Posts by Janice Steinberg
Complexions Ballet Dazzles
Propulsive, exuberant, thrilling, Complexions Contemporary Ballet brought dazzling technique and stratospheric energy to the Civic Theatre. And those bodies! Sleek, flesh-toned costumes highlighted exquisitely muscled legs and superb lines.
Read MoreLitvak Dance Offers Spellbinding Premieres
Sadie Weinberg’s vision for Litvak Dance, her four-year-old company, is to attract top choreographers to create work for her powerhouse dancers. For Litvak’s performance last weekend, Weinberg assembled an international dream team. The show featured spellbinding premieres by Israeli dancemaker Ronen Izhaki and rising New York star Rebecca Margolick.
Read MoreTrolley Dances 2022 Elevates
Isaacs has a brilliant eye for composition, and she blended a range of groupings and levels, spotlighted a pair of dancers while the rest clustered; she might have even choreographed the mesmerizing cumulus cloud at the show I saw.
Read MoreLitvak’s “Dancing Outdoors” Offers Strong Geographic, Emotional Range
Strutting out in glitter and fur, Ashley Akhavan and Nick McGhee own the stage in “I hear everybody you know is more relevant than everybody I know.” Dipping, pivoting, vamping, Akhavan is all cool hauteur, while McGhee flashes a “please like me” smile. This deliciously cheeky piece opened “Dancing Outdoors Take 2,” Litvak Dance’s show in the courtyard of ICA in Encinitas on Saturday.
Read MoreNot Just Intoxicating but Deeply Satisfying: “Sauced” at Art Produce
Happily, “Sauced” is not merely fun; it’s smart, complex, and superbly danced. Choreographers Erica Buechner, Bradley Lundberg, and Blythe Barton pack so much substance into this suite of dances—the energy and speed of a jive number, quick shifts in level and direction, engaging dramatic tableaux, seemingly effortless changes in the cocktail bar set; there’s even a bit where dancers bring drinks to the audience.
Read MoreStrong Malashock Show Features Possible Successor
To a Michael Wall score that mixes crowd noises, breaking glass, and what sounds unnervingly like gunshots, five dancers advance warily, arms raised as if to ward off an attack. … The society Griffin creates onstage feels dangerous … and like an apt reflection of the present moment, in which the show took place outdoors on a chilly evening since we’re not yet done with COVID; and with a flag directly behind center-stage flying at half-staff in honor of the country’s latest mass shootings.
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