Valerie-Jean Miller - Page 4

Lynne Jassem, a tiny, diminutive but feisty woman, tells and taps out the story of her life as a child performer, overly-smothered and pushed relentlessly by a stage-mom, who was once a Rockette, that led her into much turmoil in her following years.  She re-enacts her childhood dance classes, portraying both herself as a scared little girl and all of the elders she comes in contact with, the first being her dance teacher, Charlie, who has a gruff voice while spouting commands at her to perform overtly, which upsets her greatly, crying, singing, tap dancing and shaking her way through 'Sweet Little Alice Blue Gown,' as her mother watches critically from the corner.

“Pepperland” Premiered two years ago in Liverpool, the Beatles birthplace, when the famous 'Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band' album turned 50 and the UK celebrated it spectacularly. It is coming to the Segerstrom Center Of the Arts this weekend, June 14th and 15th, 2019. Choreographed and Directed by Mark Morris, whose repertoire of creative work uses and melds music genres in innovative ways, with choreography that has unbridled enthusiasm mixed with stylish technique that immerses itself into the score and lyrics completely. It is his unique style, and the collaboration with Ethan Iverson, the Musical Director and Reconstructor of sorts, that has crafted this delicious and captivating romp through the '60s and The Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' album, with a new twist and dimension to the score and brilliant choreographic concepts and costuming.

Starring a most accomplished set of Flamenco dancers, singers and musicians. Each has their own style, rhythms, history and persona. I did not find out until later that these particular performers had never worked as a group together; they all came together for this one special evening to perform Forever Flamenco, May 26, 2019, at The Fountain Theatre. These are some of the most world-renown Flamenco artists performing today. We are talking authentic carriers of the Art of Flamenco, dedicated and absorbed by their culture and this Art. All stem from an early background of exposure to Flamenco in many forms. They are fascinating, exciting, exact, mesmerizing, intense, passionate, convicted and ignited during the performance. It was a visual treat to be sitting “ringside” and witnessing the thrill of being immersed in the performance.

As part of the varied and top-notch Dance Series that Curator Jamie Nichols gifts us with every year, Presented by The Brand Associates in conjunction with The Brand Library and Art Center; the Dance Company GRAYSCALE performed outside on the lush grounds of the Glendale Brand Library and Art Center this past Saturday, May 11th, 2019 in 'Give Yourself Credit For Having More than Personality.' And since the series comprises of site-specific pieces it was performed exteriorly, on the outer stairs, landings and surrounding grounds of the magnificent Brand Library. GRAYSCALE, was Founded by Jessica Kondrath in 2005 in NYC, and relocated to Los Angeles in 2009. Collaborating and Accompanying Jessica and the dancers was Kevin Litrow's LITRONIX, a self-contained sound machine; performing his Brian Eno-influenced floating and drumbeat-driven compositions.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is excitingly welcoming the return of the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg with the West Coast Premiere of The Pygmalion Effect May 24-26, 2019 A new ballet from the company's award-winning artistic director and choreographer, Boris Eifman, The Pygmalion Effect is inspired by the Greek mythological tale of Pygmalion - a sculptor who became infatuated with his own life-like carving of a beautiful girl. Renowned for works that are 'bold, psychological and highly theatrical' (The New York Times), Boris Eifman infuses his signature choreographic style into this dynamic new production, set to a score by 'The Waltz King' Johann Strauss II. The Pygmalion Effect received its world premiere in St. Petersburg's Alexandrinsky Theatre on February 6, 2019. This new production marks choreographer Boris Eifman's return to the genre of comedy or, more accurately, tragicomedy; a form which the choreographer has perfected. Eifman offers the audience a balletic interpretation of the archetypical story of Pygmalion. In the ballet the protagonist is a successful ballroom dancer who transforms a clumsy girl into a virtuoso performer. In this production, Eifman presents a comprehensive artistic and philosophical portrayal of a human personality's remarkable flexibility and ability to adjust in response to set aims and aspirations. The title is a reference to a well-known physiological phenomenon whereby a person's performance is positively influenced by the expectations of others.

BWW Review: THE LONG GRAVEL ROAD: BUMPY, FULL OF EXAMINATION, REFLECTION, POIGNANT HUMOR & GEMS OF WISDOM at Theatre West Abbott Alexander has created a very unique piece of theatre that is engaging, captivating, witty, uninhibited, entertaining, and thought-provoking. He re-enacts and mimes moments that flash into his mind from his past; a stream of consciousness rant, history lesson, inner conversation. Delusive, suggestive, connective, yet scattered; using quotes, phrases, name-dropping, references to all sorts of random topics and a lot of miming and physicality to illustrate his words; letting out humor, anger, astonishment, rage, annoyance, adoration, remorse, pride, goofiness, delight, admiration, astonishment, regret, humiliation... and I think you get the idea.

