by Caroline Hamilton | Dec 21, 2020 | Dance History, Instagram
The tutu has become the symbol of the ballerina. But what is the history of this strange protruding skirt which allegedly gets its name from the French children’s word cucu, meaning “bottom”? Pointe took a look back at some important moments in...
by Joseph Carman | Jun 10, 2018 | Career, Dance History
Two hundred is the new 30. Or at least it seems so for Marius Petipa, whose ballets are as active as ever as we celebrate his 200th birthday this year. Nearly all major ballet companies dance Petipa’s iconic ballets, which reflect his prolific creative output....
by Amy Brandt | Sep 11, 2017 | Career, Profiles
This year marks the 50th anniversary of George Balanchine’s Jewels, and companies around the world are paying homage. While last summer’s Lincoln Center Festival collaboration with New York City Ballet, Paris Opéra Ballet and Bolshoi Ballet was all...
by Caroline Hamilton | Jul 28, 2017 | Uncategorized
This year, the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, Massachusetts, is celebrating its 85th season. Over the years, some of the world’s greatest dancers of the 20th and 21st century have performed here. But without the help of two of Britain’s...
by Amy Brandt | Jul 10, 2017 | Career
Ballet’s earliest history can be traced as far back as the royal courts of Renaissance Italy (roughly 200 years before France’s King Louis the XIV established the first ballet academy in 1661). Surprisingly, many of these court dances were written down and...
by Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone | Apr 8, 2017 | Views
New York City Ballet has created a charming video trailer for their Spring HERE/NOW season, a festival of works created for the company over the past several decades. It’s a great complement to the Royal Ballet videos (check them out at the bottom of the post!)...
by Amy Brandt | Oct 20, 2016 | Company Life
Imagine learning a 150-year-old ballet with nothing more than the choreographer’s yellowed, handwritten notes and an unfamiliar score to go on. Now, imagine that choreographer is none other than August Bournonville. For the last month, that’s exactly what...
by Allan Ulrich | Nov 20, 2014 | Career, News
This story originally appeared in the December 2014/January 2015 issue of Pointe. How long has the “ballet is dead” movement been plaguing us? How long have we swatted away such a preposterous conceit, much as we might swat a pesky mosquito? This obituary...
