In these final days before Christmas, it’s Nutcracker crunchtime (but don’t be too worried, since most productions will continue their run after the 25th, at least for a day or two). If you’ve yet to see a rendition this year, try New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center, American Ballet Theatre at BAM, or New York Theatre Ballet at Florence Gould Hall. And for the adventurous types, check out Nutcracker Rouge at the Minetta Lane Theatre – it’s the same basic story, but styled as a “Baroque Burlesque Confection.”
If you’ve had you’re fill of Nutcracker for this year (or the rest of your life), there’s still plenty more to see. Alvin Ailey American Dance Company continues it’s knockout season through January 5th, and STREB is still flying high over in Brooklyn, presenting Forces until December 22nd.
Artists to know now – Fresh Tracks at NYLA
Though Dance Theatre Workshop had been offering open calls for choreography since 1965, the Fresh Tracks program began officially in 1984 as a formal initiative to present emerging choreographers and dance artists. Though DTW is now New York Live Arts, the Fresh Tracks program lives on, and is one of the best indicators of who’s (going to be) who in the dance world. Choreographers must audition, and the lucky few are selected by a panel of dance pros, including choreographer of the hour Kyle Abraham and Dance Magazine Editor at Large Wendy Perron. In the past, Fresh Tracks has been responsible for presenting the early works of now-famed artists like Bill T. Jones, Bebe Miller, and Reggie Wilson. Given this track record, this night of emerging choreographers is worth the gamble.
This year’s Fresh Tracks program features Martita Abril, Maximilian Balduzzi, Ben Grinberg & Nick Gillette, Daniel Holt, Leslie Parker and Gabrielle Revlock.
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