Search results for: matthew neenan

On The Rise: Matthew Neenan

Matthew Neenan is decked out in the ballet finery of a 19th- century European prince, but something very contemporary and intercultural is going on. His stage is the concrete courtyard of a Philadelphia public school, and his court is a pick-up group of inner-city youth. While they teach Neenan to boogey “Philly style,” he teaches […]

A dancer costumed in bright yellow steps into a wide stance, legs crossed. Her arms are raised at the elbows, hair flying up as she begins to turn. In the foreground, a couple of dancers stride around her. Upstage are musicians.

A Sizzling Summer: The Shows to Catch as Festival Season Hits Its Stride

Summer festival season is underway, boasting a staggering number of must-see performances. Here are a handful of highlights, along with a pair of July premieres happening outside any festival umbrella. American Dance Festival DURHAM, NC  The modern dance festival’s 90th-anniversary season blazes on through July 22, with 32 performances featuring 13 festival commissions, 9 premieres, […]

BalletX is Taking All the Right Risks

In a sensual, troubled duet to the music of Amy Winehouse, dancers Chloe Perkes and Zachary Kapeluck channel the late singer’s fraught relationship with fame, performance and love. They embody the haunting gravity of her story—while wearing enormous pairs of bunny ears. On paper, Trey McInytre’s Big Ones sounds like it shouldn’t work. But risky […]

In Memoriam: Beloved Ballet Teacher Jacqueline Ann Cronsberg

Dance Magazine led a series in 1994 about teachers who had trained remarkable young dancers with a profile about Jacqueline Ann Cronsberg, founder of the Ballet Workshop in New England. At the time, Cronsberg had been running the school in suburban Boston for nearly 30 years, but she was just getting started. The following year, […]

From Cattle Call to Company Contract, Here’s What It Takes to Join BalletX

“I’m going to walk through; it’s going to be so awkward,” says BalletX artistic and executive director Christine Cox, addressing 119 auditionees and acknowledging the ever-intimidating clipboard she holds. The room bursts into laughter, and smiles linger as pliés begin. Cox may have broken the tension, but stakes are high when contracts are up for […]