Neil Ellis Orts is a writer and performer, living in Houston. Visit him online at neilellisorts.com.
Dancers are no strangers to injuries. When the injury is bad enough and the dancer has enough money, they might go see a physical therapist. In that visit, the dancer is looking for advice and help. On November 14, 2023, Dance Source Houston (DSH) sought to turn that relationship into a more mutual one with […]
Fifteen years ago, I was sitting in the audience of the Barnevelder Movement/Arts Complex, scribbling notes in the dark as I watched Program B of that year’s Big Range Dance Festival. My review of that evening was one of my earliest dance writings for Dance Source Houston. All these years later, I found myself again […]
I. Physical Site The Delicate Space took place in the yard of a house in north Houston, just inside the Loop. It is the home where Adam Castañeda, the artistic director of the Pilot Dance Project, grew up. This knowledge immediately lends weight to the production. Words like “childhood home” have emotional content that can […]
Since 2015, Houston dance audiences have been treated to the Barnstorm Dance Fest, produced by Dance Source Houston. Bringing together dance artists from Houston and across the nation, it has programmed modern/contemporary, ballet, tap, and classical Indian dance (to name only a few styles) comfortably next to each other. June 2023 will see Barnstorm do […]
Mind The Gap XXIV, March 28, 2023, had a unique lineup of dancers and choreographers. More than half of the pieces presented were of styles originating in India and Sri Lanka. It was a fitting context for Mimi diLuna’s two works, “Snowy-Silver Elephant” and “Hansadhwani: Voice of the Swan.” The two pieces are stories of […]
Heather VonReichbauer, through Bones and Memory Dance, has been building a body of work that explores the macabre and unsettling. Her previous full-length evening shows include Dark Waters (2017), an exploration of Appalachian murder ballads, and Madness, Memories, and Woe (2018) which delved into the life and literature of Edgar Allan Poe. Just before the […]
When Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan takes the stage at the Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater, it will be their first performance in the USA since the pandemic began. The artistic director of the company, CHENG Tsung-lung, choreographed the work they’re presenting, 13 Tongues, a piece that incorporates the culture of a busy district in […]
Take a Ride with Open Dance Project’s Bonnie & Clyde Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University, May 27-June 4 I’ll state up front that if anyone else in Houston was putting on a dance theater production about Bonnie and Clyde, I doubt that I would have given it a second glance. My interest in […]
A Story, A Song, and a Dance at Asia Society Texas Center, March 26, 2022 Concept and Choreography by Rathna Kumar Storytelling by Jean Donatto Flamenco by singer Irma La Paloma and guitarist Jeremy Garcia Indian music by violinist Abhishek Balakrishnan and percussionist Naga Srinidhi Indian Classical Dance by Rathna Kumar, Venugopal Josyula, and the Anjali Dance Company Artists of all […]
When Koresh Dance Company brings La Danse to the Kaplan Theatre at the Evelyn Rubinstein JCC on February 19, choreographer and artistic director Ronen Koresh brings along a personal history with the dance’s inspiration, Henri Matisse’s painting of the same name. “I had a poster of it in my bedroom as a kid,” says Koresh. […]
Recent Comments