Theater Review: ‘ADRIFT: A Medieval Wayward Folly’ presented by Happenstance Theater at Round House Theatre by Justin Rustle

With a mischievous giggle, the giant strawberry pranced and capered across the stage. “The Strawberry!” intoned The Fool as if he had just seen the key to the secrets of the universe, be…

Dance Review: ‘100 Light Years of Solitude’ by Yumiko Yoshioka at Baltimore Theatre Project by Justin Rustle

A plaintive, whimpering came from the giant egg. Slowly, limbs unfurled from within, hands creeping crab-like across the floor and an almost featureless face shrouded in a stocking, undulati…

Dance Review: ‘Iconic Works’ presented by Chamber Dance Project at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company  by Justin Rustle

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company has been producing original theatrical work in DC for over 40 years. However, in recent years, fueled in part by the exodus of performers from the Kennedy Cent…

Dance Review: ‘Village Stories’ presented by chitra.MOVES at Dance Place by Justin Rustle

It was strange to attend a performance at Dance Place without recently fired Artistic Director Tariq O’Meally’s now familiar curtain speech. Although it remains to be seen how the fallou…

Dance Review: ‘Flourish’ presented by Movius Contemporary Ballet at Dance Loft on 14 by Justin Rustle

It’s hard to believe that the afternoon of June 14 marked the end of Movius Contemporary Ballet’s 10th season. Over the last decade, Founder Diana Movius has cemented both Movius Contemp…

‘A Quick 5’ with Diane Coburn Bruning, Artistic Director of Chamber Dance Project by Justin Rustle

Diane Coburn Bruning founded Chamber Dance Project in New York in 2000. In 2014, the company relocated to Washington, DC, and it has been a staple feature of dance in the DMV ever since. Now…

Dance Review: ‘Good Trouble’ (Excerpts) presented by VTDance/Vincent E. Thomas at Baltimore Theatre Project by Justin Rustle

Vincent E. Thomas has been making choreography in the DMV for over 20 years, but this was the first opportunity I’ve had to see his work live onstage. Thomas himself is a compelling perfor…

Dance Review: ‘Primer Impacto’ presented by Gabriel Mata at Dance Loft on 14th by Justin Rustle

A dancer, choreographer, curator, and advocate, Gabriel Mata has become well known to readers of MD Theatre Guide over the last several years, as a solo artist and the organizer behind the L…

Dance Review: ‘The Center Will Not Hold’ presented by Dorrance Dance at George Mason Center for the Arts by Justin Rustle

“A heist for the revolution.” That is how Co-Director Michelle Dorrance described “The Center Will Not Hold” during a post performance discussion Saturday at Center for the Arts. I w…

Dance Review: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago at Towson University  by Justin Rustle

As a dance lover who lives in Maryland, the opportunity to see Hubbard Street Dance Chicago twice in one season is a genuine pleasure. Featuring two repeats from their October appearance at …

Dance Review: 'TEXTURES' presented by Textures Dance Theatre at Atlas Performing Arts Center by Justin Rustle

"TEXTURES," presented by Textures Dance Theatre, marked the closing performance of the 17th annual Intersections Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Prepared for the stage in only …

Dance Review: 'Lineage' presented by Ballet Theatre of Maryland and Full Circle Dance Company at the Gordon Center for the Performing Arts by Justin Rustle

"Lineage" Thursday night at the Gordon Center was a one-night-only performance with the Ballet Theatre of Maryland and the modern dance-based Full Circle Dance Company at the Gordon Center. …

Dance Review: Anushka Raje & Co-Choreographers present 'We Are Somebody's Ancestors' at Atlas Performing Arts Center by Justin Rustle

It was one of the most enthusiastic audiences of the Intersections Festival that greeted "We Are Somebody's Ancestors." Featuring the work of choreographers Ishanathan Guteng, Lauren DeVera,…

Dance Review: 'Until the Streetlights Come On' presents Elements Dance Company at Atlas Performing Arts Center by Justin Rustle

  Kids should be allowed to be kids without having to worry about dance critics. However, public artistic statements by youth performers about the condition of being a kid in this world d…

Dance Review: 'Urban Steps' presented by Darby, Fujimoto, and Umami Playground Dance Inc. at Atlas Performing Arts Center by Justin Rustle

