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Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Andrew is currently a professional chef in New York City but he began life as a ballet dancer with the Hartford and Ohio Ballet companies. His writing also appears on the Huffington Post Blog and BroadwayWorld.com. His latest work, nominated for a James Beard Award, is “Return to the Rivers”, a Himalayan cookbook.

Author:Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

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Young Artists To Watch: Joël Vuik – Ready to go

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 25 January 2021

German countertenor Joël Vuik is an eclectic musician and multitalented artist with big plans for the future.

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Joël Vuik – Ready to go

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

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Tiffany Poon: “Music is not about music, it’s about life”

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 25 November 2020

Pianist Tiffany Poon is one of those rare phenomena that come along once in every generation to upend our preconceptions. With over 270,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, she is the most watched young pianist of her generation.

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Tiffany Poon: “Music is not about music, it’s about life”

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

ABT's Whiteside and Trenary star in Arthur Pita's The Tenant at The Joyce

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 10 November 2018

The single best thing about The Tenant was Frank Moon’s score, played by Moon himself on the piano, violin, and singing.

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ABT's Whiteside and Trenary star in Pita's The Tenant at The Joyce

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

American Ballet Theatre: Present and Future

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 27 October 2018

Who knew that children were subject to shoe fetishes?

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American Ballet Theatre: Present and Future

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Kyle Abraham Takes A.I.M at The Joyce’s NY Quadrille

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 29 September 2018

Kyle Abraham’s A.I.M opened the Lar Lubovitch-curated NY Quadrille at the Joyce with Dearest Home, a deeply personal work.

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Kyle Abraham Takes A.I.M at The Joyce’s NY Quadrille

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Women / Create! A Festival of Dance by women choreographers

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 12 June 2018

A mix of new and tried and tested works by Karole Armitage, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Carolyn Dorfman and Jennifer Muller

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Women / Create! A Festival of Dance

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

All Robbins at NYC Ballet: A Gathering of Dancers

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 18 May 2018

When de Luz reached down and laid his hand on the floor in the final Nocturne, it suggested to me that, on this night and with these dancers, the stage was sacred ground.

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All Robbins at NYCB

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Lar Lubovitch Celebrates Golden Anniversary at The Joyce

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 20 April 2018

At its best, Lubovitch's work elevates the spirit and serves as a reminder that there’s beauty in the world.

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Lar Lubovitch: A Golden Anniversary

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Dance Theater of Harlem: Beauty is in the Eye of Holder

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 07 April 2018

It was worth the price of admission just to see the ebullient revival of Geoffrey Holder’s Dougla.

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DTH: Beauty is in the eye of holder

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Dada Masilo’s Giselle Reclaims her Power

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 03 April 2018

Dada Masilo’s Giselle is about her redemption, not his.

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Dada Masilo’s Giselle Reclaims her Power

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Paul Taylor at Lincoln Center: Preservation and Innovation

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 17 March 2018

Everywhere you look, there is kindness, consideration and generosity of spirit.

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Paul Taylor: Preservation and Innovation

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

BalletNext at NY Live Arts

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 09 March 2018

Michele Wiles’s BalletNext is clearly undergoing evolution.

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By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Triumphant Tulsa Ballet has all the right stuff

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 06 March 2018

Bravo to Tulsa Ballet for doing everything they needed to do for a successful appearance at The Joyce Theater.

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Triumphant Tulsa Ballet

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Wayne McGregor at The Joyce: I Sing the Body Electronic

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 03 March 2018

There’s always this hazard in self-produced works: you operate in a bubble where no one tells you that you need to look more outward and less inward.

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Wayne MGregor: I Sing the Body Electronic

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Ratmansky's Namouna stands out in NYCB's Here/Now program

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 02 March 2018

Alexei Ratmansky and Justin Peck are all the more impressive among choreographers working today because of how many of their works seem destined to stay in the repertoire for a long time to come.

