retrospective sees exquisite dancing
Without a doubt, the highlight of Miami City Ballet’s performance at the Kravis Center on Feb. 3 was Jerome Robbins’ In The Night. Beautifully cast and exquisitely danced by each of the three couples, it was a standout moment of excellence in an all-Robbins program marking the centennial of the choreographer’s birth, a perfect convergence of the best of MCB and the best of … [Read more...]
BalletBoyz proves sensational at Duncan
If you missed seeing BalletBoyz this past weekend at the Duncan Theatre, you missed a terrific show. First off, they weren’t really boys, or even Boyz for that matter. Composed of 10 handsome men whose lean and chiseled bodies moved in a way that was completely intoxicating, this outstanding British dance company gave a stunning performance that enthralled the Duncan’s sage … [Read more...]
Dorrance Dance taps into endless energy, innovation
The performing arts are currently undergoing one of their occasional convulsions, as established ways of presenting art, dance, music and theater are remade along with their subjects of inquiry. From a critic’s standpoint, it’s been welcome to see, as fresh thinking and new ideas spice up the cultural menu to delicious effect. In the case of Dorrance Dance, a New York-based … [Read more...]