Top 9 All-In Dance Concerts (Plus 3 Short Works) of 2013
This year, dancers took on weighty matters – gender, the body, grief – exploring them with remarkable depth
By Jonelle Seitz, Fri., Jan. 3, 2014
In chronological order:
1) 'I AM A FISH'/'WHAT IS COMMON' (Lily Kiara and Julie Nathanielsz) Deep exploration, poetic connections, and relentless questioning of the body characterized this show.
2) 'PHONE HOMER' (Women & Their Work/Fusebox Festival) Michelle Ellsworth's deep, crazy work on the Internet and Clytemnestra still has me thinking about reflection and reaction.
3) 'MOROSE BEAUTY' (Nicole Roerick Collective) Roerick's connected stories on gender and control were backed by dense and layered exploration.
4) 'THE BIG SMALL'/'THE UNDOING OF NONET' (Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company) Separated by months but related in mood, these works were an argument for season-based funding.
5) 'GOLD SHOW/ROSE SHOW' (Heloise Gold and Julie Nathanliesz) Each short work in this concert developed a richer context for the next.
6) 'I BEGIN WHERE I GRIEVE' (Ellen Bartel) Be careful what you wish for. Sometimes it's a terrible experience that results in all-in work.
7) 'MOZART DANCES' (Mark Morris Dance Company/Texas Performing Arts) Morris' movement, to live accompaniment, put recorded music to shame.
8) 'FALL FOR DANCE' (Dance Repertory Theatre) David Justin's "Quiver" and Mark Morris' "Grand Duo" were more fuel for the music-is-everything fire.
9) 'THE NUTCRACKER' (Ballet Austin) Refreshed by new sets and costumes, the old workhorse was a visual delight.
10) LISA DEL ROSARIO'S 'FAMILIAR CADENCE'/MAGDALENA JARKOWIEC'S 'SOME PEOPLE ARE THIS' (All Things Animate) AND SHARON MARROQUIN'S 'CHAMBERS' (Ariel Dance Theatre)
