"Black Swan' (3rd review)

Grand Guignol at the ballet

Darren Aronofsky's much-hyped Black Swan is a high-concept slasher film whose director wreaks his fantasies on the world of ballet. Ostensibly a film about ambition and intrigue, it's a phantasmagoric exercise in misogyny.

Robert Zaller

Jan 11, 2011 · Articles · 5 minute read

"Black Swan' (2nd review)

Hall of mirrors: Inside a ballerina's head

What sets Black Swan apart from other ballet movies is that it's a psychological thriller with genuine ballet roots. In the overheated work of learning the dual Swan Queen role, the heroine begins losing her ability to sort out what's real and what's imaginary. Black Swan. A film directed by Darren Aronofsky. For theaters and times in greater Philadelphia, click here.

Janet Anderson

Jan 04, 2011 · Articles · 5 minute read

Pennsylvania Ballet's "Nutcracker': Three generations

To see with the eyes of a child

At what age should you introduce a child to The Nutcracker? And do you take her for her benefit, or yours?

Dan Rottenberg

Dec 27, 2010 · Articles · 5 minute read

"Black Swan': a ballet/horror film (1st review)

And you thought ballet was a tough career

Black Swan purports to be a film about ballet. Is ballet really this vulgar, violent and tasteless?

Jane Biberman

Dec 19, 2010 · Articles · 2 minute read

Parsons Dance at Annenberg

Hold the philosophy, pass the joy

David Parsons doesn't use dance to explore ideas. With Parsons, an evening of dance is just an evening of dance— and very enjoyable nevertheless.

Judy Weightman

Dec 14, 2010 · Articles · 3 minute read

The plump dancer and the 'New York Times' critic

Art and sensitivity: If a dancer's too heavy, should a critic say so?

The New York Times dance critic has been vilified for commenting on a dancer's weight. Was he insensitive? Maybe. But that sort of sensitivity is the enemy of art— especially the art of dance.

Jim Rutter

Dec 07, 2010 · Articles · 4 minute read

BalletX: Ochoa, Del Cuore and Neenan (2nd review)

A ballet troupe with a future

Now in its fifth year, BalletX has assembled a consistently talented cadre of strong modern ballet dancers, commissioning new work and tapping selections from a growing repertoire.

Jonathan M. Stein

Nov 23, 2010 · Articles · 3 minute read

BalletX: Ochoa, Del Cuore and Neenan (1st review)

Stories and pictures without words or paint

Revivals by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Matthew Neenan have ripened with age. The same might be true a few years from now for Tobin Del Cuore's Beside Myself. BalletX 2010 Fall Series: Ochoa, Still @ Life; Del Cuore, Beside Myself; Neenan, Frequencies. Through November 21, 2010 at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.balletx.org.

Jim Rutter

Nov 20, 2010 · Articles · 4 minute read

"Kaidan Insuto' by Daniele Strawmyre's readySetGo

Japanese ghosts in Kensington

In a suitably ghostly abandoned warehouse in Kensington, Daniele Strawmyre and her readySetGo dance company presented Kaidan Insuto, an engrossing performance installation work based on ghost tales from 17th-Century Japan.

Jonathan M. Stein

Nov 09, 2010 · Articles · 3 minute read

Paul Taylor at Annenberg (2nd review)

Sound and fury, signifying…. what?

The great modern dance pioneer Paul Taylor is 80 years old and dripping with honors. But Phantasmagoria, his newest piece, couldn't be weirder or less like the work that has made him a legend.

Janet Anderson

Oct 29, 2010 · Articles · 4 minute read