By Laura Di Orio.

The holiday season is typically filled with family, friends, music, goodies, traditions and joy. This year, why not add to the list a Christmas-themed dance production? Here, Dance Informa has compiled a list of dance performances of nearly every genre that will be sure to heighten your holiday glow. Enjoy!

Emily Bufferd’s A Ho Ho Holiday Show

With the inaugural year of A Ho Ho Holiday Show, choreographer and producer Emily Bufferd wanted a chance to do some good via dance in a manner in which everyone, dancers and non-dancers alike, could enjoy.

“I think almost everyone can relate to the joy that a song like ‘Jingle Bells’ is meant to exude,” Bufferd said. So, she created this evening of ten choreographers’ work that she calls a “lighthearted, fun…holiday dance shenanigan”, which will benefit Toys for Tots. Admission will be $5, plus the donation of a toy.

“I really am hoping it will prove successful in bringing a lot of toys,” Bufferd said. “Toys for Tots is an organization that can never have too many items sent their way. I think a holiday show is a wonderfully entertaining way to get deeper into the spirit of the season.”

A Ho Ho Holiday Show will be presented at the Salvatore Capezio Theater at Peridance in New York City, on Saturday, December 8, with shows at 8:30 and 9:30pm. For more information, check out http://emilybufferd.com/Emily_Bufferd.html.

San Diego Musical Theatre’s White Christmas

The stage version of Irving Berlin’s timeless White Christmas opened on Broadway in 2008, but this year will mark the musical’s first appearance in San Diego. San Diego Musical Theatre, led by Erin and Gary Lewis, will offer San Diego audiences their musical adaptation of the timeless classic, which will feature 17 Berlin songs.

The story follows Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, who have a successful song-and-dance act after World War II and who follow a duo of singing sisters en route to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge. The production includes many well-known standards and of course the holiday favorite, “White Christmas.” San Diego Musical Theatre’s version features a 22-piece orchestra on stage, extravagant costumes and lots of singing and dancing.

“Berlin’s White Christmas is an uplifting, heartwarming production,” said Executive Director Erin Lewis. “Especially at holiday time, people want to see something familiar, something to help them get into the holiday spirit and bring their family to. White Christmas will definitely fit the bill!”

The performances are at the Birch North Park Theatre and run from December 13 to 23. For tickets and more information, visit www.sdmt.org.

Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Perhaps one of the most well-known Christmas dance traditions is the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, which features over 140 performers (including the always pristine Rockettes), extraordinary sets and costumes and an original musical score.

This year marks the 85th anniversary of the holiday favorite, presented at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. Shows run throughout December. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.radiocitychristmas.com/newyork.html.

Bayer Ballet Company’s A Winter Fairy Tale

Inna Bayer and her youth ballet company, Bayer Ballet Company, in Mountain View, California, will present A Winter Fairy Tale, a holiday ballet set to music by Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. The story is a Russian New Year’s Eve fairy tale about a Bat Queen who kidnaps a little bunny and interrupts the forest creatures’ wintertime celebration. The ballet continues to follow the Magician and a beautiful Rose Maiden, who journey to return the bunny to its family.

Bayer launched Bayer Ballet Company in 2010 to give performance opportunities to her pre-professional students. This year, A Winter Fairy Tale can be seen at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts from December 14 through 16. For more, check out www.bayerballetacademy.com/winterShow.htm.

Smuin Ballet dancers Darren Anderson and Terez Dean ride waves on “Christmas Island” in ‘The Christmas Ballet’. Photo by Keith Sutter.

Smuin Ballet’s The Christmas Ballet

This year, California’s Smuin Ballet will bring back The Christmas Ballet, a ballet in two acts – Classical Christmas and Cool Christmas – that has an array of ballet, tap, swing and world dances, reflecting the company’s signature blend of classical and pop styles.

“Our founder, Michael Smuin, sought to branch out from the traditional and create an original holiday program that could change to reflect new work and his dancers’ strengths,” said Celia Fushille, artistic and executive director of Smuin Ballet. “We’ve continued our tradition of breaking tradition, changing the content and running order every year.”

This year’s production includes new choreography by the company’s Choreographer in Residence, Amy Seiwert, and Smuin artists Darren Anderson and Jane Rehm.

Smuin Ballet will take The Christmas Ballet on the road in California’s Bay Area throughout December, with stops in Livermore, Mountain View, Carmel and San Francisco. For more information and for tickets, visit http://smuinballet.org

Mary Anthony Dance Theatre’s Ceremony of Carols

Mary Anthony, a modern dance pioneer who celebrated her 96th birthday in November, will present her Mary Anthony Dance Theatre in a work to celebrate the holiday season. The work, Ceremony of Carols, which first premiered in 1971, is set to the music of Benjamin Britten and retells the nativity scene. Also on the program will be works by Daniel Maloney and Ellen Robbins.

This year, performances of Ceremony of Carols will be held on December 15 and 16 at the Mary Anthony Dance Studio in New York City. For ticket reservations, call 212-674-8191 or email maryanthonydance@yahoo.com.

Moody Gardens presents A Magical Christmas

A Magical Christmas is an evening of dinner and performance that combines magic, comedy for the whole family, music and dance in celebration of the Christmas holiday. Illusionist Curt Miller leads the show, as Christmas narratives are told through his magic and also well-known holiday songs.

