by Claudia Bauer | Jun 18, 2026 | News, Profiles, The Latest
Certain words come up a lot in conversations about Irina Kolpakova: Passion. Wisdom. Treasure. Legend. And rightly so. The epitome of the 20th-century Russian ballerina, Kolpakova was a top student in the last graduating class of Agrippina Vaganova at the Leningrad...
by Kirsten Evans | Jun 30, 2023 | Career, Company Life, Pointe+
As the number of female artistic directors leading ballet companies continues to rise, I’m curious: What skills does an aspiring leader need to realize her dream? Historically, most artistic directors of ballet companies have been men, despite the fact that...
by Pointe Magazine | Dec 27, 2022 | News, The Latest
We asked for your favorite performances this year, and you delivered! 2022 was filled with outstanding onstage moments that left an impression on our readers. While classics like Dracula and Swan Lake were especially popular this year, a variety of performances by...
by Claudia Bauer | Dec 12, 2022 | Career, Company Life, Pointe+
American Ballet Theatre is starting the New Year with a new leader: Susan Jaffe, who last May was named as the successor to Kevin McKenzie after his 30-year tenure as artistic director. Jaffe isn’t new to ABT—she joined the corps at 18 and was a beloved principal...
by Claudia Bauer for Dance Magazine | May 9, 2022 | The Latest
American Ballet Theatre has named celebrated former principal dancer Susan Jaffe its next artistic director, effective December 2022. Jaffe will take the helm from Kevin McKenzie, who plans to retire at the end of the 2022 season, his 30th as...
by Steve Sucato | Apr 13, 2020 | Career, Company Life, Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher, News, The Latest
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre announced today that former American Ballet Theatre principal Susan Jaffe will succeed Terrence Orr as artistic director of the company, effective July 1. Jaffe becomes PBT’s seventh artistic director and only the second female director...
by Kathleen Mcguire For Dance Magazine | Dec 17, 2019 | Career, Wellness
If you ask Luca Sbrizzi what he remembers about performing Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, he can provide you with a laundry list of his mistakes. “Although I remember feeling an incredible connection to my partner and hearing comments afterwards on how moving...
by Marissa DeSantis | Sep 25, 2017 | Profiles, Training, Viral Videos
Learning a variation for the first time is definitely one of the most rewarding parts of ballet. And when American Ballet Theatre principal Isabella Boylston teaches you that variation as part of a master class series hosted by dancewear brand Cloud & Victory, the...