Contra-Tiempo Director Ana Maria Alvarez: “Joy Is a Radical Act”

Ana Maria Alvarez fights the patriarchy with creativity. The founding artistic director of Los Angeles dance company Contra-Tiempo will premiere her new work, joyUS justUS, at the Arsht on November 16. “We’re an urban Latin dance theater company. Our mission from day one has been about social justice and using…

How Darius Hickman’s Rocky Florida Childhood Made Him a Star

Piano chords thrum as a sole spotlight illuminates a male staring defiantly into a camera, adorned in makeup and a flowing, ethereal white gown. Under two minutes of flawlessly executed contemporary dance follows, the male-female duo onstage narrating a story through their movements. It’s a tale of a man grappling with an intrinsic desire to be himself and the expectations society has thrust upon him.

Ill-Abilities Hip Hop Dance Crew Will Move Your Body

In the hip-hop world, attitude is everything. And no one has more swagger than Ill-Abilities, a mixed-ability b-boy crew. This all-star team with members from all over the world is ready to tear Miami stages apart in A New Definition of Dance: Featuring Ill-Abilities, which consists of a…

One Night in Miami Transports a South Beach Theater to Overtown in 1964

Celebrities hanging out together have become quite the artistic muse. A photograph of Richard Nixon and Elvis shaking hands inspired a movie. The urban legend of Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marlon Brando driving out of New York City after the World Trade Center towers fell was made into a British TV show and short story.

You Can Still Buy Tickets to Hamilton at the Broward Center

Let’s get real for a second: midterms are right around the corner and it’s causing people to feel every type of way. Blue and red waves of America are crashing together tsunami-style as candidates vie for political seats in a race instrumental to our nation’s imminent future. Drowning in a media riptide of mudslinging public servants, we the people deserve a break every once in a blue moon. And what better way to escape the roar of the dichotomy than to ensure your spot in the audience of one of America’s most universally beloved musicals?

The Late Great Paul Taylor Comes Back to Life at Miami City Ballet

Choreographer Paul Taylor, a colossus of modern dance eagerly embraced by classical companies, died in August at age 88. Now Miami City Ballet will resurrect his expansive spirit in a work that lends its name to the season’s first program. Company B, featuring nine quicken-the-heart songs by the Andrews Sisters,…

GableStage’s Admissions Is a Timely Tale of Affirmative Action

This week, a racial discrimination case against Harvard claiming that the university discriminates against Asian-American applicants went to trial. Students for Fair Admissions, the group bringing the suit, also sued the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earlier this year. Over 100 colleges could be next. Beyond college diversity,…

Miami Motel Stories Returns for a Second Season at the Gold Dust

Juggerknot Theatre Company brought immersive theater to Miami last year with the inaugural Miami Motel Stories: Little Havana, which took over the historic Tower Hotel. Now the interactive production is back for round two, with its sights set on the MiMo District. In collaboration with the Vagabond Group, Juggerknot is reimagining the Gold Dust Motel (formerly Motel Blu) at 7700 Biscayne Blvd.

Zoetic Stage’s Dracula Reflects Real-World Monsters

The #MeToo Movement has shed light on the misconduct of numerous men in power: Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, and now… Count Dracula? When South Florida playwright Michael McKeever set out to bring the story of Bram Stoker’s Dracula to the stage, he wanted it to stand out from the countless…

The Black Queen Project Descends on Miami With Female Power and Humanity

This Thursday, the MDC Live Arts Lab will transform into a medieval castle, shrouded in a mysterious creepiness that evokes the tension of falling into a trap and not quite believing you can get out. Enter the world of Barbara of Cilli, the notorious Black Queen, a powerful ruler who lost an empire to the forces of misogyny and intrigue, her life rewritten as that of a sorceress, a sexual deviant, an evil myth.

Forward Motion Dance Festival Brings Dancers of All Abilities to the Stage

Respect. Equality. Inclusion. These are tenets that should be upheld in all facets of life. Karen Peterson, founder and artistic director of Karen Peterson and Dancers, is working for dancers with disabilities to be respected and included in the contemporary dance world. September 26 through 29, the inaugural Forward Motion International…

Jay Jackson, AKA Drag Race Star Laganja Estranja, Gets Personal

Los Angeles-based dancer Jay Jackson says that when she was a child, her parents placed her in soccer. It was quickly clear sports weren’t the right fit for the future RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6 contestant. She ultimately found her niche in a dance class where the girls accepted her femininity and where she discovered herself as she watched her movements in the mirror.

Kathy Griffin Wants to Make You Laugh Your Head Off

Kathy Griffin is not letting the world dismiss her. If anything, she’s having the last laugh. Griffin became a viral sensation last year after posting a photo of herself holding what looked like the bloody severed head of President Donald Trump. The administration was quick to admonish her, and a widespread backlash followed…