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Ratmansky's Namouna stands out in NYCB's Here/Now

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Romeo + Juliet at New York City Ballet, Truncated but Still Trenchant

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 17 February 2018

Tiler Peck is at her peak as an artist and let’s hope it lasts a long time.

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NYCB: Romeo + Juliet

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

New York City Ballet: Martins, Walker and Ratmansky

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 09 February 2018

Twelve years after its creation, we’re still talking about what’s going on in Russian Seasons and we’re still looking forward to what the next dancer in gold, or red, or green will do with the role.

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NYCB: Martins / Walker / Ratmansky

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Hits and Misses in NYCB's 21st Century Choreographers Program

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 04 February 2018

This program was a good one to inspire your confidence about the future of choreography.

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NYCB: 21st Century Choreographers

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

All Balanchine program shows all's well at New York City Ballet

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 27 January 2018

Judging by this show, New York City Ballet is doing fine in the aftermath of Peter Martins’s departure.

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NYCB: All Balanchine

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Kota Yamazaki and Fluid hug-hug at Baryshnikov Arts Center

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 15 December 2017

When there are no intricate steps to master or roles to portray, what is left of a dancer’s essential self? Quite a lot.

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Kota Yamazaki and Fluid hug-hug at BAC

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Garth Fagan Dance at The Joyce, Program B

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 10 November 2017

Fagan embraces multiple generations of dancers and they reward the audience with the richness and depth of their experience.

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Garth Fagan Dance

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

The Pleasures of Dance: Tanzvergnügen auf Dresden

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 03 November 2017

Dresden Semberoper Ballett came across as a troupe of seasoned and versatile performers who move with fluidity in diverse repertory.

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Dresden Semperoper in NY

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes is a Colorful but Muddled Show

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 28 October 2017

Taken at face value and ignoring its shortcomings, The Red Shoes still succeeds as entertainment.

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Bourne's Red Shoes

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

ABT Features Benjamin Millepied's I Feel the Earth Move Première

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 25 October 2017

There is some good dancing in Benjamin Millepied's I Felt the Earth Move but it missed the mark as far as emotional content is concerned.

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A Millepied première at ABT

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Unexpected dream pairing in Jerome Robbins’ Other Dances

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 22 October 2017

As a whole, this American Ballet Theatre program was good but the presence of Hee Seo and David Hallberg in Jerome Robbins' Other Dances made it indelible.

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Dream Pairing in Robbins’ Other Dances

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Ballet West Returns to the Joyce

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 13 October 2017

Once again, kudos to Adam Sklute and Ballet West for putting on a program of mostly new or recent works created for the company.

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Ballet West, The Joyce

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

A Bushel and Some Pecks at NYC Ballet

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 03 October 2017

Is there anything Tiler Peck can’t do? After her just completed triumph in Swan Lake we’re obliged to say no.

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A Bushel and Some Pecks at NYC Ballet

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Twyla Tharp is Still Twirling

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 20 September 2017

Watching Twyla Tharp move now is a reminder of how much she has affected the landscape of dance during her lifetime.

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Twyla Tharp is Still Twirling

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

The Bolshoi’s Un-Shakespearean Shrew

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 27 July 2017

If it were a film, I’d say Maillot’s Shrew is more of a trashy Franco-Russian Rom-Com with literary pretensions than an art film.

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The Bolshoi’s Un-Shakespearean Shrew

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

On the Cusp: Gemma Bond Dance at The Joyce

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 26 July 2017

I have the sense that we’re only beginning to find out how great a dancer Christine Shevchenko will be.

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Gemma Bond Dance

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

All’s right in the world of ballet: Jewels 50th anniversary

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 22 July 2017

Being able to see all these dancers together was a rare opportunity to compare how differently they work and what each of them brings to classical ballet that is unique to them.

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A rare Jewels (second cast)

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Rare Jewels at Lincoln Center Festival as Paris Opera, Bolshoi and NYCB dancers join forces on stage

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 21 July 2017

As dance experiences go, this one was hard to beat.

