Brian Brooks. Maybe you’ve heard of him; maybe you haven’t. Don’t be surprised if you find your self in the latter category. Even the dance world is still getting acquainted with the choreographer coming to the Dallas City Performance Hall this week as part of TITAS’ 2014-2015 dance season. Though…
New York-based dance companies are a dime a dozen. They seem to pop up all the time ready to give you the ballet, jazz, and experimental dance you desire. Sometimes those dance companies get a special grant that allows them to tour, and those choreographers start establishing themselves as a…
Booker T. Washington’s Dance Department is at it again. They are preparing for their annual Evening of Dance that showcases the talent of students and their performing companies, Repertory Dance Company I, Repertory Dance Company II, and World Dance Ensemble. There will new works from guests Jason Ambrose, Juel D…
The Museum of Geometric and MADI Art began 12 years ago when Bill and Dorothy Masterson were first in us explain: The movement encompasses all branches of art (the plastic and pictorial arts, music, literature, theater, architecture, and dance) and promotes concrete art, or non-representational geometric abstraction, and artists working…
This past weekend, the fall season of dance in Dallas started off with two very different shows from two very different companies. In the Arts District, Dallas Black Dance Theatre opened its 2014-15 season with The Director’s Choice series; in Deep Ellum, Muscle Memory Dance Theatre opened its season with…
SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts dance program is known for putting on really good shows. The college’s dance program not only teaches its students form and choreography, it also brings in celebrated guest artists, whose work challenges both the students and any outsiders who can weave their way through…
In its tenth year, Muscle Memory Dance Theatre is ready to try something new. With this show, director Lesley Snelson is turning the reins over to two unknown artists to the Dallas dance scene and letting them run wild with her company. “Wrapped and Uncovered: An Evening of Dance Unraveling…
Fire and ice and sugar and spice, and all those other things that are so very nice, will be on display Thursday, October 23 at the Latino Cultural Center during Contemporary Ballet Dallas’ season opener, Fire & Ice. Director Valerie Tabor, who was one of our 100 Creatives, will premiere…
Actor. Teacher. Director. Voice Coach. Mentor. Poet. Matthew Tomlanovich wore many hats, but one that always seemed glued to his head, was friend. After battling a MRSA infection in his spinal cord for six months, Tomlanovich died Sunday. I could give you his bio: “Over 30 years of experience working…
Before the Disney version of the story of a young princess who is put under a 100-year curse by an evil fairy and only awaken by the kiss of her true love, we had the ballet, The Sleeping Beauty. The stories are similar; it’s still the classic fairytale about Princess…
In 2012, Avant Chamber Ballet gavotted into Dallas promptly presenting more than a dozen world premiere ballets, as well as two regional premieres. The collaborative efforts of Artistic Director Katie Puder and Music Director David Cooper keeps the organization on its toes, pairing live chamber music with original choreography. With…
Michael Morris likes film. Understatement of the year. He loves film. He lives and breathes it. Morris is the man when it comes to video. Since moving back to Dallas four years ago, he has carved a niche for himself in the local art scene, bringing the history of avant-garde…
Shakespeare seems to be on the minds of Dallas theatre-makers this month. Last weekend, there was a staged reading of Romeo and Juliet at the Wyly Theatre, Shakespeare in the Bar at Wild Detectives, and of course, Dallas Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. Now, Sundown Collaborative Theatre is taking their stab…
Three years ago, the Dallas VideoFest introduced a new program to their line-up of events that changed the way we view video in this city. “Expanded Cinema” followed Bart Weiss’ interest in non-traditional ways of bringing video to people. For years, Weiss had been dreaming up a plan to pair…
Chanel. Yves Saint Laurent. Commes des Garçons. We generally associate these designers with young, cool fashionistas. But that’s a mistake. The women who really rock these designers’ looks are the women I dream about becoming. In Advanced Style, street style photographer Ari Seth Cohen and director Lina Plioplyte dive into…
First, we had Scott Schuman and his collection of photographs, The Sartorialist. Then came the onslaught of fashion, DIY, and lifestyle blogs. We loved it. We still love it. Don’t tell you don’t check Refinery29 every morning (or that you’re not following them on Facebook and Instagram), or that you…
Donald Byrd has a dance career to would make anyone envious. For more than four decades, he has been living his dream of creating, performing, and educating. Oh, and he cut his teeth working for Twyla Tharp. His impressive career started in 1978 and includes prestigious credits like The Joffrey…
TITAS has quite the dance season planned for us. First, they gave us MOMIX; now, they are presenting work from one of the world’s most important contemporary choreographers. Those are some big words, I know, but it’s actually true in this case. Donald Byrd and Spectrum Dance Theater have become…
Returning for its ninth year, DanceAfrica is ready to get you on your feet dancing! Hosted by the effervescent Baba Chuck Davis, DanceAfrica promises to stimulate the senses with the melodic drum rhythms, the alluring motion of the human body, and the majesty of the ceremonial traditions deeply rooted in…
“I don’t know if I’ve made any significant contributions other than following the advice of an early mentor to ‘keep making art’,” says Val Curry, sculptor and installation artist about making art in Dallas. But he’s probably wrong about that. This guy is one of the most interesting people you…
Many people wondered what would happen to the Bruce Wood Dance Project (BWDP) after the untimely passing of their artistic director and choreographer. Would the company fold once again? Or would they continue to pursue the mission set forth by their founder? It seems as if fate, this city, the…
Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order. Know an artistic mind who deserves a little bit of blog love? Email lauren.smart@dallasobserver.com with the whos and whys. Edward Ruiz. Confetti Eddie. The man with the giant dinosaur outside of his studio. You might…
