Have you ever watched a dance performance and wondered how the dancers learned the steps?  Maybe you were curious about what inspired the piece?  Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre (CRDT) pulls back the curtain in their recurring Inside/Out performance series. The company performs works in progress, gives a glimpse into the rehearsal process, and allows for the audience to input their own ideas and observations.

Those who have experienced a fever dream can tell you that it is often a bizarre, vivid, or unpleasant experience. Those who wake up from these dreams are often discombobulated, unsure of whether what they encountered was fact or fiction, and some may even have a change of perspective from the ordeal—popular culture examples being “The Wizard Of Oz” or “Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.”

Gender Fucked Productions’ dance ensemble, “Queer Dance Freakout,” returns with “Spring Fling” at Elastic Arts on April 5-7. Last year, this company of diverse artists surprised audiences with their combination of skits, solos, duets, group numbers and audience interaction, presented in a format which has the audience voting for what comes next. In “Spring Fling,” QDF retains their unique choose-your-own-adventure formula but with a few tweaks.

The name Gus Giordano is synonymous with jazz dance, as composer George Gershwin is to jazz music.  Both Giordano and Gershwin were pioneers in their fields, bringing liveliness, excitement, and a daring boldness to their works. Not only did Giordano codify his own jazz dance technique but he also wrote the renowned Anthology of American Jazz Dance (1976), still in use today.  Students of jazz dance have been affected by his foundational teachings for decades.

The phrase “work in progress” can take on many meanings within the context of dance. It may indicate previewing a performance’s rehearsal process months before the polished premiere. Or, seeing a work that will eventually be extended, adapted and performed again in a new light. What it certainly means is meeting movement with an open, flexible mind; whatever you see in the “now,” may shift.

Regarding opera, most remark on the exaggerated vocal styles of the artists, the deliciously ostentatious scenery and costumes… But what about the dancing?

The ancient philosopher Plato surmised that there was an alternate world of perfect forms, examples from which we draw our knowledge of the natural world. Is such a thing possible in the world of ballet? Yes!