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A rare Jewels

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Trenary and Simkin Perfectly Sweet in ABT’s Whipped Cream

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 01 July 2017

Mark Ryden's design for Whipped Cream is a masterpiece that elevates this work immeasurably.

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Whipped Cream at The Met

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Skylar Brandt’s Surprise Corsaire Debut

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 05 June 2017

There was complete assurance in Skylar Brandt's performance and there’s no doubt that she’s a bona fide contender for a future slot as a principal dancer.

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A Surprise Corsaire Debut

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

ABT's The Golden Cockerel is a Triumph of the Storyteller's Art

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 01 June 2017

It’s full of rich characters and a great story that weaves farce, tragedy, exotic music, and outstanding stagecraft together into an experience that takes you away.

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ABT's The Golden Cockerel

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Two Great Performances at New York City Ballet

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 28 May 2017

When you add it all up, this was a perfect closing show. It wasn’t without flaws but they were minor and the good far outweighed the bad.

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NYCB: Midsummer Night's Dream

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Trials and Tribulations at Kitri’s Wedding

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 19 May 2017

Alas, putting two stars (Kochetkova and Cornejo) together is no guarantee of success and that was certainly the case here.

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Don Quixote at the Met

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Richmond Ballet disappoints at the Joyce

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 09 May 2017

Richmond Ballet's dancers are an engaging bunch who aim to please and their goodwill radiated from the stage.

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Richmond Ballet

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet is a Gem of a Dance Company

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 26 April 2017

Catch this company wherever and whenever you can.

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Aspen Santa Fe Ballet: a Gem

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

NYC Ballet: An Embarrassment of Riches

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 21 April 2017

I cannot sufficiently repeat that Peter Martins’ legacy will be measured by the number of outstanding dancers he has nurtured during his tenure.

****1

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

The all-Robbins Bill: Fancy Free, Moves, and The Concert

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 19 April 2017

Sterling Hyltin owns The Concert and seems to be having the best time of anybody onstage.

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NYCB All Robbins

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

This Year’s YAGP Gala Celebrates Artistry

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 13 April 2017

Give Larissa Savaliev full credit for all the work she’s put into this over the years. YAGP is and will continue to be the number one dance competition in the world.

*****

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Scottish Ballet on tour: Poetry, Prose and Neoclassicism in New York

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 11 April 2017

It was a successful program that showed off the considerable range of a talented and charming troupe.

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Scottis Ballet in NY

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

A Glitter-free Gala for Joffrey’s Return to New York City

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 30 March 2017

I can’t help feeling that an opportunity was missed.

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Joffrey's NY gala disappoints

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Christine Rocas in Joffrey’s Romeo & Juliet: Falling, Flying, or Tumbling in Turmoil

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 29 March 2017

Christine Rocas played Juliet with exuberant lyricism that won me over completely.

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Joffrey's R&J: Falling, Flying, or Tumbling in Turmoil

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Hamburg Ballet: Ode to Joy at the Joyce

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 21 March 2017

Hamburg Ballet is a company of full of individuals who are compelling in their musicality and the joy they take in movement.

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Hamburg Ballet : Neumeier in NY

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Two Operas, One Visionary: Mark Morris at BAM

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 15 March 2017

Dido and Aeneas was triumphant and had all those great moments that make Morris’s choreography among the most musical I’ve seen.

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Two Operas, Mark Morris

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Conversation with Ashley Bouder

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 16 March 2017

Ashley Bouder is putting the finishing touches on her upcoming program for the Ashley Bouder Project. It is an all-women choreographers program, and the composers are also specially commissioned.

Conversation with Ashley Bouder

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Paul Taylor dance at Lincoln Center

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 08 March 2017

Paul Taylor American Modern Dance is getting ready for the transition to the time when it will have to go on without its founder and creative spirit.

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Paul Taylor Dance, Lincoln Center

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn

Wonder from Down Under: Sydney Dance Company hits New York

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, 07 March 2017

The Sydney Dance Company is a great company, not just a good company.

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Sydney Dance Company in NY

By Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn