The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust opened its Decidedly Dutch Festival with a Pittsburgh Dance Council presentation of Dance Works Rotterdam, which offered a European take on pop culture. Shades of Andy Warhol! Read about it in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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Uncategorized | Tagged: anatomica, Andre Gingras, Andy Warhol, contemporary dance, Dance Works Rotterdam, Distinctively Dutch Festival, dutch festival, Freerunning, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Dance Council, pop culture, rotterdam | 
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Posted by jvranish
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.
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: ballet, dance, Dance Works Rotterdam, Dutch, Emily Kitka, Holland, jean cocteau, Jiri Kylian, la voix humaine, Netherlands, New York City Ballet, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Dance Council, signature dishes, smoked mackerel | Permalink
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The Kelly-Strayhorn Theater and Dance Alloy Theater have announced that talks are underway to explore a merger of the two groups. Noting an emphasis on commonality, with a commitment to the Penn Avenue Arts Corridor and a commitment to dance, a negotiation committee has been formed. In addition to that, both also share a heavy commitment to emerging artists and education.
At this point, many questions remain. First, who began the negotiations? DAT has had a history of financial problems, something that appeared to crop up lately as the staff was trimmed and a scheduled 35th anniversary concert at the August Wilson Center was moved to the DAT studio in Friendship. KST, on the other hand, seems to humming along with a variety of professional and community presentations, including its newMoves Festival, in which coincidentally, DAT was the only major company not to participate.
They are only blocks apart, making the merger logistically sound. KST has some space problems for its administration, so DAT’s large, airy studios and office space could be a natural extension.
But will DAT lose its integrity? As Pittsburgh’s oldest modern dance company, it deserves plenty of respect. Recent events show that it has lost that internal drive, however. Two years ago, the board that Beth Corning put together suddenly fired her. That board elected not to conduct a national search for an artistic director, as had been the policy over the past several decades, but to select Grier Reed-Jones, then DAT’s education director, as the replacement.
However, Ms. Reed-Jones also heads the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble. Despite her undeniable qualifications (Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, CAPA, independent choreographer), many in the dance community consider this a conflict of interest. But the DAT board, mostly corporate figures except for former artistic director Mark Taylor, seems to hold the reins.
In a best case scenario, KLT will emerge as a mini-Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, which has embraced a number of smaller Pittsburgh organizations under its umbrella (Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater, Wood Street Galleries, Jazz Live! and even, well, the Pittsburgh Dance Council, which has been able to maintain its identity through the uncommon efforts of Paul Organisak).
The above and other questions remain to be answered. Hopefully the dance community will respond, either on Facebook or CrossCurrents. Stay tuned…
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DANCE OUT THE OLD. Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s First Night festivities will include diverse interests in dance like Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, featuring Christine Schwaner and Alexandre Silve with PBT grad students (Byham Theater, 7 p.m.), Attack Theatre’s Bag Attack Boogaloo, an interactive event for all (Fifth Avenue Place, ongoing), The Pillow Project and improvisation (905 Penn Avenue windows, ongoing),Ballroom Dance into the New Year (Arthur Murray Dance Studio - 136 Sixth Street, ongoing), Swing Lessons with Bobby D (Trust Education Center – 805/807 Liberty Avenue, 6:30 p.m., 9 p.m.), Dance Cafe Salsa Lessons (Trust Education Center, 7 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m.), Moquette Volante Bellydance Workshop (929 Liberty Avenue, 6:30 p.m., 10 p.m.) and Performance (7:30 p.m., 8:45 p.m.), Japanese Sword Dance: Momentum (Catholic Charities Building – 821 Liberty Avenue, 7:15 p.m.), Steel Town Fire (9th and Penn Parking Lot, 6:45 p.m., 9:30 p.m.), Pittsburgh’s Largest Soul Line Dance Party (9th and Penn Parking Lot, 7:30 p.m. 8:45 p.m.) and Oriental Star Dancers (August Wilson Center, 6 p.m.). For more information check the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust website.
CENTER ON DANCE. John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has a number of attractive offerings on its roster this year, along with some notable performers. Since it’s only four hours away, it’s a doable day trip for the avid dance fan, some of whom might have a friend or relative in the area. So I’ve decided to include some of the events on CrossCurrents’ Listings page. First up is American Ballet Theatre (Jan. 26 -31) with a nifty triple bill (Sir Frederic Ashton’s “Birthday Offering” with a galaxy of ABT stars, “Seven Sonatas” by the choreographer of the moment, Alexei Ratmansky and “The Brahms-Haydn Variations,” a Twyla Tharp classic) and Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s epic “Romeo and Juliet.” You could do a two-for-one, because Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan will have its first appearance at the Kennedy Center in 15 years (Jan. 29-30). The program, “Moon Water,” sounds mesmerizing. Also keep your heads up for February and the Bolshoi Ballet‘s “Spartacus,” featuring a Baryshnikov-in-the-making (although with the panache of Rudolph Nureyev), Ivan Vasiliev. No he is not related to ’60′s superstar Vladimir Vasiliev, but seems on his way to making a global name for himself. Apparently only 20, he will perform opening night (Feb. 16) plus Feb. 19 and 21. Check out a performance on youtube.com.
CONTACT IN KOREA. Former Pittsburgher Tome Cousin is making quite a career out of staging Susan Stroman’s award-winning Broadway dancical “Contact” around the world (he also did a great job with a Point Park University cast). But South Korea with a home-grown cast? Apparently he’s enjoying it.
