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
"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
"It is exactly this mixture of dancing, singing, and acting that challenges us and brings us new interpretations, ones we did not believe existed. And Paul Oertel can sing!...."
Politiken, Copenhagen, Denmark
"They danced like angels...
just flying, released through the space."
Aarhus Stiftstidene, Aarhus, 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 have those qualities which will enrapture ballet enthusiasts. The theatre reacted to this modern offering with whistles, stamping and jubilation."
Jyllands-Posten, Arhus, Denmark
"Serving the excellent texts and allowing us to forget their illustrious interpreters, Paul Oertel, through his multiple talents, his extreme sensitivity plunged the public into a universe of strong and varied emotions. The standing ovation which saluted the performance of this incomparable artist was well deserved. Magique, Mr. Oertel!...."
L'Essor Sarladais, Sarlat, France
"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."
Der Tagesspiegel, Berlin, Germany
"Paul Oertel is extremely professional in a way that you might call typically American. It means that he tackles the task unabashedly. His interpretations are handled so professionally that they are never experienced as mannered or affected. Without his personal charm, call it personality and skills, the program would not have the warmth and depth it has...."
Aarhus Stiftstidende, Aarhus, Denmark
"Oertel changes with the speed of lightning between the roles of men and women. Often he plays with only one prop to enchant the object of his love and desire. For the final number, What’ll I Do? the public showed its enthusiasm by applauding long after the curtain went down...."
Mittelbayerische Zeitung, Regensburg, Germany
United States Reviews
"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, New York City
"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
". . . Colorado's natural resources include mountains, snow, sunny days and the Nancy Spanier Dance Theatre of Colorado.”
Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colorado
"... a satisfying and thought-provoking evening of dance."
The Washington Star, Washington, DC
"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
"Ms. Spanier's soul (not her ego) showed through, which fact made the works interesting and thought-provoking."
Dance Magazine, New York City
"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, Denver, Colorado
"Rarely has the shop-worn phrase tour de force been more appropriate than in Paul Oertel’s rendering of Hamlet on One Player...
His vocal and body control was impeccable...."
Rocky Mountain News, Denver, 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
"Nancy Spanier has a feel for the striking image."
Denver Post, Denver, Colorado
"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, Denver, 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
".....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
"It's a company one would hanker to see again."
Washington Post, Washington, DC
"[Spheres of Influence] ... takes the audience through all the stages of humankind to the new frontier of cosmic consciousness.”
Daily Camera, Boulder, Colorado