A dancer’s long leg reaches skyward as she tilts daringly far off pointe, before launching into a rapid-fire string of intricate steps. Her slinky upper body contrasts with the highly technical classicism of her legs. Her movement has a sense of expansive freedom that’s at once gutsy and elegant. If this aesthetic sounds familiar, that’s […]

At 19 years old, Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s Christian Burse commands the stage with expansive and exacting movement beyond her years. In Dwight Rhoden’s recent Endgame, she uses her classical sensibility to morph into contemporary shapes, her gaze projecting into the audience with cool intensity. Her stability in moments of stillness is as much of a standout as her quick feet and soaring leaps.

“I just kind of fell in love with the program,” says Rhoden,­ who has a long history teaching and choreographing in higher ed settings, including at New York University, The Juilliard School, University of California Irvine, Skidmore College, and the University of Mississippi. At Chapman, he says, there was “a great vibe in the studio and in the program and the people.”

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, […]

Here’s how attending two summer dance intensives for adults has propelled my career forward.

In response to a national reckoning with racial injustice, Complexions Contemporary Ballet makes a powerful contribution to the conversation with its film “Black is Beautiful.” The company’s artistic directors Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson choreographed movement to a spoken word piece by poets Terrell Lewis, Aicha Therese, Mr. Reed and Poetess Jess. An introduction prefacing […]

At a moment when our field feels ripe for reinvention, the artists on our annual list of dancers, choreographers and companies poised for a breakout year are brimming with possibilities. Here they are: the 25 movers, makers and multi-hyphenates we believe are shaping the dance world of tomorrow. Keerati Jinakunwiphat Jayme Thornton For Keerati Jinakunwiphat, […]

Limitations foster creativity. While unable to gather in person due to COVID-19, dancers, choreographers and companies have taken to the internet to create new projects conceived for the digital sphere. Here are just a few of our favorites. Redefining Bravery Mei Yamanaka in her as sure as sure can be Mei Yamanaka, Courtesy Ladenheim Curated […]