Men dance as women in ballet satire, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

Muscular men en pointe and in tutus is just funny.

Cohen piece inspires University of Arizona professors new dance; will premier in Spring Collection

Even at an early rehearsal, with the dancers just learning their steps, you can sense the power in Douglas Nielsen's new work "Show Me The Place."

Saxophonist McPherson, 2 events celebrate jazzman Mingus

Alto saxophonist Charles McPherson this weekend celebrates Charles Mingus, a bassist and composer whose innovative work helped define a new direction for jazz after World War II.

Trumpeter Botti will bring own style of jazz to concert

It was Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and that bunch who decided back during World War II that the way to a jazz fan's heart was to play more complex chords instead of more enchanting melodies. By the late 1940s, bebop's high-speed blur had taken over the bandstand.

'Alice' offers it all: dance, music, art

Life on the road has been good to members of the Artifact Dance Project. It was last summer during its second China tour that the company's young founders, Ashley Bowman and Claire Hancock, sat down together on the train.

Troupe dances as a partnership

The Limón Dance Company ensures that the past continues its hand-holding partnership with the future of modern dance.

Marsalis' secret: fresh programming

Every few years UApresents brings in trumpeter Wynton Marsalis with his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. The audience has stayed solid and the programming is always fresh.

Dance mixed with fanciful imagery

Colorful adjectives begin to swirl whenever dance writers start trying to describe "Botanica," the full-length piece that Connecticut-based Momix is bringing to Centennial Hall on Sunday.

Jazz musician, raconteur has stories tell

Jazz had a happy face back when guitarist-singer John Pizzarelli was growing up in the household of his father, renowned guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. It was the 1970s and famous musicians were dropping by all the time.

Lines Ballet dances with philosophy

Ask Alonzo King about the 170 ballets he has choreographed for the Alonzo King Lines Ballet over the past 30 years and he answers with philosophical questions.

Jazz 'conversationalists' to meet on Fox stage

Jazz vibraphone giant Gary Burton isn't exactly sure why people want to keep hearing him play duets in concert with jazz piano giant Chick Corea.

'Freud's Last Session' looks for God

"Freud's Last Session," which Arizona Theatre Company opens in previews Saturday, isn't so much about the pioneering psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. It is more about God. Or, to be more precise, the existence of God.

Traditional art in its purest form

Martin Santangelo, artistic director of Noche Flamenca, remembers well when the company from Madrid last danced at Centennial Hall two years ago.

5 women, 1 ugly dress make breezy humor

It can be a curious journey from the page to the stage for some plays. Consider "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress," directed by Terry Erbe, presented by Arizona Onstage Productions.

Contemporary values exposed

Contemporary social values get another vigorous scrubbing in Beowulf Alley Theatre's production of the caustic "Three Hotels" by Jon Robin Baitz.

Friendship is heart of 'Chosen'

Stories about the emerging nation of Israel are combined with the journey of fast friends Reuven and Danny from adolescence to adulthood in Live Theatre Workshop's production of "The Chosen." Aaron Posner and Chaim Potok adapted the play from Potok's award-winning 1967 novel of the same name.

Smooth jazz is New Year's Eve tone

Don't call acoustic guitarist Peter White a jazz musician; call him a complete musician.

'Pastorela' is a Tucson tradition

For 17 years, Borderlands Theatre has been presenting the Mexican Christmas tradition of the village pastorela as "A Tucson Pastorela."

The sad tale of blues' 'Lady Day'

The tragic story of jazz singer Billie Holiday's fight against heroin and other demons is well-known. But in this sad tale playwright Lanie Robertson, like a good blues singer, found the soul-stirring inspiration to write "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill."

Ballet's US tour starts here

The spectrum of ballet is stretched a little wider every time Canadian artist Aszure Barton and Artists take the stage. Quirky and cheeky are two adjectives often used in describing Barton's work as the young choreographer develops an international reputation.

'3 Virgins' promises a devilishly good time

Agnes de Mille's "Three Virgins and a Devil" tells a story more timeless than Shakespeare, but with such a unique sense of humor that it maintains an enduring place in American theater.

Jazz noir inspired by crime shows

Known for his warm tone, soaring lyricism and masterful technique, flugelhorn artist Dmitri Matheny will go searching for poignant moments of jazz noir with four fellow explorers in the Dmitri Matheny Group, playing in concert Friday.

Lewis Nash, 6 jazz-giant pals to play Legends benefit show

If you think of jazz as a musical language, plan on hearing some eloquent conversation Friday at Tucson's annual Jazz Legends Live benefit concert. Noted drummer Lewis Nash has invited six swinging friends to join him for some lively looks into the compositions of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis…

Saxophonist Kashiwa closes Jazz Society's summer series

International contemporary jazz saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa of Seattle will be joined onstage by Tucson's energized vocalist Crystal Stark for the Tucson Jazz Society's summer series-ending concert Sunday at Loews Ventana Canyon.

Good pals, jazz music share stage

Keyboard player, composer, bandleader and Tucson smooth-jazz favorite Jeff Lorber is coming to town Saturday with his good buddy from the Pacific Northwest, trumpeter Gabriel Mark Hasselbach. Working as co-headliners with a band of handpicked sidemen, the two longtime pals will share the spo…

Hat's off - well, maybe - for smooth-jazz guitarist

Good-natured smooth-jazz and funk-groove guitarist Nick Colionne is bringing his new shaved-head look to Tucson on Sunday, along with a suitcase full of dapper clothes and several of those hats for which he is so famous.

