Dance
608 results
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Has Philly lost touch with the true musical roots of tap dance?
Tap dance is much more than learning the steps
The true art of tap, including historic Philly dancers, has its roots in collaboration and improvisation, not recorded music or memorized choreography. Philly tap dance leader Pamela Hetherington explains.
Essays
5 minute read
Koresh Dance Company presents Ronen Koresh’s Aftershock
Where the journey home stands 25 years later
Koresh Dance Company reflects on choreographer Ronen Koresh’s emotional journey as an Israeli immigrant and an artist in Aftershock. Camille Bacon-Smith previews.
Previews
4 minute read
BalletX presents its 2023 Fall Series, featuring Jamar Roberts, Jennifer Archibald, and Matthew Neenan
Cheering for another series
In its 2023 Fall Series, BalletX presents Eros & Psyche by Jamar Roberts, Exalt by Jennifer Archibald, and the world premiere of Siete by Matthew Neenan. Melissa Strong reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Philadelphia ballerinas share the challenging magic of life in pointe shoes
What’s the pointe?
Ballet dancers cannot just step into the iconic shoes. They must master a difficult technique and make a lifelong quest for the perfect pointe, but these Philly ballerinas tell Camille Bacon-Smith that it’s all worth it.
Features
7 minute read
The Philadelphia Ballet presents Angel Corella’s Carmen
A well-known story with a sexy edge
Opera fans know the story, but in this world-premiere original long-form ballet by Philadelphia Ballet director Angel Corella, Carmen gets a sexy edge. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Performance Garage presents When Yesterday Meets Tomorrow: Being Black in Ballet Today
Dancing into the conversation
Performance Garage presents a free panel discussion on being Black in ballet with 2023-2024 DanceVisions resident artist Meredith Rainey, choreographer Tommie-Waheed Evans, and founder of Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet Theresa Ruth Howard. Melissa Strong previews.
Profiles
4 minute read
Silvana Cardell brings Disposable Bodies to the Wilma Theater
A look at the traumas behind immigration through dance
Argentine American choreographer and 2022 Guggenheim recipient Silvana Cardell brings her latest dance-theater work, Disposable Bodies, to the Wilma Theater for four performances this weekend. Carolyn Merritt previews.
Previews
2 minute read
Philly Fringe 2023: Toni Cannon’s ReFlection and Mae West’s $7 Girl
Circus arts looking inward and outward
Cannonball Festival presents two solo shows at the intersection of trans identity and circus arts, Toni Cannon’s ReFlection and Mae West’s $7 Girl. Melissa Strong reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Philly Fringe 2023: Urban Arts Movement presents Vincent Johnson’s Stank upon a Time: A Story about Funk
A lesson on the blues
Stank upon a Time is a transgressively absurdist exploration of the culture of Black music, from blues to funk, as the soundtrack of revolution and its survival and commodification in the present. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Philly Fringe 2023: Susan Marshall and Mimi Lien present Rhythm Bath
A sensory delight
An inclusive dance installation presented in partnership with Temple’s Institute on Disabilities offers interdisciplinary delights at Christ Church Neighborhood House in this year’s Fringe. Eileen B. Fisher reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read