The Dress at Orlando Fringe Credit: Courtesy Photo

Cirque du Soleil choreographer Ana Cuellar caught my attention last year with her Critics’ Choice Award-winning EnMi, but this year, her show The Dress captured my heart thanks to the powerful pairing of performer Elaine “Lanie” Hoxie and dancer Dion Leonhard DiDonna. Hoxie (directed by Bruno Sangar) delivers delicate verses by Cathy Delgado about the bond between a ballerina and her beloved outfit; then DiDonna illustrates the tender tale through electrifying contemporary dancing that demonstrates astounding physical and emotional control, from tortured breaths and full-body back-bends to liberating balletic leaps.

I’ve known and worked with both Hoxie and DiDonna for over a decade, but I’ve never seen them more artistically engaged and grounded than they are in this thrillingly tear-inducing show. The pair join together for a brief weight-sharing sequence that’s a joy to behold, and every technical element strikes the perfect tone, from Alex Clement’s stirringly cinematic string and piano score and original score and Amy Hadley’s lighting — which masterfully evokes a candy-colored sunrise using the Pink Venue cyc — to Ricardo Zuccolini’s titular garment, a striking Bob Mackie-esque assemblage of black feathers and silver studs. 

Much like that dress, the emotions on stage might appear a bit overwrought at times, as they range from ethereal ecstasy to knife-twisting nostalgia, but that operatic expressionism only seems to make the feels hit harder. For frustrated artists who need to find their joy again and modern dance fans wanting a master class from Dion in leaving everything on the stage, this show is a must-see. Do not leave The Dress hanging on the rack.

Ana Cuellar Productions (Davenport, FL)
Pink Venue, Lowndes Shakespeare Center
45 minutes; all ages
Tickets: $15

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This article appears in Orlando Fringe 2026.