Category: dance

The choreographer – “who at age 22 became a founding member of China’s first modern dance company – turns 42 this year. His New York-based company, Shen Wei Dance Arts, is celebrating its 10th anniversary season. … Perhaps as a result of hitting middle age, Shen has been thinking more about his legacy … [and] is working on codifying a new dance technique.”

Sarah “Kaufman, who studied ballet at a Bethesda academy as a young woman, said her work was first published in college after she called the Washington City Paper and complained that it ran no dance reviews. ‘To the extent I can capture my experience in the theater and bring the reader there with me, it’s a joy to be able to do that,’ she said.”

“Among Haiti’s thousands of new amputees, [Fabienne] Jean … has been singled out for special opportunities because of serendipity, news media attention and her potential as a symbol of Haiti’s resilience: if the dancer who almost died rises to dance again, that will resonate, her caregivers believe.” Her situation also illustrates Haitians’ dependence on foreign charities.

The company will be “rooted firmly in contemporary ballet,” with “no full-length classical works” in its coming season other than “The Nutcracker.” The change of direction fits with its financially straitened circumstances: “even if Ballet BC wanted to stage a full-length classical ballet, it couldn’t afford to right now.”

“Four choreographers — Ralph Lemon, Juliette Mapp, Trajal Harrell and Melinda Ring — will each conceive a platform: performances and ancillary events based on original concepts. Each platform features a catalog, which illuminates ways in which choreographers and dancers approach art making.”

“Being the only boy at a ballet school in the small New Zealand town of Warkworth would make most seven-year-olds nervous. So Ty King-Wall agreed to go along with his frightened friend. … Sixteen years later the blond New Zealander has been elevated from soloist to perform the principal role of Octavian in Graeme Murphy’s The Silver Rose, opening tonight at the Sydney Opera House.”

Judith Mackrell: “In classical ballet, casting can be everything. In modern dance, performances are no less individual, but we rarely get to compare different interpretations of a single role. … So last weekend, I was fascinated to see what would happen with Pina Bausch’s Kontakthof, performed by a senior cast (men and women aged over 65), and then, on the following night, by a junior cast (aged under 19).”

Graciela Daniele talks about making the dances for her first opera, Rossini’s Armida at the Met. “Rossini? I think it is easy because with all my respect, it’s very light. In fact, when I was working, I thought this is like early Richard Rodgers. I’ve heard this before; is it Show Boat?”

“Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean Grand-Maître – who has created successful works based on the music of Joni Mitchell and Elton John – said his collaboration with McLachlan will include music from her new album, The Laws of Illusion, to be released in June.”

Kal Angus: “I realize that as a television reporter, I’m supposed to have my finger on the pulse of the community, but I have to admit something vaguely shameful: I still don’t understand why people watch reality dancing competitions.” For instance, “I can’t tell what separates the best dancer from the tenth best dancer.”