Dance Theatre of Harlem's season at New York City Center

Nayara Lopes, Chyrstyn Fentroy and Stephanie Rae Williams
of Dance Theatre of Harlem in Dianne McIntyre's Change
(photo: Jeff Cravotta)

Classical ballet isn't really my beat (or my jam), and I'll admit it's been quite a while since I've seen Dance Theatre of Harlem which now appears to be doing its best work as...contemporary dancers!

Last night's show at New York City Center bolstered that conclusion. Elena Kunikova's stodgy, if pleasant, classicism in Divertimento does nothing to help these dancers go out there and "sparkle like diamonds"--Virginia Johnson's final instruction to her company. Although intended as a kind of sampling of and homage to story ballet roles and traditions, it seems stuck in its imagery, and some dancers aren't even prepared to ride the music (Glinka) or, with the exception of Brazil-born Ingrid Silva, to look as if they genuinely enjoy what they are dancing.

Chyrstyn Fentroy's dancing in When Love (2012), a contemporary duet by Helen Pickett, acts as a buffer against the work's syrupy romanticism about the "very old, old story of love." Here's a real diamond for Johnson. Supple. Playful. Ardent. The engine of this piece, Fentroy's alive from the inside, uncorking energy that even makes suitor Jorge Andres Villarini seem a little sharper than usual. Back in 2015, Dance Magazine advised us to keep an eye on Fentroy, and I can well understand why.

Change, Dianne McIntyre's tribute to oft-unheralded women of color ("warriors for change"), benefits from tapping a similar vigor shared by DTH's current corps of women. Another contemporary piece--reflective of McIntyre's long, lauded career in modern dance--it serves dancers like Stephanie Rae Williams, Lindsey Croop and Nayara Lopes well to the extent that technique, rather than existing for display alone, shades into expression, conviction and meaning.

Change evokes Black spirituality, struggle and achievement. Late in the work, the trio appears in multi-shaded leotards made of scraps from tights worn from former DTH dancers, and I am mindful of the current season's emphasis on women choreographers and the legacy of Black women in ballet. But I had a moment when, towards the end, movements refocused my thinking from dance to sports--sprinters, broad-shouldered swimmers, Serena Williams. Why Serena Williams--though I adore her--when ballet has its own Black sheroes? Did my mind go there--and possibly McIntyre's, too--because that's the way we see things here in Americaland? Someday, perhaps, more of our youngsters will also look to dance, readily and directly, for exemplars of courage.

Not to be completely outdone by the ladies, the men of DTH finally find and unleash their energy--and then some--for Nacho Duato's flashy Coming Together (1991; DTH premiere, 2015).  But can I take a minute to single out Anthony Javier Savoy? Whether whipping through Coming Together with his mates or showing his elegant partnering skills in Divertimento, Savoy models the proper combination of reliable, focused technique and equally focused presence. Like Fentroy, he's another special diamond to treasure.

The DTH season concludes today with performances at 2pm (Program B) and 8pm (Program A). For specific programming and cast information and tickets, click here.

New York City Center
131 W 55th St (between 6th and 7th Avenues), Manhattan
(map/directions)

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Race barriers in classical ballet: A conversation at NJPAC

Ballerina Ashley Murphy
(photo by Matthew Murphy)

Black Ballerinas: 

Breaking the Boundaries of Classical Ballet

Thursday, January 16, 7-8:30pm

New Jersey Performing Arts Center

1 Centre Street, Newark, New Jersey

Free admission

In 2007, The New York Times asked, Where are all the Black Swans? An urgent dialogue sparked by that question has caused leading dance institutions nationwide to examine the rarity of African-American women among their ranks.

A conversation about raising the profile of the black ballerina, and the economic opportunities for diversifying and expanding audiences, will be held on January 16, the evening prior to a performance by Dance Theatre of Harlem at NJPACs annual tribute to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Moderator:

Charmaine Warren, dance journalist

Announced panelists (as of January 8):

Virginia Johnson, Artistic Director and a founding principal dancer of Dance Theatre of Harlem

Michelle Gadson-Williams, Head of Global Diversity at Credit Suisse

Map/Directions

Renewed Dance Theater of Harlem to audition dancers

Dance Theater of Harlem to Start Auditions for Revived Troupe
by Daniel J. Wakin, The New York Times, December 21, 2011

Bonnefoux and McBride to receive Ilona Copen Award

On March 22, at NYU's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York International Ballet Competition (NYIBC) will celebrate the life and achievements of Ilona Copen, late Founder and Executive Director Emerita. The evening will feature performances by dancers from American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, Joffrey Ballet, Limón Dance Company, New Jersey Ballet and North Carolina Dance Theatre, including several NYIBC alumni, followed by a Dinner/Dance.

A highlight of the event will be the presentation of the first Ilona Copen Award to Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride, in honor of their contributions to the lives and artistry of young dancers, and to the world of dance in general. The Award will be presented by Virginia Johnson, Artistic Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem.

