June 2010 in this issue focus on Trisha Brown New York City Ballet Balanchine Programs reviews editors' choice

An Interview with Adam Sklute, Artistic Director, Ballet West by Dean Speer and Francis Timlin "I didn’t start dancing until I was 17. My parents took me to see ballet all the time as a kid -- Nureyev and Fonteyn at the San Francisco Opera House remain indelible in my brain. I played piano and some sports as a kid but was lousy at all of it. Ballet was the first thing that totally clicked for me." read more... A look at Taiwanese choreographer Lin Wen-chung by David Mead When it comes to contemporary dance, Taipei buzzes with life. Outside Taiwan in particular, to most people Taiwanese dance means one choreographer and one company - Lin Hwai-min and his renowned Cloud Gate Dance Theatre. But they are far from alone. Taipei today is home to an increasing number of contemporary dance choreographers and emerging companies. read more...

Focus on Trisha Brown Dance Company Click for this month's focus

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Utah Ballet Student Showcase

PNB Choreo- graphers Showcase

Okura School of Kyogen

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reviews

DeMa Contemporary Dance - '6ix Works'
by Victoria Dombroski
May 8, 2010 -- Ailey Citigroup Theater, New York, NY
DeMa Contemporary Ballet’s “6ix Works” was a beautiful start to the fresh and innovative company’s debut season. This talented group of dancers showed strength in ballet technique, while presenting works with contemporary intricacy and individuality. With such a strong opening, it will be wonderful to see the growth and progression of this emerging group of artists.
read more...

Balé da Cidade de São Paulo - STEPS #12 International Dance Festival Switzerland
by Renée E. D'Aoust
May 2, 2010 -- Palazzo dei Congressi, Lugano, Switzerland
The two pieces on the Balé da Cidade de São Paulo program for the STEPS International Dance Festival, sponsored by Migros, and currently taking place across Switzerland, allowed the dancers to prove their contemporary range -- wisely, I thought, given the marketing of the Company as one that has “absorbed the colorful, body-focused culture of Brazil.” The additional reference to a “body cult” sounds salacious, however translations aside, Balé da Cidade de São Paulo is fabulous.
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Shen Wei Dance Arts - 'Re- (Part I),' 'Re- (Part II)' and 'Re- (Part III)'
by Carmel Morgan
April 30, 2010 -- The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Eisenhower Theater, Washington, DC
Shen Wei Dance Arts (“SWDA”) performed the Re-triptych (“Re-Parts I, II and III”) in its spring program at Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center. The company, however, did not perform the triptych in the order the pieces were choreographed. Instead, while “Re-Part I” (2006) opened the program, “Re-Part III” (2009) was sandwiched in the middle, and “Re-Part II” (2007) played the role of the caboose. For some reason, this order seemed just right.
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City Dance 2 - 'Contact'
by Heather Desaulniers
May 1, 2010 -- The Music Center at Strathmore, Bethesda, Maryland
Firsts are significant events. Life is punctuated by firsts: first steps, first words, first day of school, first date, first kiss and many other firsts that need not be named. As any dance company develops, they too will experience a number of momentous milestones, one of which is the full-length program. This past weekend, CityDance 2 gave us their first featured performance with “Contact,” presenting six varied works that spoke to both the freshness of this group and the historical organization from which it came.
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Evergreen City Ballet - 'The Sleeping Beauty'
by Dean Speer
March 28, 2010 -- Ikea Performing Arts Center, Renton, Washington
Large-scale ballets are a major undertaking by any company, and Evergreen City Ballet has to be lauded for nicely tackling one of ballet’s most iconic, “The Sleeping Beauty.” It’s also a point of pride to hold your head up high when you know your company is at risk of audiences comparing and contrasting with other productions in the region. This production comes about a month on the heels of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s.
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Gesel Mason Performance Projects - 'Women, Sex & Desire: Sometimes You Feel Like A Ho, Sometimes You Don't'
by Carmel Morgan
March 27, 2010 -- Robert & Arlene Kogod Theatre, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland
There’s no denying that Gesel Mason came up with an intriguing title for her work that was recently commissioned by the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland. With a title like “Women, Sex & Desire: Sometimes You Feel Like A Ho, Sometimes You Don’t,” you’re pretty much guaranteed an audience.
read more...

Washington Ballet - 'Bolero(+)'
by Carmel Morgan
April 17, 2010 -- Harman Center for the Arts, Sidney Harman Hall, Washington, DC
In an appropriate goodbye to a brutal winter the Washington Ballet’s (“TWB”) April performance included “Wunderland,” Edwaard Liang’s beautiful snow-globe inspired ballet. I have seen “Wunderland” three times, and I am not tired of it yet. To the contrary, I admire the piece more with each viewing.
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Estonian National Ballet - 'Coppélia'
by Stuart Sweeney
April 10, 2010 - Tallinn, Estonia
For 25 years, Ronald Hynd's “Coppélia” has been hailed a success for English National Ballet and other companies around the world. Agnes Oakes (now Age Oks once more) and Toomas Edur were one of the most admired pairings in the ballet, and combined with Edur's conviction that the work would be well-suited to Estonian National Ballet, it is entirely understandable that he chose it as his first selection as Director of the company.
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Royal Winnipeg Ballet - 'Moulin Rouge-The Ballet'
by Karen Barr
April 15, 2010 -- National Arts Centre, Ottawa

Mark Morris - 'L'Allegro, Il Moderato ed Il Penseroso'
by Ana Abad-Carles
April 16, 2010 -- London Coliseum

Deborah Riley Dance Projects - 'Chew on This'
by Heather Desaulniers
April 17, 2010 -- Dance Place, Washington, D.C.

Lyon Opera Ballet - 'Beach Birds,' 'Duo,' and 'Grosse Fugue'
by Robert Streicher
March 13, 2010 -- Joyce Theater, New York, NY

coming: Compania Nacional de Danza, Tulsa Ballet and American Ballet Theatre

editors' choice · Vail International Dance Festival July 27 - August 10, 2010, Vail, Colorado Pacific Northwest Ballet, Savion Glover, Paul Taylor, BeijingDance / LDTX, Tango, and more. · Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival June 23 - August 29, Becket, Massachusetts Nina Ananiashvili & the State Ballet of Georgia, Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, and more.

 

For ballet-dance magazine
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Executive Editor
Kate Snedeker

Executive Editor 2003-2005
Mary Ellen Hunt

Focus and Photo Editors
Elizabeth McPherson, Dean Speer

Associate Editors & Compositors
Francis Timlin, Holly Messitt, Lori Ibay, Lisa Claybaugh, Azlan Ezaddin, Jerry Hochman