WELCOME TO BEANTOWN: Alonzo King Lines Ballet makes its Boston debut at the ICA. |
We Bostonians may swathe ourselves in sweaters and lock our doors against the blustery weather, but once the music begins, dance performances can help us shake off the shivers — and often transport us to more temperate climes. In the coming months, Boston dancegoers will be able to experience everything from Mozart to milonga in venues that don't require a passport or fighting interstate traffic.
AARON TOLSON AND THE NEW ENGLAND TAP ENSEMBLE | Regent Theatre | January 15 | Lawrence's own long-time participant in the Riverdance juggernaut, effervescent Aaron Tolson, headlines a night of tap featuring young up-and-comers who study in dance studios throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Bring the kids and expect them to bop in the aisles.
7 Medford St, Arlington | $15-$20 | 781.464.4849 or www.regenttheatre.com
ALONZO KING LINES BALLET | Institute of Contemporary Art | January 22-24 | Alonzo King has been declared a local treasure in his San Francisco community; now, finally, his contemporary troupe will be introduced to Boston-area audiences. For his company's debut, King is bringing two repertory works. Signs and Wonders, which the choreographer created in 1995 for Dance Theatre of Harlem, pairs classical ballet vocabulary with joyful, free African-American movement. King's more recent Dust and Light is an openly romantic meditation to Poulenc and Corelli.
100 Northern Ave, Boston | $40 | 617.876.4275 or www.worldmusic.org
GRAMERCY TRIO | Boston Conservatory | January 22 | Violinist Sharan Leventhal, pianist Randall Hodgkinson, and cellist Jonathan Miller meet up with dancers from the Boston Conservatory and the Harvard School of Public Health Tango Club (of all places) to delve into the relationship between dance and music. The program ranges from new works by Boston choreographer Callie Chapman of Zoe Dance to a piece by Argentine tango pianist/composer Sonia Possetti danced by Pracha and Martha Eamranond. Come take a tango-basics class before the performance and stay for a milonga-social-dance party afterward.
1260 Boylston St, Boston | $12; $7 students | 617.912.9222 [box office opens January 13] or bostonconservatory.ticketforce.com
MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP PRESENTS MOZART DANCES | Opera House | January 29-31 | Morris's troupe returns to Boston to perform the evening-long Mozart Dances that he created in honor of the composer's 250th birthday in 2006 — and which Washington Post critic Sarah Kaufman described as "very Gothic romance." Musical collaborators are Morris's long-time colleagues at Emmanuel Music, with pianists Russell Sherman and Minsoo Sohn tackling a selection of the master's concertos under the baton of Jane Glover. Also, on January 27, at Harvard's Sanders Theatre, Morris talks about Mozart and musical inspiration with his friend, music critic Richard Dyer.
539 Washington St, Boston | $47-$82 | 617.482.6661 or www.celebrityseries.org | Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St, Cambridge | free, but tickets required | 617.482.6661 or www.celebrityseries.org
2010 EAST COAST HIP HOP THROWDOWN DANCE COMPETITION Back Bay Events Center | January 30 | Yes, these kids think they can dance. Nah. They know it. Here's a chance to see ambitious crews of b-boys and girls from age 14 up competing for shout-out rights as best local dance crew and a $1000 prize. The event is presented by the energetic youth organization OrigiNation.
180 Berkeley St, Boston | $15-$18 | 617.541.1875 or www.originationinc.org
