Author: Brendan McCall
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Enacting Immersion: Audiences ACT UP in David Wise´s Immersive FIGHT BACK!
Outside the LGBT Community Center, it was August 18, 2025, but as soon as I stepped into Room 101, I went back in time. People were wearing black t-shirts with the words SILENCE = DEATH blazing on them below a giant pink triangle, as well as white tees with a giant red handprint on it.…
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In FOR MORGAN, Nicky Paraiso Remembers and Reminds Us That Art Is Dangerous
As he stepped up to his piano at the beginning of For Morgan, Nicky Paraiso looked out the intimate audience at Pangea restaurant. “It feels like family in here,” he said. Sometime in the fall of 2023, Morgan Jenness (she/they) told Paraiso that she wanted Paraiso to sing and perform an evening-length cabaret for her…
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In CURRICULUM III: PEOPLE, PLACES, AND THINGS Bill T. Jones Journeys Into the Heart of American Darkness
At the conclusion of the electrifying performance of Curriculum III: People, Places, and Things, members of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company took their bows to a standing ovation from an enthusiastic audience. When the dancers invited their company’s Artistic Director to join them, it was no surprise. Opening nights, especially when it´s a…
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Memory in Movement: Bill T. Jones’ in MEMORY PIECE at NYLA
At the opening of Memory Piece: Mr. Ailey, Alvin…the un-Ailey?, we catch glimpses of Bill T. Jones dancing in and out of darkness. His flowing white pants and matching shirt caress his body´s sinewy strength, and he practically prances in and out of the various squares of light that flash on to the floor before…
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At La MaMa Moves, a Joint Program Produces States of Grief and Sounds of Pleasure
Shared programs can be tricky. As a dance festival curator, part of the battle is attempting to describe a work of art effectively to the public while predicting their reaction. Putting two different artists together on the same bill may double the work, but if handled deftly, it can forge synchronicity. Even in situations where…
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Thank You, Steve.
“There he is.” Nicky Paraiso is sitting next to me and wants me to look at something on his phone. Ostensibly, we´re here at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery to see a show, the first of Danspace Project´s 50th season, but tonight feels more like a reunion, a gathering of old friends. It’s 7:15, the event was…