Glorya Kaufman, in 2012, instituted the first new school at the University of Southern California in 40 years; the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, to broaden the curriculum for obtaining a professional dance degree, or BFA. Up until that time, most colleges and universities offered classes in mostly ballet and modern styles, and courses regarding the history of dance and noted choreographers, which gives a solid foundation to become a concert dancer; but here in Los Angeles, especially, there is such a wide variety of dance styles, mediums, and avenues dancers nowadays can take and branch out with a much more focused, but well-rounded and complete acquired knowledge base. The USC Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center, with space for USC Kaufman's entire curriculum for The New Movement, officially opened October 5, 2016. It is a brick-and-mortar celebration of dance and movement, giving the school's leaders Dean Robert Cutietta and Vice Dean and Artistic Director Jodie Gates a unique opportunity to rethink the vision of a professional dance degree and build a diverse, flexible, globally-minded curriculum unencumbered by previous outdated requirements. The dancers in training in today's world are much more prepared to tackle their future because of programs and curriculums like these. And to be of an age where you have the opportunity to attend a higher education institution with such specificity so early in life is incredibly valuable. This will be the very first graduating class, and after seeing them perform at their Spring Dance Performance last week at USC's Bing Theatre I have no doubt they all will succeed at their hopes and dreams, and will greatly contribute to a myriad of artistic endeavors and accomplishments.

Deborah Brockus of The Brockus Project, producer of the 7th Annual Los Angeles Dance Festival has assembled an amazing array of dance performances, featuring a wide variety (50, total) of dance companies and groups that are based in Los Angeles over the span of the month of April at different venues in the L. A. area. The first evening of the opening weekend, April 12th, was held at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex, a part of the Cal State LA campus. You have this evening to catch the last two dance events of the Festival, at 5:00 or 7:00 pm, held at the Diavolo Space by getting tickets here: https://ladancefest.org

There is nothing negative I could possibly say about the performance I witnessed on April 4, 2019 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.  Such artistry is almost hard to describe.  This company has an amazing history and is superb in both their interpretation and their amazing technique. Their 60-year history of excellence is a gift to our lives that must always Be. What more could you want? Extreme gratitude given to Glorya Kaufman, and Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center.  Ms. Kaufman is an Angel for the Arts in Los Angeles; especially for Dance. Supple strength that fluidly morphs until it hits a line that is as outstretched and aesthetically perfect as could be, and those are the visual pictures they create with their bodies.  It is a way of moving that combines all the elements of different opposites that we feel, react to and dream of, painting a visual picture, conveying expressive perceptions.  

They are a formidable dance company, albeit a young one.  Their repertoire is varied and ambitious and exudes an energetic force guiding their growth and depth that seems destined to succeed.  The Malpaso Cuban Dance Company performed March 28 - 30, 2019 in the Bram Goldsmith Theater at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.  They are the only independent dance company in Cuba, and while integrating modern and contemporary dance into the mainstream in Cuba, they are also growing, learning and expanding by dancing works choreographed by North American choreographers and infusing their own varied culture and Cuban influences into others' work.

March 23, 2019 Based in New York, Ballet Hispanico is not just a Spanish-oriented or Flamenco Dance Company.  It covers many disciplined forms of dance, fusing them together and is both meticulous and marvelous at doing it.  Founded in 1970, they are an established and recognized dance entity.  They are recognized internationally for their diverse repertoire, utilizing strong ballet and contemporary influences along with Latin and Flamenco styles. All the company members are well-trained and seasoned dancers and performers who's every move be it solo or as a unit is perfectly placed and technically correct. There is also a strength and passion to their movements that gives that extra depth and texture which is transmitted to the viewers.  So that they are not just dancing the steps, or going through the motions, they are feeling the movements and intention from within.  

Lukas McFarlane is a very diversely talented dancer and choreographer. On St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2019 at The Montalban Theatre, MacFarlane and Company presented a dazzling display of artistry and expression, as part of MOVES, a three-day Dance Festival held at the Montalban Theatre in Hollywood. https://www.themontalban.com   The MOVES performances included FUZE, Presented by Nick Young and Rhythmatic, March 15, which unfortunately I did not get to see. I am hoping to catch them sometime soon, as tap is my first love in dance; Entity Contemporary Dance, on March 16, who's Review I have already posted on Broadway World; and the piece de resistance, Lukas McFarlane's Epic Astoria.  

