by Aisha Cruse
In an unusual turn of events there's really nothing happening dance-wise in Boston during April. I'm taking the opportunity to watch (or re-watch) some awesome dance films and documentaries like Pina, Singing in the Rain, and Billy Elliot.
Yes I am kidding. Here is my selective sampling of the the thousand and one dance events happening in Boston this month, please let me know if you make it to all of them because I would be extremely impressed.
Fri, April 1 & Sat, April 2 @ 8 pm
Sun, April 3 @ 7 pm
Presented by Adrienne Hawkins and students and faculty of The Dance Complex
The Dance Complex in Cambridge
$15-$20
This might be the Boston Dance community at its most community oriented. The people that take class at the Dance Complex are novices and professionals, people with many careers and whole other lives who take a couple hours a week to throw themselves into something they love. If you want to go see an incredible variety of dance styles and dancers perform with joy and enthusiasm, go see this show.
Fri, April 8 & Sat, April 9, @ 7pm
Presented by Marsha Parrilla and Danza Organica
At Hibernian Hall in Roxbury
$20/ $15 BDA/ $10 student/senior
Monkeyhouse favorite Paradise Lost is performing in this incredible show along with a ton of other dancers, performers, and artists. There are raffles, talk-backs, receptions and classes depending on which day you go, so definitely check the site to pick your preferred activity roster. From the event page: "We Create is a community-based and process-oriented festival in Boston that features the works of a selected group of the most talented women artists in Massachusetts. Works are created around an annual theme. 2016 Theme: Acculturation"
Fri, April 8 & Sat, April 9 @ 8pm
Pentacle Presents: The Gallery and Guests: Boston
Pentacle Presents: The Gallery and Guests: Boston
At The Dance Complex in Central Square, Cambridge
$15-$20
Monkeyhouse is all about building the dance community, so I'm pretty excited for this Boston/ New York collaboration show: "Pentacle, the artist services agency based in New York City, returns for the second year with a program of performances by artists from its Gallery Roster including LCTC (Lorraine Chapman The Company) based in Boston, The Moving Architects - formerly from Chicago now based in metropolitan New York, and BARKIN/SELISSEN PROJECT and Dante Brown/Warehouse Dance, both based in New York City. Included on the program will be guest artists with Boston connections: Angie Moon Dance Theatre and Doppelganger Dance Collective.
Activities will include the performances and an artist symposium Saturday afternoon (free) hosted by Peter DiMuro, Executive Director of The Dance Complex, as well as other activities." Sat, April 9 @ 7:30 pm
Activities will include the performances and an artist symposium Saturday afternoon (free) hosted by Peter DiMuro, Executive Director of The Dance Complex, as well as other activities." Sat, April 9 @ 7:30 pm
A collaboration with Urbanity Dance
at Emmanuel Church on Newbury Street, Boston
$30-$150, $10 student
Y'ALL I am so excited for and interested by this event it sounds ambitious and intelligent and awesome and to my chagrin it is on the SAME DAY as the equally awesome dance event listed below and I am already going to that one. Please go see this show in my place and tell me of it's glory. It has moving stages and a 35 piece orchestra and an incredibly talented, athletic dance company, what more could you want?
$30-$150, $10 student
Y'ALL I am so excited for and interested by this event it sounds ambitious and intelligent and awesome and to my chagrin it is on the SAME DAY as the equally awesome dance event listed below and I am already going to that one. Please go see this show in my place and tell me of it's glory. It has moving stages and a 35 piece orchestra and an incredibly talented, athletic dance company, what more could you want?
Sat, April 9 @ 11 am, events all day
Presented by Boston Blend
At Cambridge Masonic Temple in Porter Square, Cambridge
$15-$75
There is a thriving social dance scene in Boston, and a lot of the people who participate in one community cross pollinate with others. Some intrepid members of the Blues Dance community and the Chicago Step community started going to each others events and decided that we should all hang out together, and thus, Boston Blend was born! This is the inaugural event, and it is a day absolutely packed with workshops and performances in Blues and Step, and a SOUL FOOD BUFFET DINNER which would be worth the price of admission all by itself. It is also smack in the middle of my neighborhood, so if you decide to go, you will see me there!
Thurs, April 14 - Fri, April 16 @ 8pm
Sun, April 17 @ 3pm
Presented by Harvard Dance Project
At Farkas Hall in Harvard Square, Cambridge
At Farkas Hall in Harvard Square, Cambridge
$10/ $5 students
If the title of this show looks like a Monkeyhouse FAQ I am here to let you know that I feel the same way. I'm interested to see what a completely separate group of humans did with one of our favorite questions. From the website: "WHAT MOVES YOU? is a unique collaboration between three distinct choreographic voices: Francesca Harper, Jill Johnson, and Mario Zambrano. Together, they have collaborated with The Harvard Dance Project (HDP) dancers and associate HDP student artists, composed of singers, poets, musicians, and writers, to create a work that is both responding to and asking the governing question: “What moves you?” This question was posed to the cast to create movement phrases and choreographic structure, and resulted in a series of personal stories adapted through motion."Thurs, April 14 - Sat, April 16 @ 8 pm
Sat & Sun, April 16 & 17 @ 2 pm
Presented by the Boston Conservatory
Boston Conservatory Theater
$15-$30
I will now quote directly from the website about why this got my attention:
"*On Friday, April 15 at 11 a.m., there will be a special autism-friendly performance for individuals on the autism spectrum and their families. To learn more, contact our Audience Services Manager at (617) 912-9142." If you have someone in your life for whom his may be relevant, share it with them. Accessibility for the neuro-diverse is MASSIVELY under served in the arts community, and it should be celebrated and taken advantage of when it is offered. This show features incredible young dancers and internationally acclaimed choreographers: Doug Varone, Keith A. Thompson, Adam Hougland and Dwight Rhoden; I would see this show and support these people for their inclusiveness alone.
Sat, April 30 @ 8pm
Evolution: Celebrating Our 5th Anniversary
Presented by Jo-Mé Dance Theatre
At Boston University Dance Theater in Allston
At Boston University Dance Theater in Allston
$25 general/ $20 BDA/ $15 student and senior
I haven't seen Jo--Mé Dance Theatre before, so this event struck me as a great way to get to know the company. They will be showing works from their 5 years as a company and 2 new works by Joe Gonzalez and Diaman Wood, which has the advantage of allowing the audience to see work they may otherwise have missed and also allowing us to see how the company has grown over time. If you're looking to get to know a new dance company, this is the one I'd pick.
