“Something old, something new” was once again the theme at the Duncan Theatre as the Martha Graham Dance Company closed out the 2022 Modern Dance Series at Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth Beach. Straddling the lifespan of the company from 1926 to 2022, the program March 25 presented was both historical and very current. Opening and closing the program, like covers of … [Read more...]
Pilobolus’s 50th, at Duncan, was a mish-mash rather than a celebration
The renowned creative collective known as Pilobolus had been scheduled to return to Palm Beach County in April 2020 after a four-year absence. Unfortunately, they ended up being the first show to be canceled at the Duncan Theatre because of COVID-19. They were booked to return in February 2021, but once again their performances had to be canceled. Finally, this year on … [Read more...]
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance show, at Duncan, sizzles in second half
The choice of companies for this year’s Modern Dance Series at the Duncan Theatre in Lake Worth Beach is a celebration, not just of the modern dance companies that made it through the pandemic, but of those that have been around for decades and are on the verge of becoming historic institutions. Parsons Dance (which opened the series) is 40 years old, and Cleo Parker … [Read more...]
Haydn trio proves highlight for Lysander Trio at Duncan
By Dennis D. Rooney The Lysander Piano Trio was founded at New York’s Juilliard School in 2009. Their performance at the Duncan Theatre’s Stage West on Feb. 2, part of the Classical Café matinee concerts, featured cellist Alice Yoo deputizing for regular cellist Michael Katz. She and pianist Liza Stepanova opened the program with Gaspar Cassadó’s arrangement of the … [Read more...]
Rolston String Quartet brilliant but too aggressive
By Dennis D. Rooney The Rolston String Quartet is a foursome of young Canadians and Americans who play under a name honoring the distinguished Canadian pedagogue, Thomas Rolston (1932-2010), longtime director of music (1979-2004) at the Banff School of the Arts. The members, who played a concert Jan. 19 at the Duncan Theatre’s Stage West, boast an impressive list of … [Read more...]
Season Preview 2021-22: The season in classical music
The classical season looks mostly normal this year, with COVID protocols in place and venues opening back up. There are a host of major artists and groups coming to the county this year, from established veterans to exciting new talents. Although some usual season players are missing as of this writing (the Flagler Museum has not yet said whether its chamber music series … [Read more...]
Season Preview 2020-21: Classical shows shrink, but concerts still plentiful
South Florida’s classical music community is surely one of the nation’s most vibrant, with at least seven regularly appearing orchestras playing from Key West to Fort Pierce, two opera companies, three chamber music series, a nationally known concert choir, and a season that in the winter months sees many of the touring stars of the Northeast come down to shake off the … [Read more...]
Season Preview 2020-21: COVID stifles dance, but live shows set for 2021
By Dale King Performance stages throughout South Florida that would normally host all sorts of dance programs this time of year are silent, dark and vacant. Producers have dismissed dancers, sent staff home and barred patrons from entry as COVID-19 has rudely slammed the door on art forms of all genres. While most dance companies have replaced live shows with online … [Read more...]
Sensational Che Malambo electrifies at Duncan
How does one take advantage of that extra day that comes only once every four years? I would say experience something out of the ordinary and if you were at the Duncan Theatre’s third presentation of its dance series this Feb. 29, that is exactly what happened. Those of us who were there experienced an extraordinary show that both informed and thrilled us. It is clear why … [Read more...]
Dorrance Dance electrifies at Duncan with tap ‘Double Down’
What do you get when you cross America’s original art form with today’s technology? A reinvigorating artistic experience that wows everyone in the audience. Dorrance Dance is an award-winning New York-based dance company that both honors tap dance’s history and propels it into the new age of technology. The company returned to the Duncan Theatre on Feb. 7-8 as part of its … [Read more...]