Reviews

Two performers (Doan and Stapleton) stand on mirrors. Doan’s chest is out to the audience, their arms expanded to their full width. Stapleton bends and twists at the waist, their arms expanded as well. The lights reflecting off the mirrors cast a watery shadow on the wall and ceiling.
Photo: James Gentile

Reflections, Refractions, and Remembering: A Look at 1-Way Mirror

Madeline Shuron

When you look in a mirror, who do you see?

A stage bathed in blue light, performers all in black. One stands at the left side of the image, glancing center-stage at two dancers. Those two dancers morph together into one as one-crouches, belly up in a crab-position balanced on one hand, and the other sits precariously on their lap, knees up to their chest.
Photo: Kylie Shields

Folding Histories Into Prayer

ankita

A spiritual guidebook, holding space

Company members of the Philadelphia Ballet stand in angular shapes with their arms extending outwards from their chests, with some dancers’ arms on the horizontal plane, and others in 4th position. They wear matching black leotards with a linear design. They perform Bolero, choreography by Angel Corella.
Photo: Alexander Iziliaev⁠

Carmen, Boléro, y La Pasión Española

Lauren Berlin

Ángel Corella and Philabelphia Ballet electrify audiences with Carmen’s defiance and Boléro’s slow-burning tension.

A man dances, hunched over with one arm punching downwards. He wears a headdress and decorative costume elements that highlight traditional artistry.
Photo: Lauren Berlin

Welcome to the Circle

Lauren Berlin

Over 40 Tribal Nations Gather at the 6th Annual WE ARE THE SEEDS Philly, Part of the PECO Multicultural Series

A white woman with dark brown hair, wearing a blue outfit, sparkly shoes, and a bright red lip that matches her red hoop earrings, lies back on a small gray table. Her mouth is wide open as if singing, one arm reaching emphatically above her head while the other grips the table tightly for balance. Her legs float in the air, parallel to one another at a slightly awkward angle. She is a rockstar in an empty room.
Photo: Jen Kertis

This is a white piece, and that’s okay

ankita

Bucking nice, white conventions in favor of complexity

A warm, slightly grainy, tinted photo of an in-the-round white-walled performance space. At the center of the room a performer in polka-dot pants lies on the ground. Above her, three performers gather, one wearing a shirt that says “Join the Hike.” To their left, Corinne Jones – wearing a white button-up and brown tights – gestures out to the audience with an open arm.
Photo: Cole Knight

Doe-Eyed Wonder

ankita

Deep thoughts about deer friends.

Two Black performers stand side-by-side, wearing pedestrian clothing – lacy, patterned white tops layered over shades of beige and brown. Their gaze extends out to their right, converging on an unknown entity in the distance. Surrounding them, a park with green grass and trees foregrounding urbanity.
Photo: Shoshana Isaacs

Secrets shared, Innocence lost

ankita

How do you perform secrecy?

A red humanoid figure squats to one side with its dark mouth open in a disturbing smile. The figure holds a human shaped fabric which it appears to have peeled off its own body.
Photo: Ishmael Walker

Possession for the Dispossessed

Zoe Farnsworth

A Boo Hag possession dramatized for the stage.

Photo: Terence O’Donnell

Clasp, Unravel, Let go

Megan Mizanty
On the deck of a boat, three glamorous performers strike confident, dramatic poses. At the front, Raven Nightingale wears a black rhinestoned corset with cascading ruffled sleeves and fishnets, leaning toward the camera with playful bravado. Behind them, Miss Angie tilts her head back with effortless poise, hair cascading freely over her deep blue, velvet gown. To the side, AshantiDoll dazzles in a hot pink sequined gown and gloves, paired with bold jewelry and a blonde wig that evokes vintage Hollywood. With the river and Benjamin Franklin bridge faintly visible in the background, the image blends nautical calm with bold theatrical energy.
Photo: Stephanie Griffiths

Shiver Me Tassels!

Emily “Lady Em” Culbreath

Bawdy games, cheeky acts, seaworthy chaos, and a boatload of fun.