Like all stellar corps dancers, San Francisco Ballet’s Alexander Reneff-Olson is great at blending in. Despite an imposing 6′ stature, he has a quiet, steady presence that makes him one of the crowd in the Sleeping Beauty polonaise, and just another wave in the sea of John Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid. Yet the San Francisco […]
As COVID-19 shuts down schools and businesses across the world, just about every upcoming dance performance has been canceled. That means dancers who’ve spent weeks (and sometimes months or years) rehearsing won’t be able share their work with live audiences anytime soon. But dancers are nothing if not creative. Many have quickly adapted and found […]
Since her high-profile move from The Royal Ballet to English National Ballet in 2013, Romanian star Alina Cojocaru has been quietly forging her own path. In addition to creating major roles at ENB, including in Akram Khan’s Giselle, the beloved 38-year-old ballerina now divides her time between London and Hamburg, where she enjoys a close […]
Yesterday, Dance Magazine released its much-awaited, annual “25 to Watch” list. With 2020 just around the corner, now’s the perfect time to get to know these breakout dancers, choreographers and companies (see the full list here). Spanning dance genres, the diverse list includes eight ballet dancers. And though we admit we’re a bit biased, we […]
As a little girl, Hortense Millet-Maurin fell in love with the wide spiral staircase that dominates the center of the Paris Opéra Ballet School. Today, as a focused 15-year-old POB student, she and her classmate Vincent Vivet navigate the school’s spacious architecture on a daily basis. In a hallway strewn with foam rollers and tennis […]
On June 22, National Ballet of Canada principal Xiao Nan Yu will retire from the stage after 22 years with the company. Originally from Dalian, China, Yu studied at the Shen Yang School of Dance and the Beijing Dance Academy before coming to Canada’s National Ballet School at age 17. She joined the National Ballet […]
Change is in the air in Steel City: On Friday Terrence S. Orr announced that, after 22-years as artistic director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, he will retire in June 2020 following the conclusion of PBT’s 50th anniversary season. Orr took the helm of PBT in 1997, succeeding former New York City ballet star Patricia Wilde. […]
Hollywood may have the Oscars, but ballet has the Prix de Benois de la Danse. Held every spring at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater, the prestigious international awards ceremony recognizes dancers, choreographers, composers and designers for their extraordinary work on and off the stage. This year’s laureates, chosen by a jury, were announced during an awards ceremony […]