Arts

The glorious expressive power of dance: Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s Parallax, Repertory Dance Theatre’s Sanctuary

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While the competing theoretical, philosophical and ontological discussions of dance’s unique status as a performing arts form are too complex and dense to handle or digest in a compact peroration, it is sufficient to acknowledge the extraordinary happenings in the world of dance that challenge conventional ideals. Choreographers and performers are probing new territories that … Read more

Plan-B Theatre’s newest play, River. Swamp. Cave. Mountain., slated for Utah schools fall tour

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Why does it have to get dark? Why can’t the day always stay? Let’s say goodbye to the night time, Goodbye. Let’s send the dark time away. Fred Rogers, Mister Rogers Neighborhood, Some Things I Don’t Understand, 1968 In a 1970 episode of his legendary public television series Mister Rogers Neighborhood, Fred Rogers reflected on … Read more

Sackerson to present regional premiere of deliciously devilish Shockheaded Peter

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A young German physician in the 1840s, Heinrich Hoffman, disappointed that he could not find a suitable children’s book for his three-year-old son, decided to write his own as a Christmas present. The following year, Zacharias Löwenthal, a German publisher, read Hoffman’s work and decided to publish it under the pen name of Reimerich Kinderlieb. … Read more

NOVA’s 40th anniversary season to open with Fry Street String Quartet in unique UMFA art gallery setting

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NOVA Chamber Music Series’ 40th anniversary is filled with every distinctive element that has made its programming brand unique in the Intermountain West region. There will be numerous soloists from Utah’s deep bench of outstanding musicians, six commissions of new music and performances of music that should be heard more frequently than is the usual … Read more

Repertory Dance Theatre’s Sanctuary promises to be thrilling 52nd season opener

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In many traditional perspectives – political, cultural, environmental, anthropological – sanctuary often is articulated in terms of its physical preservation and distinct integrity. But, as we contemplate the issues of public lands, national monuments, and the vitality of cultural legacies, we also are learning that sanctuary is not just ecclesiastical, physical, political and anthropological. Sanctuary … Read more

Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company opens 54th season with Parallax, new family matinee series

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The eyes stream data to the brain through something like two million fiber bundles of nerves. Consider the exponential aspects of perception when you multiply this kind of density by the fact that not only does the brain do this all the time, but the millions of bits of information streaming through your mind at … Read more

Utah Film Center’s screening of award-winning Mr. Gaga dance documentary to include special Repertory Dance Theatre performance

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For the astute viewer, understanding what the Gaga dance movement language involves is clarified by the opening and closing scenes of Mr. Gaga, a fully absorbing documentary about Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin. The film opens with a dancer who is following Naharin’s instructions on how to execute a collapse backward onto the floor. She repeats … Read more

Authentic voices in the Utah Enlightenment: Plan-B Theatre, Torrey House Press, Repertory Dance Theatre

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While the bomb-throwers—both metaphorical and literal – invariably claim to speak for the locals, most of the locals I’ve met prefer to speak for themselves. They’re old-timers and newcomers, Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals. They’re scientists, tribal members, ranchers, and telecommuters, often more than one of the above. Some criticize the federal government, and … Read more

Utah filmmaker’s Street Fighting Men emerges as standout among Detroit documentaries

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UPDATE: Street Fighting Men is an official selection in the 2018 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (Feb. 16-25), which will take place in Missoula, Montana. The Utah Film Center also has slated screenings Feb. 1 in West Jordan, Feb. 21 in Ogden and Feb. 27 in Orem. In July 2020, the film is available on … Read more

World premiere dance concert, performances by veteran fringe artists close Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival

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As the third annual Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival wrapped up this past weekend, there was ample evidence showing how the event is developing the enduring presence and value that will lead to more choices of original, ambitious entertainment. Last week, The Utah Review highlighted four shows and this week’s sampling of four performances from … Read more