  Choreographer and producer Kyoko Fujimoto's concept for "Urban Steps" was perfectly suited for the Atlas Intersections Festival. Fujimoto presented three choreographic projects in works…

Dance Review: 'Giselle' presented by The Washington Ballet at Shakespeare Theatre Company's Sidney Harman Hall by Justin Rustle

There was hardly an empty seat for the opening performance of The Washington Ballet's new production of "Giselle" at  STC's Harman Hall. With choreography by TWB's Artistic Director Edwaa…

Theater Review: 'My Name Is Not Bin Laden' at The Atlas Performing Arts Center by Justin Rustle

Neither rain or snow could keep a sold out audience from "My Name Is Not Bin Laden" at Atlas Intersections Festival. It is a one man show written and performed by Osama Mahmoud Ashour and di…

Dance Review: 'Beneath The Sun' presented by Moore Contemporary Theatrics  at The Atlas Performing Arts Center by Justin Rustle

An adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun," "Beneath The Sun" was an ambitious offering from the promising new company, Moore Contemporary Theatrics. It was led by choreogra…

Dance Review: 'Love Language' presented by Moveius Contemporary Ballet at Dance Loft on 14 by Justin Rustle

Moveius Contemporary Ballet celebrated Valentine's Day with the premier of Associate Artistic Director Alvaro Palu's "Love Language." A brilliant site-specific use of the Dance Loft on 14 sp…

Dance Review: 'NACHMO DC 2026' presented by Glade Dance Collective at the Atlas Performing Arts Center by Justin Rustle

Glade Dance Collective's Sampler Showcase from the NACHMO DC January Challenge 2026 opened the dance programming at this year's annual Intersections Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Cen…

Dance Review: 'Momentum: A Mixed Bill' presented by Ballet Theatre of Maryland at Maryland Hall by Justin Rustle

Last Saturday night was the closing performance of "Momentum: A Mixed Bill," Ballet Theatre of Maryland's annual mixed repertory production featuring work choreographed by BTM Company dancer…

Dance Review: Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company 'Still/Here' at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center by Justin Rustle

It's a basic principle of directing theatre that when two people are on stage and one of them speaks, the audience will probably watch the one who is listening. The opposite is true of dance…

Dance Review: Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble at George Mason University Center for the Arts by Justin Rustle

It was an enthusiastic audience who braved howling wind chills to attend the twenty-third appearance of the Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble at the George Mason University Center f…

Dance Review: Chamber Dance Project In the Round at Arena Stage's Finchandler Theatre by Justin Rustle

Chamber Dance Project's performance at Arena Stage's Finchandler Theatre was a charcuterie board for dance lovers. The nine brief works, including two world premiers, offered glimpses into l…

Dance Review: Limón Dance Company at George Mason Center for the Arts by Justin Rustle

José Limón (1908-1972) is one of the foundational figures of American modern dance. A student of Doris Humphrey, Limón went on to create his own dance technique, and the company he fo…

Dance Review: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago at George Mason Center for the Arts by Justin Rustle

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's performance at George Mason Center for the Arts was a display not only of the wide variety of dance that exists under the moniker of "contemporary," but also o…

Dance Review: The 2nd Annual LatinX Movement Festival at Dance Place by Justin Rustle

The LatinX Movement Festival premiered at Dance Place in 2024. This second iteration featured performances by artists including Armando Ibañez, Felipe Moltedo, Corazón Folklórico DC…

Dance Review: 'Crossing Boundaries: Dances of Transition' in The Back Room of the Ballroom at Glen Echo Park by Justin Rustle

The Back Room at Glen Echo is one of the Park's smaller spaces. Tucked in a corner of the campus behind the Spanish Ballroom the Back Room's wood floors are more used to hosting social dance…

Dance Review: 'Black Sabbath " The Ballet' presented by the Birmingham Royal Ballet at The Kennedy Center by Justin Rustle

Dance Review: 'Amor, Dolor y Sabor' at Dance Loft on 14 by Justin Rustle

Gabriel Mata is one of my favorite DC-based choreographers. He deploys movement in sophisticated structures without falling into oblique or self-involved and inaccessible formulae. He has a …

Dance Review: '2025 ICONS Choreographers' Collective' at Atlas Performing Arts Center by Justin Rustle

There were ghosts in the Lang on last Saturday evening. The "Icons Choreographers' Collective" began with a tribute to the late George Jackson. Jackson was a dance writer and author contribu…