Swimmer is one man's journey from being the stereotypical breadwinner... to his own self-realisation in a kind of isolated freedom.
Author - Aimee Tsao
Ballet San Jose is full of surprises...
As always, it's a pleasure to see the Joffrey Ballet, especially since 2007 when artistic director Ashley Wheater assumed his post and began a terrific revival of the company...
San Francisco Ballet's Program 4 is a double bill coupling a welcome return of Robbins' Dances at a Gathering with a Liam Scarlett's Hummingbird.
The SF Ballet premiere of choreographer-in-residence Yuri Possokhov's pas de deux from Bells is my all-round favorite of the evening. Sublime dancing from Maria Kochetkova and Davit Karapetyan...
Though Tan dances with a wonderful lightness and an elegance not quite suited to a naïve peasant girl, she never really emotionally engages with the ardent Karapetyan, who possesses nuanced acting and strong technique, and deserves to have a partner who can match his level of commitment to crafting a role.
The best all-round piece of the evening is Hans van Manen’s Variations for Two Couples, from the exquisitely concise choreography by this still-relevant master...
Ah, the brilliance of brevity. Scott Wells & Dancers plunge straight into Father On with a thirty-second audio track that sums up courtship, marriage,and conception.
This was an evening not to be missed. Newly appointed Artistic Director, José Manuel Carreño, made sure that the quality of the eighteen guest artists for Ballet San Jose’s Gala Performance would tantalise even the most skeptical dance fan.
At times the choreography doesn't seem to fit this space... Nonetheless, the dancers do a remarkable job with what they are given.
Quite by accident I ended up seeing LINES Ballet’s fall season twice. A good thing I did, too.
This visit by the internationally acclaimed troupe met half of my high expectations – the dancers were as spectacular as ever.
A Rite, in the hands of Jones, Bogart, and Wong, is the most startling and insightful version I have seen...
Earlier this month Smuin Ballet danced their XXtremes bill in San Francisco with works by Amy Seiwert, Jiri Kylian and Michael Smuin. Aimée Tsao with thoughts on the bill and where the company might be heading...
This company is the definition of esprit de corps, period.
Sensitive acting and nuanced dancing by the entire cast contribute immensely to the production.
Amy Seiwert's Sketch series is about dancers taking risks. Aimée Tsao caught up with Sketch 3 and works by Seiwert, Marc Brew and Val Caniparoli...
Dekkers has some interesting ideas for collaborations with composers, visual artists and set designers, which sound good in the program notes but, at best, they remain embryonic on stage.
Kate Weare, originally from the Bay Area and now based in New York, is easily the most intriguing choreographer in the festival. It certainly helps that she also has outstanding dancers...
The choreography looks like a steroid-fueled hybrid of Graham-based agony and the precision and fluidity of classical ballet. ...nothing succeeds like excess...