dance

REVIEW:  A ferocious song of desire in American Repertory Theater’s musical, ‘Black Swan’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

“Attack it!  Attack it!”

In Darren Aronofsky’s 2010 psychological thriller horror film Black Swan, Nina’s ballet instructor urges Nina to show him a side to her that she has never known.  It’s the side that lets go.

American Repertory Theater’s musical Black Swan may be a bit different than the movie in some respects, but the message remains the same.

With Sonya Tayeh’s taut direction and dynamite choreography and Or Matias’s foreboding music direction, American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) continues the world premiere of psychological thriller horror musical, Black Swan live and in person at Loeb Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts through Sunday, July 12.  The action is not limited to the stage and this mature production within a production runs approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes with one intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Melanie Moore and members of the company of A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Black Swan.
Credit: Hawver and Hall.

The arts can be brutal, competitive and fickle.  Especially with the art of ballet, it requires a unique kind of discipline, sacrifice and determination under the constant pressure of perfection.

Black Swan started out as a 2010 Academy award-winning psychological thriller horror film featuring a stellar cast that included Natalie Portman as Nina, Mila Kunis as Lily, Winona Ryder as Beth and the incomparable Barbara Hershey as Nina’s mother Barbara.  It’s a mesmerizing yet unsettling film loaded with literal and figurative twists and turns through the eyes of sweet dancer Nina whose reality sporadically becomes skewed as the film progresses.

In the process of making the film, Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis endured rigorous training and followed a strict diet. Kunis had never danced in her life.  Both trained for four months on an intense schedule seven days a week and five hours a day which also included Portman swimming a mile every day.  Portman lost 20 pounds from her already tiny frame and Kunis tore a ligament, dislocated her shoulder and has visible scarring from training. Kunis also vowed she will never dance again and it was the hardest thing she had ever done. 

Based on Jen Silverman‘s book of this musical, a story by Andres Heinz and the Academy Award-winning psychological thriller horror film, this world premiere musical boasts some lighter and more humorous moments while its intensity is laid out from the first scene featuring ambitious characters consistently competing with each other.  They are driven by the arduous drive to survive, succeed, and gain power.  It is no wonder that the lyrics and dialogue in this new musical are rife with powerfully visceral action words such as tear, scratch, scrape, twist, elongate, crack and attack as the dancers rehearse on a grueling three week deadline for a new production.  It makes the audience feel this painstaking process.

Amber Iman and members of the company of A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Black Swan.
Credit: Hawver and Hall.

For those who have not seen the brilliant yet disquieting film, the film and musical are not a musical for the faint of heart. They explore the dark crevices of mental illness and obsession while emphasizing the struggle and ferocious determination it takes to become the best. 

However, the Black Swan musical does not just speak to the art of ballet, but the savage journey one takes to become the best at their craft which often involves relentless focus, determination and sacrifice.

Melanie Moore and members of the company of A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Black Swan.
Credit: Hawver and Hall.

 AMP featuring Marissa Todd’s vast and layered Scenography accompanied by Chris Fisher and Skylar Fox’s masterful illusion design exacts a ballet studio with moving Barres, a regal gala featuring a tremendous and glimmering chandelier, a wild psychedelic club scene with a dizzying disco ball, and a transformative and ominous forest.  I was fascinated to see how various illusions from the film would translate into a stage production and the results are riveting combined with Lillis Meeh’s stunning blood imagery and Ida Saki’s powerful and athletic performance.

Isabella Byrd’s crackling and flashing lighting devastates and intrigues in this moody tale alongside Kai Harada’s haunting and foreboding fiddle laden rhythms.  Shiona Turini’s colorful and dynamic wardrobe varies from silk and sequined gowns to creatively daring statement ensembles. 

Melanie Moore in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Black Swan.
Credit: Hawver and Hall.

In a pastel leotard, Melanie Moore climbs into the skin of anxious and gentle Nina, a New York City ballet dancer aspiring to become the company’s principal dancer.  A perfectionist wrapped in a cluster of timid uncertainty, Nina is childlike, delicate, naïve, impressionable and sheltered under the guidance of her protective mother Barbara, in an increasingly searing performance by understudy Mehry Eslaminia (usually depicted by Kate Jennings Grant).  Barbara is fixated on Nina becoming the star ballerina she was prevented from becoming and Nina longs to please her mother. Moore is excellent as Nina, a beautiful dancer and her sympathetic naiveté draws you into her world of uncertainty and longing.

When a bold new choreographer LeRoy, portrayed with easy charm, charisma and sharp comic timing by Amber Iman, arrives to stage a new version of Swan Lake, Nina thinks this might be her chance to shine.  When Jada Simone Clark breezes in as mysterious and effervescent free spirit dancer Lily, she catches Nina and LeRoy’s attention.  LeRoy is driven by something to prove and Iman and Thom Sesma as company director Jacques share a tense and interesting power dynamic underneath their lighter and more humorous moments. 

Tory Trowbridge delivers a chilling performance as worn principal dancer on edge, Beth McIntyre. Consistently aware of her position, McIntyre is sympathetic in her desperation to hold onto her place in the company and her distressed exchanges with Moore will leave you on tenterhooks.

Ava Noble, Martell Ruffin, Adrian Lee, Anthony Santos, and Caleb Marshall lift
Melanie Moore in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Black Swan.
Credit: Hawver and Hall.

