Tag Archives: Dance

Mar 09

“When Angels Fall”: El Greco Would Be Proud

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When Angels Fall – Photo Credit: Georges Ridel

Presented by ArtsEmerson
Direction and Choreography by Raphaëlle Boitel
Artistic Collaboration, Set and Light Design by Tristan Baudoin
Original Soundtrack and Sound Design by Arthur Bison
Costumes by Lilou Hérin
Rigging, Machinery and Set Design by Nicolas Lourdelle

February 20 – 24, 2019
Emerson Cutler Majestic Theater
219 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116
ArtsEmerson on Facebook

Review by Diana Lu

(Boston, MA) When Angels Fall melds dance, aerial circus, slapstick humor, cinematic visual arts and more to weave a fantastical tale of fallen angels (or humans) trying to make sense of their harsh dystopian landscape and their places within (or without) it. As a synthesis of disparate disciplines, director and choreographer Raphaëlle Boitel has crafted a truly original new performance art, and this is a major artistic accomplishment in and of itself. 

Continue reading →

Jul 17

A Boatload of Boobs: HARBURLESQUE

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Photo credit: Queen Kitty

Onboard with Mina Murray, Scratch, Brigitte Bisoux, Stella Diamond; Photo credit: Queen Kitty.

Presented by the Boston Babydolls
Hosted by Mr. Scratch
Starring: Brigitte Bisoux, Mina Murray, Stella Diamond

Harburlesque:
Running now – Sept. 30, 2015
Rowe’s Wharf
Boston, MA
Boston Babydolls on Facebook
Must be 21+

Review by Kitty Drexel

Trigger Warnings: sexy, adult nudity

(Boston Harbor, MA) A sunset cruise around the harbor is terribly romantic. It’s even better when you add burlesque. Harburlesque is a Boston boobcruise hosted by the Boston Babydolls. To specify, it’s a booze-cruise with the added benefit of boobs. Wonderful, perky, twirling lady-breasts. It is 21+ for obvious reasons (tits and ass). It’s a lovely, sexy time. Continue reading →

Dec 19

No NPR Regurgitation Here: WRITING HOME

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Presented by Ministry of Theatre
Written by Donna Daley, Alexandria Victoria Wong, Denice Lowery, Renee Luv, Pris Olivia, Veronica Pruitt, Shorty, Jes Ryan, Odelle Weaver
Music directed by Marissa Wahkuna
Choreography by Angelica Potter
Created and directed by Misch Whitaker

Dec. 18 – 21, 2014
Boston Playwright’s Theatre
949 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA
Ministry of Theatre on Facebook
On The Rise on Facebook
More Than Words on Facebook
Stories Without Roofs on Facebook

Review by Kitty Drexel

(Boston, MA) During the height of Occupy Boston’s reign in Dewey Square, a friend told me a story about the transition of Dewey Square into public park space. Her story goes that the question of homeless people was brought to the Board managing construction. The Board almost unanimously decided that the Homeless shouldn’t be considered in their planning. One lone soldier of justice spoke up to say that the Homeless needed to exist somewhere. The soldier continued that Rich people didn’t want them in the private sector. Rich people didn’t want them in the public sector either. Should the Board kill them? The Board was shocked. No, of course the Homeless shouldn’t be killed. The Homeless should simply be somewhere else so the Rich wouldn’t have to think of them. The soldier of justice demanded to know where the Homeless should exist in order to please the Board. The Board then unanimously decided that maybe it was beneficial to consider the Homeless in their plans.

I have no idea if this story is actually true or if it’s a fantastical story created during a time when Boston was at its most activist. The moral still rings true: there are no worthless people; there are only people willing to treat others like they are worthless because it’s convenient. One doesn’t have to be rich think ill of someone in differing circumstances than their own. We’ve all done it and we should all make the conscious, continuous effort to stop. Class warfare is real. Continue reading →

Aug 05

Blast Off Achieved: “Astro Boy and the God of Comics”

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Banner courtesy of the C1 Facebook page

Presented by Company One
Written and Directed by Natsu Onoda Power

July 19-August 16, 2014
Plaza Theatre at Boston Center for the Arts
Boston, MA
C1 on Facebook

Review by Noe Kamelamela

(Boston) Sci-fi disciples should rocket into the BCA to catch Astro Boy and the God of Comics.  Company One not only delivers the flash and joy of Mighty Atom, but also ably handles the more thorny political commentary.  Violence, death, and some racially offensive content are referenced. Continue reading →

Apr 08

Our Differences are Our Similarities: NOT BY BREAD ALONE

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Presented by ArtsEmerson: The World on Stage
Created by Adina Tal and Nalaga’at Deaf-Blind Theater
Conceived by AdinaTal
Original music by Amnon Baaham
“Dancing Closely” written and performed by Zvi Tal

April 2 – 6, 2014
The Paramount Center
Theatre District
Boston, MA
ArtsEmerson on Facebook
Nalaga’at Deaf-Blind Theater on Facebook

Review by Kitty Drexel

(Boston) Not by Bread Alone is the most sincere piece of theatre I have seen all year. Productions like this are why we artists create; it is why theatre exists. The tremendous talent of the Nalag’at Deaf-Blind Theater is awe-inspiring. It’s Boston run is over but it will be in the US for a while longer. I suggest doing everything in your power to attend this brilliant production. Continue reading →

Jun 25

Sometimes A Snuggle is Just A Snuggle: “The Baltimore Waltz”

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The Baltimore Waltz

presented by Theatre@First
by Paula Vogel
directed by Kamela Dolinova

June 20 – 29, 2013
Unity Somerville
6 William Street
Somerville, MA
Theatre@First Facebook Page

Review by Kitty Drexel

Warning: This production contains graphic but hilarious simulations of sexual acts, and bastardizations of European clichés.

