BalletX: March 5 at Chrysler Hall, Norfolk
This extraordinary Philadelphia-based contemporary ballet company is innovative and rooted in technical excellence. This program includes: Become a Mountain, Heroes, and Big Wig. Become a Mountain is a dance that simulates the arc of a mountain climb, unfolding in three parts: a climb to a summit, the emboldened feeling of reaching the peak, and the adrenaline rush of sliding down the other side. Throughout this journey, the dance weaves in explorations of human connectivity, personal reflection, and the uncertainty for what is uncharted. Heroes is a work for 12 dancers that combines powerful athleticism and delicate gestures drawn from choreographer Takehiro Ueyama’s Japanese heritage. It is an imagined foxtrot for Chairman Mao Tse-Tung and his bride, Chiang Ch’ing. In Big Wig, the lively footwork of Irish dance meets the stillness of a restricted upper body—an effect accentuated by the bold, curly wigs of the 1980s. A mix of humor and melancholy flows through each moment as a celebration of tradition, transformation, and the joy of imaginative play, where wigs become symbols of dance’s evolving spirit.
Website: www.balletx.org
Tickets: vafest.org/tickets/2526/balletx
Dance Theatre of Harlem: March 20-22, Chrysler Hall, Norfolk
Dance Theatre of Harlem returns with one of the company’s most beloved signature works: Firebird. This production reimagines the classic Russian folk tale of love’s triumph over evil in a Caribbean setting. With John Taras’ masterful choreography, Igor Stravinsky’s iconic score performed live with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and Geoffrey Holder’s dazzling costumes and sets, Firebird is a feast for the senses. First created in 1982, this Dance Theatre of Harlem classic has enchanted audiences all over the world. Lorraine Graves, a trailblazing African American ballerina from Norfolk who died in 2024, was one of the leads in the early productions of Firebird in the 1980s. This program also features Donizetti Variations, a lively, effervescent series of dances set to Donizetti’s Don Sebastian opera; Symphony No. 1, a thrilling take on composer Adolphus Hailstork’s music; and Take Me With You, a contemporary pas de deux set to the music of Radiohead.
Website: dancetheatreofharlem.org/firebird
Tickets: vafest.org/tickets/2526/dance-theatre-of-harlem-norfolk
Dorrance Dance: April 21, Attucks Theater, Norfolk
April 23, Ferguson Center for the Arts,
Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Tap dancers engage audiences with energy and sly storytelling in this performance featuring Elizabeth Burke and Luke Hickey. Led by MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Michelle Dorrance, this award-winning company effortlessly blends tap forms from Detroit, Memphis, and Chicago with hip-hop, breaking, house, and body percussion, composing rhythmic melodies as they go.
Website: dorrancedance.com
Tickets: vafest.org/tickets/2526/dorrance-dance
Shen Yun Performing Arts: April 22-23, Chrysler Hall, Norfolk
This unique artistic vision features one of the world’s oldest art forms— classical Chinese dance—along with patented scenographic effects and all-original orchestral works. Shen Yun’s unique artistic vision expands theatrical experience into a multidimensional, inspiring journey through a great treasure: the five millennia of traditional Chinese culture. The New York-based nonprofit company, established in 2006, has performed for more than 1 million audience members around the world and counts among its fans Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett.
Website: shenyun.com
Tickets: sevenvenues.com/events/detail/shen-yun-5
—Compiled by Butch Maier
Butch Maier
