by Amy Brandt | Jul 17, 2024 | Pointe+, Technique, Training
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School faculty member Christopher Budzynski remembers the first time he saw dancers perform finger turns in Nutcracker as a child. “They did a lot, and it blew my mind that this was possible, and that they were doing it so easily.” Budzynski...
by Katie Slattery | Nov 22, 2023 | Everything "Nutcracker", Pointe+, Training
As a 16-year-old student, Patrick Frenette was excited to dance his first pas de deux onstage in The Nutcracker. He had been preparing for the role of Sugarplum’s Cavalier for nearly a year. “I remember spending six days a week training in my garage, doing as many...
by Ethan Gold | Jun 1, 2023 | Career, Company Life, Features, Pointe+
At the forefront of almost every narrative classical ballet, there’s a man and a woman. The ballerina dazzles us with her delicate pointework, while the male ballet dancer, in contrast, astounds us with his agility and strength. They are brought together with a...
by Linnea Swarting | Jan 12, 2022 | Company Life
Two dancers coming together in a pas de deux represents the humanity of our artform and our natural desire for connection. But while building a strong partnership is rewarding, it’s not always easy. Differing working and communication styles, physical and emotional...
by Julia Guiheen | Jun 23, 2021 | TBT
It seems hard to believe, but the last time that Alessandra Ferri and Carlos Acosta performed together was more than 20 years ago. At the Havana International Ballet Festival in 2000, Ferri, who was then a principal with American Ballet Theatre, and Acosta, a Royal...
by Julia Guiheen | Oct 7, 2020 | TBT
Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon shows the extremes of opulence and poverty, love and greed, bliss and sorrow. While the ballet ends in tragedy, the bedroom pas de deux at the end of Act I is one of its most joyful, brimming with promise and passion. In this clip...
by Julia Guiheen | Sep 9, 2020 | TBT
Creating an authentic, youthful character onstage often requires an enormous amount of artistic maturity. Such is the case with former American Ballet Theatre principals Alessandra Ferri and Angel Corella. In this 2000 performance of Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s...
by Julia Guiheen | Jun 24, 2020 | Viral Videos
Yuan Yuan Tan and José Martínez both left their respective homes in China and Spain as teens to join top ballet companies. Tan was quickly made a principal at San Francisco Ballet and Martínez rose to étoile at the Paris Opéra Ballet, both becoming sought-after...