(Somerville) As a playwright, Paula Vogel has the unique opportunity to dedicate herself to exploring and understanding her brother Carl’s end of life circumstances. Carl tragically died of AIDS. Rather than use the written word to metaphorically weep bitterly and openly, Vogel instead channeled her uncommon sense of humor and tender affections for Carl into The Baltimore Waltz, an ode to love, loss and healing.

In the context of the play, Anna has contracted Acquired Toilet Disease (ATD). In “real life,” outside the context of Anna’s fictional imagination, Carl has contracted AIDS. By narrating a character living with a pretend disease created for comic relief, playwright Paula Vogel examines the urgency of life through the lens of incurable disease.While her characters “dance” through a trippy, Noir-influenced trip to Europe, life as we know it continues with its disastrous choreography. Continue reading →

Feb 24

Melanie Garber’s Ephemeral Direction Of Dreams and Mysteries

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A Dream Play

Presented by Heart & Dagger Productions

By August Strindberg, Translated by Harry G. Carlson
Directed by Melanie Garber

February 22, 2013 to March 2, 2013
The Factory Theatre
791 Tremont Street, Boston

Directing Profile by Becca Kidwell

photo credit: Drew Linehan

photo credit: Drew Linehan

Melanie Garber has a dancer’s sensibility of direction with Heart & Dagger Productions’ A Dream Play, but this is not a surprise.  She has shown this intricate direction in Actor’s Shakespeare Project’s Medea, Fresh Ink Theatre Company’s Priscilla Dreams The Answer, and Heart & Dagger’s Crave.  Not only does Ms. Garber make words come alive, but she also brings life to words. From the initial moments of each of the productions, she chooses specific, distinct movements that create the environment of the play. Continue reading →

Oct 25

Boston Debut of Kyle Abraham / Abraham.in.Motion

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WORLD MUSIC/CRASHarts PRESENTS THE BOSTON DEBUT OF
Kyle Abraham / Abraham.in.Motion
Performing the Boston premiere of The Radio Show
Friday, November 16, 7:30 pm | Saturday, November 17, 8pm
The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston
100 Northern Ave
Boston, 02210
Facebook Page

Bessie Award–winner Kyle Abraham and his seven-member company, Abraham.In.Motion, dance with
a highly engaging, larger-than-life style that combines influences ranging from hip-hop to ballet. The
Radio Show revolves around the closure of the urban Pittsburgh radio station that Abraham grew up
listening to and sets the stage for an exploration of cultural identity, personal history and the heartbeat of
a neighborhood.

Photo credits: Steven Schreiber and Renee Rosensteel

Oct 18

“Alice in Wonderland” but on More Meth: “The Lily’s Revenge”

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Photo credit: www.GretjenHelene.com; Lily and the Mary’s shaking what their mother, Time, gave them.

Written and Conceived by Taylor Mac
Composed by Rachelle Garniez

presented by American Repertory Theatre
OBERON
2 Arrow Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
October 12, 2012 to October 28, 2012

A.R.T. Facebook Page

The Lily’s Revenge is the epic nursery rhyme turned homo-rific, drag-tastic fairy tale of Lily, an ordinary houseplant, who undertakes to be more than what others make him to be. His is a delicious allegory/metaphor/cautionary tale/simile/hyperbole/paradox that spans 4+ hours of dance, drama and breakage of the 4th wall that warns never to settle for less than what you want. Even if that means shedding the skin of who you think you are to become who you are truly meant to be. Continue reading →

Sep 02

One Performance Left! Luminarium Dance Company’s Mythos/Pathos

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Luminarium Dance Company presents
Mythos:Pathos
August 31 @ 8pm
September 1 @ 8pm
September 2 @ 4pm
in Black Box Theater
at Arsenal Center for the Arts

Watertown, MA

Purchase tickets at http://www.LuminariumDance.org/buy-tickets or call 617-477-4494 to reserve

(copy from Arsenal Center for the Arts)

Luminarium Dance will debut its new full-length performance Mythos:Pathos throughout August. The work will explore lesser-known characters and under-examined storylines of Greek mythology from a contemporary viewpoint. Artistic Directors Merli V. Guerra and Kimberleigh A. Holman are proud to weave these familiar myths into a cohesive saga, while coloring the production with innovative choreography. Mythos:Pathos also features nontraditional lighting design by Matthew Breton, that manifests in unique ways onstage, from wearable to handheld lighting. This new work will incorporate materials donated by the communities of Somerville and Watertown that will be used to construct installations on and offstage.

Luminarium plans to preview the project in Somerville. In late August, Luminarium will bring an evolved form of the project to the Arsenal Center for the Arts, for a one-week residency, including a gallery exhibit in the lobby. This performance at the Arsenal Center for the Arts offers a pre-show installation performance art series, followed by a full dance performance in the Black Box Theater.