DANCE REVIEWS
City Ballet’s “Giselle” is a Gem
As Albrecht’s deception was revealed, Breschi squirmed with a delicious caddishness I hadn’t seen in this role. And when he got on his knees and begged Giselle’s mother (Kimberly Roberts) for forgiveness, wow! She rebuked him with such sharp gestures, I thought she was going to rip him limb from limb—and I hated Albrecht so much, I wanted her to do it.
Read MoreOf Talented 10, Choreographer Chelsea Zeffiro Wins Top Prize
Judges and two audiences awarded prizes in three categories. Unlike previous years, there were no hip hop armies charging forward. Instead, dances blasted the senses with dramatic ensembles, angry fists, and quirky theater. And love.
Read MoreRite of Winter: Jean Isaacs’ “Janus II”
Who’s going to die? In Jean Isaacs’ propulsive, stomping, ominous “Rite of Spring,” one dancer after another appears isolated from the rest … and will he/she be chosen to be sacrificed? Erica Ruse does a tortured, limb-flinging solo, while the others stand and watch. And these folks, denizens of a wonderfully creepy leather bar, doesn’t look friendly.
Read MorePaul Taylor Dance Brings Sparkling, Sardonic Works to the Spreckels
As we anticipated three dances — “Arden Court,” “Changes,” and “Cloven Kingdom,”
there was a sense of connecting with history, almost touching Taylor’s long arms, and those he had touched.
Acrobatic, Ravishing Dance from Compagnie Hervé Koubi at UCSD
There’s a global palette of movement, from Middle Eastern Sufi dance to Brazilian capoeira to hip-hop, skillfully blended, so for instance the dancers do Sufi spinning not only standing but also, in dramatic B-boy style, on their hands and heads.
Read MoreElectrified, Hip Hop-Inspired ‘A Culture Shock NUTCRACKER’ is Crazy Good
…a shock for some eyes and ears. Contemporary music and culture mixed up with Tchaikovsky, and cranked up to eleven. You’ll feel the booming sound blowing your hair backward, and this production turns the story on its head with…
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