(Brittany Stone, shot for our June/July 2013 cover, photo by Nathan Sayers) Things are changing at The Washington Ballet! Former American Ballet Theatre star Julie Kent was appointed as the new artistic director in March, and she released a statement during the company’s press conference today detailing her first season of programming—which coincides with the […]
Julie Kent, who recently retired after an illustrious career with American Ballet Theatre, is the new artistic director of The Washington Ballet. She will assume her position on July 1 and is currently serving as the artistic director of ABT’s summer intensive. As artistic director, her duties will include overseeing the school, the main company […]
This story originally appeared in the June/July 2015 issue of Pointe. Who was your biggest inspiration while growing up as a dancer? My first experience in a professional environment was when I was a supernumerary in New York City Ballet’s Coppélia. Patricia McBride was so kind and gentle with all the children. That made a […]
If you call yourself a “bunhead”, you’ve seen the movie Center Stage. It’s ballet’s pop culture classic–and for some dancers outside of New York, it may be their first time seeing American Ballet Theatre principal Julie Kent. Since she appeared on the big screen as the famous Kathleen, Kent has become an icon of beauty, […]
Before—though not long before—they were immortalized as Cooper Nielson and Kathleen Donahue (Center Stage, we’ll never stop loving you), Ethan Stiefel and Julie Kent starred in the 1998 PBS broadcast of American Ballet Theatre’s Le Corsaire. Corsaire‘s choreography may be as cheesy as they come, but what does that matter when you have two of […]
Valentine’s Day makes February the perfect month for ballet companies to perform Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s famous tale of star-crossed lovers. A few companies presented their versions earlier this month and many are on their way in the next few weeks. We rounded up eight companies including New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The […]
When COVID-19 lockdowns closed in-person studios in 2020, “pivot” quickly became the hot word of the day. “People started online training as an act of desperation because we couldn’t be in class,” says Caitlin Trainor, founder of Dancio, one of the few virtual platforms that existed before the pandemic hit. Whether dancers loved them or […]
Originally from Cuba, Gian Carlo Perez joined Houston Ballet this season as a first soloist after a long career at The Washington Ballet. And he is already making his mark in ballets like Stars and Stripes, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Nutcracker, and more. Below he talks about his childhood idol, his pre-performance routine, and […]