Hussein Smko learned his first hip-hop at age 9, from an American soldier in Erbil, and founded a street dance troupe there when he was 13. From there it's been a long journey, with some very good luck, to his debut this week at the Joyce Theater. - The New York Times
Nutcracker in Havana, performed by Acosta's Cuba-based company, Acosta Danza, "will weave traditional Cuban rhythms and dances together with classical ballet, all set to a revised version of Tchaikovsky’s famous musical score by Cuban composer Pepe Gavilondo." - The Guardian
The establishment of a new, all-Ireland dance company has been described as “a new dawn” for the art form in Ireland by the Arts Council which will provide €2 million in funding for the initiative this year. - Irish Times
Why isn’t there an Oscar for best choreography? It’s a question people in the dance world have been asking for decades. And there’s no satisfying answer. - The New York Times
"The Oscars omission carries a special sting: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents the Academy Awards, used to celebrate choreography." - The New York Times
"In 1972, hundreds of locals clambered to their seats at Armadillo World Headquarters for one thing only: Sunday night ballet. ... Guests settled in with overflowing baskets of nachos and ice-cold Lone Stars, the smell of marijuana drifting up to the lofted ceilings as the curtain rose." - Austin Monthly
"Highlights of the video include the Bharatnatyam dance form becoming 'the living canvas for seat belt and cabin baggage instructions', with Kathakali and Mohiniyattam forms 'eloquently expressing the prohibition of electronic gadgets and smoking on board' against a backdrop of the backwaters of Kerala." - Business Traveller
"On a broad grassland beneath an Australian sunset, dancers in everything from fishnets to field attire let loose an unchoreographed mishmash of steps, leaps, twirls, and twerks. … To Weliton Menário Costa, its creator, this dance mirrors the one between individuality and conformity in kangaroos." - Science
"The Cowles Center for Dance & The Performing Arts, which operates the Goodale Theater in Minneapolis, will cease operations on March 31. … Due to economic issues prompted by COVID-19, (nonprofit real estate developer) Artspace could no longer support the Cowles Center." - Minnesota Public Radio
Although ticket sales were up for last holiday season's "The Nutcracker" and "Carmina Burana" in January, the boosts weren't matched with the grants and charitable giving MDT needs to stay afloat. - The Star-Tribune (Mpls)
The musicians I spoke to have all seen Sinfonia work and income decrease significantly because of the switch from exclusively live music to occasional live work supplemented by recording sessions and royalties from performances. - Van
"Multiple reports published since last summer have shed long-awaited light on the fiscal health of the country’s dance sector. What those numbers say isn’t simple to summarize. … (For instance,) even when the changes in dollar amounts appear positive, adjustments for inflation erase most gains (and deepen losses)." - Dance Magazine
“Garland is big on history. His passion for linking ballet to the events of the real world, past and present, is an important part of his vision." - The New York Times
"(Marine) Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer and Arthur Harel are the trio behind (La)Horde. They met 14 years ago on Paris’s queer club scene and ... started helping each other out with projects. Over time it coalesced into something official and since 2019 they have been (BNM's) artistic directors." - The Guardian
"A lot of people in the culture have grown up with a certain physical ideal. The more traditionally minded are bound to the idea that certain characters have to be small, innocent looking blondes. But … it’s not only small women who have their hearts broken." - The Telegraph (UK) (MSN)
