Live performance and film come together for Barnstorm Dance Fest 2023
For a while, many dancers and choreographers had no other outlet: The pandemic shutdowns cut them off from live audiences, so they showcased their work to online viewers on video.
Dance
Segue to Season Five: Summer Doesn’t Slow for Marlana Doyle or Her Dance Companies
One bustling summer stands between Marlana Doyle and a milestone—the 5th season for Houston Contemporary Dance Company (HCDC) and the Institute of Contemporary Dance in Houston, two organizations she founded in 2019.
100 Years of Magic at Miller Outdoor Theatre
Houstonians have experienced the magic of Miller Outdoor Theatre for 100 years now. What is it about this place that tugs on the heart strings, and turns shared moments into lasting memories?
Discovering the Dallas Arts District
It’s the start of my whirlwind tour of the Dallas Arts District. Improbably, in all the years I have lived in Houston (23) and all the time I have been an arts writer in Texas (5), I had never been to Dallas. I am here now as a first time arts tourist, eager to absorb the wonders of a new place, open to every experience that might come my way.
A Narrative Signature: International Choreographer Cathy Marston Prioritizes Storytelling in her Interpretation of a Southern Classic
choreographer Cathy Marston has developed a unique narrative signature, prioritizing storytelling with the body as much as she can.
Dance of Death: South Africa’s Vuyani Dance Theatre explores grief during three-stop Texas debut
In 1995, South African novelist and playwright Zakes Mda wrote a book called Ways of Dying that features a character named Toloki, a professional mourner at township funerals in post-Apartheid South Africa.
Expanding the Classical Ballet Canon Part II: Alexa Capareda’s Maria and the Mouse Deer
PART TWO: Think about classical ballet’s signature repertoire—The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Cinderella. Each of these canonic story ballets is drawn from a European folk tale or story, and set to music by a European composer. Is it time to ask, “what other stories can ballets tell?”
Expanding the Classical Ballet Canon Part I: Nao Kusuzaki’s Genji at Asia Society Texas Center in partnership with Houston Ballet
Think about classical ballet’s signature repertoire—The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Cinderella. Each of these canonic story ballets is drawn from a European folk tale or story, and set to music by a European composer. Is it time to ask, “what other stories can ballets tell?”
Wonders of the Wetlands: University of Texas at El Paso Project Unleashes the Creativity of Students and Residents
The park in El Paso covers 372 acres running right up to the Rio Grande, and it gives many visitors a big surprise.
Wild Time: Fusebox 2023 Brings the Fun Factor
Now as spring blooms, we find Austin’s Fusebox, the state’s largest multidisciplinary arts festival, carrying the trend into 2023 with five days (April 12-16) filled with its usual innovative and experimental work, but also a particularly playful and fun lineup.
Fresh Beauty: Matthew Bourne spins a darkly beautiful world
A longed-for royal baby, a series of blessings and curses from a good-to-evil spectrum of fairies, a bit of a prick, a bead of blood then a century of sleep until a spell-breaking kiss brings the great awakening, happily ever after.
A Complete Vision: ISHIDA Dance Looks to the Future
In one of the biggest Texas dance stories of the year, ISHIDA Dance Company, a contemporary dance company co-located in Austin and Houston, has just made Dance Magazine’s 2023 “25 to Watch” list, one of the most coveted accolades in the dance industry.