Maria Kowroski As a 13-year-old ballet student in Michigan, Maria Kowroski was surprised to be cast in a jazz work set to Nine Inch Nails for a school show. “I liked that I wasn’t labeled a ballet dancer,” she remembers, “and that someone took a chance and used me in that way.” Choreographers have continued […]
For Alessandra Ferri, the greatest dramatic ballerina of her generation and possibly the most famous Juliet of today, parting is not going to be “such sweet sorrow.” On the contrary, Ferri, who is retiring this year after more than 20 years on the world’s stages, is going out with a bang. At the height of […]
John Neumeier sits backstage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City. His company, Hamburg Ballet, has just arrived from Germany for a four-night run of his 2003 ballet Death in Venice, and everyone has a case of nerves—including the choreographer. “It was about 24 years ago that I came here for the […]
“I have accomplished something and enjoyed my artistic career,” wrote the great Danish choreographer August Bournonville in the introduction to his memoir, My Theatre Life. The year was 1846, and he had been choreographing and directing the Royal Danish Ballet since 1829, but was retiring from dancing at age 41. “Now, since I have passed […]
Angel Arrives Corella Ballet makes its stateside debut. Angel Corella: Choreographer? American audiences soon will see a new side of the American Ballet Theatre principal. Spain’s Corella Ballet brings Corella’s first stab at choreography to New York City Center this March. Corella’s inspiration for the 35-minute String Sextet comes from the score, Tchaikovsky’s “Souvenir from […]
Spring Renewal Martins on NYCB’s “Architectural” Season New York City Ballet’s spring season, which begins April 29, is chock-full of “new”: seven premieres, four commissioned scores, five sets by architect Santiago Calatrava. And yet, says Artistic Director Peter Martins, it’s all […]
A New Take on Romeo and Juliet The National Ballet of Canada celebrates its 60th with a Ratmansky premiere. National Ballet of Canada artistic director Karen Kain has been after Alexei Ratmansky for years. “I first started contacting Alexei when he was still with the Bolshoi,” she says. “I’d watched videos of his Bright Stream […]
Who would have guessed a member of The Beatles would be nominated for the Benois de la Danse? Sure enough, Sir Paul McCartney is one of two composers in the running for the prestigious award, which is celebrating it’s twentieth anniversary this year. An international jury led by Yuri Grigorovich and John Neumeier will make […]