While the film draws a clearer picture of Nina’s journey, Black Swan musical is intense, haunting, visceral and intriguing deciphering Nina’s precarious state of mind and how it is executed onstage.  The conclusion remains stunning.  I agree with the moderate differences in the musical than the film for the most part.  However, much of the film hinges on the traditional ballet production than a modern new vision which seems like it doesn’t quite fit.  In the film, Aronofsky takes the dark nature of this renowned classic and turns it on its ear while enhancing this dancer’s journey running intermittent parallels with Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Aronofky also produces this musical so I am surprised by this change. Though this musical is no romance, it is no less a transformational piece rooted in the desire to become who you believe you are meant to become at whatever the cost.

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) continues the world premiere of psychological thriller horror musical, Black Swan live and in person at Loeb Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts through Sunday, July 12.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW:  Boston Ballet’s ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ remains a regal and enchanting achievement

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

When an invitation goes awry…

An unexpected hero, an insulted fairy, true love, and a terrible curse make up this enchanting and haunting fairy tale classic as Boston Ballet proudly presents The Sleeping Beauty.  Unfolding with elegant and athletic choreography by Marius Pepita and Sir Frederick Ashton, The Sleeping Beauty has returned to Boston for a limited run by popular demand through Sunday, June 7 live and in person at the Citizens Opera House in Boston, Massachusetts. This production runs two hours and forty-seven minutes with two intermissions.  Click here for more information and for tickets. 

Boston Ballet in Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty, photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet

A full house gathered inside the Citizens Opera House as Mischa Santora conducted Tchaikovsky’s famous and dramatic music score, transporting the enthusiastic crowd into a world of royalty, betrayal, innocence, a few familiar fairy tale faces, and a dose of magic.  Disney’s popular animated adaptation possesses some similarities to this captivating tale, but Boston Ballet delivers more to the story.  You may even find yourself humming along to the instrumental refrain of the iconic number, Once Upon a Dream.

At the center of The Sleeping Beauty is Ji Young Chae who is radiant as delightful and charming Princess Aurora. A triumph of delicate yet athletic grace, her poised and lithe body masters a few of ballet’s most difficult dance moves with impeccable balance including an array of arabesques that garnered particular applause. Seokjoo Kim, Francisco Schilereff, Tyson Ali Clark and Lawrence Rines Munro as prince suitors are enraptured by Chae’s playfulness, charisma, and charm. Chae as Aurora accepts their roses with a flourish.

Ji Young Chae in Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty, photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet

Based on Russia’s Imperial Ballet’s 1890 production, The Sleeping Beauty remains a visual treat, boasting ornate costumes in a wide array of intricate patterns with picturesque and multi-dimensional set design by David Walker richly illuminated by Brandon Stirling Baker.  From ornate, lush and colorful rural backdrops in gold, red, and green to the enchanting Renaissance era costumes, each scene is a wonder to behold.  Wearing glimmering tiaras and dressed in sparkling pink, green, yellow, and blue, the gracious fairies made up of Lauren Herfindahl, Alexandria Heath, Kyra Muttilainen, Emily Aston, and Evelina Godunova floated, frolicked, and twirled, each displaying their own unique personalities. Muttilainen as the whimsical and tip toeing Woodland Glade Fairy and Godunova performing a joyful, skittering and humorous dance as energetic Golden Vine Fairy were particular highlights.

Chisako Oga in Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty, photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet

With a cruel and mocking laugh arriving in a dark, glimmering carriage was Haley Schwan as treacherous Carabosse.  Accompanied by a group of monstrous henchmen performed by Ethan Collins, James Cunningham, Alexander Mockrish, and Clay Murray, Schwan displays vindictiveness as an insulted fairy in a mesmerizing array of sharp and rigid movements.

Chyrstyn Fentroy in Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty, photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet

Tchaikovsky’s uplifting score hits a crescendo as Emma Topalova appears as the serene and captivating Lilac Fairy.  In this adaptation, The Lilac Fairy acts as a guide, her warm presence, quick thinking and commanding courage setting her apart.  Her charismatic and skillful performance was most evident among her lively lilac fairy attendants in a glorious display of fouettes, plies, and pirouettes.  Topalova was also endearing in a compelling scene with Jeffrey Cirio as Prince Desire.  Cirio has a regal and noble air, gallantly leaping with joy at Aurora’s image.  Ji Young Chae as Aurora and Jeffrey Cirio as Prince Desire exhibit many tender and playful moments and perfectly complement each other in a fancifully-driven dance including extraordinary fish dives, swept up in love.

Ji Young Chae and Jeffrey Cirio in Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty, photo by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet

The Sleeping Beauty delivers many magnificent performances within this large cast taking on multiple roles.  From a wild and thrilling duet from Layla Porter as Little Red Riding Hood and Lawrence Rines Munroe as the Wolf to humorous feline flirtation from Emily Aston as The White Cat and Spencer Wetherington as Puss ‘N Boots, many beloved fairy tale characters were presented in a joyous celebration.

Chisako Oga and Derek Dunn in Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty by Liza Voll, courtesy of Boston Ballet

With two intermissions, The Boston Ballet offers a photo friendly display located in the lower lobby. The Boston Ballet closes its season with  The Sleeping Beauty for a limited run by popular demand through Sunday, June 7 live and in person at the Citizens Opera House in Boston, Massachusetts.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW:  Boston Ballet’s exhilarating ‘Winter Experience’ glows in anticipation

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Especially amid winter’s bitter isolation and bleakness, one cannot help but anticipate the crackle and rising glow of  spring. Through these two bold works, Boston Ballet shows how to appreciate the wonder of winter and glow in spring’s glorious awakening.

