by Julia Guiheen | Apr 1, 2020 | Viral Videos
This February, New York City Ballet presented Peter Martin’s two-act version of Swan Lake. In her New York Times review, Gia Kourlas reminisced about some of NYCB’s past Odette/Odiles, pointing to a masterful, and high stakes, 1999 “Live From Lincoln...
by Julia Guiheen | Jan 22, 2020 | TBT
At the end of Swan Lake’s Act I, Prince Siegfried finds himself alone after guests have departed from his birthday celebration, processing the news that he’ll soon need to choose a wife. The soul-searching prince dances an introspective, almost mournful...
by Julia Guiheen | Sep 4, 2019 | Profiles, Viral Videos
Natalia Makarova’s version of Swan Lake, staged in the 1980s for London Festival Ballet (now the English National Ballet), incorporates a pas de quatre choreographed by Sir Fredrick Ashton into the ballet’s opening act. Leanne Benjamin, then just 24 and a...
by Julia Guiheen | Jul 24, 2019 | Profiles, Viral Videos
A little over a month ago Roberto Bolle gave his final bow with American Ballet Theatre, though thankfully he’s not saying goodbye to ballet altogether. After 10 years dancing as a principal with ABT while guesting around the world and at his home company La...
by Tyler Donatelli As Told To Gavin Larsen | May 15, 2019 | Profiles, Technique, Viral Videos
Like so many little girls, I grew up watching the “four little swans” dance. It always pops up on your YouTube feed if you’re a dancer, so I saw lots of different versions. I figured I fit the type—I’m short and like to do petit allégro—so to...
by Julia Guiheen | Feb 20, 2019 | Profiles, TBT
This week’s TBT is a three-for-one throwback special: A power trio of versatile American Ballet Theatre performers, Xiomara Reyes and siblings Erica and Herman Cornejo, dance the Act I pas de trois from Swan Lake in this 2005 video. Reyes, who now heads The...
by Julia Guiheen | Feb 13, 2019 | Profiles, TBT
The individual touches that ballerinas incorporate into well-known classical variations are a source of endless fascination for us bunheads. (The abundant “variation compilation” videos on YouTube is proof of our obsession!) Odette’s solo in Swan...
by Rachel Hellwig | Feb 5, 2019 | Profiles, Viral Videos
Need an excuse for a YouTube ballet break? Probably not, but just in case, here are videos to celebrate some of this month’s off-the-beaten-path holidays. Lame Duck Day (February 6) Did you know that February 6 is Lame Duck Day? “Lame duck” can only...