Community is what I miss most of all the pandemic’s deprivations—doing stuff with others.
Marcia B. Siegel
Dance Review — Reclaiming Space, Quarry Dance IX
The film allowed me to see the dancers’ connections to each other, and their connections to the quarries themselves.
Dance Review/Commentary: “The Grand Union” — The Story of the Accidental Anarchists of Downtown Dance
This fascinating book, and the rich literature of films and writings around it, have helped me feel a bit more positive about these shrunken times.
Dance Commentary: Sally Banes (1950-2020)
Dance critic, scholar, performer, activist Sally Banes died on 14 June in Philadelphia.
Dance Commentary: Paul Taylor — Now You See It, Virtually
I’ve always believed that dance has a literature, much like music or drama. Dance’s literature consists of both ideas (choreography) and the execution of ideas (performance).
Dance Highlights 2019
The dance revolution of the 1960s and 70s seems to be making a comeback as dancers think about making their performances less artificial, more “natural.”
Dance Review: “Giselle” Now — at the Boston Ballet
The performance I saw on Friday night revealed Boston Ballet’s priorities: while the dancers possess a high degree of technical skills, they have a looser notion of nuanced acting.
Dance Review: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker/Rosas — Phase by Phase
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker invites the audience to let go of outside distractions and meditate on our own deeper feelings.
Book Review: The Lives They Wrote
Two autobiographies by women who had some experience in legitimate theater, but they each gave their strongest allegiance to dance, specifically one choreographer.
Dance Review: Batsheva Dance Company of Israel — Strange Encounters and Outbursts
This mysterious dance may have no meaning at all beyond its cryptic theatricality and movement. Or it may mean a lot.