PopSmart

(Photo by Gary Noel)

In the late 1960s and into the ’70s, the Weathermen made a name for themselves as a group of volatile and reactionary leftists. They have become infamous in some respects for their extremist philosophies and actions, including bombing the New York City police headquarters and declaring war on the United States. Professional dancer David Dorfman was 13 during 1969’s Weathermen-instigated “Days of Rage” – too young to participate, he says on his website, but old enough to be “awed by [their] audacity.” Still inspired years later, he’s choreographed Underground, which features music from the Beatles, the Mamas and the Papas and Broken Social Scene. Dorfman brings his eponymous modern dance company to Atlanta for a series of performances at Emory, Thurs.-Sat., MARCH 20-22, at the Rialto Center for the Arts, Sat., MARCH 29. Emory: $5-$20. Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 8 p.m. Schwartz Center, 1700 N. Decatur Road. 404-727-5050. www.arts.emory.edu. Rialto Center: $26-$52. 8 p.m. 80 Forsyth St. 404-413-9849. www.rialtocenter.org.

(J. David Dishman)

The Atlanta dance community welcomes back Coriolis Dance choreographer Elizabeth Dishman for RIBS, Fri.-Sun., MARCH 14-16, featuring the works of Dishman and four Atlanta choreographers. The dance cuts both ways, emphasizing the importance of self-identity in a group dynamic while stressing the need for community to bring out the best in the individual. Dishman is on a streak; her piece was performed to sold-out shows last month in her new home base, New York City. Including her four local collaborators – Rose Caudle, Susan Eldridge, Sarah Evens and Molly Perez’s indieMOVE, and George Staib – the evening pulls together 25 professional Atlanta dancers and five from New York. $10-$15. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m. 7 Stages Theatre, 1105 Euclid Ave. 404-931-0212. www.7stages.org.

(Photo by Marie Daix)

The passion of flamenco music has been well-documented. So why have I never been to a professional performance? Weird. Maybe it’s because while living in New Orleans I actually learned about an intense rivalry between two figures in the local flamenco dance community (I crap you negative) in which one of them begged me to cover the controversy. Maybe I was too scared someone was going to drive one of those sharp heels in my gut regardless what I wrote. Call me a coward. I’m used to it.

But this is one performance I hope not to miss: Noche Flamenca & Soledad Barrio are coming to Atlanta on March 15 to perform at Georgia State’s Rialto Center for the Arts. Showtime is 8 p.m.; tickets range from $36 to $62 (call 404-413-9TIX).

Founded in 1993 by Martín Santangelo and his wife, Soledad Barrio (pictured at right, and not to be confused with CNN’s Soledad O’Brien), the group equally balances the holy trinity of flamenco: dance, song and music, and just a brief glance at a performance (see below clip) shows they’ve pulled off the mix nicely. Barrio received a Bessie Award for outstanding creative achievement.

Don’t believe me? Check out this review in the New York Times on Dec. 31, 2007. Here’s a sample:

The show concluded with the earthy, sensual Ms. Barrio performing the solea, a cathartic tour de force for which she is perhaps best known. The music pushes her extraordinary athleticism until it appears she is moving by instinct; with her eyes partly closed and her hands twisting deep creases into the folds of her black skirt, she leaves one world and enters another, all the while riding a wave shaped by her quicksilver feet. As her muscular arms rise above her head and her wrists swirl in intricate patterns, Ms. Barrio’s fingers seem to vibrate from a mysterious inner pulse.

To quote Shaggy: Zoinks! Count me in.

Here’s the clip:

(Courtesy Sideways Contemporary Dance)

Douglas Scott has been planning this weekend for almost a year. The founder and curator of the 14th annual Modern Dance Festival, Scott began plans for this year’s festival almost immediately after last year’s performance ended. But he isn’t the only one who’s been looking ahead. Dancers around the city have been practicing and polishing their pieces for months in preparation for the festival.

The Modern Atlanta Dance Festival is sponsored by the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta and Full Radius Dance, a dance company comprised of dancers with and without disabilities, where Scott is the artistic/executive director. The shows on Saturday and Sunday (March 1-2) feature performances from some of the literal movers and shakers in the Atlanta modern dance scene — both individual artists and companies.

“It is a great introduction to modern dance and the local dance scene. You get to see seven different dance works by seven different choreographers. I guarantee that you’ll find something in the program that inspires you, makes you think, or creates wonder for you on a personal level,” Scott says.

