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 Amy Brandt | Apr 17, 2016 | Ask Amy, Technique
This story originally appeared in the April/May 2016 issue of Pointe. Do you have tips for prepping a pirouette with a straight back leg? I’m dancing a Balanchine ballet and I’m having trouble changing my technique. —Liza I was in a similar situation when...
by Katie Rolnick | Apr 2, 2015 | Technique, Training
Updated 10/17/22. This story originally appeared in the April/May 2015 issue of Pointe. Growing up, Houston Ballet first soloist Allison Miller often heard teachers compare the feeling you have during pirouettes to a corkscrew. But then her teacher, Diane Partington...
by Pointe Team | Nov 28, 2001 | Company Life
Daily class may feel like the proverbial grind—like eating your vegetables before you get to the good stuff. But professionals know better: Without class, there is no good stuff. Below, six top dancers describe how they make daily class work for them. Patricia...
by Pointe Team | Nov 28, 2001 | Company Life
The dynamic spring to arabesque on pointe, or grande sissonne ouverte sur la pointe, is a useful step to practice because it will help you build strength, coordination and daring. Here, former New York City Ballet soloist and current School of American Ballet faculty...
by Pointe Team | Nov 28, 2001 | Company Life
A woman’s arms flap furiously, like Odette on steroids, caught in a piercing shaft of light. Drained of emotion or poignancy, her pointe shoes probe the floor with primal force. While familiar melodies from Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty morph and merge in...
by Pointe Team | Nov 28, 2001 | Company Life
Swans, pluck those feathers! Wilis, stow those veils! Dancers everywhere, update those personal websites! Embrace every challenge the dance world throws your way and look for a few more—your future may depend on it. Such is the consensus of the distinguished...
by Nancy Wozny | Nov 28, 2001 | Company Life
When San Francisco Ballet soloist Elizabeth Miner found herself huffing and puffing through David Bintley’s The Dance House, she knew it was time to increase her cross-training. “The piece was nonstop,” says Miner. “Just running it was not enough. I needed to build my...