by Kyra Laubacher | Jul 20, 2021 | Profiles
In 2019, New York native Katia Raj had just begun her third year dancing with the Saint Petersburg State Academic Leonid Yacobson Ballet Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. That August, after developing a labral tear in her hip, Raj returned home to New York for...
by Lindsay Martell | Jun 10, 2021 | Top Stories, Training
After a year (or more) of virtual classes, it’s finally time to unplug and head back to the studio. Exciting? Absolutely. A little scary? Definitely. For Valerie Diamond, a 62-year-old dancer in San Francisco, California, the nervousness wasn’t something...
by Gavin Larsen | May 31, 2021 | Audition Advice, Top Stories, Training
Summer intensives have long served as extended audition periods for trainee and second company positions, allowing pre-professional dancers a chance to prove themselves and to get to know artistic staff. But compared to pre-COVID years, limited enrollment at summer...
by Jennifer Stahl For Dance Magazine | May 23, 2021 | Site Network
When asked to describe the energy at this month’s Youth America Grand Prix Finals, judge Sascha Radetsky had one word: “Stratospheric.” More than 800 dancers from around the United States—selected from 10,000 who’d taken part in regional...
by Amy Brandt | May 11, 2021 | Onstage
Planning a major gala during a global pandemic is no easy feat—but don’t say that to Dame Darcey Bussell. In an amazingly short time, the former Royal Ballet principal and “Strictly Come Dancing” judge has curated a historic evening to support...
by Kate Mattingly | May 6, 2021 | The Latest
If the story of a ballet company presenting performances amidst a global pandemic, a divisive presidential election, and uprisings for justice sounds like it was made for TV, Ballet West has a series for you. In The Balance: Ballet for a Lost Year is a nine-episode...
by Steve Sucato | May 2, 2021 | Company Life
Performing in front of live audiences again has been every ballet organization’s goal since the COVID-19 pandemic began more than a year ago. With vaccinations on the rise and light appearing at the end of the tunnel, companies are slowly starting to come back...
by Avichai Scher | Apr 14, 2021 | News
As the coronavirus pandemic grinds into its second year, the toll on ballet companies—and dancers—has been steep. How long before dancers can rehearse and perform as they once did? Like most things, the return to normal for ballet seems to hinge on...