ARTVOICE Best Dance Company Award 2008 and 2009. Joseph Cipolla, Configuration Dance Theatre Artistic Director, and Michael Shannon, Resident Choreographer, have been described as “The Dream Team” by The Buffalo News (2009 Jan 2).
The New York Times says their “innate classicism is the first great pleasure, an exciting contemporary thrust to their repertory.” Dance Magazine has called Configuration Dance Theatre “a living art gallery.”
CONFIGURATION DANCE THEATRE
10th Anniversary Celebration in 2010
Founder and Artistic Director: Joseph Cipolla
Resident Choreographer: Michael Shannon
Principal Guest Choreographer: Susan Jaffe
Prin. Choreographer: Harrison McEldowney
Natl Advisory Board: Jack Cullen, Susan Jaffe
Founder Emeritus: Catherine Batcheller
2009 REVIEW EXCERPTS
The Buffalo News (May 5)
Journalist: Steve Sucato
Ballet: Joseph Cipolla’s BREATHLESS
Ballet: Susan Jaffe’s ROYENNE
Ballet: Michael Shannon’s BEEN THERE DONE THAT, GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS and BOYS WILL BE BOYS, and WHAT HAPPENED TO US
“Configuration Dance Theatre warrants national attention. Choreographically, there were several knock-your-sox-off moments. ABT star Susan Jaffe showed she can shine as a choreographer as brightly as she did as a dancer. Her ROYENNE was world-class. Its elegant and sharp movements delivered adroitly by Erica De LA O and Raul Peinado.”
“Resident choreographer Michael Shannon’s BEEN THERE DONE THAT spans a human life cycle with choreographic skill that ranged from genius, with two utterly superb. In Shannon’s GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS and BOYS WILL BE BOYS, Young-Sil Kim, Kristen Prescott and Kontono Yamazaki sailed through Shannon’s well-crafted European-influenced choreography marked with clever gesture and phrasing. The other notable moment came in Shannon’s WHAT HAPPENED TO US, a ravishing pas de deux performed with passion by Kim and Peinado.”
“The program closed with BREATHLESS by Artistic Director Joseph Cipolla whose gem was a crisp pas de deux performed skillfully by De LA O and Peinado.”
BRIEF FACTS ABOUT CONFIGURATION DANCE THEATRE FOUNDED BY JOSEPH CIPOLLA IN 2000
CDT performs across the country with artists affiliated with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Susan Marshall Company, Atlanta Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Monte Carlo Ballet, New York City Ballet, and others.
CDT is known for its apprenticeship program for young artists to work with internationally renown stars of ballet, American choreographers, Joseph Cipolla, who was Principal Dancer for Birmingham Royal Ballet; Susan Jaffe who was Principal Dancer for American Ballet Theatre; and Michael Shannon, who was Principal Dancer for the Bolshoi Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and Vienna State Opera Ballet.
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would love to see …
would love to see these well done photos in motion…
HARRISON McELDOWNEY is so BRILLIANT. So clever in choreography. Would love to see his work with the rest of the dream team and these masterful looking dancers.
(I envy you pka520!)
We wanted to see a …
We wanted to see a Broadway show, but our daughter begged us to see them. Her teacher loves them. We saw one Jaffe ballet, and like her dancing, it was wonderful. We saw three Shannon ballets and wow. He is a genius. We were surrounded by Jaffe and Shannon fans. One couple told us they saw Shannon dance when he was a star of the Bolshoi and Birmingham Royal Ballet. Our daughters teacher was right. We really enjoyed ourselves. We highly recommend them.
“Circles” by the …
“Circles” by the cello based group
Break of Reality.
oh what beautiful …
oh what beautiful bodies – i’d love to see them in motion.
what’s the name of …
what’s the name of this great music?
awesome music and …
awesome music and photographs