–Octavio Roca, artburstmiami.com Emotions ran high even before the dancing started. Lourdes Lopez, Miami City Ballet’s artistic director, stepped in front of the curtain Valentine’s night to speak lovingly about her two teachers, George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, and announce that George Chakiris was in the audience. Chakiris, who starred…
James Brown sang that it’s a man’s world, and Jerry Lewis said that there’s no such thing as a funny woman. Then comes Amy Schumer, the foul-mouthed, cherubic comic that takes their words and makes them look like unenlightened cavemen. As a successful comedian, Schumer still comes under scrutiny simply…
Precision technique, athleticism and poignant storytelling are synonymous with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater — a powerhouse company that has kept the torch of African-American life, history and dance aflame on stage since 1958. Led now by artistic director and Miami native Robert Battle, Ailey is making its yearly…
In 1981, American choreographer and dancer Gerald Arpino saw the world debut of his East-meets-West-themed Light Rain ballet in New York City. It was performed by the dance company he co-founded with Robert Joffrey, The Joffrey Ballet. The New York Times wrote that “Light Rain… is one of Mr. Arpino’s…
Open mics are where performers cut their teeth, develop their chops, and other folksy idioms meaning “possibly suck to get better.” Polish is traded for rawness, whether it’s in witnessing a guitarist tighten a strum pattern, a poet discover that perfect adjective, or comedians nervously testing out premises they thought…
Juraj Kojs is a Slovakian-born composer, performer, multimedia artist and presenter. Trained as a classical pianist, he is co-founder of the Foundation for Emerging Technologies and Arts (FETA), whose goal is to cultivate interactive experimentation in composition and performance. He’s intrigued by mankind’s evolving relationship to technology and how it…
If it seems like New Theatre’s latest production has an extra spring in its step — if the set design, lighting, and actors appear unusually dynamic — it might be because the peripatetic company has finally found a decent home. More than decent, in fact. Since 2012, with the razing…
Known for its strength and versatility, Miami City Ballet will flaunt a new set of skills this Friday as the company debuts its world premiere of Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story Suite. In addition to tackling Robbins’ dazzling choreography, several dancers will also sing. Yes, ballet dancers will sing. Not…
The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart is a unique, otherworldly and exhilarating experience. Part of that comes from the fact that supernatural forces are main characters in the play. The other part stems from the play being presented in a bar. This inventive play from the National Theatre of Scotland…
On Miami New Times’ 100 Creatives list, we called artist/choreographer/dancer/sage Ana Mendez “a one-woman pyrotechnic show.” That’s still true, though it’s more accurate these days to compare her to less hazardous elements. She’s dynamic and explosive, but also connected to her surroundings in a way that’s much more inclusive –…
Paul Mecurio is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning comedian, writing for the Tonight Show and both incarnations of The Daily Show. His journey is a winding road that has taken him through writing, stand-up, law, banking, cable news commentating, podcasting, and undoubtedly more. He will be performing February 6-9 at…
Legend has it that at the end of Edwin S. Porter’s pioneering 1903 short film The Great Train Robbery, when an actor playing a bandit points his gun directly into the camera and fires, many moviegoers were scared out of their wits. The medium was too new for a camera…
“Miami makes me insane,” Lewis Black says over the phone after the conclusion of our 20-minute interview. “Down there, I felt like I had a weight problem. In New York, I feel like my weight is normal. When I get to Miami, I think, Jesus, I’m a fat pig.” We…
Last month, we reported that comedian Chelsea Handler was bringing her latest comedy tour to the South Beach Comedy Festival in April. The unfortunate name of said tour? “Uganda Be Kidding Me.” We’re guessing at least one of the newly announced names on the SBCF 2014 lineup will have something…
It’s way too easy not to grow up. Given the explosion of the video game industry, comic book movies, cosplay, and comicons the age of the manchild is officially here – and it’s only just begun. Get ready for Marvel Universe LIVE!, a massive arena production based on all your…
Last month local coffee shop/bar Lester’s closed down, effectively ending the monthly Mustache Ride Comedy Show run by local comedian Irene Morales. As the tides roll in and out, a new bar opened, the Wynwood Brewing Company, and so has another stand-up show helmed by Irene. The rebranded Last Call…
Brazilian American stand-up comedian Eric DaSilva is recording his live CD/DVD Jan 25… again. After technical complications, Eric embraced chaos to include footage from multiple shows at multiple venues, weaving them together similar to Chris Rock’s Kill the Messenger. The recently-closed PAX will re-open for one night to support the…
There’s a new theater in town. No, really. New Theatre just moved into the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, and the multi-cultural, progressively-minded camp is more than ready for the inaugural production in its new home, David Caudle’s Visiting Hours. Not actually “new” at all, the theater has entertained Miami…
By George Fishman, artburstmiami.com People have told choreographer Nora Chipaumire that they found her dance-theater performance Miriam too dark. “It’s so black,” they complained. “What am I looking at?” they asked about this performance based on the life and music of South African legend Miriam Makeba. “At first, I was…
When you think of self-destructive entertainers who died before their time, which names come to mind? Jim Morrison? Jimi Hendrix? Kurt Cobain? Amy Winehouse? We don’t really think of Judy Garland in this capacity — at least I never did — because she lived 20 years longer than these fatalistic…
When you think of self-destructive entertainers who died before their time, which names come to mind? Jim Morrison? Jimi Hendrix? Kurt Cobain? Amy Winehouse? We don’t really think of Judy Garland in this capacity — at least I never did — because she lived 20 years longer than these fatalistic…
By Mia Leonin, artburstmiami.com In the first few minutes of Gabri Christi’s film Quarantined, you can’t see dancer Kyle Abraham’s sculptured torso or his rhythmic leaps or the fact he’s wearing a long white skirt made of tulle. The camera, however, reveals glimpses of a jawline and a closely shaved…
