Carolyn Kelemen

‘The Nutcracker’ at The Washington Ballet by Carolyn Kelemen

Septime Webre’s The Nutcracker gets the jump on holiday cheer! Lavish or plain, with live music or canned, The Nutcracker is a ballet for and about kids. These were my thoughts as I sat in the...

The San Francisco Ballet ‘Program A’ at The Kennedy Center by Carolyn Kelemen

San Francisco Ballet heightens dance expectations Hoist the flags! Uncork the champagne! Let the balloons fly high and wide! The DC ballet season has popped! And it took the oldest ballet company in...

‘Dracula’ at The Washington Ballet by Carolyn Kelemen

The Redskins may be in a slump but The Washington Ballet has never looked better. The nation’s capital premier ballet troupe is beginning its season with an impressive undertaking of the full-length,...

Mariinsky Ballet’s ‘Cinderella’ at The Kennedy Center by Carolyn Kelemen

Young Russian dancers keep Cinderella on her toes With its remarkable legacy of theatrical and musical traditions, St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Ballet boasts the best ballerinas and male bravura – the...

‘The Bad Boys of Dance’ at Montgomery College by Carolyn Kelemen

Bad Boys get folks begging for more The Bad Boys of Dance, with guest artist Adrienne Canterna of Pretty Girls of Dance, attracts an audience looking for a fun night on the town. These fans – who were...

A Preview of Dance in DC and Baltimore by Carolyn Kelemen

Take a bite out of dance Call it intuition, cultural channeling or just a hunch, but the feeling here is that this is going to be a lively and wide-ranging dance season. It’s also going to be quite...

An Appreciation of Post Dance Critic Alan M. Kriegsman by Carolyn Kelemen

Each ballet season at the Kennedy Center Opera House, dancers flock to see the company chosen for the opening program. This year, the Mariinsky (a.k.a. The Kirov) will oblige. However, the man usually...

Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Dralion’ at Baltimore 1st Mariner Arena by Carolyn Kelemen

At Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion, which is playing now at Baltimore’s 1st Mariner Arena through Sunday, one can thrill to spectacles inside an air-conditioned arena never sullied by the hoof print of a...

Dance Review: Bill T. Jones and the Arnie Zane Dance Company performing ‘Story/Time’ at Wolf Trap by Carolyn Kelemen

“All art is informed by a spiritual impulse,” Bill T. Jones told fans at a Columbia Festival of the Arts workshop in 1994, which I attended. “Language and idea and emotion transcend intellectual...

Vladik Miagkostoupov: Juggler Extraordinaire at Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Dralion’ by Carolyn Kelemen

Juggling is a way of life for “Cirque” star Vladik Miagkostupov is the Mikhail Baryshnikov of juggling. With stylized choreography that makes the most of his incredible flexibility, this 28-year-old...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Wild Night: A Choose Your Own Burlesque Adventure Show’ by Carolyn Kelemen

Make it a wild night at the burlesque Here’s a suggestion before you take on a late night “Tilted Torch” show at the Warehouse. Spend some time (and definitely imbibe some bubbly) at the outside...

Capital Fringe Review: “Dead Man’s Mambo’ by Carolyn Kelemen

Who would have thought Dead Man’s Mambo would have come from such a lofty art form as commedia dell’arte. But John Bellomo, a Philadelphia comedian/Italian traveler/funny guy, provided the Fringe...

‘Giselle’ at The Kennedy Center by Carolyn Kelemen

Romantic Giselle gets new life When The Paris Opera Ballet performs Giselle at The Kennedy Center through the weekend, you won’t see the traditional, slow entrance from the wings by the “Wilis” –...

‘Visiting Wolf Trap National Park for Summer Dance’ by Carolyn Kelemen

Wolf Trap National Park is the perfect place to spend a summer evening. The setting is serene, and the music seems to shimmer with the stars. You’re always invited to bring a picnic or indulge in some...

‘Bolshoi Ballet’s Coppélia’ at The Kennedy Center by Carolyn Kelemen

Bolshoi Ballet adds comic flair to Coppélia Subtlety has never been considered a characteristic of the Bolshoi Ballet. The reputation of the 236-year-old Russian company suggests dance that is flashy,...

‘Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’ at The Lyric by Carolyn Kelemen

Ailey gets audiences begging for more More than any other major dance company, the world famous Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater attracts an audience looking for a fun night on the town. These fans...

Alicia Graf Mack: Dancing with Ailey American Dance Theater at The Lyric by Carolyn Kelemen

Alicia’s talent just keeps growing by leaps and bounds. The phones have been ringing off the hooks with callers wanting to know which shows Columbia’s sweetheart ballerina, Alicia Graf Mack, will be...

Dance Review: ‘Noism’ at The Kennedy Center by Carolyn Kelermen

If off-the wall comedy, space-age dancing, technical wonders, and choreography that defies definition turn you on, catch tonight’s performance of choreographer/lighting designer/architect/poet Jo...

An Interview with Come Fly Away’s Ashley Blair Fitzgerald by Carolyn Kelemen

Ashley Blair Fitzgerald swings back into town When you dance in a Twyla Tharp show, you’ve got to do more than pirouettes or pretty ballet steps. Tharp’s choreography is unique. It’s gutsy, quirky and...

‘ALICE (in wonderland)’ at The Washington Ballet by Carolyn Kelemen

Alice (in La La Land) takes us on a heady trip Moments before last night’s world premiere of ALICE (in wonderland), Septime Webre bounced onto the Eisenhower Theater stage as he has done so many times...

New York City Ballet at The Kennedy Center by Carolyn Kelemen

New York City Ballet Carries on the Message of the Master Ballet troupes have their ups and downs and dancers come and go, but the New York City Ballet soars high and steady because of a dance style...