Review: A Night of Choreography with Juel D. Lane and Friends
Dancers presented strong mix at Southwest Performing Arts Center
- Alan Kimara Dixon
- Students from North Carolina School of the Arts performed in Juel D. Lane’s “Touch and Agree,” as part of the mixed program “Juel D. Lane and Friends.”
“A Night of Choreography with Juel D. Lane and Friends” was the type of evening that should happen all the time in Atlanta. Seasoned dancers shared the stage with students, new work premiered alongside older favorites, pieces included a great range of solos, duets and group work, huge institutions sent dancers to perform with independent artists, and Atlanta choreographers worked with artists from around the region and the nation. Oh, and there was fantastic dancing involved, too.
The mixed program played for one night only last Thursday, May 10, at the Southwest Performing Arts Center. Atlanta choreographer Juel D. Lane recently made a bit of Atlanta dance history when he became the first independent Atlanta-based choreographer ever to be commissioned by the Atlanta Ballet in March, and the evening was a way of celebrating and saying thank you to the teachers, mentors, colleagues, collaborators, dancers and choreographers who have helped him along the way.