Contributions by  Adrienne Totino

Dance Review: being Here…/this time
by Marjani Forté

By | Adrienne Totino, Prose, Reviews: Performing Arts

New York choreographer, Marjani Forté, brought the newest version of her three-year work to the Alloy Studios Friday night. Being Here…/this time investigated mental illness, addiction, and poverty in America. Forté was initially inspired by an experience she had on the subway train with a “symptomatic” woman in crisis. That led her to various conversations …

Dance Review: Texture Contemporary Ballet in Life, Love, & Jazz

By | Adrienne Totino, Prose, Reviews: Performing Arts

On Saturday night at the New Hazlett Theater, Texture Contemporary Ballet presented a two hour long show of five works in various styles, proving once again that the company is capable of much more than ballet technique. Associate Director of the company, Kelsey Bartman, opened the show with her group piece, Fun. The popular rock …

Dance Review: The Ubiquitous Mass of Us by Maree ReMalia/merrygogo

By | Adrienne Totino, Prose, Reviews: Performing Arts

One of the biggest challenges as a performing artist is to create work meaningful for the choreographer and cast, while simultaneously allowing the audience to be drawn in to that deeply personal world. This seems especially true for non-narrative work, which has no storyline. The story is ours to imagine. Choreographer, Maree ReMalia, struck that …

Dance Review: We Sing the Body Eclectic by Shana Simmons Dance and I am Woman by Murphy/Smith Dance Collective

By | Adrienne Totino, Prose, Reviews: Performing Arts

The first ever Pittsburgh Fringe Festival took place over the weekend, with more than 20 performing arts shows in various venues around Shadyside. The now worldwide festival was modeled after the original, in Edinburgh, and supports up-and-coming artists in theater and dance, all of whom are “on the fringe” of the mainstream arts scene. On …

Dance Review: Far by Wayne McGregor/Random Dance

By | Adrienne Totino, Prose, Reviews: Performing Arts

The Pittsburgh Dance Council concluded its 2013-2014 season with London company, Wayne McGregor/Random Dance. The international troupe featured ten performers from South Africa, Albania, Switzerland, and Poland, to name just a few places. Far was an hour-long collaboration between McGregor, the dancers, and musician, Ben Frost. The set design was equally important, and included a …

Dance Review: Just Us…The Journey Continues by Reed Dance

By | Adrienne Totino, Prose, Reviews: Performing Arts

Over the weekend, Reed Dance premiered Just Us…The Journey Continues. The show was their first since leaving the August Wilson Center. Despite the group’s makeover (several new company members and a smaller performing venue), they emerged as bold and fiery as ever. The Alloy Studios was a great place to see the dancers up close …

Dance Review: Beautiful Struggle By Baker & Tapaga Dance Project

By | Adrienne Totino, Prose, Reviews: Performing Arts

Director of the Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST), Janera Solomon, enjoys taking risks when choosing artists to perform at the thriving East Liberty space. Attracting patrons to the more unusual shows at the theater has become her specialty. The Pittsburgh contemporary dance scene used to be small; we could count on seeing the same audience members …

Dance Review: Recipes our Mothers Gave Us by Corningworks

By | Adrienne Totino, Prose, Reviews: Performing Arts

A cheery voice boomed through the speakers at the New Hazlett Theater’s Saturday performance of Recipes Our Mothers Gave Us. “You have thirty seconds to choose your ingredients to make a happy life!” Beth Corning, director of Corningworks, and her dancing partners, Maria Cheng and Francoise Fournier, all rushed to the back of the stage …