Boston Ballet’s Winter Experience continues live and in person at Citizens Bank Opera House in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, March 15.  The production is one hour and 50 minutes with one intermission.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

Boston Ballet’s ‘Le Sacre Du Printemps’ Photos by Liza Voll
Dancers: Ji Young Chae, Viktorina Kapitonova, Lia Cirio, Seo Hye Han, WanTing Zhao, Haley Schwan, Chisako Oga, Chyrstyn Mariah Fentroy

With a wealth of expectation and powerful expression, Boston Ballet’s wondrous Winter Experience features a visceral pair of complementary works infusing innovative ballet which envisions the intensity of the season as well as the increasing promise of spring in Jorma Elo’s bold classic Le Sacre Du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) and Crystal Pite’s contemporary favorite, The Seasons’ Canon. 

Boston Ballet’s ‘The Seasons’ Canon’ Photos by Liza Voll
Dancers: Schuyler Wijsen, Daniel R. Durrett, Henry Griffin, Jeffrey Cirio, WanTing Zhao, Tyson Ali Clark, Lia Cirio, Lasha Khozashvili, Viktorina Kapitonova, Haley Schwan

 Boasting Jorma’s Elo’s sharp and versatile choreography, Le Sacre Du Printemps depicts rich beauty as dancers shift and sway to Stravinsky’s commanding score that ebbs and flows from tender to thunderous.  With incredible choreography by Crystal Pite and exhilarating music by Max Richter, The Seasons’ Canon finale remains one of the most amazing pieces that I have ever witnessed from the Boston Ballet.

Boston Ballet’s ‘Le Sacre Du Printemps’ Photos by Liza Voll
Dancers: Schuyler Wijsen, Daniel R. Durrett, Henry Griffin, Jeffrey Cirio, WanTing Zhao, Tyson Ali Clark, Lia Cirio, Lasha Khozashvili, Viktorina Kapitonova, Haley Schwan

Stravinsky’s Le Sacre Du Printemps is a striking exploration of a ritual dance believed to usher in the spring season.  Adorned in Charles Heightchew’s vibrant sequined burgundy costumes as a band of brimming color rises amid a black layered latticed backdrop, dancers slice the air, trot, tick and lunge in pas de deux and in groups delivering unruly yet synchronized grace in their athletic, sharp and intimate steps. 

Boston Ballet’s ‘Le Sacre Du Printemps’ Photos by Liza Voll
Dancers: Schuyler Wijsen, Daniel R. Durrett, Henry Griffin, Jeffrey Cirio, WanTing Zhao, Tyson Ali Clark, Lia Cirio, Lasha Khozashvili, Viktorina Kapitonova, Haley Schwan

Stravinsky’s powerful drum and horn-infused rhythms ebb and flow from soft and mischievous to urgent and rebellious which reflect in the dancers as they intricately link and divide and in Brandon Stirling Baker’s symbolic and transformative lighting.  Pairs form daring and unique patterns as well as mirror each other as Stravinsky’s wielding drive animates dancers from rigid and mechanical to surprising to occasionally humorous within its more spontaneous moments to haunting as the dance intensifies.

Boston Ballet’s ‘Le Sacre Du Printemps’ Photos by Liza Voll
Dancers: Schuyler Wijsen, Daniel R. Durrett, Henry Griffin, Jeffrey Cirio, WanTing Zhao, Tyson Ali Clark, Lia Cirio, Lasha Khozashvili, Viktorina Kapitonova, Haley Schwan

Under a gleaming, crackling and morphing gold light by Jay Gower Taylor and Tom Visser, the Boston Ballet unveils a vision like none other with The Seasons’ Canon.  Crystal Pite’s intricate and meticulously detailed chorography to Max Richter’s version of Vivaldi’s mesmerizing The Four Seasons makes The Seasons’ Canon a superlative experience.  An incredible vision in every sense of the word, The Seasons’ Canon is innovative and unique as dancers pulse, sway, and tumble with intricate fluidity and precision while methodically spilling onto the stage. Moving like one sinewy organism as if waking from hibernation and molding into magnificent shapes, the sheer exactitude and congruent nature of these movements cannot be overstated.  An exciting, uplifting and commanding piece with bursts of energy as the landscape transforms into shades of silver, orange, and gold, is exquisite in every season.   It is a haunting and brilliant performance sure to stay with you long after the piece has ended.

Boston Ballet’s ‘The Seasons’ Canon’ Photos by Rosalie O’Connor and Brooke Trisolini
Dancers: Sangmin Lee, Chisako Oga, Ji Young Chae, Jeffrey Cirio, Daniel Rubin, Sage Humphries

Boston Ballet’s Winter Experience continues live and in person at Citizens Bank Opera House in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, March 15.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

Sleepless Critic’s Top Ten Performances 2025

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Of the performances the Sleepless Critic has reviewed, here are the Top Ten favorite Performances:

The National Touring Company of PARADE, photo by Joan Marcus
Members of the Passengers company in performance. Credit: Grace Gershenfeld
David Castillo as Kenneth in SpeakEasy Stage’s ‘Primary Trust’ Photo by Benjamin Rose Photography
Jade A Guerra and Patrice Jean-Baptiste in Central Square and Front Porch Arts ‘s Collective ‘Her Portmanteau’ Photo by Maggie Hall Photography

REVIEW:  Innovatively illustrating rage and star crossed love, Boston Ballet closes its season with Jean-Christophe Maillot’s moving ‘Roméo et Juliette’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Rage, passion, confrontation, betrayal, longing, death and young love are just a few of the compelling elements of this classic Shakespearean love story that has fascinated generations.

