Live Arts Festival's "Sea of Birds'

Sebastienne Mundheim’s Sea of Birds is a remarkable collaboration of music, dance, puppetry, theater, video— and engineering, too.

Sea of Birds. Created and directed by Sebastienne Mundheim; score by James Sugg; choreographed by Kate Watson-Wallace. September 2, 2008 at Ice Box Projects Space, 1400 N. American St. www.livearts-fringe.org/2008/details.cfm?id=2882

Lesley Valdes

Sep 07, 2008 · Articles · 1 minute read

Nichole Canuso's "Wandering Alice'

Normally, I dislike performances that ask the audience to join in. With Wandering Alice, we never feel manipulated or imposed-upon. Rather, we feel liberated.

Wandering Alice. Written, directed and choreographed by Nichole Canuso with Suli Holum. Nichole Canuso Dance Company presentation through September 13, 2008 at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St. (215) 413-1318 or www.livearts-fringe.org

Steve Cohen

Sep 02, 2008 · Articles · 4 minute read

Headlong's "Hotel Pool' in New York

Thanks to Headlong Dance Theater’s New York revival of its 2004 aqua dream play, Hotel Pool, we now have an alternative vision for the Michael Phelps Beijing pool experience, as well as, perhaps, an awareness of how the potential for sensual and pleasurable experiences can be denied amid the demands of commerce and competition.

Hotel Pool. Headlong Dance Theater presentation through August 16, 2008 at Rector Square, New York. (215) 545-1995 or

Jonathan M. Stein

Aug 19, 2008 · Articles · 3 minute read

Ballet X: Female Choreographers

For its “All Female Choreographers Project,” Ballet X commissioned new works by three women. Unfortunately, as Ballet X’s co-director Christine Cox acknowledged during the post-performance talkback, good women choreographers (other than herself) are hard to find.

All Female Choreographers Project: Still Life, by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa; Numb Roads, by Christine Cox; Union, by Helen Pickett. Presented by Ballet X through July 27 at Th

Jim Rutter

Jul 26, 2008 · Articles · 7 minute read

The dancing orphans of Rwanda

The contemporary Philadelphia choreographer Rebecca Davis recently spent four weeks teaching dance steps to street orphans in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, a suffering land known mostly for its 1994 genocide. To her surprise, she discovered a passion for dance that transcends anything found among American teenagers. “These kids taught me that dance has the power to change lives even in the most difficult of circumstances,” she contends.

Rebecca Davis

Jul 20, 2008 · Articles · 6 minute read

"In Memory of the Deathtrap,' by Pink Hair Aff

Pink Hair Affair’s Deathtrap portrays nine women inhabiting a real crumbling house on Christian Street— a site reflecting the structure of emotional lives equally in need of repair.

In Memory of the Deathtrap. Directed by Anne MacGillivray Wilson. Presented June 28-29, 2008 at 2133 Christian St. by Pink Hair Affair. pinkhairaffair.com.

Jim Rutter

Jul 08, 2008 · Articles · 5 minute read

Kip Martin's "Namja Yoja' at UArts

Namja Yoja clearly lies in the dance theater tradition—just minus the dance. Choreographer Kip Martin needs to figure out how to integrate into his storylines the vivid choreography of which he’s capable.

Namja Yoja. Choreography by Kip Martin. June 13-14, 2008 at the UArts Dance Theatre at the Drake, 1512 Spruce St. (267) 269-5986 or www.dancewellness.com.

Jim Rutter

Jun 17, 2008 · Articles · 5 minute read

Pennsylvania Ballet's two premieres

Two world premieres by the Pennsylvania Ballet delivered disappointing dosages of choreographic showboating and ballet kitsch. Oh yes, and John Lithgow.

Pennsylvania Ballet presents two world premieres: Peter Quanz’s Jupiter Symphony and Neenan’s Penumbra and Pampeana No. 2. June 6-14, 2008 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 551-7000 or www.paballet.org.

Jim Rutter

Jun 15, 2008 · Articles · 6 minute read

Paul Taylor Dance at Annenberg

The choreographer Paul Taylor is close to 80 and still growing in dramatic and thematic power, as a recital of his past and present works demonstrated.

Paul Taylor Dance Company: Esplanade, Changes, Lines of Loss and other works. June 5-7, 2008 at Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 898-6701 or www.pennpresents.org

Jim Rutter

Jun 10, 2008 · Articles · 5 minute read

Searching for meaning in Meg Foley's "slip'

Choreographer Meg Foley insists that audiences can read whatever they want in her experimental work slip. I came away with several questions. But maybe that’s my problem, not hers.

Moving Research: slip. Choreography by Meg Foley. Through May 17, 2008 at Studio 34, 4522 Baltimore Ave. www.danceboxoffice.com.

Jaamil Olawale Kosoko

May 17, 2008 · Articles · 6 minute read