This story originally appeared in the August/September 2016 issue of Pointe. Kevin Irving is a man of eclectic tastes. It showed in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s 2015–16 season, which opened with Napoli Act III, the company’s first turn with Bournonville, followed by Balanchine’s Nutcracker. Then came Romeo & Juliet, as envisioned by OBT founding artistic director […]
This story originally appeared in the June/July 2016 issue of Pointe. Choreographer Alexei Ratmansky is passionate about promoting the splendor of early Russian ballet and has, over the last few years, mounted a string of reinterpretations of iconic works. This June his re-choreographed version of The Golden Cockerel, first mounted for the Royal Danish Ballet […]
American Ballet Theatre’s Ratmansky Festival is the centerpiece of the company’s spring season at Lincoln Center’s Metropolitan Opera House. Since festivals and celebrations usually come later in a choreographer’s career, it provides an unusual opportunity to see how ABT has adapted to and absorbed Alexei Ratmansky’s approach since he became artist in residence seven years […]
New York City Ballet’s fall season is packed with world premieres, including three by choreographers who have never made work for the company. NYCB resident choreographer Justin Peck and corps member Troy Schumacher will each create a new ballet. Schumacher’s second piece for NYCB will feature a commissioned score from Ellis Ludwig-Leone, the music director […]
When Johnny Eliasen saw Johan Kobborg for the first time, it was 1988 in Copenhagen, and Kobborg was just a teenager at the Royal Danish Ballet School. Eliasen, a renowned teacher, coach and August Bournonville expert, knew right away that Kobborg had something special. “I considered him a tremendously talented young dancer,” Eliasen recalls. “Early […]
This weekend I was lucky enough to catch a performance of Protégés III: The International Ballet Academy Festival. This was the third time The Kennedy Center invited students from distant corners of the world to show off their elite training in our nation’s capital. The program started with a charming piece from the Royal Danish […]
Want to sit down with Peter Boal, Alexei Ratmansky and Nikolai Hübbe? Okay, maybe you can’t bring them into your living room in person. But you can stream their chats at Guggenheim’s Works & Process live on your computer. Here are three dates every bunhead should mark on the calendar. September 9 at 7:30 […]
The Royal Danish Ballet’s Ida Praetorius may only be 19, but she’s quickly making her mark on the ballet world. Last year, Pointe highlighted her as one of the standouts of 2011—when she was only an apprentice! Artistic director Nikolai Hubbe had cast her in the lead of Fleming Flindt’s The Lesson for the company’s […]