ArtsCriticATL.com

Two brothers are caught in a wrestling headlock. Whether the image brings back childhood memories or suggests a mythic battle, it begins the story in Christopher Hampson’s “The Rite of Spring,” a world premiere that will open Atlanta Ballet’s “Fusion” this Friday at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The ballet joins Helen Pickett’s “Petal” [...]

Twyla Tharp has been thinking about a new ballet for 20 years — a full-length narrative work, adapted from children’s stories by George MacDonald, about a young girl coming of age. It will include dancers of various ages, from children to those in their prime to mature character dancers. The musical inspiration is Franz Schubert. [...]

Cell phones will remain on at the U.S. premiere of Jonah Bokaer’s “FILTER” on April 2 at the Ferst Center for the Arts. The integrated media production, to be shown alongside Bokaer’s 2009 National Academy of Sciences commission “REPLICA,” is the culmination of the Ferst’s ARTech residency series, a new program designed to explore ways [...]

Last summer, Paul Taylor celebrated his 80th birthday. One of the most prolific choreographers of our time, he continues to generate works that are masterfully crafted, quizzical and compelling. This Saturday at the Rialto Center for the Arts, the Paul Taylor Dance Company will perform a mixed bill featuring “Brandenburgs,” set to music by J.S. Bach; [...]

Nicodemus, Kansas, 1898. You might envision a windswept prairie town where a few rugged homesteaders struggled against the elements to eke out a living. For the Exodusters — African-Americans who migrated there from the South — the all-black town also offered autonomy: freedom from the South’s racism, an opportunity to own land and a chance [...]

It’s a story of rebirth, where love triumphs over evil. It’s a salute to the past, a fond farewell, celebrating a sparkling dance career. And it starts with news of an artistically prosperous future. Atlanta Ballet’s performance of “The Sleeping Beauty,” which opened Friday evening at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, seems to come at a [...]