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You wouldn’t know it from her 5-foot-2 frame or her pixie voice, but 28-year-old Camille A. Brown is a force of nature. The dancer/choreographer will have one of her works featured when the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater comes to the Fox Theatre this weekend. Unfortunately, she won’t be here, as I note in an online-only feature in this week’s issue, but Brown did have a chance to stop by East Point’s Tri-Cities High School last week for a performance and master class thanks to a connection with the school’s dance instructor.

Brown’s 15-minute “The Groove to Nobody’s Business” has a delightful Georgia connection; her whimsical homage to that artful New York City dance of waiting for a subway train is partly set to Ray Charles’ iconic “What’d I Say.” Brown recently discussed the piece in a cell-phone conversation during a rehearsal break at Tri-Cities.

Alvin Ailey’s four-day stand at the Fox has a varied schedule of programming, but for the record “The Groove to Nobody’s Business” will be performed on Thursday and Saturday nights. The company’s long-time showstopper, “Revelations,” thankfully, will be performed each day.

(Photo by Basil Childers)

Here’s a clip from Brown’s piece:

The GSU Players (pictured), in conjunction with the Sustainable Energy Tribe, are throwing a four-day performing-arts extravaganza. For ARTISTS INCLINED, students organized, choreographed, directed and designed nine environmentally and humanitarian-themed pieces. Among the three song, dance and acting numbers are a vocal rendition of the “Age of Aquarius,” a dance piece set to M.I.A.’s “World Town,” and a pantomime outlining the strife of refugees. Through Feb. 24. $5. Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 5 p.m. Alumni Hall Theatre, 30 Courtland St. 404-413-5693. www.gsuplayers.com.

McCoy Tyner’s name might not be as instantly recognizable as John Coltrane or Miles Davis, but the blues-based jazz pianist has been just as influential. He stepped onto the early 1950s jazz and R&B scenes with a heavy left hand that came to define his sound. Tonight, FEB. 15, the MCCOY TYNER TRIO performs at Georgia Tech’s Ferst Center for the Arts with tap virtuoso SAVION GLOVER (pictured) of Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk fame. The combination should be a percussive explosion of both feet and hands. $32-$50. 8 p.m. 349 Ferst Drive. 404-894-9600. www.ferstcenter.gatech.edu.

(Todd Rosenberg)

Athleticism and grace are not mutually exclusive. Look at HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO, a company that combines the subtlety of classical ballet, the physicality of modern dance and everything else in between. The troupe’s current three-piece repertoire, in Atlanta Sat., FEB. 9, includes Twyla Tharp’s Baker’s Dozen, a jazz ballet between six romantically linked couples; artistic director Jim Vincent’s counter/part, inspired by Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerti”; and Susan Marshall’s aerial ballet Kiss, which the Oakland Tribune says captures the “feeling of swimming in love.” $32-$56. 8 p.m. Rialto Center for the Arts, 80 Forsyth St. 404-413-9849. www.rialtocenter.org.

Take a look at one Hubbardian’s fancy footwork…

By Kelly Vines

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Atlanta Ballet brings the passion and electricity of Shakespeare’s timeless love story, ROMEO AND JULIET, to the Fox Theatre. The star-crossed sweethearts dance and die together night after night all in the name of love. Michael Pink choreographs to the sounds of famed Ukrainian composer Sergei Prokofiev. Through Feb. 16. $64-$85. Feb. 7, 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 8, 14, 15 and 16, 8 p.m.; Feb. 9, 2 and 8 p.m.; Feb. 10, 2 and 7 p.m. 660 Peachtree St. 404-817-8700. www.atlantaballet.com

(Photo by Chris McCullers)

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

We always like to hear from Blake Beckham, one of the more powerful young voices in the local dance community. (Check out Thomas Bell’s mini-profile in our 2006 Fall Guide.) So we were thrilled to learn about tonight’s screening of Dance For Reel: An Evening of Dance on Camera, curated by Beckham, sponsored by Emory’s Dance and Visual Arts programs, and presented at Performing Arts Studio (1804 N. Decatur Road). The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Here Beckham explores the genre of “cinedance,” with pieces from the New York-based Dance Films Association, which has taken its work to festivals and tours around the world. The works range from five to 30 minutes, and offer the average viewer a bird’s eye view of the form, which often can feel trapped onstage and hence feels out of the mainstream of the performing arts. But a quick peek at the British short “The Cost of Living” shows how the camera can capture movement for an audience.