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Lakshmi Thiagarajan, author of the article, kneels gracefully on the ground in a covered walkway outdoors, lit by lanterns. One leg is forward, clad in yellow and red silk pants with a percussive bracelet on her ankle. Her clasped hands frame her face, adorned with a bindi and golden headband. She looks off to the side with a small smile.
Photo: Lakshmi Thiagarajan
  • thINKpieces

Beyond Entertainment: Exploring Perspectives on the Purpose of Dance in South Indian History

Lakshmi Thiagarajan

Dance as an expression of political power, religious fervor, and of women’s sexualities.

  • Reviews

Elastic Lineage

Miryam Coppersmith
Two people dressed in blue sit on top of an overturned recycling bin, with their arms extended overhead as if riding a rollercoaster. They have nervous looking facial expressions, and are in front of a curtain backdrop which is painted like a bedroom. There is a hand coming from behind the backdrop, grasping it, as if preparing to enter the stage.
Photo: Dylan Smythe
  • Reviews

Has Sadness Ever Taken You Down to the Dump?

Caitlin Green

“THIS IS THE WORST DAY EVER!”

In groups of three, dancers are positioned stage left, stage right and centerstage. The left and right groups perform a lift with two dancers at the base and the aerial dancer reaching outward. Through reaching in similar form to the aerial dancers, the centerstage trio remains grounded. Dancers stand against a white backdrop with pink and blue lights. They wear uniform spandex pants and crop tops.
Photo: Sasha Onyshchenko
  • Reviews

Montreal Company, RUBBERBAND, Brings Reckless Underdog to Philly

Caitlin Green

Bringing street dance to the theater underscores the intersection of performance and social dance.

On the right, a man sits in a red kayak with his back to the camera. He wears a green shirt. A white rope is tied to the back of his kayak and reaches out of the frame. He is on a lake heavily grown in with green plants. The water is blue and still. There is a mountain in the distance.
Photo:Rachel Keane
  • Reviews, thINKpieces

All That History in Those Very Seats

Emilee Lord

Steve Paxton remembered

The image features dancers from The UMAMI Colletive’s Sweetest Encounter, wearing various colorful 70s vibe clothing. The ensemble poses with all hands up to the sky and flares outward while they look up. It is set against a warm sunrise background, the dancers radiant happiness through their inviting smiles and open chest to the sky as if soaking in the sun.
Photo: Laney Powers
  • Reviews

This is Your Moment

Sophiann Mahalia Moore

A Night with UMAMI and Urban Movement Arts Dance Theater

Against a grassy, hilly field, six humans are collected in space. Four are standing in a line, two white individuals and two Black individuals, and two white individuals are kneeling facing each other in front of the standing people. They wear an assortment of loose and tight clothing and are all smiling with joy.
Photo: Laura Desimine
  • Interviews

Finding Community, Building Community: An Interview with Philly Dance Share

Madeline Shuron

With and through each other, PDS is reshaping the Philly dance scene, one class at a time.

The image captures an exquisite moment from the poetic dance drama The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting. A group of female dancers, dressed in flowing teal skirts and light turquoise tops, perform in perfect synchronization. Their poses, with gracefully bent knees and upper bodies slightly arched, evoke the undulating lines of rolling mountains. The dancers' tall, elegant hairpieces and the mist-like effect on the stage enhance the visual resemblance to a traditional Chinese landscape painting, blending motion with artistic stillness.
Photo by: China Oriental Song and Dance Troupe
  • Reviews

A Glimpse of Traditional Cultural Revival – The Premiere of Chinese Dance Drama in the US

Ziying Cui

The poetic dance features neo-classical choreography and breathtaking visual spectacle.

  • Public Square

P.S. #9: Clips Share

  • thINKpieces

Resistance Through Performance and Pedagogy: What is Dance Activism?

Mariadela Belle Alvarez