February DanceWatch: Feelin’ the love
Jamuna Chiarini
February 1, 2023
February brings world premieres, creative collaborations, and a fond farewell to a beloved classical dancer.
February brings world premieres, creative collaborations, and a fond farewell to a beloved classical dancer.
Faculty transitions open up a new position and the opportunity to transform how the department teaches dance at the intersection of social, political, and creative movements.
Jamuna Chiarini considers the Performance Works NW/Linda Austin Dance residency opportunity, which addresses barriers preventing parents from succeeding as movement artists.
The new year begins with jubilant productions from Broadway to burlesque and Pink Floyd to folk dance.
Jamuna Chiarini considers the resilience, grit, and transcendence of Portland’s dance community in 2022.
The Eugene orchestra, which accompanies Eugene Ballet’s “Nutcracker” performances again this month, mixes seasoned professionals with aspiring orchestral musicians.
With an emphasis on technique and also inclusion, new director Katarina Svetlova is leading Oregon Ballet Theatre School in a fresh direction.
Combining moments of dazzling dancing with whimsical costumes, vibrant sets, and Tchaikovsky’s iconic score, the ballet remains one of the most beloved holiday traditions.
The fall production reflected Shaun Keylock’s continued commitment to preserving Portland’s history of dance while finding his own niche as a choreographer in its future.
Celebrate the triumph of light over darkness with a bevy of seasonal productions, plus new work from some of our region’s most noted choreographers.
Fourth annual festival draws dance artists from around the world together for masterclasses, workshops, and to share their work.
Combining solo and ensemble pieces, “Momentum of Isolation” asks us to consider whether our growing digital existence is actually contributing to a lack of social connection.
Inspired by her father’s Alzheimer’s Disease and by the general theory of relativity, Marissa Rae Niederhauser’s new production at Performance Works Northwest takes us through both the beauty and the tragedy of time.
This month’s performances demonstrate the scope of inspiration and self-expression behind the choreographers and dancers.
Jamuna Chiarini considers BodyVox’s pairing of filmed dance with live performance.
The company presents a trio of dances – a world premiere and two returning works, including Ihsan Rustem’s irreverent reinterpretation of Ravel’s classic.
Muffie Delgado Connelly and Tahni Holt’s collaboration invites audiences into a world of imagination in this time-shifting production.
Oregon Ballet Theatre opens its season with sparkling versions of Christopher Stowell’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Balanchine’s “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,” and Christopher Bruce’s “Hush.”
This year’s collection of 29 films features striking portraits of humanity from across the globe.
Storytelling is at the center of a season opening with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and two more vivid tales.
From the sublime to the spectacular, the steamy to the spooky, dance takes all forms this month.
As dance presenters Walter Jaffe and Paul King move into their 25th season of running White Bird, the elite company they founded, they prepare to pass the torch.
How Elizabethan: The new and old of Nashville Ballet’s “Black Lucy and the Bard” on PBS’s Great Performances.
Xuan Cheng, principal dancer for Oregon Ballet Theatre, is the new principal dancer and ballet mistress for Hong Kong Ballet. She’ll split the next year between Hong Kong and Oregon.
Major milestones for White Bird, BodyVox, and TBA, plus a season packed with contemporary, modern, and classical dance performances from across the cultural spectrums.
Dance review: Allie Hankins’ “By My Own Hand, Part 1: Ghosting” begins before it begins – and that’s a good thing.
Make the most of the last month of summer with a diverse array of outdoor cultural celebrations.
On a warm day in Beaverton, all sorts of dancers stepped out to perform on the Tiny Stage – and the effect was big. A photo essay by Joe Cantrell.
Hannah Krafcik speaks with Takahiro Yamamoto about the creation of his latest performance work.
As summer rises, dance goes outdoors and site-specific (and sometimes stays inside on theater stages, too).
Yamamoto’s quietly stunning work of dance at the Portland Art Museum begs to be widely seen.
The company presents new dances from Andrea Parson and Yoshito Sakuraba, plus a 2004 re-staging from Sarah Slipper.
Amy Leona Havin’s newest work with The Holding Project is a vivid and very contemporary stroll down memory lane.
In its White Bird series performance, the contemporary company brought the crowd to its feet with reflections on life outside the theater doors.
A busy month ranges from dancing felines to new American ballet, experimental works, Andrea Parson’s return, Mexican folklorico and more.
Dancer and writer Hannah Krafcik takes us inside a two-year project by youth and adult dancers to create a piece inspired by children’s games.
Set on a slave ship, the highlight of the company’s performance in White Bird’s We Are One Festival is a ballet by turns gorgeous, gut-wrenching, subtle, sad, dynamic, and celebratory.
The company’s “Taming of the Shrew” takes a steampunk edge, resurrects the work of a 19th century woman composer, and flirts with the idea that the play was written by a woman.
In the spirit of International Dance Day, a busy month in Oregon ranges from Dance Theatre of Harlem to a circus moon shot, steampunk Shakespeare, flamenco, contemporary and more.
Jennifer Gwirtz’s new full-length dance, at Performance Works Northwest through May 1, explores feminist Jewish themes through a universal lens.
Oregon Ballet Theatre’s dancers cut loose spectacularly, and the audience cheers to see live performance once again.
A major new work from choreographer Suzanne Haag, delayed by the pandemic, arrives at last on the Hult Center stage.
“These dancers fit together with a perfectly nonsensical logic”: Two seasoned choreographers dig into surrealist influences at Performance Works NW.
From hip-hop to ballet to contemporary to surreal to the African diaspora, Oregon’s dance scene springs into action.
The Seattle ballet star Noelani Pantastico reflects on her long dancing career and her move into teaching the next generation.
The Portland choreographer talks contemporary ballet, long-winded titles, supporting the arts, ballet’s glass ceiling for women artistic leaders, and her newest work.
The Portland company dives into new work by choreographers Yin Yue, Ihsan Rustem, and Joseph Hernandez.
The storied veteran dance artist makes connections as she creates a memorial to colleagues who’ve passed on.
In a time of crisis, the art and dance of a vibrant culture find a light. Plus highlights of Oregon’s dance calendar.
Preview: Choreographer Ben Stevenson’s version of Bram Stoker’s classic vampire tale takes to the sky with high romance and lavish design.
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