By Kathy Valin

Hard to believe it's time for another "best of" Cincinnati dance events. Maybe it's just that time flies when you're having fun. Once again, I didn't see nearly all the dance available here in town, but a representative selection of my favorites confirms that our town is lucky in dance. We've got with a vibrant ballet company, able to present the classics and to do justice to new choreography, a succulent selection of visiting modern dance companies, plus a persistent undercurrent of more experimental programs -- what in New York would be called "downtown" events. Add to all this the presence of numerous schools (The Otto Budig Academy of Dance, balletech, CCM) that provide training and pre-professional performing experience and a healthy handful of ethnic dancers. The result is a plate that's scrumptiously full. Log on to www.ohiodance.org, to keep up with current events here and across the state.

I'll remember Sharon Skepple's technical brilliance in Garth Fagan's "Woza" for a long time. She and other company members were not only accomplished, they were spiritual and communicative in their interpretations. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater made a memorable mark again, with two contrasting programs: new works (especially Ronald K. Brown's "Grace" with the wonderful Matthew Rushing) and an all-Ailey program, a tribute to Judith Jameson's nurturing of Ailey's spirit.

Go online and check out www.riverdance.com. You'll find out that we were treated to the Lagan Company of Riverdance in Cincinnati this year. An appropriately packed site for such a popular show, it's also well-designed and easy to navigate. Find out where Michael Flatley, Colin Dunne and Jean Butler are today, among other tidbits. Personally, I'll remember the addicting sound of thunderous tapping, and especially the scintillating "Trading Taps," in which lead Michael Patrick Gallagher and friends "dueled" with a trio led by the amazing Ronald "Cadet" Bastine.

I'll revisit in memory Mickey Morgan's emotionally ravaged appearance in Diane Germain's "Such A Landscape." I can't forget the kids in the Afrikan-American Drum & Dance Ensemble, and the sounds of the djembe orchestra. Newcomers to the scene, Wo-Yingi Drum & Dance Group presented "Ayonmo," a melodic and emphatic trip through African traditions. Sheri Williams brought her famous "sparkle" to town along with the rest of Dayton Contemporary Dance Theater. Co-director Kevin Ward turns out to have been best man at Claudia Rudolf Barrett's wedding some years ago, and former DCDC dancer Terence Green is now teaching jazz and modern at her balletech school in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Ballet had a strong year. I saw a wonderfully touching rehearsal of Nils Christie's "SYNC" in which Rene Micheo danced with Chandra Moss. Onstage, due to an injury to Micheo, I was treated to an exceptional duet between Moss and the exuberantly talented Jay Goodlett, who also made his mark in Stanton Welch's "Finger Prints." Meridith Benson is a technically solid as a rock in her interpretation of the classics, and Alexei Kremnev and Anna Resnick, whom I have praised before, keep on dazzling with their breathtaking interpretations.

CONTACT KATHY VALIN: kvalin@citybeat.com

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Leaving Impressions (November 16, 2000)
Shake It (October 5, 2000)
Expanding the Idea of Dance (June 8, 2000)
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