Having made its world premiere almost 30 years ago and set in Verona, The Boston Ballet evokes playfulness, blossoming love, visceral rage and shattering tragedy into Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette step by step while delivering new insight to this star-crossed tale. 

Sangmin Lee and Seo Hye Han in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette Photos by Gabriel Lorena

With captivating staging by Noelani Pantastico, evocatively choreographed by Jean-Christophe Maillot and embellished by Sergei Prokofiev’s lush, triumphant and striking rhythms, Boston Ballet concludes its current season with Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette live and in person at Citizens Opera House in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, June 8.  This powerful production runs 2 hours and 15 minutes including a 20-minute intermission.  It may be helpful to read the summary inside the program for deeper insight into this aesthetic tale.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

Cinematic elements in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s ‘Roméo et Juliette’ with conductor Mischa Santora and orchestra Photo by Rosalie O’Connor

Dominique Drillot infuses contemporary cinematic elements into this production through a translucent and multitasking hazy screen which unveils the production’s opening credits featuring a cast of characters alongside a white building symbolizing the Montague and Capulet Houses. Drillot’s meticulous lighting ranges from isolated streams to haunting fragments in foreboding and suspenseful tones. 

Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette is brought to life with pristine white sliding backdrops and a transforming corridor by scenic and costume designer Ernest Pignon-Ernest makes way for the bold, flowing and Italian Renaissance-inspired costumes in velvets, silks, gold lame and sophisticated masks with a contemporary edge.   

Sangmin Lee, Seo Hye Han Patrick Yocum and cast in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette Photo by Gabriel Lorena

This well paced production runs the gamut of emotions right from the start immediately illustrating both conflict and love in every form including naïve, unscathed, willful, endless and true love delivered by Seo Hye Han as Juliette and Sangmin Lee as Roméo .  Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette focuses on two clans at war between the Capulets and the Montagues.  When Sangmin Lee as Roméo Montague sets his eyes on Seo Hye Han as Juliet Capulet, it is love at first sight.  Then things take an unforeseen turn.

Sangmin Lee and Seo Hye Han in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette Photo by Gabriel Lorena

Having seen Shakespeare done in various capacities, this ballet interpretation of this dramatic tale is raw, playful and at times spellbinding.  One does not have to be a Shakespeare fan or know Shakespeare to comprehend this production’s nuanced interpretation.  It depicts playful camaraderie within the Montague clan through improvisation and sweeping movements as well as the turmoil, tension, and sheer rage between houses through fight choreography led by Capulet leader Lasha Khozashvili as threatening and tempestuous Tybalt.  Khozashvili is an imposing, mocking and antagonizing figure whose charisma will immediately draw you in much to the dismay of Patrick Yocum in a larger role as Friar Laurence.  Huddled in a corner or slicing the air in angular and fluttering movements and faltering gestures, Friar empathetically feels the anguish and stinging torment of adolescence and uncontrolled emotions grappling with two acolytes portrayed by forceful bookends Gearóid Solan and Sam Stampleman as well as the violence just beyond his reach brewing between these two houses.

Patrick Yocum and Seo Hye Han in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette Photo by Gabriel Lorena

Classic and contemporary dance blend together at times delivered in freeze frame and slow motion during celebration and tense moments.  The women are strong, confident and glamorous and the men are often instigators when they are not at play. The production boasts some warm and comical moments and an underlying flirtatious tone through teasing and seemingly improvisational gestures. 

The Masked Ball in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette Photo by Gabriel Lorena

Viktorina Kapitonova grandiosely depicts Juliette’s life of the party mom Lady Capulet, but Lady Capulet is much more than she seems in a memorably harrowing scene taking place later in the production.   Daniel R. Durrett is another standout as Mercutio.  Durrett is teasing and playful with dark undertones as Roméo’s best friend and shares some mischievousness with Ángel García Molinero as handsome and earnest Benvolio.  

Viktorina Kapitonova as Lady Capulet in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette Photo by Gabriel Lorena

The playful intimacy between Han and Lee blossoms and intensifies as the production progresses.  Passionate Roméo and virtuous Juliette not only share some amorous love scenes, but genuine humor in their mutual admiration.  The way they intertwine and their mirrored movements shift as one, reflecting their delightful chemistry. The pas de deux during the innovative and iconic balcony scene is joyful and resplendent as they tumble and frolic.  When Roméo takes his hand away and Juliette takes it back, it is teasing but also illustrates an irresistible force bringing them together. 

Alexis Workowski and Seo Hye Han in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette Photo by Gabriel Lorena

In layered garments, Alexis Workowski gives a compassionate performance as Nurse who shares such a lovely and impish rapport with Seo Hye Han’s Juliette.  Workowski is protective and more maternal than Juliette’s own mother and it is moving to witness her unwavering belief in Roméo and Juliette’s love despite their names and backgrounds.  It is a belief that could prevent a lot of suffering onstage and off.

Seo Hye Han in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette Photo by Gabriel Lorena

Featuring a spirited and charismatic cast, parting is such sweet sorrow as Boston Ballet presents Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette in three acts live and in person through Sunday, June 8 at Citizens Opera House in Boston, Massachusetts.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW:  ‘Riverdance’s 30th Anniversary:  The New Generation’ combines mesmerizing visuals and fancy footwork to a show stopping rhythm

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

‘Tall and straight my mother taught me.  This is how we dance.’