Troupe's shows benefit tour

Pouring your heart and soul into something can make it hard to let go.

Dark yet optimistic 'Cinderella' takes stage

In American pop culture, Cinderella has become more than a pretty face. In the ballet world, especially, Cinderella soars beyond the sweet scullery maid who falls in love with a prince.

Look what Jazz Under the Stars has on tap

The Tucson Jazz Society's concert series Jazz Under the Stars Spring 2012 leads off Friday with an evening of traditional New Orleans-style jazz dedicated to Ed Cohen, a longtime TJS supporter who passed away recently. Featured are the Arizona Roadrunners and the Tucson Jazz Institute's nati…

UA dancers to channel great choreographer in spring show

Sometimes turning points pop up in the most unexpected places, for the most unusual reasons. Last month University of Arizona dance professor Douglas Nielsen had eight members of the UA Dance Ensemble on stage at Manhattan's Joyce Theater to celebrate the work of modern dance pioneer Martha Graham.

Expect emotional flood from River North Dance

After a season of art and artifice in dance at Centennial Hall, the emotional floodgates of jazz dance will open when River North Dance Chicago comes leaping onstage Saturday.

Rick Braun to give his vocal cords a workout Friday

Giving full vent to their celebration of April as Jazz Appreciation Month, members of the Tucson Jazz Society will stage a concert every weekend, starting Friday, plus two more in May.

Vereen celebrates UA memories

Tony Award-winning singer-dancer-actor Ben Vereen has had a soft spot in his heart for the School of Dance at the University of Arizona for a few decades.

Trumpeter, conga master a fiery blend

The fiery music of Latin jazz pioneers Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo will be celebrated Saturday when trumpeter Terence Blanchard joins the band of conga master Poncho Sanchez.

New vision for eminent troupe?

Always a Tucson favorite, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to Centennial Hall Friday with something entirely new - Robert Battle, the 54-year-old company's new artistic director. As the 39-year-old dancer-choreographer wends his way through his inaugural season as head of this …

Random art elaborately created

The idea of making elaborate plans to create art randomly can be incredibly seductive. John Cage is probably the best known disciple of this approach. Others include jazz musician Sun Ra and choreographer Merce Cunningham.

Dance troupe defies boundaries

For more than 40 years the Trisha Brown Dance Company has been challenging the definition of dance, confronting the rules makers and raising eyebrows in the name of creativity.

The dance of love, lust and longing

In the world of tango, nobody lives happily ever after. Tango is all about the now. Lonely hearts with empty souls, searching for a quick release.

As year turns, more smooth jazz at Starr Pass

A more joyful and soulful smooth-jazz sound will be filling the ballroom for the Tucson Jazz Society's annual Jazz Gala dinner and dance party this year at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort.

Cool West Coast jazz blows in Saturday

Fans of straight-ahead jazz will get 50 years of evolution and a peek into the future on Saturday in a dual headliner concert with vocalist/painter Kathy Kosins of Detroit and pianist Tamir Hendelman with his West Coast trio.

Premium Blend of difficult dance

One of ballet giant George Balanchine's most difficult works, "Allegro Brillante," will be the centerpiece of this year's Premium Blend dance program presented by the University of Arizona School of Dance. Balanchine described it as containing "everything I know about the classical ballet in…

Kings of Salsa show a new Cuba

Cuba could be closer than you think, especially on Saturday when the Kings of Salsa bring their Havana lifestyle to Centennial Hall. This two-hour-plus dance party presented by UApresents features eight dancers and nine musicians, all graduates of Cuba's National School of the Arts (Escuela …

Fall jazz series wraps up today at Tohono Chul Park

The beat goes Latin today when Grupo Manteca, led by saxophonist Hiram Perez, takes the stage to wrap up Jazz Under the Stars, the fall series of concerts presented by the Tucson Jazz Society at Tohono Chul Park.

Jazz, blues musicians set to mix it up Friday

The Tucson Jazz Society brings pianist/vocalist Lisa Otey and Jazz Meets Blues to the outdoor garden setting of Tohono Chul Park for a concert Friday. This concert features some of Tucson's unique artists of improvisation.

Ballet Tucson sets itself in motion

Change is in the air for Ballet Tucson's new season, dubbed "Season of Transformation." Optimism is the active ingredient. On Friday, the company will launch the season with its "Opening Night Gala 2011," which will be followed by three more concert performances Saturday and Sunday.

Pilobolus set to get all bent out of shape

The spirit of Pilobolus Dance Theater is not the spirit of modern dance … exactly. Trying to describe a performance by the Pilobolus Dance Theater is a lot like trying to describe the flavor of an Orange Julius fountain drink.

Jass Band to play Under the Stars

The traditional New Orleans and Chicago sounds of the Original Wildcat Jass Band are featured outdoors at Tohono Chul Park in the Tucson Jazz Society's ongoing Friday night series Jazz Under the Stars.

A jazz experience for fans and newbies

Start with a nice swig of nostalgia for the muted trumpet of early Miles Davis in the time of big vinyl LPs and giant stereo sets, then add the brilliant jazz of today's rising trumpet star Ambrose Akinmusire of Oakland, Calif.

Take a trek through jazz's evolution

"Jazz Legends in Concert Live!: A Journey Through Jazz" - Saturday at the downtown Fox Theatre - should be exactly that: a tasty sampler of the evolving jazz periods from the traditional New Orleans style through swing and bebop to the post-bop music of today's players.