​Review from LA Dance Chronicle

The only film with dance in it on the program was the extremely enjoyable and high energy BALANCE ON THAT! choreographed and directed by Nannette Brodie to the exciting score by musician and composer Eric Ruskin who for many years was the Musical Director for the California State University, Long Beach Department of Dance.

Filmed in Hart Park on Glassell Street in Orange, CA., four performers, Julisa Figueroa, Dennzyl Green, Stephanie Maxim, and Matt Reiner, walk, tumble, climb and transform pedestrian movement into wonderful dance phrases while traversing metal or beautiful stone handrails. Laced with humor, the dancers were always on the move. This was not my first viewing of Brodie’s BALANCE ON THAT! and it was even better the second time around.

A few years ago, I saw the full work of Brodie’s titled HEARTLAND – The Immigrant Song, and therefore recognized the duet presented on this program titled EVER NEAR AT HAND. Beautifully crafted and performed wonderfully by Marin Asano and Alfonso Fuentes to music by Enoch Train, the duet may have felt unfinished to anyone not familiar with Brodie’s longer work. The costumes by Diane Browne aided greatly to inform the viewer that this was a very much in love Latin couple, but the context of their journey was lost. - Jeff Slayton

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Review from LA Dance Chronicle

Published March 26, 2021 | LA Dance Chronicle

EVERY SOLDIER HAS A STORY was first seen on the 30th Anniversary concert of the Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre. It was then and now a dramatic and powerful tribute to the men and women who sacrifice so much to protect this nation. Conceived by Brodie, sections were choreographed by Brodie and Company; others by Stephanie Maxim, and Erica Villalpando. The work took us through the recruits first encounter with armed services massive paperwork and bureaucracy, boot camp training drills, the loneliness of deportment, the struggles of maintaining relationships, the horrors of battle and the struggles veterans face when they return and try to assimilate back into society. The work incorporated short film projections to help create some of these environments, but the movement clearly spoke to the subject. One of the most poignant film sections was the final one that showed veteran Charles Henry Williams telling his story of enduring the Jim Crow era and racism aboard a naval ship.  

Brodie paid a beautiful tribute to our veterans without glorifying war or taking anyone’s side on the issue. Her strong cast and members of Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre included Priya Chisti, Evyn Davis, AJ Dirickson, Dennzyl Green, Rebecca Martin, Stephanie Maxim, Megan McLean, Matthew Reiner, Teresa Rios, Jennie Sustaita, Jana Taylor, and Erica Villalpando. Videos were created by KP Wilson, and Javier Armijo. Speakers in the videos included Trenton Brodie and Nannette Brodie. Costumes were designed by Nannette Brodie.
 - Jeff Slayton

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Article: Brodie and Green Create A Gripping Video "How To Raise A Black Son In America"

Published March 5, 2021 |  LA Dance Chronicle

Now available on Vimeo, Long Beach-based choreographer and Artistic Director of Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre (NBDT), Nannette Brodie collaborated with dancer and former company member, Dennzyl Green, to create a powerful, timely and poignant dance video inspired by Smith's extraordinary poem How to Raise a Black Son in America.

- Jeff Slayton

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Review: Brava Brockus! 7 Years of Eclectic and Outstanding Dance on The FRINGE

Published May 1st, 2019 |  LA Dance Chronicle

Nannette Brodie’s “Every Soldier Has a Story” was one of the most important and beautifully conceived statements of the evening.  We saw excerpts from a longer piece, but the impact was clear.  Beginning with a Soldier Recruitment Office, and moving through to the reality of war, it affected the audience enough to audibly hear gasps.  It was a subtle and brilliant overview of a piece that needs to be seen in full. The dancers Priya Chisti, Evyn Davis, AJ Dirickson, Julisa Figueroa, Dennzyl Green, Jennie Sustaita, and Erica Villalpando were so focused, and so clearly technically committed to the piece that one could only come along for the journey, as powerful and heartbreaking as it was. Nannette Brodie is the founder and artistic director of Nannette Brodie Dance Theater. - Joanne DiVito

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Review: Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre Presents "Passion & Grace" At The Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theater

Published June 4th, 2018 |  LA Dance Chronicle

Nannette Brodie has managed to keep her company, the Nannette Brodie Dance Company, moving forward since her first concert in 1986. The company presented its 30th anniversary concert, Passion & Grace, this past weekend at the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theater. This intimate dance theater with a large stage is a part of the Dance Center, at the California State University, Long Beach. The oldest work on the program, Holiday, was choreographed and performed by Brodie and Daniel Shapiro in 1978 and re-staged for Brodie's company in 2009. The newest work was the premiere of Every Solider Has A Story, which included choreography by Brodie and Company, Stephanie Maxim and Erica Villalpando. - Jeff Slayton

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Preview: Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre's 30th Anniversary Concert on June 2nd

