Celebrity Series of Boston presents Caleb Teicher & Conrad Tao in ‘Counterpoint.’ At the Boston Arts Academy Theater, Feb. 7-8.
By Shelley A. Sackett
Counterpoint, the 75-minute collaboration between pianist and composer Conrad Tao and choreographer and dancer Caleb Teicher, is a magical journey that explores the interplays between two seemingly divergent art forms — tap and solo piano.
Read more “Tap and Piano Fuse Magically in the Unique ‘Counterpoint’”
“The Look of Love” by Mark Morris Dance Group. Choreographed by Mark Morris. Music by Burt Bachrach. Lyrics by Hal David. Music Direction by Colin Fowler. Presented by Arts Emerson, Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont Street, Boston, through January 26.
By Michele Markarian
Admittedly, I was not in the zippiest frame of mind when I entered the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre the other night – the climate, both in Massachusetts and the nation, was feeling chilly. We settled into Ethan Iverson’s thoughtful, regretful piano rendition of “Alfie,” after which the curtain parted, and the ten dancers entered, dressed in Isaac Mizrahi’s colorful unisex clothing – think Rowan and Martin’s “Laugh-In” with regards to the colors – and carrying pieces of the simple set while gamboling lightly to an upbeat rendition of “What the World Needs Now.” They were smiling. And just like that, my mood was lifted. And stayed that way throughout the rest of the hour-long performance, which was aided by live musicians and two wonderful vocalists, Blaire Reinhard and Clinton Curtis.
Read more ““The Look of Love” a Delightful Antidote to the Winter Blahs”
Celebrity Series of Boston presents Malpaso Dance Company. Executive Director and Co-Founder Fernando Sáez. Artistic Director and Co-Founder Osnal Delgado. At the Robert J. Orchard Stage, Paramount Center, January 17-18.
By Shelley A. Sackett
With good reason, Malpaso Dance Company is one of Cuba’s most sought-after dance companies. Since its inception in 2012, the company of 11 dancers has served as global ambassadors of Cuban culture, heritage and artistry.
Read more “Malpaso Dance Company Brings Its Hot Fusion of Cuban Dance, Music, and Spice to Boston’s Winter Wonderland”
Martha Graham Dance Company’ — Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston at Emerson Cutler Majestic. Run has ended.
By Shelley A. Sackett
The last time I saw a Martha Graham piece performed was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in October 2023, when I had the random good fortune to attend its exhibition, Art for the Millions: American Culture and Politics in the 1930s. As part of that exhibit, dancers from the Martha Graham Dance Company staged some of Graham’s most powerful ’30s solos in galleries throughout the museum.
Read more “100 Years Later, Martha Graham Remains the Gold Standard of Contemporary Dance”
“Grupo Corpo” Artistic Director – Paulo Pederneiras; Choreographer – Rodrigo Pederneiras; Presented by Celebrity Series at Boch Center Shubert Theatre. Run has ended.
By Shelley A. Sackett
Founded in 1975 by Paulo and Rodrigo Pederneiras, the Brazilian dance company Grupo Corpo (meaning “Body Group” in Portuguese) is renowned for its unparalleled blend of popular Brazilian culture, African rhythms, and classical technique.
At last Saturday night’s performance, the troupe treated its audience to a mesmerizing evening of ingenious choreography, tireless, virtuoso dancers, inventive lighting and stage design, and pulsating, tribal-tinged music by Bahian songwriter Gilberto Gil and the Brazilian jazz band, Metà Metà.
The concert was as thrilling, riveting and entertaining as it gets.
Read more “Exotic “Grupo Corpo” Troupe Combines Exceptional Dancing with Brazilian and African Rhythm for a Spectacular Evening of Excitement and Adventure”
by Linda Chin
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is presented by the Celebrity Series of Boston. Robert Battle, Artistic Director. At the Boch Center Wang Theatre, Boston, through May 7, 2023.
Whether it’s your first-time seeing Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (like my adult son), or the umpteenth (like my plus-two, Boston dance legend/educator-extraordinaire Adrienne T. Hawkins), or a dozen or so times like me, you will feel uplifted by the experience. Prepare to be astounded by the impeccably trained company members’ artistry and physicality, to be swept up in the emotions and energy that leaps off the stage. The carefully curated program we saw on opening night (the repertoire and dancers vary at each performance) blends music of a range of genres, new and old works (two world premieres and two pieces choreographed in the sixties), adding to its inter-generational appeal.
