Posts by Janice Steinberg
City Ballet’s “Giselle” is a Gem
As Albrecht’s deception was revealed, Breschi squirmed with a delicious caddishness I hadn’t seen in this role. And when he got on his knees and begged Giselle’s mother (Kimberly Roberts) for forgiveness, wow! She rebuked him with such sharp gestures, I thought she was going to rip him limb from limb—and I hated Albrecht so much, I wanted her to do it.
Read MoreRite of Winter: Jean Isaacs’ “Janus II”
Who’s going to die? In Jean Isaacs’ propulsive, stomping, ominous “Rite of Spring,” one dancer after another appears isolated from the rest … and will he/she be chosen to be sacrificed? Erica Ruse does a tortured, limb-flinging solo, while the others stand and watch. And these folks, denizens of a wonderfully creepy leather bar, doesn’t look friendly.
Read MoreAcrobatic, Ravishing Dance from Compagnie Hervé Koubi at UCSD
There’s a global palette of movement, from Middle Eastern Sufi dance to Brazilian capoeira to hip-hop, skillfully blended, so for instance the dancers do Sufi spinning not only standing but also, in dramatic B-boy style, on their hands and heads.
Read MoreCuban Malpaso Dance Makes Rapturous San Diego Debut
Powerful movers with bodybuilder thighs, Malpaso Dance presented one of the most satisfying dances I’ve ever seen—”Indomitable Waltz” by Aszure Barton.
Read MoreNew Dancers Dazzle in City Ballet of San Diego’s Season Opener
New company members Iago Breschi and Elizabeth Fittro—and a stunning apprentice, Marta Kelly—brought excitement to City Ballet of San Diego’s show last weekend. And veteran dancer Ariana Gonzalez, looking like she had WD-40 in her shoulders, was at the top of her game.
Read More‘Tis a Gift to Be Simple: Trisha Brown’s “In Plain Site”
Trisha Brown’s dance, in “In Plain Site,” is plain the way Shaker art or a Zen rock garden is plain: Brown stripped movement to its essence, creating series of clean, simple gestures, often performed in silence. It’s simple and impeccable … “heroism of the ordinary.” And it moved me to tears.
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