by Cynthia Bond Perry | May 3, 2010
Last week, the program for Atlanta Ballet’s “Sheer Exhilaration” was changing daily, I heard. As of Saturday, a dozen dance pieces have been confirmed for the company’s 80th-anniversary season closer, Thursday through Sunday at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
Accompanied by an exhibit of 80 historical photos and memorabilia, the performance will feature several popular revivals along with works by Atlanta-based choreographers Ivan Pulinkala and Matt Kent. The program will also include a new work by Victor Quijada, whose style blends influences from hip-hop, ballet and contemporary dance, and a rhythmically quirky, emotionally charged duet by Bennyroyce Royon, set to a Dani Siciliano song. In contrast to ...
by Cynthia Bond Perry | Apr 30, 2010
With buzz words like “innovative,” “physical,” “creative” and even “edgy,” Atlanta Ballet appears to be projecting a new image with its 2010-11 season lineup, its 81st season, aiming to build a profile more in step with what’s current in the field and less tied to traditional images of tutus and pointe shoes, executive director Arthur Jacobus told me last week.
It’s a delicate balance: meeting a demand for contemporary dance without leaving fans of the classics behind. But whether it’s next May’s evening of emerging choreographers’ works at the Alliance Stage, or “The Nutcracker” with a live orchestra playing every show next December, there seems an interest in growing ...
by Cynthia Bond Perry | Apr 27, 2010
African rhythm unifies; classical ballet elevates. Last weekend, Ballethnic Dance Company offered the fruits of both disciplines in performance at the Southwest Arts Center. Several repertory works and Act II of “The Leopard Tale” evoked a sense of community and showed the company’s strength, professionalism and versatility.
Established 20 years ago, this troupe’s high artistic standards and discipline stem from the persistence of founders Nena Gilreath and Waverly T. Lucas II. Of many influences, their link to Dance Theatre of Harlem’s co-founder Arthur Mitchell (the first African-American to become a principal dancer in an American ballet company) goes directly to George ...
by Cynthia Bond Perry | Apr 12, 2010
Five thousand ping-pong balls will greet audiences at the Ferst Center for the Arts next April, in the world premiere of “FILTER,” by choreographer and media artist Jonah Bokaer.
Not yet 30, Bokaer is earning an international reputation for his innovative multimedia works that meld contemporary choreography with striking images using motion capture technology and 3-D computer animation. “FILTER” will be the culmination of the Ferst Center’s new ARTech residency program and will cap off its 2010-11 dance series.
The April performance will also feature Bokaer’s critically acclaimed “REPLICA” (above, photo by Daniel Arsham), which was commissioned by the National Academy of Sciences and received its U.S. premiere last summer at the Harmon Center ...
by Cynthia Bond Perry | Apr 4, 2010
Last December, Los Angeles Times dance critic Lewis Segal placed choreographer Trey McIntyre next to two “great hopes” for classical ballet, Christopher Wheeldon and Alexei Ratmansky. “But keep your eye on Trey McIntyre, who creates brilliant works in what you might call the contemporary, semi-classical Jerome Robbins tradition,” he wrote.
Wheeldon has just left his own dance company, Morphoses, finding it easier to fulfill commissions for large, established ballet companies. Ratmansky is now artist in residence with American Ballet Theatre. Unlike his colleagues, McIntyre isn’t linked directly to any big ballet companies. Instead, he’s blazing a trail with his own troupe, based in Boise, Idaho. Currently on tour, ...
by Cynthia Bond Perry | Mar 18, 2010
Choreographers don’t grow in isolation. More often than not, artistic development happens through a relationship with an experienced mentor.
In May, several metro Atlanta choreographers will hone their craft by working closely with Alison Chase (below), an internationally noted choreographer and teacher, in a new program developed by local artists Joe Futral and Matt Kent.
The Alison Chase choreographic development workshop will launch the Wormhole Project, Kent and Futral’s ambitious plan to provide extensive dance mentoring, production and performance opportunities for the Atlanta area. Several Dancers Core, Zoetic Dance Ensemble and Dance Canvas are working with Kent and Futral to get the first workshop off the ground.
During his 25 years as a ...
