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International Reviews
"Her dances are living images of people stuck in cultural and personal
patterns; images of gender roles, of everyday rituals, of people and
their relationships to one another, to nature and environment, to
modern and primitive myths.
What is special about Spanier the choreographer is inherent in
her ability to create images that are both refined and easily
interpreted; images that render the double negative of the rituals
people are living in their everyday existence, their struggle with the
longing for security, and their quest for freedom. Maybe the most
important trait in her work is her highly developed sense of humor....."
Politicken,
Copenhagen, Denmark
"They danced like angels...just flying, released through the space."
Aarhus Stiftstidene,
Aarhus, Denmark
"The Nancy Spanier Dance Theatre courted empathy with freshness and
zeal. In happy unaffectedness they manifested life's absurdities. Nancy
Spanier has apparently realized her flashes of inspiration. The
choreography is personally tested therapy for today's neuroses."
Der Tagesspiegel,
Berlin, Germany
"The style is free, as if improvisations had gradually obtained solid
form and all the body expression is genuine. These dancers have the
enthusiasm and the pioneering spirit which characterizes the best part
of the modern dance movement in the US. The form has a broad scale of
humaneness to offer, from aggression and enmity through comraderie,
erotic ties, to the release of humor."
Politicken,
Copenhagen, Denmark
"The Nancy Spanier Dance Theatre of Colorado is a dance theatre of
spontaneity. They have an immediacy and vitality which captivate those
not familiar with ballet and at the same time has those qualities which
will enrapture ballet enthusiasts. The theatre reacted to this modern
offering with whistles, stamping and jubilation."
Jyllands-Posten Arhus,
Denmark
"In all her work the dancers remain people, rather than mere forms. It
is artistic without being pretentious. Altogether a compelling show,
entertaining and innovative."
Festival Times,
Edinburgh, Scotland
"The Nancy Spanier Dance Theatre brought visible proof that the USA
does not just have the dance mecca in New York City. This kind of U.S.
export is always welcome. We need dance 'made in USA,' not missiles."
Die Woche, Germany
United
States Reviews
"Spanier has one of the most creative minds - one of the most fantastic
imaginations - of anyone operating in the dance world."
Rocky Mountain News,
Denver, Colorado
"Spanier tackles in her work the problems of the human condition head
on. Spanier's dances are a seamless combination of dance and theatre.
She weaves together exhilarating moments of flowing, lyrical movements
with tableau-like sequences of highly stylized movements based on
social intercourse, sports, work, or from sources such as the
Kamasutra, or Mayan, Japanese, or Australian sculpture. She embellishes
her dances with eerie vocalizations, spoken text, unlikely props, and a
range of music - folk, classical, rock, aboriginal. Running through her
works is her arresting sense of humor, the tool she uses to probe and
reveal human nature."
Dance Magazine
". . . Colorado's natural resources include
mountains, snow, sunny days
and the Nancy Spanier Dance Theatre of Colorado."
Rocky Mountain News,
Denver
"Ms. Spanier's soul (not her ego) showed through, which fact made the
works interesting and thought-provoking."
Dance Magazine
"Spanier has deep personal resources. She shows us what we like
best..... She uses carnations, sportswear, sequins, helmets and
head-phones as if they were as potent as weapons, as defining as
jewels. She recognizes that we make comparisons and choices based on
our compulsive affection for this junk all around us, but there is so
much wit and pain in her work that it can't be dismissed as whimsical.
Audiences can be thankful for Spanier's lack of obscurity, her sense of
humor. Though she describes her work as 'eclectic', she is consistently
coherent. She doesn't dwell on too much for too long. Her pieces move
along with quick kinetic changes, are full of surprising gestures and
expressions."
Westword, Denver,
Colorado
"... a satisfying and thought-provoking evening of dance."
The Washington Star,
Washington, DC
"I'm still not
exactly sure what I saw - was it theater, ballet,
ballet-theater, or something with a more abstruse label? It was
certainly superb, exciting, and handsomely staged. Best of all, it
mixed moments of significance and message with a liberal portion of
humor and unabashed gaiety, all too often forgotten ingredients in
modern dance."
The Denver Magazine
"Spanier's company has no weak links. The dancers are attractive,
mature and versatile. The variety of body types allows Spanier to
express the healthy sexuality which pervades her work."
Daily Camera,
Boulder, Colorado
"Contrast, juxtaposition, and the urge to toss out the conventional are
the most striking aspects of Nancy Spanier's work."
The Muse, Colorado
"Spanier showed her true colors as a master of the theatre and
outrageous artist.....the entire concert was a generous gift of song to
the heart and lilt to the footsteps.....You wished it would never stop."
Colorado Daily,
Boulder, Colorado
"[Spheres of Influence] ... takes the audience through all the stages
of humankind to the new frontier of cosmic consciousness."
Daily Camera,
Boulder, Colorado
"Ms. Spanier concentrates on stream-of-consciousness themes, on
neuroses and frustrations, on spiritual strivings and occasionally on
light-hearted celebration."
Rocky Mountain News,
Denver, Colorado
"It's a company one would hanker to see again."
Washington Post,
Washington, DC
"Nancy Spanier has a feel for the striking image."
Denver Post,
Denver, Colorado
".....Visions in motion, flowing images of form swept the eye.
Timelessly moving through space to primordial rhythms, the dancers
seemed to swim through the air.....They reflected the stark reality,
the sudden beauty, and the subtle humor which result from a close look
at the worlds around and within us."
Free School,
Boulder, Colorado
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