Thousands of years before European ballet was born, Bharatanatyam flourished in India. The ancient art of Bharatanatyam seems to be having a bit of a moment in modern times. Months after appearing in Chicago, dancer Aparna Ramaswamy recently made her debut at the Joyce Theater in New York: one small step for a Bharatanatyam dancer, one giant, dazzling leap for Bharatanatyam …
Natya Dance Brings the Ancient Art of Bharatanatyam to Modern Audiences
Inside the Beautiful, Bizarre World of Butoh
One of the most unique styles of dance today is undoubtedly butoh. I spoke with dancer and choreographer Ushio Amagatsu as he tours across North America with his company, Sankai Juku. The New York Times called Sankai Juku, “One of the most original and startling dance theater groups to be seen.” Read our conversation to learn more about butoh, Amagatsu’s …
Rare Ballet Sylvia Comes to Chicago
Choreographer John Neumeier said that in his reinterpretation of Sylvia, he “tried to invent a movement vocabulary that would suit each of the characters.”
The Women of ‘Figaro’ on Mozart’s Women
Behind every great man is a great woman, so the saying goes. In Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, the women often run the show. How better to learn about these fascinating female characters than from the women behind Lyric Opera of Chicago’s new production of Mozart’s masterwork? I spoke with Barbara Gaines, the stage director, as well as the opera’s leading ladies …
Video: Two Italians Talk About Rossini
Baritones Alessandro Corbelli and Vito Priante are two of the most sought-after Rossini singers today. They break down the heralded opera composer’s repertoire.
Get a Sneak Peek at Pianist Conrad Tao’s New Album
Chicago audiences will know pianist Conrad Tao from his time as Composer-in-Residence with Music in the Loft, and from WFMT’s airwaves.
Video | Justice Ginsburg on the Death Penalty and Opera
What does opera have to do with the death penalty? Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, came to WFMT, Chicago’s fine arts and classical radio station, to explain.
Video | 5 Operas the Notorious RBG Wants You to Know
See which operas Justice Ginsburg chose as her her five favorites during her visit to WFMT.
5 Women on Being Modern Women in Dance
Choreographer and modern dance maven Claire Bataille: “But gender discrimination is really no different in the dance world from what it is in the corporate world…”
How Gabriela Montero Uses the Piano for Political Protest
“I wrote Ex Patria in 2011 to honor the 19,336 victims of homicide that year in Venezuela.”