During the three-day MOVES Dance Festival held at the Montalban Theatre in Hollywood, the hard-working contemporary dance company Entity presented a fascinating work that they based on “The True Cost,” a documentary by Andrew Morgan about the garment and fashion industry and the effects of greed, fear, power and poverty it causes in our world. Through dance and sound, they have constructed a visual imagery of the inner workings of both a “sweatshop” environment, becoming parts of the machinery at times, overworked and working their hands to the bone at a frantic pace, and it then becomes a trying-on party for one very finicky customer, who is meant to signify consumers as a whole.

At the elegant Soroya Theatre in Northridge, CA, Martha Graham's Dance Company, under Artistic Director Janet Eilber's seasoned guidance, performed a most incredible group of works.  Some were originally created approximately 80 years ago, by Martha Graham, a true icon in the Dance world.  The EVE Project, as this evening, March 2nd, 2019 was entitled, gave us a wide variety of themes within a theme, that being Women and their significance, their power, their passion and their strength.  It was polished to perfection, and each piece carried many meanings and concepts and was just so beautifully performed and articulated. The Martha Graham Dance Company is the oldest contemporary dance company in the United States, founded in 1926.  Since it's inception it has explored and encompassed political and humanitarian issues, as well as affairs of the heart and human interactions, while creating a prolific dance technique that is unequaled in it's scope.  Graham created a total of 181 ballets during her long career, and is recognized as a primal artistic force of the 20th century, being named in 1998 as 'Dancer of the Century' in Time magazine, and labeled one of the female 'Icons of the Century' by People Magazine.

Kevin Williamson is known as a movement artist, and he and his company, performing three performances as part of the 'Dance At The Odyssey 2019' dance festival on February 8th, 9th and 10th, has most certainly experimented extensively with the many shapes and forms of movement. Each of the three pieces presented had a true collaborative and experimental quality to them, each different in theme, and each visually spellbinding. A strong company that has quality technique and stamina to boot, that also has the capacity to entertain and tell a story through movement, is always thrilling to watch perform.

New Adventure's Production of the tale of Cinderella has never been more salacious or delicious. The dancing is superb, as well as the artistry involved in every facet of the production. With the updated scenario created, Cindy's world is smack dab in the middle of World War II. Directed and Choreographed by the incredible Sir Matthew Bourne, and loosely based on his parent's war stories, we are taken to London in the '40s, during the middle of air raids, bombings and destruction. The set design and wardrobe is all very drab in muted black and grey reflecting the tone of the environment. Wickedly creative is the choreography, the sets, the costumes, lighting and sound, not to mention the score by Prokofiev. Cinderella Opus 87 is such a melodious wonderland for a choreographer and his artistic team to work with. There is such power, intensity and magic in this lively piece. In Sir Matthew Bourne's hands, and feet, it is a fabulous, imaginative display of artistry and brilliance.

It is obvious that the dancers in each company, The JA Collective, and The TL Collective are well trained and full of creativity. It takes countless hours of rehearsal to be that tight & in sync.

'The Only Constant' is a very interesting, provocative dance piece. It is a 55-minute piece, and the stamina needed to perform this work is exceptional. The dancers are uniformly strong and have a full understanding of the intent. This has been in development for a few years and is the work of Genevieve Carson, whose work is known for addressing the human condition. In this piece, she deals with how we affect and interact with one another, one thing leads to another and the fine line between composure and chaos. The style is Reactive; choreography and story line wise. The movement dictated the story line and the emotions felt were as a reaction to that movement. A part of 'Dance At The Odyssey 2019,' produced by Barbara Mueller-Wittman and Beth Hogan, it is a part of celebrating contemporary dance works created by Los Angeles Artists.

Hubbard Street, a well-established Contemporary Dance Company presents an interesting collage of dance pieces that are demanding technique-wise yet so fluid and rhythmic they make it look effortless and fresh. I say collage because the evening painted a bigger picture through each piece, making it complete by the finish. The sixteen dancers are amazing physical interpreters of a feeling, a mood, an emotion, a vibe. They are strong, versatile and vibrant. The pieces by themselves are each complex, deep, bold, unique; with maximum controlled energy, extreme focus and inner and outer strength required, or rather, mandatory to perform them. That verbiage might seem a bit jumbled, but it's what I felt after seeing these dancers perform... (That's my stream-of-consciousness statement)

The weekend before Christmas, The Los Angeles Youth Ballet presented a gorgeous, colorful and professional performance of The Nutcracker at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA. The production was very carefully constructed, with an emphasis on good technique, passion and commitment in performance and lovingly re-created by Artistic Director and Choreographer, Andrea Paris-Gutierrez. It was staged and choreographed optimally for each age group performing. Enchanting might be an adjective to describe the feeling the performers were emitting to the viewers, who's rapt attention was a sign of both enjoyment and endorsement. The Nutcracker Suite was composed by Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky, and has long been the favorite balletic composition to be performed during the Christmas Season.