When Ashley Bouder steps on stage at New York City Ballet, you can feel the audience’s excitement. As she whips through a rapid sequence of turns, people literally sit forward in their seats. Often Bouder will hold a balance for a moment where the allegro tempo seemingly doesn’t permit even a fraction of a pause, […]
Each year the Vail International Dance Festival, helmed by former New York City Ballet principal Damian Woetzel, presents a festival of dance stars in Vail, CO, from July 27 through August 10. Vail’s programming regularly features top ballet dancers from around the country, and this year’s artist in residence will be none other than soon-to-retire […]
There’s something thrilling about watching great dancers from major ballet companies perform in smaller, more intimate side projects. It shows an unfamiliar side of familiar ballet faces—and it gives the dancers a chance to expand their artistry in unexpected directions. Former New York City Ballet dancer Tom Gold offers one such side project with […]
In ballet, there’s no such thing as perfection—especially when it comes to bodies. In our April/May issues we spoke to top dancers and directors about how shape and size affect their casting in Too Fat? Too Thin? Too Tall? Tall Short? “So You Think You Can Dance’s” Melissa Sandvig opened up about being put on weight […]
Recently, the ballet world has been abuzz over Alastair Macaulay’s controversial review of NYCB’s Jenifer Ringer and Jared Angle’s performance on the opening night of Nutcracker. He wrote that Ringer “looked as if she’d eaten on sugar plum too many” and that Angle “seems to have been sampling half the Sweet realm”. I’m not going […]
For all of the endless groaning that goes on backstage during Nutcracker season, the holiday warhorse brings many benefits for the ballet world. Aside from the influx of revenue for companies and opportunities for dancers, Nutcracker also often gives audiences a chance to see top-notch guest artists from all over the world. Here are just […]
In my last blog post, I wrote about how eagerly I was looking forward to seeing Balanchine’s Serenade this past Saturday. I was itching with anticipation. Well, as always, it did more than not disappoint–it astounded and delighted me. I always notice new things and details about the ballet when I see it, and that […]
Earlier this year, anticipating the ongoing repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, University of North Carolina School of the Arts’ interim dean of dance, Jared Redick, started looking ahead to their annual Nutcracker performances. In May, he and the deans of UNCSA’s Film, Music, and Design and Production schools started brainstorming on how to maintain some […]