It was about five years ago that Jonah Inikori opened his own dance studio in Rochester, Darin Price started traveling the globe to learn more about Latin dance and music, and Kerri Vaughn started teaching salsa. These three are now at the core of the Latin dance scene in Rochester, and have dedicated themselves to […]
Dance
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DANCE: Garth Fagan Dance
On a recent afternoon, Garth Fagan Dance was rehearsing in their Chestnut Street studio, a loft-like space with sumptuous high ceilings, stained glass windows, and lots of light. Fagan presided from behind an old wooden desk, his dark eyes sparkling beneath a black-and-white-striped knit cap. A convivial quiet, accented by the occasional light laugh, filled […]
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DANCE: Raw, Real and Revealed”
Rochester City Ballet is growing, and artistic director and choreographer Jamey Leverett wants to ensure that audiences comprehend the scope of the company’s dancing. That’s the part of the impetus behind "Raw, Real and Revealed," a combination lecture/performance this weekend at NazarethArtsCenter. "Some people have a very distinct idea of what ballet is," Leverett says. […]
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Pilobolus Dance Theater
All the right moves Pilobolus combines dance, acrobatics, acting and more Part dance, part acrobatics, part physics, part theater — and all entertainment — Pilobolus Dance Theater is an icon of unconventionality even in the unconventional world of modern dance. Rochesterians will get their chance to see what all the fuss is about when the […]
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RCDC steps into the spotlight
Eight dancers fly across the studio, jumping and spinning with technical prowess in time to the speeding music. A man in full business attire accompanies his pedestrian movements with an ever-changing, politically charged vocal soundtrack. Changing the pace, a woman in flowing white gently glides about the empty stage, pausing to contemplate the one movement […]
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Thoroughbreds of the performing arts
Outside it was a cold, snowy Rochester night. But inside a quiet Chestnut Street building, the Garth Fagan Dance studio was warm and bustling. A week before the start of its Rochester season, the award-winning company was in the midst of an intense rehearsal schedule. As the dancers trickled in and out of the studio, […]
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Land of the sweets
A little girl watches her Christmas dreams come to life on a magical journey through a land of dancing toys and sweets. By now this is a familiar story for most: The Nutcracker is performed on stages across the world year after year. And this year the Rochester City Ballet and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra […]
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Go ahead, push me
At a recent practice for PUSH Physical Theatre, Tom Ohl and Topher Holt made handstand pushups look like routine jumping jacks. Gravity never weighs PUSH performers down; the five-person troupe relies on it to carve an imaginary world out of the air around them. “There should be a sense for the audience that the air […]
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Dance a new dance
Returning to Nazareth Arts Center November 30 through December 5, Garth Fagan Dance introduced new dancers and an already acclaimed new work and demonstrated again why they are Rochester’s only performing arts group to receive annual plaudits worldwide. I’m not sure that departed company icon Natalie Rogers or the superb Chris Morrison can be replaced, […]
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A topper and a last chance
Some holiday traditions reassuringly retain their values: in Rochester The Nutcracker remains a pleasure and an artistic highlight and keeps getting better. Artistic director Jamey Leverett reports that the 18-year-old Rochester City Ballet is dancing at its best to date, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra reportedly sounds splendid in its 82nd season, playing in the […]
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Dancing around the teapot
Hallmark Danceworks, a modern dance company in Rochester, has no permanent home. Moving from space to space, as far west as SUNY Brockport to central locations in downtown Rochester, Hallmark dancers rehearse wherever they can. Hallmark Danceworks includes Artistic Director Liz Hallmark and three other permanent members. When her choreography calls for it, Hallmark […]
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City Ballet surviving strong
Forget those disgusting “reality” shows: our impressive Survivor, Rochester City Ballet, completed its spring season continuing to dance splendidly. Artistic Director Jamey Leverett choreographed two new works: Gershwin in the Park and Pedestal: For Tim, both danced beautifully. Pedestal, a tribute to RCB founder Tim Draper, proved that Leverett has maintained Draper’s high standards. In […]
