by Catie Robinson | Apr 22, 2026 | Features, Pointe+, Profiles, Training
Seventeen-year-old Crystal Huang is no stranger to a packed schedule. She used to balance high-level ballet training with commercial-dance competitions, driving between Bayer Ballet Academy in Mountain View, California, and The Rock Center for Dance in Las Vegas,...
by Catie Robinson | Feb 12, 2026 | Career, Company Life, Pointe+, Profiles
American-born dancer Sam Akins is already a world-traveler. Born in Alabama, he graduated from the School of American Ballet before joining the Los Angeles Ballet and then Alabama Ballet. In 2021, he became the first African American to dance with the Paris Opéra...
by Catie Robinson | Nov 19, 2025 | Career, Pointe+, Profiles
Despite only having moved to Toronto four months ago, National Ballet of Canada principal Beckanne Sisk is feeling very at home. She and her husband, fellow principal Chase O’Connell, joined NBoC during the 2025–26 season, after careers at Houston Ballet and Ballet...
by Jenny Block | Apr 30, 2025 | Career, Pointe+, Profiles
Houston Ballet dancer Harper Watters says his feelings have been “all over the place” since being promoted from first soloist to principal in March. “I’m proud of myself for all the work I’ve put into making this goal a reality, and grateful that my directors...
by Emma Garber | Feb 26, 2025 | Career, Pointe+, Profiles
These days, Kayla Mak jokes that she’s living like Hannah Montana. “It almost feels like I have two different lives,” she says. A fourth-year at The Juilliard School, Mak joined American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company in September 2024. Juilliard’s professional...
by Linnea Swarting | Oct 3, 2024 | Career, Pointe+, Profiles
Kathleen Breen Combes, now in her fourth season as artistic and executive director of Ballet RI, has a one-word answer for the biggest challenge she faces in her job: “Time.” Managing all aspects of the company leaves less time for what she sees as the most important...
by Linnea Swarting | Apr 4, 2024 | Career, Pointe+, Profiles
For 19-year-old Abigail Brent, getting promoted into The Washington Ballet’s Studio Company was, she says, “a dream come true.” After spending a year in TWB’s trainee program, the Charlottesville, Virginia, native started with the Studio Company—which performs in...
by Linnea Swarting | Jan 5, 2024 | Career, Pointe+, Profiles
Choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa is always on the move. She most recently created a new ballet about Maria Callas at the Teatro Municipal de Santiago in Chile. And earlier in 2023 she choreographed new works for Houston Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Whim W’Him, Pacific...