Published May 17th, 2018 |  LA Dance Chronicle

On June 2nd at 8 PM, the Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre will celebrate its 30th Anniversary with a concert entitled PASSION & GRACE at the CSU, Long Beach Department of Dance's Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theater. The concert will feature the premiere of Every Soldier Has a Story and other repertoire works. Founded in 1986 by Artistic Director, Nannette Brodie, the company is on of the few in the Los Angeles area that maintains an ongoing group of dancers, rather than picking up dancers on a project only basis. Former company members will be traveling from a multitude of cities to attend the concert and the after party. - Jeff Slayton

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Review: Los Angeles Dance Festival 2017 Opens its Fifth Season at Diavolo Dance Theatre

Published May 8th, 2017.  SeeDance.com

Nannette Brodie is the Artistic Director and principle choreographer for the Long Beach based Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre. Excerpt from STRENGTH IN SORROW, choreographed by Stephanie Maxim, is a nice example of what looks to be a powerful work. Lead by the very musical and strong performer Jennie Sustaita, a group of women are in mourning and consoling each other. Through their grief, or because of it, they join to become stronger. It was not clear from this one section exactly what or whom they were mourning or what the approaching challenges might be. The other strong cast members for this performance included Priya Chisti, Rebecca Kinzler, Stephanie Maxim and Teresa Rios. The music is composed by Vivaldi as arranged by Max Richter. Costumes are by Stephanie Maxim. - Jeff Slayton. 

 

Long Beach Gazettes, Long Beach, California September 15, 2012

"Dancers from the Nannette Brodie Dance Theater support and complement the principals....The music, the text, the choreography and the lighting were inextricably intertwined, and together created an enchanting hour that was constantly changing but always deep and profound." - Jim Ruggirello

 

Review: Aquarium provides perfect setting for lyrical ode to the ocean

Long Beach Press Telegram, Long Beach, California September 13, 2012
"...four dancers from the Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre - Javier Gonzalez, Alexis Loffer, Ishmael Murillo and Stephanie Maxim - provided an athletic and stirring vision of the ocean. That dancing included Cirque du Soleil-like use of a white sheet hanging from a walkway above the stage, and intermingling the singers with the dancers throughout the work. - John Farrell
 

The Paper Nautilus Easy Reader, Southern California September 13, 2012

"The Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre added a kind of stately swelling and surging that enhanced the effect of watery currents that lift our singers..." - Bondo Wyszpolski

 

Lister Review: Long Beach Opera's Liquid Magic LauriesList - Online Blog September 12, 2012

"Nannette Brodie’s choreography was mesmerizing. The dancers moved smoothly across the stage while tossing the singers to and fro, as if they were singing in the waves or the currents of the ocean. It was a beautiful homage to both the strength and tranquility of the ocean." - Blog Contributor

 

Fathoming Enchanted Waters in Long Beach Opera West September 11, 2012

"I also found the work of choreographer Nannette Brodie and her dancers to be gorgeous in its simplicity, its fluid movement and in the pleasing architecture of its posed stage pictures." - David Gregson

 

Compelling 'Maria de Buenos Aires' a triumph for director Andreas Mitisek

Long Beach Press Telegram, Long Beach, California February 2, 2012

"This work is as much about the dance as it is about politics, and members of the Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre proved elegant as tangueros, and Southwell was as effective as any of her colleagues in dances with Gonzalez." - John Farrell

 

MUSICAL NOTES: Long Beach Opera Delivers Power

Gazettes.com - Gazette Newspapers Long Beach California February 2, 2012

"Members of the Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre were a silent, brooding presence." - Jim Ruggirello

 

Politicized Piazzolla: Long Beach Opera presents provocative “Maria de Buenos Aires”

Opera West January 30, 2012

"I should not forget to commend the Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre for its memorable contribution to the complex and evocative visual imagery in this superlative production." - David Gregson

 

Opera review: 'Maria de Buenos Aires' by Long Beach Opera Los Angeles Times January 30, 2012

"The Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre danced credibly but perhaps made its biggest impact in handling Maria’s dead body as if reenacting the Deposition from the Cross." - Chris Pasles

 

Opera review: Philip Glass' 'Akhnaten' at Long Beach Opera at last Los Angeles Times, March 20, 2011

 

A 3-D Spectacular - Philip Glass's "Akhnaten" ConcertoNet.com - The Classical Music Network, March 20, 2011

"Long Beach Opera’s chorus is a major force in Akhnaten, bearing significant dominance and angular dynamism seen through the eyes of Nannette Brodie. Whether slightly changing silhouetted profiles or the more militaristic ballet march during the construction scene entitled “The City”, Ms. Brodie’s choreography abounds with abstract movements akin to the tempo set forth in the music." - Christie

 

Grimstad Opera West - Philip Glass's "Akhnaten" Yet Another Exciting Success for Long Beach Opera

Opera West, March 20, 2011

"The choreographic aspects, often reminiscent of the sorts of figuration's seen on Egyptian monuments, were superbly executed by Nanette Brodie and the Nannette Brodie Dance Theater" - David Gregsonng