“He’d set off on the cross-country journey soon after getting the call from Julie Kent, the Washington Ballet’s newly arrived artistic director, who offered him his first big commission as a choreographer.”
Category: dance
Les Ballets Trockadero – There’s Some Serious Technique Supporting All That Camp Brio
“Today, every one of the company’s 16 dancers is a proficient technician who can dance on point, a demanding (and painful) aspect of ballet training that men can usually happily ignore, since conventionally it is only women who dance impractically on the tips of their toes.”
Someone Stole A Rhode Island Ballet Company’s Nutcracker Costumes. Dance Companies Across The US Pitched In To Help
“According to AP, ensembles in Ohio, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Illinois, Missouri, Alabama, New York, and New Hampshire sent costumes and props to Providence, charging only minimal fees for shipping, warehouse restocking, and costume cleaning.”
Misty Copeland Goes To Cuba
“The thing Copeland is most vocal about is the lack of diversity in ballet. But being in Cuba was a moment to not stand out. Copeland was surrounded in brown diversity.”
A Dancer’s Journey From The Syrian Civil War To The Dutch National Ballet
He took dance lessons in secret, was beaten by his father when he was discovered, and persisted – dancing among ruins in Damascus, practicing on the roof of his building while gun battles erupted nearby, letting a Dutch team film him. Now Ahmad Joudeh is about to make his debut in Coppelia with the Dutch National Ballet.
Going Backstage With A Volunteer Team At A Big ‘Nutcracker’
A reporter gets a peek into the world of ballet production. “Before the first performance, the party guests lined up in the wings to make our walk across the stage. A couple of young girls in mouse costumes asked me how I felt, if I was nervous. ‘Not really,’ I said. ‘The show isn’t really about me. It’s about you guys.’ They beamed.”
How The Heck Did They Film That L.A. Freeway Dance Scene In ‘La La Land’?
They shut down the exit ramp connecting the 105 and the 110 for two days to film the scene: “Six months of planning, 30 dancers, 100 extras, and at least 60 cars later, the opening number from La La Land, ‘Another Day of Sun,’ is a triumphant masterpiece that has critics swooning and audiences immediately adding it to the canon of great production numbers from movie musicals.”
This Ballet Dancer Was Assaulted By An Instructor – And Now She Makes Ballets About Assault
Lissa Curtis’ instructor assaulted her on a plane and in Romania – but the FBI can only prosecute the plane portion. Now, she “advocates on behalf of survivors through her ballet, even as that very art triggers her severe PTSD and pushes her to her mental and emotional limits. ‘I feel as though I live with a ticking time bomb inside my chest,’ Curtis says.”
Have A Look At Oskar Schlemmer’s ‘Triadic Ballet’, The Original Bauhaus Dance
Last month we told you about an updated version of this work with choreography by Karole Armitage. Here’s video of a 1970s attempt at reconstructing the original.
‘I Hate The Written Word,’ Says Choreographer Who Gives His Audiences Reading Lists
Marina Harss talks with Reggie Wilson, “who has been described as a kind of cultural anthropologist working in dance. [His] creations develop out of personal obsessions that lead to years of reading and research trips before he even sets foot in the studio.”