Flourishing Celtic landscapes, glimmering international city sidewalks, star studded cosmic atmospheres, and mystical seaside sunsets as well as a journey frolicking through roaring fire, threatening lightening, and changing seasons are just a few of the spectacular settings that unfold through driving rhythms while integrating other forms of captivating dance along the way.  Accompanied by a partial onstage orchestra, Riverdance is as innovate and imaginative as ever marking three decades of sparkling toe tapping zeal and ethereal vocals with memorably dramatic flair.

The cast of Riverdance

Audaciously directed by John McColgan and composed by Bill Whelan,   Riverdance 30th Anniversary: The New Generation was live and in person at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, April 13, but continues on its national tour all over the country.  The show is approximately two hours including one intermission.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

Riverdance, Fergus Fitzpatrick

Whether battling the elements or showing off their skillful steps, Fergus Kirkpatrick and Olivia Nachtigal are among the leads in this enthusiastic and daring dance troupe as drummer Mark Alfred, fiddler Haley Richardson, saxophonist Emma McPhilemy, and Cathal Croke on Uilleann Pipes with Michael O’Gorman’s immersive sound design combine to deliver a mix of modern and traditional Irish works through Ireland and beyond. 

Riverdance, Dervish

Whether performing solo or playfully challenging other band members and the dancers, these harmonious instrumentalists set the varying tone from serene ballads to rhythmic beats.  Richly narrated with Celtic history and poetry as angelic vocals lift, Riverdance has a unique way of building excitement through razor sharp Ceili formations and urgent melodies.  Adorned regally in silvery tiaras, detailed velvet flowing dresses, tailored shirts vests and tights by Joan Bergin, the dancers exude confidence exacted in heads held high and the militant precision of their movements gathering in rows, circles and two hand reels. 

Riverdance Countess Cathleen with lead dancer Maggie Darlington

In Firedance, Rosio Dusmet commands the stage swirling in a shimmering red gown as fire surrounds her and the flames progressively turn blue to a driving beat.  Adventurous, freeing and empowering, Dusmet’s amazing performance is equal parts grace, athleticism, and charisma flowing through the scene.

Alan Farquharson’s fantastical and compelling set design with innovative motion graphics by Cosmo AV and Andrew Voller’s stellar lighting in scrupulous perfection enhance tappers Darmesh Patel and Kenji Igus who perform to rollicking rhythms in street clothes with Fergus Kirkpatrick showing off their skills under the bright city lights.  In Trading Taps, they all demonstrate fantastic footwork with charm and exuberance to rousing applause and stands as a particular highlight of this production.

Riverdance, Amy Mae Dolan and Will Bryant

Through a variety of dynamic rhythms, Riverdance’s 30th Anniversary: The New Generation is a whimsical, thrilling and visually splendid journey steeped in Celtic charm while integrating other forms of dance that keeps it refreshing and imaginative.  Having seen it for the first time and watching it with someone who has witnessed it since Riverdance began, it remains a joyous and impressive experience for the whole family.

The cast of Riverdance

Riverdance 30th Anniversary: The New Generation was live and in person at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, April 13, but continues on its national tour all over the country.  The show is approximately two hours including one intermission.  Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: Boston Ballet’s ‘Swan Lake’ returns as magnificent as ever

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Swan Lake has stood the test of time for generations and it is no mystery why.  Steeped in regal splendor, Swan Lake is a visually-stunning portrait of elegance and grandiosity similar to another one of Tchaikovsky’s classics, The Nutcracker. Both known for their iconic scores, mystical elements, and magnificent presentation, but Swan Lake’s sophisticated splendor, dark charm, intricate choreography and mirror image story of true love sets it apart from the rest.  Like The Nutcracker, Swan Lake has a universal appeal and memorable qualities that even those who don’t care for ballet will still enjoy Swan Lake.

Viktorina Kapitonova and Lasha Khozashvili in Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake; photo by Rosalie O’Connor, courtesy of Boston Ballet

With seamless music direction by Mischa Santora, Tchaikovsky’s magnificent score navigates a classic tale of love, torment, betrayal, magic, and unbridled joy as Boston Ballet continues Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake continuing live and in person at the Citizens Bank Opera House in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, March 16.   This four-act performance is two hours and 35 minutes, including one 20 minute intermission.  Tickets are going fast.  Click here for more information and tickets.

Von Rothbart in Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake; Photo courtesy of Boston Ballet

Taking a mysterious and thrilling tone from the start, Swan Lake is a fanciful tale involving sought-after noble Prince Siegfried, portrayed with zest and charm by Patrick Yocum, who sets his sights on a flock of swans drifting over a misty and enchanted lake.  Swan Queen Odette, portrayed with sorrowful fragility by Chyrstyn Fentoy, catches his eye and it is love at first sight.  It soon becomes clear that the swans were once women cursed by cunning sorcerer Von Rothbart, depicted menacingly by Lasha Khozashvili.  Khozashvili is mesmerizing as Rothbart as he athletically and perilously tears through the mist as Prince Siegfried vows to set Odette free.

Pas de Trois in The Castle Gardens in Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake; Photo courtesy of Boston Ballet

Elaborate headpieces, rich furs, flowing and glittering pastel garments, parasols, colorful garlands, exquisitely feathered tutus, plumes and pristine crowns are just a glimpse into Robert Perdziola’s opulent and meticulously-detailed, handmade costumes that enrich the lush and picturesque royal garden setting as well as the haunting mirror image and mystical lake bathed in luminous blue moonlight and an orange crescent moon by lighting designer Mark Stanley.  Seághan McKay’s evocative and timely projection images embellish the show’s pivotal moments.