Read more “Alvin Ailey Will Rocka Your Soul “
Paul Taylor Dance Company – Artistic Director Michael Novak; Founding Artistic Director – Paul Taylor; Resident Choreography – Lauren Lovette; Lighting Designer – Jennifer Tipton; Costume Design – Donald Martiny; Costume Design – Mark Eric and Santo Loquasto. Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston at Boch Center — Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont St., Boston, through April 16.
By Shelley A. Sackett
Paul Taylor, whose imagination, emotional breadth and sheer physical ability helped shape and define the purely American art form known as modern dance, never fails to amaze and enchant. The thunderous opening night applause from the standing audience shows that, if anything, the company has only increased its seductive power over its Boston fans.
Read more “Sassy, Somber and Sensual — Paul Taylor Dance Company Covers All the Bases”
by Michele Markarian
“Sacre”. Created by Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa Ensemble. Directed by Yaron Lifschitz. Music by Philippe Bachman and Igor Stravinsky. Presented by the Celebrity Series of Boston, Boch Center Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont Street Boston, through February 11.
Watching “Sacre”, I couldn’t help but think of my first trip to India. The streets were crowded with activity – tuk tuks, people four or five deep on motorbikes, cars, regular bicycles. My colleague and I stood on one side of the road, jittery, panicking, eventually darting tensely across the street like rabbits on steroids. The people who lived there, though, had no such fear. They calmly and serenely crossed the street, as if they were working with the chaos and motion, and not against it. “Sacre” has a similar flow to it, a synergy between cast members of safety, trust, and belonging that’s only frightening if you’re on the outside looking in.
Read more “A Thrilling, Imaginative “Sacre” by CIRCA “
Next weekend (February 9-11) the Celebrity Series of Boston will present “Sacre”, a re-imagining of “The Rite of Spring” by Australian contemporary circus company Circa, at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre. Theater Mirror had an opportunity to speak with acting artistic director Benjamin Knapton, who directed “Sacre”, last week.
TM: Tell us about Circa and how they differ from other circus arts troupes?
BK: In the early 2000s, Yaron Lifschitz (artistic director and CEO of Circa) took over a troupe called Rock n Roll Circus, and that company was doing some real different circus in Brisbane, Australia at the time. Yaron has a theater background, and when he started working with the (troupe) he essentially stripped it back, taking away the fancy costumes and lighting and set design, and really started to focus on the acrobatic body and what it could do, as well as the personalities and the emotional capacity of the performance. Since then, we’ve brought back sets and lighting and we do children’s shows (“Wolfgang’s Magical Musical Circus”), but the heart of that intent is still focused on the acrobatics, the acrobatic body and who the are performers are as people. With ‘Sacre’ for instance, there’s nothing on stage, it’s an empty black space lit by this one light. And it really focuses in on these extraordinary 10 acrobats who are in the show.
Read more “Q & A with Benjamin Knapton of ‘Sacre’, ‘The Rite of Spring’ Performance Re-Imagined as Circus”
By Mike Hoban
‘Happy Hour’ – Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston and Monica Bill Barnes & Company, March 12-16, District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue in Boston’s Seaport. All performances at 6 p.m. with a Friday 8:30 PM show added to accommodate additional demand Tickets available at www.celebrityseries.org.
Celebrity Series of Boston will bring back Monica Bill Barnes & Company to Boston with their two-woman dance/comedy piece, Happy Hour, an immersive show that promises to “blend cringe-worthy humor with socially awkward empathy in an after-work get-together.” Part office party, part dance show, and part karaoke event, performers Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Bass, dressed in men’s suits, crash an office party playing two utterly feckless would-be alpha males who attempt to seduce their way through the office happy hour. The performance is preceded by a 30 minute pre-show warmup hosted by Robbie Saenz de Viteri, who serves as MC for the event. Happy Hour features a potpourri of American dance styles – jazz, theater dance, tap and a bit of ballet and modern for good measure – along with a massive dose of broad physical humor. Theater Mirror caught up with Barnes and Saenz de Viteri by phone as they prepared for the upcoming performance March 12-16 at District Hall in the Seaport.
Read more “Monica Bill Barnes & Company’s ‘Happy Hour’ Comes to Boston – Interview”