Large ballet companies are, by necessity, always in a state of transition, with young dancers being promoted and senior dancers retiring, often with great fanfare and wistfulness. But now, more than ever, it seems that New York City Ballet is top-heavy with principals—30 in all, versus 15 soloists. A rash of promotions has taken place [...]

“Realness” sounds like one of Stephen Colbert’s words, akin to truthiness. It came in handy recently in a dense, satisfying festival called American Realness, organized by Ben Pryor of TBSPmgmt, which coincided with APAP (Association of Performing Arts Presenters). While the term realness comes from the LGBT community, where it pertains to one’s ability to [...]

In what is hopefully an annual tradition, David Parker and The Bang Group’s Nut/Cracked was paired with Doug Elkins’ send-up of The Sound of Music, Fräulein Maria, for a “holiday extravaganza” at DTW this month, ending this past weekend. Parker (who portrays Liesl in Elkins’ work) balances satire and reverence for Tchaikovsky’s classic, so prevalent [...]

Jeremy Wade’s There is No End to More, through last weekend at Japan Society, is like being inside a restless web surfer’s brain for an hour. It veers from a fantasy narrative, to comic book, to variety show, to LOLcats and dogs, to speeches on community, family, and consumerism, to the end of existence. And [...]

Ballet Hispanico recently crossed a milestone this summer when Tina Ramirez, who founded the company in 1970, stepped down as artistic director. The current season at the Joyce Theater (through Dec 13) was put together by Eduardo Vilaro, who took over as AD, and the early signs are promising. The company’s repertory is surprisingly well-rounded [...]

Amazing how Bill T. Jones’ work looks and feels as fresh as ever in his company’s 25th year. Serenade/The Proposition, at the Joyce through last Sunday, takes inspiration from Abraham Lincoln, whose bicentennial approaches. The performance combines Jones’ elegant choreography, spoken text, and live chamber orchestra and singer in a rich, luminous hour-long work. At [...]

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so they say. So it is with ABT, which instead of two weeks at City Center this fall, did a handful of performances last week at Avery Fisher Hall. Making it perhaps even worse is seeing just one show, a reminder of how special their fall seasons can be, [...]

I want to say that words fail to describe Miguel Gutierrez’s latest work at DTW, Last Meadow, because it is humbling to think about its sheer scope, even more so to reduce it to a bunch of words after watching one performance. And yet, even though it is foremost experiential, there is a generous amount [...]

The Guggenheim’s Works & Process series has evolved into a commissioning entity producing some fascinating new work. Until recent years, it was more akin to a lecture/demo format, with a casual atmosphere where the dancers wore rehearsal clothes. It often featured excerpts of works that would be seen elsewhere, on a larger stage; some events [...]

There is such an wealth of culture in New York, particularly in the fall season, that it’s often difficult for presenters to make their offerings stand out. French Institute (FIAF), however, with its Crossing the Line festival (video here), has managed to both expand its genres and refine its mission to create a sort of [...]