This Guy Can Dance

So, you think you can dance? This guy can dance.

Fabrice Calmels is a guy I've had my eye on for the last few years as I've been covering Joffrey programs for Chicagoist. He's a downright stunning man, standing at 6'6" he's a head above the rest of the dancers on the stage, but he's also one of the best dancers I've ever seen. Once I heard that he was going to be a guest judge on FOX' So You Think You Can Dance, I thought it was a great opportunity to interview him for the site. It's my first piece focusing on a dancer rather than a company or a choreographer, which is something I've wanted to do for quite some time.

It came down to the wire, but we got the interview just one day before the Chicago auditions episode, and somehow got it transcribed and posted with just hours to spare before it aired. So much thanks to Tankboy putting on his editor hat to help me!

The episode aired on Wednesday, but you can still watch it online. Without further ado, here's the link:

Interview: Joffrey Ballet Dancer Fabrice Calmels

Dance Away

I've been busy covering a bunch of dance stuff for the ol' -ist lately, and totally neglecting to talk about of any of it on the ol' blog. Here's some of what I've been up to:

Shaping Sound

• Tonight we're headed to Cirque Shanghai: Dragon's Thunder at Navy Pier, but last night we were at the Harris Theater for Travis Wall (of So You Think You Can Dance fame) and friends' new company, Shaping Sound. Here's my interview with Wall from last week.

• Saturday was opening night for Chicago Dance Crash's new program, The Cotton Mouth Club, and as usual they stun and delight with an unconventional mix of disciplines. Check out my review here.

• I also reviewed Joffrey Ballet's Othello last month, and while that run has ended, you can still look at the pretty photo gallery we had.