Swans rising in Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake; Photo courtesy of Boston Ballet

Marked by intricate precision, Mikko Nissinen’s choreography is ballet at its finest.   Kyra Muttilainen and Haley Schwan are visually-stunning rising gracefully out of the mist.  A gathering of cygnets demonstrate perfect synchronicity as they glide in lithe and identical strokes.  The swans are ethereal and immaculate as they simultaneously rise exquisitely out of a swallowing mist.  It still stands as one of the beautiful displays of ballet I have ever seen.

Perfect precision in Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake; Photo courtesy of Boston Ballet

In the castle gardens, dancers whimsically gather together in a feast dance toasting with goblets and joyfully present the prince with rich garlands.  My’Kal Stromile is a highlight as Seigfried’s Tutor, marking this joyous occasion with amicable exchanges with Prince Seigfried and amusing moments including stirring after falling asleep during the festivities. While the castle garden illustrates a rural, picturesque and almost dreamlike setting, an equally opulent crystal ballroom with vast ceilings lit in red later depict a livelier surroundings as trumpets sound and a grand and dynamic lineup of guests gather to charm the kingdom including princesses, Czardas, and Neapolitans.

Prince Seigfried and Odile in Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake; Photo courtesy of Boston Ballet

Patrick Yocum shines as Prince Siegfried evoking loneliness and melancholy in an emotive and carefully-executed variation and then later in a flawless and joyful dance.  Light and dark in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is demonstrated brilliantly by Fentroy in a complex dual role.  Fentroy glides and seems to float delicately across the stage as guarded Odette, her vigilant moments, statuesque beauty and downcast demeanor enrich her mysterious and chaste presence.  Tingling violin resonates in Tchaikovsky’s emotive score as Fentroy and Yocum share a hesitant and sweet encounter.  He tenderly lifts and embraces her at every turn.  With sharp and bold movements, Fentroy also masters her dual role as mysterious and confident Odile, cleverly manipulating Odette’s movements with a soft smile.  At one point, Yocum’s Prince Seigfried attempts to grasps her hand as he did with Odette, but Odile coyly pulls her hand away.  Enthralled, Yocum takes her hand playfully and yet, almost possessively in an exhilarating dance.    

Viktorina Kapitonova and Lasha Khozashvili in Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake; Photo by Rosalie O’Connor, courtesy of Boston Ballet

Swan Lake remains a mesmerizing and beloved tale of tender grace and passion that, like The Nutcracker, it has been adapted in various forms for stage and screen over the years including Darren Aronofsky’s 2010 Academy award-winning Black Swan.  Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake is a dance celebration amid resplendent visuals and boasting a riveting classic tale for an epic and unforgettable experience.

Mikko Nissenen’s Swan Lake continues live and in person at the Citizens Bank Opera House in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, March 16.  Tickets are going fast. Click here for more information and tickets.

REVIEW:   The Mark Morris Dance Group, presented by Global Arts Live, displayed a mostly fetching ‘Look of Love’

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

You may be familiar with far more Burt Bacharach songs than you realize. 

That was certainly my experience watching The Mark Morris Dance Group’s pre-Valentine’s Day and retro- inspired music dedication to Burt Bacharach, The Look of Love.

Named after Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s Academy Award-nominated song for the 1967 James Bond film, Casino Royale originally sung by Dusty Springfield, Global Arts Live presented The Mark Morris Dance Group’s The Look of Love for a limited engagement from January 23 to 25 at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts.  Click here for more information, here for more on Global Arts Live and here for Mark Morris Dance Group’s next tour destination.

The Look of Love Jacobs Pillow 2023 Christopher Duggan

Burt Bacharach was an Oscar, Golden Globe, Grammy, and Emmy-winning composer and songwriter boasting an array of hits including songs from various movie soundtracks such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Arthur, Alfie, Promises Promises,  My Best Friend’s Wedding, and interestingly enough, the strangely comical and catchy novelty tune to B horror flick, The Blob.

His songs are so memorable that they slip into contemporary culture in amazing ways as he continued releasing new songs into 2020.  Who could forget the iconic, comedic and uplifting moment in My Best Friend’s Wedding when Rupert Everett started crooning I Say a Little Prayer before the whole table started singing along or when Kristen Wiig awkwardly started singing That’s What Friends are For at her best friend’s engagement party in Bridesmaids?

The Look Of Love Santa Monica 2022 Skye Schmidt

Burt Bacharach passed away in February 2023 so it was more than fitting to perform this dedication at the almost two-year anniversary of his passing.  Kicking off with the Grammy award-winning and what Bacharach said was his favorite composition Alfie, The Mark Morris Dance Group embarks on a vivid journey in song and dance through an array of Bacharach’s popular hits.

The Look Of Love Santa Monica 2022 Skye Schmidt

Blaire Reinhard and Clinton Curtis create mellifluous harmony from the orchestra pit as dancers inhabit the stage for What the World Needs Now amid Nicole Pearce’s multicolored lighting which is at times luminous against Isaac Mizrahi’s multicolored assortment of flowing costumes  and other times, overwhelming which can be a suitable description of love itself, striking a barrage of color before coming into luminous focus.  The dancers are what coming into focus as brightly colored metal chairs and matching pillows complete this minimal set.

Bacharach has an array of peppy and sophisticated songs such as Do You Know the Way to San Jose, but Reinhard and Perry are at their best articulating heartache.  Reinhard has an amazing belt and throws herself into Don’t Make Me Over and delivers charged vocals for Walk on By as dancers stride in rows concluding on a poignant moment of a woman looking on in the distance.  Her expressive vocals for Are You There (With Another Girl) and Anyone Who Had a Heart in bold red lighting emphasize the pain of lost love, rejection and heartache while Curtis’s smooth vocals rise for The Look of Love in a dizzying display as dancers drift and sway in a green and purple backdrop punctuated by a tender embrace.

The Look Of Love Santa Monica 2022 Skye Schmidt

Ethan Iverson’s unique music arrangements deliver a fresh and exciting use of Bacharach’s work exemplified in the tapping and gradually athletic and urgent pace as light flashes overhead for  Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head. 

This performance boasts mini situational love scenes depicted in Mark Morris’s storytelling choreography which includes a lip syncing karaoke singer for Message to Michael and other times dancer spin, leaping and soar at times quite literally depicting the lyrics in spreading wings or miming making a call.

The foreboding, kooky and funky vibe for The Blob reveals shadows of dancers possessed by a catchy beat.  It is oddly comical in its red hued essence with the group in on the camp not to be taken too seriously.

UCSB Arts & Lectures – Mark Morris Dance Group “The Look of Love” 5/6/23 The Granada Theatre

The full company unites on a high note for I Say a Little Prayer with a joyful, fluttering, and sweet display amid a vibrant purple backdrop and a warm embrace much like the show began with a message of love, hope and support amid life’s suffering and struggles.

Though at times it can be visually overwhelming, The Mark Morris Dance Group provides an uplifting tribute to the genius that is Burt Bacharach and why his universal appeal and lasting impact will be celebrated for many generations to come. 

Global Arts Live presented The Mark Morris Dance Group’s The Look of Love for a limited engagement from January 23 to 25 at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts.  Click here for more information, here for more on Global Arts Live and here for Mark Morris Dance Group’s next tour destination.

REVIEW:  From smooth to spirited, Malpaso Dance Company, presented by Celebrity Series of Boston, lights up a rhythmic nation

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Malpaso Dance Company brings vibrancy to a crescendo saving the best for last.

Artistically directed by Osnel Delgado and co-founded by Delgado and Fernando Sáez, Malpaso Dance Company delivers a multi-faceted performance in three distinct pieces infusing jazz and a variety of international rhythms to create an upbeat, smooth, comical, and lively look at the many international cultures infused into Cuban dance. 

Celebrity Series of Boston presented Malpaso Dance Company for three exclusive performances during one weekend only from January 17 to 18 live and in person at Emerson Paramount Center in Boston Massachusetts and is currently on tour.  This energetic and layered production ran approximately 90 minutes with one intermission.  Click here for more information, here for more on Celebrity Series of Boston’s upcoming events and here to find out where is Malpaso Dance Company’s next tour destination.

Malpaso Dance Company’s Osnel Delgado, Esteban Aguilar, Esven Gonzalez in Ephrat Asherie’s Flor…y Ando. PHOTO by Robert Torres

Simply staged and fueled by Manuel Da Silva’s moody haze and filtered spotlight, the production kicks off to a smooth start with Ephrat Asherie’s dynamic choreography featuring dance trio Esteban Aguilar, Osnel Delgado, and Esven González in street clothes and sneakers as they interconnect nimbly to Aldo López Gavilán ‘s piano-infused and ballet-inspired jazz rhythms. Floor..y Ando is a fresh, brief and low key piece offering a building transition with the pieces that follow which gradually transcends into rollicking, drumming, and pulsing rhythms.

Malpaso Dance Company in Ronald K. Brown’s Why You Follow PHOTO by Robert Torres

Exploring a wide spectrum of cultures, Why You Follow is a long form dance by Ronald K. Brown that delves into upbeat, rolling and mellifluous rhythms from subtle to joyous.  Clifton Taylor’s warm and multi-colored lighting featuring red embellished tones boasts an inviting quality with each step.   Featuring a black backdrop and street clothes embossed by a red flourish, the full company joins together for a combination of freestyle, in sync, and competing moves clapping, sliding, leaping and spinning in bare feet to an array of memorable and catchy rhythms that span from music artists Zap Mama to The Heavy Quarterz.  Breaking off into different groups, these infectious and groovy rhythms make a statement while bringing a brighter spring into each well crafted step by Esteban Aguilar, Daileidys Carrazana, Osnel Delgado, Dayron Dominguez, Esven González, Liz Marian Lorenzo, Laura Rodríguez, Iliana Solis, Jennifer Suárez Ramos, Carlos Valladares, and Greta Yero.

Malpaso Dance Company members Carlos Valladares, Laura Rodriguez, Esven Gonzalez in Osnel Delgado’s A Dancing Island. PHOTO by Robert Torres

Each individual piece builds in mood and intensity and A Dancing Island serves as a grand finale with a bolder, playful, energetic and theatrical performance steeped in horn-infused rhythms and island sounds.  Featuring a variety of warm, flirtatious and subtle comedic moments, A Dancing Island rides a string of lighthearted emotion demonstrated in trembling knees as well as fluttering, winding, and galloping dance moves.  Featuring the full cast, this grand finale mixes the traditional with the contemporary in a string of sporadic humor, tender moments, Osnel Delgado’s tight choreography and playful intonations.  Manuel Da Silva’s animated lighting design sparks to the rhythm while transforming into luminous blues, pinks, and reds.  Featuring high socks, suspenders, and flowing skirts included in Guido Gali’s vibrant costume design, A Dancing Island delivers breezy charm in traditional Cuban dances to piano and horn-infused rhythms which includes spoken word and silent dance.

