Two weekends ago, the Miami City Ballet appeared for the first time in their now-abbreviated season at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts presenting just three performances of its second program, Winter Mix. The company’s offerings in Palm Beach have been dramatically clipped. Its previous seasons were composed of four different programs ranging from repertory shows … [Read more...]
South Korean dance troupe makes powerful debut at Duncan
When a dance company is well-known, there is a constant pressure of needing to satisfy the expectations of its audiences, but when an audience comes to the theater to see a dance company for the first time, there are no set expectations. And that is especially true when the company comes from the other side of the world. Curiosity is more the mood in that case, and so it … [Read more...]
Pilobolus 50th anniversary show at Duncan underwhelms
Even for an arts organization as renowned as Pilobolus, dealing with audience expectations must be a hurdle. People who have seen the company perform numerous times naturally arrive at the theater with a certain set of expectations. Meeting those expectations time after time must be a difficult task. New works give vitality to a company but often it is the tried-and-true … [Read more...]
Parsons Dance exhilarating at opening of Duncan dance series
While I was watching Parsons Dance perform, the workings of a finely-tuned sports car came to mind. I further thought that after almost 40 years of cruising around, that perhaps Parsons Dance might now, like a sports car, be considered vintage despite its impressive speed and continued precision in performance. Without a doubt, Artistic Director David Parsons’ constant … [Read more...]
Season Preview 2024-25: A reduced, but still-vibrant season of dance
Is this the fallout year for the performing arts? It is alarming to see the sparse offerings for the 2024-25 dance season, especially after the enormous struggle it was for the arts to survive the hardships imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope that this decline in performances is not a trend that will persist. A supreme effort must be made by all to get up off that … [Read more...]
MCB’s ‘Spring Mix’ boasts brilliant King premiere, Balanchine classic
The dancers of Miami City Ballet did themselves proud performing an exciting and strikingly different choreographic work in the company’s Spring Mix program at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts on March 23. Nestled between two more traditional-style works for the company to perform was the company premiere of visionary choreographer Alonzo King’s Following the Subtle … [Read more...]
At Duncan, Paul Taylor troupe demonstrates its bright future
Once again, the Paul Taylor Dance Company graced the stage of the Duncan Theatre as they closed out the season for the 2024 Modern Dance Series. This world-famous modern dance company (which last performed at the Duncan pre-COVID) has been a regular participant in the Modern Dance Series for the last decade and the March 15 show marked its seventh visit. One can view a dance … [Read more...]
At the Duncan: Grupo Corpo, Brazil’s astonishing gift to dance
One doesn’t go and see Grupo Corpo — one goes and experiences Grupo Corpo. The recent performance of this unique contemporary dance company from the interior state of Minas Gerais in Brazil was a total theatrical event that left me feeling enriched and more connected to the vibrant cultural diversity that is Brazil. As the third installment of the popular Modern Dance … [Read more...]
BodyTraffic’s brilliant collaborative style lights up the Duncan
How to describe BodyTraffic? Returning for its fourth appearance as part of the Duncan Theatre’s acclaimed Modern Dance Series, this Los Angeles-based dance company is not your regular kind of anything, as its Feb. 2 performance was really something quite out of the ordinary. The company, which does not define itself by one style of dance or choreography, communicates with … [Read more...]
MCB’s Winter Mix dazzles with ‘Firebird,’ ‘Concerto DSCH’
On a recent Saturday evening, Miami City Ballet’s performance began pre-curtain with the music of The Firebird filling the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach. It was pleasing to sit back and let all your thoughts fall away as the live music rose from the orchestra pit. Looking up at the stage, there was a glorious, gigantic tapestry that reached to the full height of the … [Read more...]