183 stories by "Leigh Witchel"
Ah, tradition. New York City Ballet's "The Nutcracker" is as much about kicking off the holiday season as it is about dance. Opening night Fri day had a light, warm touch, like the annual v…
Susan Stroman doesn't promise what she can't deliver -- and what she doesn't promise is high art. What Stroman, a Tony Award-winning pro who turns out slick, well-crafted dances, did delive…
The star power in the au dience vied with the ac tion onstage Thursday night at New York City Ballet's fall gala.Among the glittery crowd were Matthew "Gossip Girl" Settle, Sarah Jessica Pa…
There's little rhyme or reason to Complexions. Kicking off a two-week run Tuesday at The Joyce, the New York troupe's work is built on little besides sex appeal. It's hot, but empty -- the …
There's art in motion at MoMA, where Tri sha Brown and her company are doing an hourlong performance. Starting in the atrium, they move throughout the museum -- but if you're looking for sh…
Watching Belgium's Les Ballets C de la B is like watching a bunch of avant-garde "Gleeks." Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's dull and sometimes it helps that they're wearing only their u…
There was plenty of drama Thursday night at New York City Bal let, not all of it planned. The main event, a revival of Peter Martins' "The Magic Flute," went off without a hitch. The rest o…
Faye Driscoll is mad as hell, and she's got plenty to say about that. The choreographer's "There is so much mad in me" isn't perfect -- it's raw and raunchy, but has a distinctive downtown …
Along with the big three, there's a "Nutcracker" for every taste and budget. To wit: * Urban Ballet Theater's hip-hop and salsa-flavored version, "Nutcracker in the Lower," features 'hood-d…
There's more than one nut to crack this year. New York City Ballet's "Nutcracker," a holiday tradition since 1954, has some first-class com petition, both from American Ballet Theatre and M…
How do you dance a letter? "Letters of Love on Ripped Paper" works on the puzzle, but this dancing telegram doesn't quite manage a special delivery. Choreographed by company director Jacqul…
There's a big new "Nutcracker" in town, and it's cracking good. The talented Russian choreographer Alexei Ratmansky has crafted a witty new version for American Ballet Theatre. Tchaikovsky'…
When Paul Taylor's at his best, no one can touch him. When he's not, you squirm. At his company's opening night gala, the audience did both. Now that Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham have…
Anabelle Lopez Ochoa knows how to work a prop. Her new "Mad'moiselle" has plenty of them -- it's a smart, spicy piece of dance theater and the highlight of Ballet Hispanico's season, which …
Pina Bausch had her groupies. They packed BAM Wednesday night for the opening of her company's first visit since her death last year. Toward the end, the German choreographer seemed to be m…
If you want to under stand ballet, forget "Black Swan" and go see the Trocks. That's shorthand for Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, the 36-year-old, all-male comic ballet troupe that …
New York City Ballet put its best foot for ward Tuesday night when it opened its fall season with a sparkling program, a champagne toast -- and a little snark. Standing in front of the curta…
A very different version of Tchaikovsky's beloved lake o' birds is heading to City Center this fall — and these swans don't dance in tutus.Matthew Bourne's “Swan Lake” has …
Imagine an evening at Alvin Ailey without "Revelations." It's pretty rare -- ask director Judith Jamison about the complaints she gets when that signature work isn't on the bill. But Sunday…
It was old hands on deck Tuesday night when Elisa Monte Dance opened its 30th anniversary season with retired guest dancers performing some of Monte's greatest hits. But even these distingu…
For a group that's sup posedly all about taking risks, Sankai Juku played it safe Tuesday night at the Joyce, where the Japanese Butoh group started a two-week run of "Tobari -- As if in an …
'Sutra" delivers, but not what it promises. Though visually stunning, the fast-paced, hourlong show -- part of Lincoln Center's White Light Festival of spiritual performances -- tries to be…
Seven minutes is enough time for something to happen in a dance. Each of the numbers on DanceNOW's opening night of "Festival Twenty Ten" were even shorter than that -- but things didn't ha…
For David Parsons, the oldies really are the goodies. His company opened Wednesday at The Joyce with three mixed bills -- and the best bets are the brief, amiable pieces Parsons made way ba…
For Judith Jamison, there are no transitions. From star dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to directing the company and now handing the reins to someone else, it's all seamless.…
