For five weeks every summer, the university town of Princeton, New Jersey, becomes a destination for ballet students from around the world. As the official school of American Repertory Ballet, Princeton Ballet School’s summer intensive is designed for advanced students, ages 13 and up, to polish their technique and performance skills. And because students in the intensive […]
University of North Carolina School of the Arts is facing multiple allegations of abuse in a lawsuit filed by famed sexual harassment attorney Gloria Allred and Lanier Law Group. UNCSA has long been a revered place to study dance at, producing many stars like Camille A. Brown and Gillian Murphy. Yet the school’s decades-old reputation […]
The ballet industry has seen some major changes recently. In addition to the recent retirement announcements of San Francisco Ballet’s Helgi Tomasson and American Ballet Theatre’s Kevin McKenzie, several more directorship changes are on the horizon. Below is a quick roundup of recent news concerning leadership transitions, dancer promotions and even a company name change. […]
Kevin McKenzie, American Ballet Theatre’s longtime artistic director, announced yesterday that he will retire at the end of 2022, after three decades at the helm. He will continue to oversee the company’s 2021–22 season while a search for his successor begins this summer. In an interview with The New York Times’ Rosalyn Sulcas, McKenzie noted […]
After an extensive search, American Repertory Ballet announced yesterday that Ethan Stiefel will become the company’s new artistic director, starting July 2021. The position has been open since former director Douglas Martin’s departure in 2019; executive director Julie Diana Hench has been assuming artistic duties in the interim. Stiefel, a former American Ballet Theatre star […]
Pointe shoes, with their ability to elevate a dancer both literally and metaphorically to a superhuman realm, are the ultimate symbol of a ballerina’s ethereality and hard work. For students, receiving a first pair of pointe shoes is a rite of passage. The shoes carry an almost mystical allure: They’re an endless source of lore […]
Stella Abrera’s name (“stella” means “star” in Latin) proved prophetic in the final stretch of her 24-year career at American Ballet Theatre. Abrera joined ABT’s corps de ballet in 1996, was promoted to soloist in 2001 and, finally, after an uncommonly lengthy stretch, principal in 2015, making her the first Filipina American to reach the […]
With live performances cancelled and dancers stuck at home, American Ballet Theatre has found a new way to reach its audience: Instagram LIVE. The company has just announced a number of upcoming social media events, ranging from a humorous Instagram series hosted by Ethan Stiefel and Gillian Murphy (yes, we’re serious, and we can’t wait), […]