DANCE REVIEWS
Great Digs, So-so Dance at PGK’s “Welcome to Summer”
You Are Here gets my vote for PGK’s best location ever. The dance was more of a mixed bag at PGK’s “Welcome to Summer” show last Friday.
Read MoreThe Mystery of Elle at Les Girls: a waste of talent, parody opportunity
Elle was an example of talented artists trying to be subversive, rejecting the basic rules of theatrical pacing, simply hell bent on using the slowest aspects of butoh and little else to convey a dark narrative inside a strip club. An opportunity wasted, and a big waste of talent.
The program could have been more successful as a complete and sleazy variety show, or a dark comedy. Imagine Dan Aykroyd’s character, Leonard Pinth Garnell, and how he introduced the “Bad Ballet” parody on Saturday Night Live. This was very bad butoh ballet indeed. Elle was best viewed as a parody, extreme yet simpleton in every way.
Read MoreCity Ballet’s sensory feast: ‘Carmina Burana’
City Ballet co-directors Elizabeth and Steven Wistrich have danced and staged “Carmina Burana” many times over the years, but none as grand as the version presented this weekend at the Spreckels.
Read MoreArt Fest Reflections; Dance Bonanza Continues
April’s been a good month for dance, and the run isn’t over yet. The bonanza included two nights of Alvin Ailey at Copley Symphony Hall (April 9 and 10, both reviewed by Sandiegostory.com) and 12 nights of eclectic performances at the White Box Live Arts Fest (April 5-21).
Read MoreAiley Legacy Lives On, Plays it Safe
It’s not easy to preserve the past and appeal to a 21st century audience at the same time. The heirs of Alvin Ailey’s legacy continue to find balance by pairing commissioned new works with a golden oldie that has become a cultural phenomenon.
Read MoreThe Roar of the Dance Crowd: Ailey Wows
I don’t think I’ve ever heard a dance audience roar the way people did last night, when the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performed at Copley Symphony Hall. They’re performing again tonight. Don’t miss it.
Read More