BalletX Summer Series (1st review)

The BalletX formula: Compose seriously, dance joyfully

BalletX's summer program demonstrated just how accomplished this spunky company has become in a short time. Whether they're creating their own work or bringing in intriguing experimenters from around the world, the BalletXers rarely produce anything that isn't totally professional and excitingly new.

Janet Anderson

Jul 26, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

"Much Ado About Nothing' in Clark Park

Shakespeare 1, Mister Softee 0

Much Ado About Nothing triumphed over multiple distractions in its open-air West Philadelphia venue. But then, Shakespeare himself confronted similar challenges in the 16th Century.

Marshall A. Ledger

Jul 23, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

How today's orchestras succeed

Earth to Philadelphia Orchestra: It's the Internet, stupid

While the Philadelphia Orchestra struggles in bankruptcy, many major orchestras around the world are flourishing. These “21st-Century orchestras” have seized the marketing and PR possibilities of the Internet in imaginative ways that have so far eluded the timid Philadelphians.

Clarence Faulcon

Jul 19, 2011 · Articles · 5 minute read

'Of Elephants and Roses' at the Philosophical Society (2nd review)

French connection

This exhibit from the early 19th Century evokes a time when science was still a guessing game and nature's puzzling wonders were discovered almost daily.

Marilyn MacGregor

Jul 16, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

Cy Twombly's fresh vision of antiquity

He saw the mythic power of the past

Cy Twombly, the great contemporary master of line and space who died July 5, drew deeply on the ancient foundations of Western culture, yet his wide-ranging freedom represents a complete break with all precedents in handling Classical subjects.

Marilyn MacGregor

Jul 16, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

Diane Burko's photographs at Locks Gallery

Burko with a camera, not a brush

The landscape painter Diane Burko applies her skills with color and form to photography, with good reason: No painter could possibly reproduce the multitude of rich and subtle detail in these camera images.

Martha Ledger

Jul 16, 2011 · Articles · 5 minute read

Dolce Suono at Laurel Hill

High-level High Baroque

The Dolce Suono Trio manages a successful hop between 20th Century America and 18th Century Europe.

Tom Purdom

Jul 12, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

The genius of Raphael Xavier

One man's single unifying endeavor

Two autobiographical works by Raphael Xavier suggest a choreographer whose vision extends far beyond the necessarily narrow world of a dancer.

Jim Rutter

Jul 12, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

Lenape Chamber Ensemble's 25th anniversary concerts

The evolving Western mind, in three pieces

For its 25th anniversary concerts, the Lenape Chamber Ensemble offers a quick lesson in modern sensibility: The line from Haydn to Dvorak to Shostakovich defines the ascent of individuality, self-consciousness and inner conflict in Western thought.

Victor L. Schermer

Jul 12, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

"Gibraltar': James Joyce on stage

Bloom's turn in the spotlight

If you can't quite push yourself to read Ulysses, Patrick Fitzgerald's Gibraltar lets us savor James Joyce's many alliterations and flights of wordplay. And they wield extra impact when we hear them aloud.

Steve Cohen

Jul 12, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read