Malpaso Dance Company members Esven Gonzalez, Daile Carrazana in Osnel Delgado’s A Dancing Island. PHOTO by Robert Torres

From subtle to catchy to exuberant, Malpaso Dance Company can have moments of repetition, but more often delivers uplifting charm and athletic precision  to vivid and compelling cultural rhythms.

Malpaso Dance Company member l-r Iliana Solis, Liz Marian Rodriguez, Laura Rodriguez, Dayron Dominguez and Daile Carrazana in Osnel Delgado’s A Dancing Island. PHOTO by Robert Torres

Celebrity Series of Boston presented Malpaso Dance Company for three exclusive performances during one weekend only from January 17 to 18 live and in person at Emerson Paramount Center in Boston Massachusetts.  Click here for more information, here for more on Celebrity Series of Boston’s upcoming events and here to find out where is Malpaso Dance Company’s next tour destination.

REVIEW:  Fueled by intricate and electrifying dance rhythms, American Repertory Theater’s ‘Diary of a Tap Dancer’ an inspiring and remarkable journey

Posted on by The Sleepless Critic

Ayodele Casel has so much to say and masters the best way to say it as a dancer once advised her, “You have all the vocabulary.  You just need to speak.”

Ayodele Casel (creator, choreographer, performer) in performance for A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Diary of a Tap Dancer. Photo by Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall

An immediately engaging bilingual tribute to tap dance and much more written and choreographed by acclaimed dance dynamo Ayodele Casel and directed with gusto by Torya Beard, American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) continues the world premiere of Diary of a Tap Dancer live and in person at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts through Saturday, January 4.  The production runs two hours and 30 minutes including one intermission.   Click here for more information and for tickets.

Ayodele Casel (creator, choreographer, performer) dances in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Diary of a Tap Dancer Photo by Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall

Contemplating who tap belongs to, Diary of a Tap Dancer is a genuine, deeply personal and revealing story as Ayodele Casel, a woman of color, explores different eras of her life in two worlds and infusing it into her artistry.  Set to symbolic and pulsing dance rhythms, Ayodele shares her story while recognizing other trailblazing dance and tap masters in an emotionally charged journey taking her from the Bronx to Puerto Rico and more.  Born in 1975, it makes a powerful and profound statement through her art which includes determination, gumption, and persistence rising from her challenging upbringing to wonders unknown while making unexpected discoveries about herself along the way.  

The cast dances in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Diary of a Tap Dancer Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall

Casel is charismatic, inviting and natural as she searches for her destiny, culture, identity and acceptance sharing her reflections, insecurities, rage, disappointment, pain, humor, and sheer joy for her art infused in each step.  Her snappy, exciting and sleek choreography commands the stage as she joins talents Naomi Funaki, Afra Hines, Quynn L. Johnson, Funmi Sofola, Liberty Styles, Annaliese Wilbur, and Ki’Leigh Williams in driving and exhilarating rhythms.  Each dancer also effectively steps into various roles as Casel makes connections in this fascinating narrative.

Liberty Styles (performer) and Ayodele Casel (creator, choreographer, performer) in production for A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Diary of a Tap Dancer. Photo by Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall

The star of this show is the dance illuminated with finesse by lighting director Brandon Stirling Baker in brilliant, gleaming and layered spotlight.  Camilla Dely’s partially vaudeville-inspired costumes cross the classic with the contemporary featuring bow ties, top hats, suspenders, colorful street wear and billowing skirts.

Ayodele Casel (creator, choreographer, performer) dances in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Diary of a Tap Dancer. Photo by Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall

Musically directed by Nick Wilders, an intimate onstage orchestra produces catchy rhythms composed of various instruments including Bomba drums by  Keisel Jiménez Leyva so infectious, I could not help but bop my head to the beat. 

Sharath Patel’s distinctive and energetic sound design combines nature and concrete jungle with honking horns, chirping crickets, and barking dogs that hold personal meaning of Casel’s upbringing in the city and Puerto Rico.  Projection designer Katherine Freer captivates with transforming scenic projections that span from glowing diary writings that include Easter eggs within the production to stunning island sunsets and starlight to water color skies to graffiti decorated brick city buildings to images of Casel’s inspirations on Tatiana Kahvegian’s meticulously positioned scenic design. 

Ayodele Casel (creator, choreographer, performer) in performance for A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Diary of a Tap Dancer. Photo by Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall

Not only does Casel ruminate on her life, but historically explores the lives of a wide spectrum of inspiring dancers from chorus girls to Ginger Rogers who dedicated numerous hours to their craft facing pain, obstacles, oppression, racism, injustice and competition along the way.  Casel’s immense love for the Golden Age of Hollywood to a wide range of music also inspires her incredible love for dance. 

The cast dances in A.R.T.’s world-premiere production of Diary of a Tap Dancer. Photo by Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall

Diary of a Tap Dancer takes a relatable look at the dreaming, time, over thinking, worry, endless hours, tenacity, gumption, persistence, sheer grit and determination to dedicate to what you love no matter what which are lessons that transcends tap, but to any ambition.

Make time to see American Repertory Theater’s world premiere of Diary of a Tap Dancer continuing live and in person at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts through Saturday, January 4.  The production runs two hours and 30 minutes including one intermission.   Click here for more information and for tickets.