Click here for more information on this event and ticketing. 

Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux
(photo courtesy of NYIBC)

Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux was born in France and began his dance training at the age of 10 at the School of the Paris Opera Ballet. At age 14 he joined the company, and by age 21 was named Danseur Etoile. Bonnefoux danced with the Bolshoi and Kirov Ballets before being invited by George Balanchine to dance with New York City Ballet. After 10 years with NYCB, Bonnefoux joined the School of Music at Indiana University as chairman and artistic director of the ballet department. Since 1983 he has been the artistic director of the ballet company and school at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua NY. In 1996 he joined North Carolina Dance Theatre as artistic director and was named president in 2003.  He and his wife, Patricia McBride, have added new works to NCDT's repertoire, have attracted talented dancers from all over the world, and championed the effort to build a new facility for the company. In June of 2010, NCDT opened the Patricia McBride & Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Center for Dance.

Patricia McBride began her ballet training in her hometown of Teaneck NJ, before receiving a scholarship to the School of American Ballet. Within a year of joining the company, she danced a solo in The Figure in the Carpet, created for her by Balanchine. McBride attained the rank of soloist in 1960 and by 1961, at age 18, she became the youngest principal dancer in NYCB. She spent 3 decades with the company, and created leading roles in many memorable ballets, including Harlequinade, Tarantella, the "Rubies" section of Jewels, Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Coppelia, Union Jack, Who Cares?, and Vienna Waltzes. Jerome Robbins choreographed principal roles for her in his Dances at a Gathering, In the Night, The Goldberg Variations, Dybbuk, Opus 19 and The Four Seasons. Her years of performing under Balanchine's direction have gained her the expertise necessary to restage many of his master works. McBride has been associate artistic director of NCDT since 1996 and also serves as a master teacher at NC Dance Theatre School of Dance and Chautauqua Ballet's School of Dance. She is married to Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and they have two children.

New York International Ballet Competition

Educating, mentoring and providing performance and career advancement opportunities since 1984.

Founded by Ilona Copen and Igor Youskevitch

New York International Ballet Competition (NYIBC) is a three-week intensive professional training, performance and artistic education program for forty-eight talented young dancers from countries around the world, all of whom receive full scholarships. NYIBC nurtures promising dancers aged 17 to 24 from all ethnicities, providing them with an exceptional opportunity to completely focus on training to perform at their highest artistic level. The contemporary duet form and the classical pas de deux are the core of the repertory NYIBC participants learn from world renowned coaches under high standards of fairness. In addition, NYIBC attracts hiring artistic directors and choreographers who are confident that a dancer who has been mentored and trained at NYIBC can endure the rhythm of work and life in a ballet company. Beyond having access to extraordinary performance and career advancement opportunities, during their time at NYIBC the dancers form a versatile international company in which lifelong associations are born.

For more information, visit the NYIBC website.

To be young, gifted and ballerina

Virginia Johnson remembers her path to Dance Theatre of Harlem

by Debra Levine, arts.meme, January 27, 2011

Virginia Johnson rallies Dance Theater of Harlem

Virginia Johnson and the Fortunes of Dance Theater of Harlem

by Gia Kourlas, The New York Times, October 29, 2010

Healing the Dancer

Third Annual Healing the Dancer Seminar
June 8, 2009
10 am-1 pm

The New 42nd Street Studios
229 West 42nd Street, Manhattan

Hosted by Bebe Neuwirth
Founder of The Dancers’ Resource of The Actors Fund

And featuring key-note speaker Virginia Johnson
Newly appointed Artistic Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem

Presenters:

Sandra Foschi, Physical Therapist, Nutritionist
Bradley Jones, Psy. D., LCSW, Psychotherapist, former dancer

Guest speakers will offer insight and discussion on dancer physical and emotional wellness. Obtain information and resources for accessing health insurance and health care, financial wellness, and support from community agencies/organizations.

This seminar is FREE and open to professional dancers and those who serve them.

Contact Alice Vienneau, 212.221.7301 ext. 261 or avienneau@actorsfund.org for more information.

Johnson takes the helm at DTH

Virginia Johnson to Become Artistic Director at Dance Theater of Harlem
by Gia Kourlas, The New York Times, April 12, 2009

Ortiz on "Pointe"

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Pointe" Editor-in-Chief Virginia Johnson and Reviews Editor Robert Johnson laid off at McFadden Media
by Lori Ortiz, ExploreDance.com, January 26, 2009

And see this post.

More dance editors lose jobs

Dance journalist Lori Ortiz reports that Pointe magazine's highly-respected editor-in-chief Virginia Johnson and review editor and critic Robert Johnson have lost their positions, and that the publication will no longer run reviews.

Ortiz quotes Robert Johnson: "I believe that the powers that be have wanted to dump the reviews section for some time. Virginia was a big supporter of reviews, so it didn't happen on her watch."

I will post updates as I learn more.