Dance Beat: Dutch, Crawl, Emily, Dance Dangereuse

January 25, 2012

Photo by Chris Nash

Going Dutch. There was gouda arancini, smoked mackerel potato salad, red cabbage with smoked sausage and apples and slavinken, all signature dishes of the Netherlands and meticulously prepared by Meat & Potatoes restaurant. Yum Well, if Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s upcoming Distinctly Dutch Festival is as tasty as the food, we’re all in for a treat that will take us through the spring. I have loved the Trust’s previous festivals (Montreal, Australia, International Festival of Firsts), which gave us the opportunity to explore different cultures without leaving home. Of course we already knew that that the Pittsburgh Dance Council will be presenting Dance Works Rotterdam/Andre Gingras, which will open the festival Feb. 18, and Last Touch First, co-choreographed by Michael Schumacher and Jiri Kylian (a national and international choreographic treasure). But there will be plenty more to sample. For theater buffs, there will be Detroit Dealers, which is oddly set against the American car industry, Diespace, an interactive multimedia performance set against the Internet, and Jean Cocteau’s La voix humaine, featuring one of Holland’s foremost actresses. Halina Reijn. Music lovers can catch The News, a video/opera, or Dutch Women of Jazz. Girls ‘N’ Guns and Global Navigators will enhance the Pittsburgh art scene and Dudes and World of Rhythm will be geared to families. Accompanying it all will be workshops, wine tastings, a tulip display (of course) at the Phipps, film and more, including menu offerings at local restaurants. Hungry?  Intrigued? (I am and will attend as many events as possible.) For more information, click on Distinctly Dutch.

Crawl-ing. The Trust also sponsors the Gallery Crawl four times a year, a great (and free) way to explore the Cultural District. This go ‘round on January 27 will feature Maddy Landi’s kNOTdance transferring your own drawing of a dream into a dance. Also interact with a digital installation, Summer Sky Eternal, and see how your personal movement affects it (604 Liberty Ave.). Or interact with a partner at Arthur Murray Dance Studio, with free lessons and demos (salsa at 7:30 p.m., tango at 8 p.m., swing at 8:30 p.m.) Much, much more, from Norwegian artist HC Gilje at Wood Street to a Cell Phone Disco. A real bonus — Chatham Baroque rocks the Trust Arts Education Center with three performances. From 5:30 – 9 p.m. Click on Gallery Crawl.

Emily Kitka. The Pittsburgh dancer, who joined the corps of New York City Ballet last fall, got her first real review in The New York Times. Congrats, Emily!

Risky Business. Top Dating Sites website has posted 10 Dances You Should Only Attempt if You Are a Pro. Really? How do you actually become one? See for yourself when you click on Dangerous Dance.

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Dance Beat:PBT Holocaust, The Bench, Emily, Major

December 4, 2010

Erin Halloran and Nurlan AbougalievA SPECIAL ENCORE. The afterglow of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s “Light/The Holocaust and Humanity Project” is ongoing. The company recently invited those involved to a special encore presentation at the PBT studios.The production was carefully, almost tenderly reduced to 30 minutes or so, but still incited a flood of memories from the full production last season at the Byham Theater.

Lighting was soft, simply toned down studio lighting that gave the dancers a ghostly glow and the mirrors were uncovered, offering other angles and odd reflections.

But the cast, most of them from the original ensemble, still succeeded in transporting its audience back into the days surrounding World War II, an era of pain and discomfort, without giving up the surreal emotional beauty of Stephen Mills’ choreography.

More than that, they were more grounded in the reality of it all, as if this had been marinating for a year. I loved Eva Trapp, stepping into the role of Eve and encouraged by the unalterable strength of Robert Moore. She was, like the Tree of Life, sending tendrils of movement through her limbs in a performance that fulfilled all of the promise that she has signaled over the years.

The ensemble came on for “Doors,” where Julia Erickson seemed to carry the weight of personal esponsibility as she slid forward, hands on kneed, face anxious. Then there was Alexandra Kochis twitching during “Sirens” and Elysa Hotchkiss poignant solo in “Ashes,” with whipping fouettes. No doubt the breadth and understanding of the company’s dancing had greatly expanded.

A NEW FAMILY. I was able to see a rehearsal of Kiesha-Lalama White’s “The Bench,” which grabbed a spot on my Top Ten list at the Post-Gazette last year. It’s a whole new family, with different dance approaches, so Kiesha has altered some things for her dancers. It certainly put me in a holiday mood due to the unwavering commitment of the cast…

EMILY APP. That’s short for apprentice. Pittsburgher Emily Kitka (and former student at Thomas Studio of Dance)  found out that she would be joining the New York City Ballet just in time for her birthday — congratulations!

Photo by Edouardo Patino

 

THE MAJOR AT THE ROCK. That’s Major Nesby, who happened to perform with Ailey II in its performance at Slippery Rock University. A graduate of Point Park University, he’s thrilled to be a part of the company. And if things go right, he has a shot at the parent company. While Ailey II was there, they taught the students in the dance program and sent over some photos.

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Dance Notes: PBT in D.C., Emily at the Lake, A “Secret”

August 23, 2009

PBT PREPARES FOR HOLOCAUST BALLET. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will fly to Washington D.C. and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum August 25 in preparation for the local premiere of Stephen Mills’ “Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project” in November. The dancers will also view “Genocide,” the 1982 Academy Award winner for best documentary, which was produced by Simon Wiesenthal Center and features narration by Elizabeth Taylor and Orson Wells. The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh will present a talk by Holocaust survivor Sam Weinreb.

CHAUTAUQUA MOVES. Upper St. Clair native Emily Kitka took home a Emily Kiktafistful of awards from the Chautauqua dance program this past weekend. At the student choreography recital on Friday, the other students voted her Most Admired as a Dancer and the staff voted her the Technical Merit award. Emily’s choreographic effort, “Withstand,” for which her father, Thomas, played the Astor Piazzolla accompaniment on guitar, was given second prize. In addition, the young dancer, who came from the Thomas School in Bethel Park and studies at the School of American Ballet in New York City, was one of the apprentices who performed with North Carolina Dance Theatre in George Balanchine’s “Western Symphony” on Saturday night.

THE [SECRET] SATURDAY. Has it been five years? The Pillow Project will have a special anniversary concert Dec. 12 at The Space Upstairs. Pearlann Porter isn’t keeping it so secret, though. She’s planning on doing new and retrospective work with some original Pillow members like Donna PridGeon, Ben Wegman and DJ Sorta returning for the occasion. More later…

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