1 Comment | Attack Theatre, Dance Notes, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, The Pillow Project | Tagged: American Ballet Theatre, Arthur Murray Dance Studio, Attack Theatre, Bolshoi Ballet, Cloud Gate, Contact, First Night, Ivan Vasiliev, Kennedy Center, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Susan Stroman, The Pillow Project, Tome Cousin, Vladimir Vasiliev | Permalink
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GOING GREEN. Point Park University has received the Trane Energy Efficiency Leader in Education Award for its new dance complex, which opened in 2007. If you haven’t seen it, plan a visit. Your best bet might be a performance at the George Roland White Performance Studio, a marvel of a black box theater that really enhances dancers. Some of the benefits to the dance students at Point Park include air quality, lighting, light and temperature, all to keep them healthy and performing at their best.
PITTSBURGH CONNECTIONS. I caught the final performance of Conservatory Dance Company’s Pittsburgh Connections, although I missed former PBT soloist Jeffrey Bullock’s ballet, which was first on the program. But Point Park alum Marissa Balzer produced a little jewel of a work, “Things Behind the Sun.” The piece, inspired by Balzer’s own newlywed status, focused on romance, sexuality and relationships in three couples. It was intellectually astute and emotionally attractive all at once, with movements that melted into unexpected directions. I hope that Balzer, who is also a busy teacher in the area, can find time for more choreography.
Patrick Franz, former Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre artistic director, produced “Cote Jardin,” conceptually interesting for its inspiration, rooted in the French designs of the Versailles gardens of King Louis XIV, it didn’t echo those designs among the 26-member cast. Krisofer Weinstein-Storey, on the other hand, delivered in “Stimela (what is African debt?). Political in nature, it’s primary emphasis was on low-slung movements that produced rhythmic interactions on an African theme.
“TRUST” BALLROOM. “So You Wanta Dance? asks the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. But the power there must think people do, because they’ve opened The Dance Cafe at the organization’s new Trust Educational Center at 805/807 Liberty Avenue. There are lessons Tues. through Thurs. For more information, go to the website at The Dance Cafe.
A SOUTHERN NUT. Dance Alloy’s Christopher Bandy is scheduled to choreograph excerpts from the “Nutcracker” for the Wheeling Symphony in West Virginia Dec. 18-19. Good news — he’ll be bringing former Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre members with him in Aaron Ingley and Alan Obuzor. See the Wheeling Symphony for more information.
Leave a Comment » | Ballroom, Dance Notes, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Point Park University | Tagged: dance, Pittsburgh B, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Point Park University, Wheeling Symphony | Permalink
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So the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is celebrating 25 years of performances, workshops and real estate deals that transformed the Liberty/Penn Avenue corridor from seedy to spectacular. With Carol Brown and now Kevin McMahon at the helm, this organization may be the biggest stimulus package (yes, at least equal to the Steelers) that Pittsburgh has received.
Despite uncooperative weather, Friday night revelers celebrated at numerous locations during the latest installment of the Cultural Crawl, taking in Wood Street Galleries, ballroom lessons at Arthur Murray Studios and an assortment of other activities.
Having been around for those 25 years, I began thinking about the debut of the Benedum Center, which was the first major project of the Trust. I had seen a touring production of “Evita” at its predecessor, the Stanley Theater, where I thought the cast was singing in Spanish until the second scene (sound systems have come a long way).
The opening program at the Benedum on Sept. 27, 1987 was something called “Purely Pittsburgh,” a variety show with the likes of Chuck Aber (from Mr. Rogers), Don Brockett, John Costa, Karen Prunczik and Margaret Whiting. They sang songs by Pittsburgh-connected composers including Stephen Foster (of course), Victor Herbert, Billy Strayhorn, Errol Garner and Fred Rogers (of course).
The next day the Benedum present its first professional presentation, the modern dance troupe, Pilobolus, in signature works like “Ocellus” and “Walklyndon.” Yes, Pittsburgh supported the dance, even then. I still recall that first performance and remember comparing the hall’s somber bronzes and browns to the vibrant red, white and gold colors of Heinz Hall, somewhat unfavorably at first.
But when the lights went down, the Benedum almost magically disappeared and the audience was drawn to the stage. Despite its large size, the hall took on a special intimacy that benefitted the viewer. I still feel the same way about this Pittsburgh landmark after 25 years of watching, mostly on the aisle, and have grown to love its tasteful decor.
When the Benedum opened in 1987, many people wondered if Pittsburgh could sustain two large performance halls. Heinz Hall had the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as its anchor, but the Benedum…could the Civic Light Opera, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Pittsburgh Opera have the same staying power?
Well, we have the answer now. Despite the recent economic downturn, the arts are flourishing in Pittsburgh and have become one of this city’s main drawing cards. The Trust, which was initially very secretive, preferring to remain behind the scenes, has increased its visibility a hundredfold and has become a huge success story. It has added more theaters, parking garages and galleries to its cityscape. But its influence reaches far beyond its Downtown borders to East Liberty, Oakland, the North Shore and the suburbs, where arts groups and their supporters look for guidance, inspiration and motivation.
Long live the Trust!
Leave a Comment » | Off Stage | Tagged: Pilobolus, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust | Permalink
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