by Natalia Boesch | Dec 13, 2018 | Technique, Training
“In Cuba, everybody turns,” says Caridad Martinez, a ballet faculty member at The Ailey School and a former principal with the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Here, she walks us through the exercises and techniques that comprise “the Cuban secret” of...
by Marissa DeSantis | Jun 14, 2018 | Profiles, Trending
In the middle of American Ballet Theatre’s spring season, principal dancer Christine Shevchenko takes a break from her comedic role of Pierrette in Harlequinade to (briefly) transform into a swan. During the half hour rehearsal, Shevchenko seamlessly transitions...
by Marissa DeSantis | Feb 15, 2018 | Profiles, Trending, Viral Videos
Every ballerina grows up aspiring to nail the fouetté turns in the coda of Swan Lake’s Black Swan Pas de Deux. From classic primas like Natalia Makarova to current pros like Gillian Murphy, the 32-fouetté sequence has become so iconic that even our...
by Gianluca Russo For Dance Spirit | Jan 30, 2018 | Training, Your Training
Ah, fouetté turns: They can make even a veteran ballerina shake in her pointe shoes. Performing a seamless series of perfectly placed fouettés requires both strength and finesse. Struggling to get to 32? Dance instructor Stephanie Kaiser Green from Eleanor’s...
by Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone | May 9, 2016 | Views
A beautiful pirouette is one of ballet’s most elusive elements. Sometimes you float through multiple rotations and sometimes you can hardly balance on one leg. Here are some of our best tips for nailing your turns, every time. Go back to basics. Make sure...
by Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone | Mar 21, 2016 | Company Life
Fouettés are mysterious. When they’re on, they create a practically transcendental relationship between gravity and alignment, making everything feel effortless. But when they’re off, they’re way off. It can feel like you don’t know how to...