Asheville Ballet Home of the Fletcher School of Dance Press

Ann Dunn is a one-woman verb. The work was innovative and fresh . . . brilliantly danced and elegantly choreographed . . . successful on all fronts. . . . Ann Dunn has direct lineage to [Classical and Modern] roots in both her training and professional experience, and she has brought the full impact of those creative forces to bear in Asheville. This company opened the season with a rock ballet, then staged a traditional holiday ballet production, we have just had four premieres with feet planted in both traditional and modern technique, and in May they will stage The Firebird. In this business, you must deliver to stay alive. This company is fit and well-trained, and it is thriving in creative riches too numerous to mention. We have Ann Dunn to hold responsible for it, and I advise you to go see Asheville Ballet productions as soon as possible. You will be hooked.

- Roger A. Cope, Classical Voice of North Carolina, January 20 http://cvnc.org/reviews/2006/012006/ABallet.html

2005

Swan Lake: a blockbuster performance of one challenging classic. All that is splendid in classical ballet.

- Constance Richards, Asheville Citizen Times

exhilarating (Dunn's choreography for NC Stage's "A Doll's House")

- Jim Cavener, ACT April 1, 2005

By every possible objective standard - vision, execution, preparation, eloquence - Ann Dunn and her dancers stand toe to toe with their competition in the dance capital of the world (NY). . . . Dunn's poetry is lively, concrete, surprising, touching, and a good accompaniment to the beautiful dances. . . The dance (Element) hits peak after peak, words and music and motion blending, lifting, until at the end one knows one has seen a masterpiece, masterfully performed.

- David Hopes for MAIN and The Indy, February

(in) Element: Water, Fire, Earth, Air, choreographed by Ann Dunn . . . , Blair Chamberlain and Allison Hertzberg moved excellently together. . . (while) Lyle Laney and Sarah McGinnis pretty much tore up the stage.

- George Hubbard, ACT, February 19

2004

Splendid in every way. - Hal McDonald, ACT, December 22

Nutcracker was great. . . splendid. . . pert, alert, lively and right on the money. . . spot on, with lovely pointe work and excellent partnering. . . grand pirouettes hit the target every time. . . swirled, bowed and lilted along. . . no drooping petals here! All too soon it was time for the finale.

- George Hubbard, ACT December 11

The dancing was splendid, great swirling movements. . . highly evocative. High points in the choreography were the opening movement. . . reminding one of Balanchine's "Serenade"; a pas de deux clearly celebrating its classical heritage, . . . (and) a rapt and fitting conclusion. (An) enthusiastic audience greeted both with appreciation, giving its 'bravos' particularly to WOOD.

- George Hubbard, ACT

2003

(Dunn achieves) a level of accomplishment that elicits helpless comments. . . haunting beauty and often stunning emotional pitch. . . gorgeous. . . the considerable power derives from the way the mythic resonates with everyday emotions.

- Carrie Frye, Mountain XPress

(Dunn) conveys an intense and almost divine sense of love. . . Themes and images echo in Dunn's cycle, frequently finding impressive new phrasings.

- Rob Neufeld, ACT

Celebrates the human emotions that distinguish the animate from the inanimate.

- Lisa Horak, ACT

Filled with beauty, love, tragedy and drama. . . an outstanding caliber of performers.

- Lisa Horak, ACT

Expressive carvings become animated, uncoiling the human core, . . . punctuated by Dunn's own reflective voice, urging an awakening.

- Kate Reynolds, Mountain XPress

2002

The dancers captured the hearts of the schoolchildren.

- ACT staff review

Truly a gem in Asheville's cultural crown. . . first-class.

- H. Rowney, ACT

A triumph of the human spirit

- Heather Rayburn, ACT

2001

[Ann Dunn's] choreography. . . thoroughly delighted the large audience, which responded with laughter and ready applause.

- Martha Fawbush, ACT

2000

I thoroughly enjoyed this dance interpretation as performed in Diana Wortham Theater. . . It ("Porgy and Bess")was a wonderful creative effort.

- Marie Kitazumi, ACT

This year's Nutcracker: Even more magic, with all the traditional fare intact plus lots of new treats.

- Marcianne Miller, Mountain Xpress

Ann Dunn voted Best Local Dancer (3^rd year in a row)

- Readers Poll, Mountain Xpress

1999

the accomplished Ann Dunn has been voted Best Local Dancer. And you could add playwright, poet, performance artist, choreographer and a host of other high-falutin' titles to that accolade. . . Dunn assembled a veritable army of dancers, costumers, and prop technicians to bring to vivid life a sumptuous, extravagant production.

- Marsha Barber, Mountain Xpress

ethereal and mythical

- Mark Goldstein, Mountain Xpress

Ann Dunn. . . is well known for her long and distinguished career in dance, as a dancer, dance teacher, choreographer, and producer of dance events.

-Jeremy Bacon, Asheville Citizen Times

1998

Ann Dunn is a virtual powerhouse of ambitions and ideas, articulate and highly intelligent . . . The Asheville Civic Ballet deserves our support.

-Veronica Wilcox, The Asheville Tribune

Dunn has managed once again to bring a quality production to Asheville . . . I urge the public to support Dunn's efforts.

- Gypsy Adams, Hendersonville Times News

Ann Dunn voted Best Local Dancer

-Readers Poll, Mountain X-Press

1997

With the emboldening stance and lithe muscles the words take as they figure and turn into poetry . . . Dunn rears back and sings.

- Shelby Stephenson, The Pilot, Southern Pines

1996

Ann Dunn evokes emotions by the graceful movement of her body on stage . . . (and) makes lines in words that move the reader, capturing emotions in the privacy of the page . . . Her music can shift between the elevated diction to the dangerous ditty.

- Dale Neal, Asheville Citizen Times

1994

Ann Dunn gave a spectacular performance. Her unique combination of poems and dance produced a show that was mesmerizing.

- Elizabeth Langford, SGSA Reporter Brevard

enough unflagging discipline and creative instincts for five people . . . unusually versatile and energetic. Dunn is daunting.

- Lori Harmon, Vision Indiana University

1993

Few artists have brought a more unified perception and a more varied collection of tools to bear on the business of making art than Ann Dunn. When Nietzsche called opera the highest of the arts because it contains most of the others he might have held Ann Dunn in some visionary corner of his mind. Dunn has become a visionary of the performance form.

- David Hopes, Green Line

I want to be the first to applaud and the first to spread the news. Dunn's magnum opus . . . is a multimedia cocktail, an opthamological/otolaryngological treat . . . , a beautiful blending of the classical and contemporary . . . , an orgy of mind, eye and ear that doesn't exhaust, rather stimulates. Begs for more.

- Thomas Rain Crowe, Out â