Claire Christine Spera

Their Stories: Spring 2022 Season at Ballet Austin

Claire Christine Spera
Ballet Austin’s spring season at the Long Center for the Performing Arts is composed of a mix of comedic, contemporary and canonical ballets that range from Artistic Director Stephen Mills’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (February 11-13), to Her Stories (April 1-3) with unique works by three female choreographers, to the traditional Swan Lake (May 6-8)....
AustinDance5 min read

Eclectic and Equal: W-I-P offers San Antonio movement artists critical feedback

Claire Christine Spera
Frustrated by the awkward process of giving and receiving critical artistic feedback, dance/theater legend and MacArthur Fellow Liz Lerman developed her own system in the early 1990s, her Critical Response Process — an approach based on the principle that the best possible outcome from a response session is for the maker to want to get back to work....
DanceSan Antonio6 min read

Altered Reality: Pilobolus brings Shadowland to Texas

Claire Christine Spera
Even if you’re never seen Pilobolus in concert before, you’re probably familiar with the acrobatic dance troupe’s work. After starring in a Ford commercial over a decade ago, in which the dancers’ silhouetted bodies became the car, the commercial opportunities kept coming: a high-flying performance at the 79th annual Academy Awards, appearances on Sesame Street, Oprah, Ellen, The Today Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and more....
Dance6 min read

The Dance of Work: Forklift Danceworks reflects on past projects and looks to the future

Claire Christine Spera
Convention is not a part of Allison Orr’s vocabulary. The Forklift Danceworks artistic director has carved out a particular niche in the site-specific performance world of Texas—one that draws attention to the people and systems that keep our communities ticking, often without thanks or notice. This is Orr’s specialty: bringing the invisible to the forefront....
AustinDanceEditor's Picks8 min read

Claire Christine Spera

Claire Christine Spera grew up dancing ballet, modern, and Spanish flamenco. A graduate of the arts journalism program at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, she has been a freelance dance and theater critic for the Austin American-Statesman and other publications since moving to the capital city in fall 2010.