DANCE REVIEWS
Strong Malashock Show Features Possible Successor
To a Michael Wall score that mixes crowd noises, breaking glass, and what sounds unnervingly like gunshots, five dancers advance warily, arms raised as if to ward off an attack. … The society Griffin creates onstage feels dangerous … and like an apt reflection of the present moment, in which the show took place outdoors on a chilly evening since we’re not yet done with COVID; and with a flag directly behind center-stage flying at half-staff in honor of the country’s latest mass shootings.
Read MoreFrom Sublime to Annoying: Litvak Dance’s “Border Stories”
Weinberg is laudably committed to showcasing a range of choreographers. Here, it was a very wide range, from the sublime Lux Boreal to a piece that put the focus on one’s experience as a viewer—in this viewer’s case, an experience of annoyance.
Read MoreRonald K. Brown/EVIDENCE Dances for the Ancestors
In the moment of watching “The Equality of Night and Day,” I found it frustratingly static. But as this piece marinates, it seems to me Brown is doing something remarkable—creating a metaphor for being imprisoned that I experienced viscerally.
Read MoreBalance, Beauty Captured by San Diego Dance Theater
San Diego Dance Theater’s show was titled “Capturing Balance,” and all three pieces, in particular a radiant premiere by Khamla Somphanh, involve searching for equilibrium … and often finding it elusive.
Read MoreDance Bonanza from Litvak, Malashock
We’re vaccinated. We’re masked. And we’re returning to theaters to see dance! Last week, I got to shows by two companies, Litvak Dance and Malashock Dance. Both featured work by multiple choreographers, making it a dance bonanza.
Read More“Ofrenda” a Day of the Dead Banquet
An ofrenda (offering) is an altar made to welcome departed family members on Day of the Dead. The welcome from “Ofrenda” was so spectacular, surely the nearly 3,000 living souls at the Rady Shell on Sunday were surrounded by legions of spirits, drawn to the heart-melting singing, thrilling percussive footwork, and parade of vivid costumes.
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