Clean classical line and a crisp allegro attack make Gary Jeter stand out as a dancer with Complexions Contemporary Ballet. But believe it or not, he didn’t begin studying ballet until he was a teenager, when he enrolled at Pebble Brook High School for the Performing Arts in Atlanta. “I started out doing hip hop […]
What you might not know about some of America’s leading male dancers might surprise you. Rasta Thomas, Desmond Richardson, Damian Woetzel and Julio Bocca have all reached the top of their field earning accolades from audiences and critics alike. What they are achieving offstage is equally interesting and impressive. The Entrepreneur Rasta Thomas has always […]
Calling all high school-aged dancers! On Tuesday, the National YoungArts Foundation announced that the application to become a 2016 YoungArts Winner is now open. Since 1981, the nonprofit has nurtured and supported promising young talent in the visual, literary, design and performing arts. And it really is the opportunity of a lifetime: Winners have had […]
It’s been a dramatic ride for the ballet dancers on this season of “So You Think You Can Dance” so far. I was thrilled when three—three!—ballet specialists made the Top 20 a few weeks ago: former San Francisco Ballet dancer Daniel Baker, former Los Angeles ballet dancer and Come Fly Away cast member Chehon Wespi-Tschopp, […]
New York City. From classical ballet to post-modern dance, the Big Apple has it all. American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet are at the pinnacle of the ballet world, the crème de la crème. Many a young ballet dancer dreams of performing in one of Lincoln Center’s famed theaters. But for most, they’re […]
In previous generations, ballet dancers trained with the expectations that they would be dancing Sleeping Beauty for the rest of their lives. Thanks to the changing choreographic landscape of the 21st century, however, today’s dancers must often adjust to new approaches and ways of organizing movement in order to work with a professional company. Either […]
As we push into May, the ballet world presents another lineup of exciting digital performances. We’ve rounded up a few of the season finales, collaborations and special programs coming up this month. Check them out below! National Ballet of Canada Harrison James and Ben Rudisin in Jera Wolfe’s Soul. Courtesy NBoC This month, National Ballet […]
Photos by Jim Lafferty It’s hard to find two more distinctive dancers than New York City Ballet prima ballerina Wendy Whelan and Complexions Contemporary Ballet star Desmond Richardson. Dancing together for the first time, Whelan and Richardson will debut a new Dwight Rhoden duet commissioned by the New Orleans Ballet Association in honor of […]