REVIEW: Gallim’s Blush at BAM

Dance has the special distinction of being both the pinnacle and precursor of society. Long before there were pointe shoes, galas and gilded theaters, dance bridged the gap between animals and early humans, in many cultures playing a critical role in the formation of a collective identity.

On Wednesday night at BAM Fisher, Gallim Dance embodied this duality in Blush, a work by Andrea Miller named for the sanguine rush that accompanies a wide range of human activity and emotion. Sophisticated as it was in structure, style and technique, it was its underlying primitive impulse that spoke most truthfully to the heart of dance.

Celebrate Dance 2013 at The Ailey Citigroup Theater

Kicking off their season at The Ailey Citigroup Theater, the Steps Repertory Ensemble has proven once again their devotion to collaboration in Celebrate Dance 2013. Led by Artistic Director, Claire Livingstone, this company of twelve dancers showcased the choreography of six emerging and established artists, April 18-20, 2013.

Always enamored by the group’s constant dedication to one another, this show was no exception. With each piece requiring immense physical commitment, I full heartedly expected the ensemble to be at the top of their game; however, I experienced more a glimpse into the emotional vulnerability the men seemed to display with their partner(s), than the animal strength I was prepared for. A softened underbelly of devotion throughout several duets and trios exposed an openness I had yet to see from the Steps Repertory Ensemble’s past performances.

Nathan Trice’s Conversations highlighted a dependency the male role seemed to have for the female. With each couple establishing their own fever on stage, the intimacy between dancers Britney Tokomuto and Clinton Edward was hard to cool down. Moving in and out of each other’s negative space, the two captured a rhythmic synchronization you find in schools of fish, or highway traffic. Trice’s simple elegance in mobility and shape, made it easy to focus on the patterns and habits each couple set up for the next couple. Tokomuto and Edwards’ relationship carried the weight of soul mates, while Mindy Upin and David Scarantino applied a more playful atmosphere to the choreography. With soft lifts, jumps, and Upin’s come hither look and composition, I rather enjoyed the dancer’s fresh take on the old concept of boy meets girl relationship.

REVIEW: Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Roméo et Juliette at City Center

For some, Romeo and Juliet is a story of love. For others, it is a tale of tragic fate. But in Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production, which ran last weekend at City Center, it is primarily a story of adolescence — which provides a duly tormented backdrop for the story’s central conflicts.

Not intended to be a faithful telling of Shakespeare’s tragedy, choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot’s version eliminates swords, Renaissance sets, and even a few roles to focus on painting emotional portraits of the main characters, while relying on Prokofiev’s episodic score to advance the plot.

Like the play, the ballet begins on a portentous note, with a wiry Friar Laurence (William Lin-Yee) flanked by two fictitious acolytes. Supporting the anguished cleric in poses that invoke Christ’s Passion, the acolytes, according to a program note, are intended to represent the friar’s conflicted state of being as his good intentions pave their tragic path.

The following scene introduces the Montagues and Capulets — richly costumed in shimmering neutrals and deep jewel tones, respectively — but with the spotlight on Romeo (Seth Orza) and his prurient posse, it’s clear that these lads would rather fondle than feud.

“Exit Stage Right:” Ciara Pressler’s Career Guidebook for Performers

How many career advice books are there in publication? You could spend hours in the Personal Development section learning about the health and growth of your personal financial portfolio, how to hone your interview skills, tips on networking in “the field,” not to mention ways to innovate in your office.

But how many are there on those of us who don’t have an office? How many manuals have been written about getting home at 2 AM from a bar shift and auditioning the next morning at 9 AM and how to make the coffee strong enough to stomach it? How about the roller coaster of successful performance tours and the confusion when tours end? Or advice for musicians who have worked tirelessly to build a band through the nights, but still sit at a service desk in the day? We performers are strange creatures who have a hard time squeezing our carefully quirky lifestyle into the paradigm of 9 to 5. This is old news. We are used to thumbing through career books to find the one chapter that might truly apply. The one about time management.

Ciara Pressler just put something new on the shelves, and it’s for us.

PREVIEW: Focus 2013 and Dance Gotham

To kick off 2013, New York City will once again turn its full attention to the performing arts. The annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference joins hundreds of performing artists with presenters from all over the world in hopes of forging connections and fostering plans for future engagements. It’s like a giant shopping expo of performances, peppered with seminars, meetings, and parties.

But you don’t have to be a professional artist to enjoy what’s happening at APAP. Anyone can buy a ticket to the theatre and dance pieces on display.

Dance takes center stage from January 8-14. That’s when the Focus 2013 dance festival will appear at the Joyce Theater, Ailey Citigroup Theater, the NYU Skirball Center, and New York City Center.

The mission of this multi-part, multi-venue showcase is to highlight American dance with an eye toward international touring. With 30 dance companies performing on three stages over one week, both casual and passionate dance fans can find something satisfying.