43 stories by "Patricia Contino"
My first reaction to Good Morning America anchor Lara Spencer's insensitive remarks about young Prince George taking ballet lessons was primal outrage. Ballet is one of my "things" " des…
 Arabesque: "One of the basic poses in ballet, arabesque takes its name from a form of Moorish ornament. In ballet it is a position of the body, in profile, supported on one leg, which c…
 Since there is no longer a Lincoln Center Festival (the moral being never hire a former college president who believed locals could summer in Salzburg or other pricey European festivals…
 A delightful part of ballet history was at the Joyce July 7-14. The Dance is an art because it demands vocation, knowledge, and ability. It is a fine art because it strives for an ideal…
  Even if King Arthur didn't return to the aid of Great Britain during World War II, other heroes like Wonder Woman, Captain America, Sherlock Holmes and The Scarlet Pimpernel aided …
It's been 30 years since photographer  Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989) and choreographer Alvin Ailey (1931-1989) died from AIDS. The June-long celebration of civil rights and re…
  The New York Philharmonic began the 2018-2019 season in light and ended in darkness with the world premiere of David Lang's opera prisoner of the state. The NYP com…
As the Romanovs's bewilderingly indifference to the political and socioeconomic upheavals leading to the Russian Revolution worsened, ballet at home and abroad flourished. French-born Ma…
Apologies for the delayed review of New York City Opera's world premiere of Ted Rosenthal's Dear Erich. The sold-out performances were January 9-13, 2019 at the National Yiddish Theatr…
The Metropolitan Opera season is over and summer festivals featuring opera (Bard, Caramoor, Mostly Mozart, not to mention Saratoga Springs and Tanglewood for long weekends) are months away, …
 A show that's sold old since previews is pretty much reviewer-proof, but, if possible, try to catch Mrs. Murray's Menagerie  at Ars Nova at Greenwich House  (27 Barrow Stree…
Merce Cunningham (1919-2009) April 16 marked the centennial of choreographer Merce Cunningham's birth. His artistic legacy is that his modern dances, many set to music by his creative…
And some of the best people in town. Now I know what the dirty foreigners feel like. What is this, Russia? We don't have to listen to talk like that. You've only got to hint whatever's fit t…
"We did it!" was heard behind the curtain following Ballet Hispánico's world premiere of Edwaard Liang's El Viaje (The Journey). And yes, they sure did in a creatively divers…
 Our primate friends and relatives have been taking it on their pronounced chins lately. The orange orangutan resemblance to the president was raucously noted in Adam McKay's bril…
If New York City is considered "The Dance Capital of the World," than Utah is "The United State of Dance". For 50+ years it's been home to Ballet West, who made a very strong impression …
 To borrow an Amazonian sales tactic, If you liked Madeline Miller's bestseller Circe, you should really catch the last four performances February 21-24 of Sophie Amieva and Suzann…
Not that loyal Classic Stage Company attendees need convincing, but updates are one way of attracting an audience. Through March 10, CSC is running two new adaptations of August Stri…
