Gloria Newman, artistic director of the Orange-based...

Gloria Newman, artistic director of the Orange-based Gloria Newman Dance Theater:

* Doug Varone’s “Force MAJEOURE”: “An extraordinary (modern dance) piece that reminded me very much of ‘Lord of the Flies.’ It had that impact.”

* Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane and Company’s “Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin/The Promised Land”: “This is a work that makes me feel so grateful that dance is still alive. The way Bill T. Jones develops movement is extraordinary. He suggests through this work that maybe through the diversity of people he shows, we can find a singularity on which to build.”

* Ton Simons’ “Grace”: “This is an evening’s work set to Mozart’s Mass in C minor. Talk about dance being an exaltation! This is very moving and an absolutely splendid work.”

* William Forsythe’s “The second detail” and “Skinny”: “There is such daring in what Forsythe does. He shows the disarray of our times. He shows many things happening at the same time, which is really what is happening in our fragmented world. So you have to make choices about what to look at. It’s an assault on our senses. He tries to capture that overload of our culture.”

* Donald Byrd’s “Drastic Cuts”: “This is a duet which is absolutely physically demanding, insistently driving, uncompromising movement. It is gorgeous.”

Favorite Things appears Wednesdays in the Calendar section of The Times Orange County Edition.