A Magical Christmas runs from December 14 to 16 and 20 to 27 at the Moody Gardens Convention Center in the Houston area of Texas. Tickets include not only the one-hour show and a holiday buffet dinner but also admission to the Moody Gardens Festival of Lights, the area’s largest holiday lighting event. For more information, visit www.moodychristmasshow.com.

Top photo: Smuin Ballet in “White Christmas” in The Christmas Ballet. Photo by Keith Sutter.

Alliance Theatre, Atlanta
May 2011

By Deborah Searle.

Atlanta Ballet’s Ignition program allows the company to shine; not only the dancers, but the artistic team, and the new choreographers that it commissions. The program gives up-and-coming choreographers a chance to create work on a hungry and enthusiastic team of dancers with the strong support of Artistic Director John McFall and his talented team. As 2011 Ignition choreographer Gina Patterson revealed, “I really felt completely supported artistically by the Director, John McFall, and the staff. The dancers were really open. I felt like I could go into the piece really deeply and openly and the dancers went there with me wholeheartedly, physically, artistically and emotionally”. When a choreographer’s vision is supported and nurtured, magic can be created, and that is what we witnessed at Ignition 2011.

Flux. Dancers J. Welker and T. Lee. Photo by Charlie McCull

The evening of performances, danced in the intimate setting of Woodruff Art Centre’s Alliance Theatre, started with Flux, a work developed by young Bennyroyce Royon, a talented graduate from Julliard, New York. The movement was like liquid as the dancers body-rolled, slid across the floor and explored each other’s space. The performers, in pedestrian clothing and dancing in socks looked like average people at first glance until they started to hypnotize us with their intoxicating movement.  Royon has a unique choreographic voice and the dancers seemed to revel in his creation.  As partners they played with negative space and as groups they danced with strength and power. The men of Atlanta Ballet showed their prowess in compelling group numbers. The music was interesting and took us on the journey with the dancers. At times the music and the movement it inspired got a little repetitive, but that is my only criticism. I enjoyed the unique choreography and the challenge it presented to the Atlanta Ballet dancers, who I had only ever previously seen perform traditional ballets.

Quietly Walking, by Gina Patterson was a polished balletic masterpiece. Unlike the other works of the night, which seemed to need a little more time to reach their full potential, Quietly Walking had indeed arrived. It was a complete work, refined from start to finish and showed Atlanta Ballet’s dancers as brilliant technicians and engaging and expressive artists. There were so many special moments. Patterson explored layers of costuming and beautiful fluid choreography that caught our attention and kept it. The work discussed themes of urbanization and deforestation, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom. We experienced the circle of life, death and rebirth and were taken on a breathtaking, yet thought provoking journey. The partner work was exquisite as the dancers showed their vulnerability and seemed to wholeheartedly enjoy the journey. I was taken to another place. Patterson has a gift! Her choreography, and the dancers’ execution of it, together with a beautiful yet simple backdrop of a stark tree branch within a frame, was evocative.

Quietly Walking. Dancers C. Clark and C. Winkler. Photo by Charlie McCullers

Lastly we were treated to Home in 7, the most unique work of the night. Choreographer Amy Seiwert made a bold creation, where she blended live poetry, live music and dance. The company danced to the words of talented poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph as he passionately and rhythmically told tales of Georgia and Atlanta. The poems on their own were engaging, but coupled with dance to express the words spoken, the stories came to life.  Violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain accompanied the choreography and his music was an intimate and beautiful response to both Marc and the dancers. Home in 7 was powerful and thoroughly entertaining. Amy Seiwert seemed to be able to find the essence of the words spoken without mimicking them and took us on a journey with the poet. She had such a bold idea, but it was a gamble that paid off. The dancers once again showed us why they are Georgia’s best and Atlanta Ballet as a company impressed us with their courage to try something new. The piece has immense potential and should be toured across Georgia and shown again and again, as a tribute to this great state. Dancers and local US ‘Georgians’ alike couldn’t help but enjoy it. The work was so engaging that I wasn’t ready for it to finish when it did. It seemed to end suddenly to me, and that is my only criticism. Maybe that’s only because I was so engrossed in it?

Ignition ignited my personal passion for dance and the arts and was an evening exhibiting artistic collaboration at its best. Congratulations to Atlanta Ballet and the talented choreographers.

Top photo: Home in 7 by Atlanta Ballet. Dancers P. Gamino, T. Lee and D. Hansel. Photo by Charlie McCullers.

Atlanta Ballet Presents
Ignition: New Choreographic Voices

Keeping with Atlanta Ballet’s tradition of premiering edgy new works, artistic director John McFall has hand-picked an extraordinary crew of young, up-and-coming choreographers to bring a new dance voice to Atlanta in the company’s season finale of Ignition: New Choreographic Voices, May 13 through 15.

Ignition will feature three world premiere works created exclusively for Atlanta Ballet, to be showcased in the intimate confines of the Alliance Stage, promising a variety of movement, music and diverse themes. The three works; Amy Seiwert’s Home in 7, Bennyroyce Royon’s Flux and Gina Patterson’s Quietly Walking, are set to inspire and engage audiences young and old. Dance Informa enjoyed a preview of the works  in the company’s gorgeous Atlanta studios. Here are a few snap shots we managed to capture whilst being swept away in the beauty of the movement.

Ignition is sure to be interesting, poignant and powerful.