A New Wind from Britain
Ballet
Boyz
George Piper Dances
Lisner Auditorium
(presented by the Washington Performing Arts Society)
October 21, 2003
By
Alexandra Tomalonis
copyright © 2003 by Alexandra Tomalonis
The
Ballet Boyz are one of the best things to happen to ballet in years. They're
young and trendy and on record as saying they want to bring it to people
not used to watching dance (a noble endeavor), but former Royal Ballet
dancers Michael Nunn and William Trevitt make serious work accessible
and fun to watch without dumbing it down. The company's members
and repertory shift as circumstances dictate. For the current U.S. tour,
there are five dancers: Hubert Essakow, Oxana Panchenko and Monica Zamora,
in addition to Nunn and Trevitt. What they present is as far from the
typical "we're not doing anything much this month so let's put on
a show" off-season gig as can be imagined: three serious works in
styles that range from contemporary ballet to modern dance, interspersed
with home movie-style videos that give the audience a glimpse of life
on tour, a mini-introduction to each of the works and their choreographers,
and time for both dancers and audience members to catch their breath.
read
review
Airborne
CityDance
Ensemble
Terrace Theater
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC
Wednesday, October 22
Reviewed by George Jackson
copyright ©2003 by George Jackson
It isn't easy being a Rasta Thomas fan. He's elusive. Here today, there
tomorrow: the transient artist, forever a guest and solitary, often appearing
in tricky, tailor-made solos. Undeniably, though, Thomas leaves behind
him fans as faithful as those of the stars who dance standard repertory
and have regular orbits around big ballet companies. On his home ground,
the Washington area, Thomas first attracted attention at age 11 on a school
recital program. He danced with adult intensity and refined precision,
standing out despite considerable competition from his fellow students,
a top generation at the Universal/Kirov Academy of Ballet. For that debut
he had choreographed his own vehicle, a Black Belt fight solo. It was
a well made piece. Thomas's first fans date from that performance. In
the years since, he's been globe trotting. Only with the Hartford Ballet
in Connecticut and the Kirov in St. Petersburg, Russia did he dance sustained
roles as a regular company member. Because his stays there were brief,
it hasn't been possible to see his Prince or Prodigal grow. Fans, though,
keep springing up regardless.
read review
What's On This Week?
November
1-2: Jam Crew Live
The Jack Guidone Theater
Joy of Motion
5207 Wisconsin Ave, NW: 202-362-3042
1-Nov-2003 at 8 pm
2-Nov-2003 at 7 pm
Jam Crew, a DC based dance company whose trademark style marks the fusion
of hip-hop and modern dance, brings to the metro area an evening of diverse
and exciting repertoire, including Ali McEvoy’s I’m Feelin,
the salsa and hip-hop influenced work Uh Oh choreographed
by Michele Morris, and Awake on the Dark Side, a more serious
duet created by Citydance Ensemble’s Ludovich Jolivet.
November
1-2: Marty Pottenger
Dance Place
3225 Eighth Street, NE: 202-269-1600
1-Nov-2003 at 8 pm
2-Nov-2003 at 4 pm
Marty Pottenger promises a probing two-night run in her performance art
piece Abundance, featuring original music by Terry Dame with
lyrics supplied by Pottenger. In this work, a product derived from two
years worth of interviews from Americans representative of the nation’s
economic discrepancy, Pottenger explores the American value system and
materialistic concerns.
November
1: KanKouran West African Dance Company
Celebrate the ancient spirit of the Mandingo culture from Senegal
Millennium
Stage
Kennedy Center
November
2: Choreographie Antique Dance Company
The
history of French-American liaisons with General Lafayette between 1780
and 1824 through dance.
Towson
University
8000 York Rd.
Towson, MD When: 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2
Price: $10; $5 student, senior
Phone:
410-704-2787
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