“The company caught the public imagination from the outset, selling out its first two performances in a 3,000 seat venue. ‘There was a hunger for dance and we connected with people by doing our own thing. This wasn’t Swan Lake. Whether we drew on folk tales or history or calligraphy, it was all recognisably part of our audience’s lives.'”
Category: dance
Prince Was A Big Ballet Fan. He Had A Major Impact On The Joffrey
Today, the great success of “Billboards” remains a cautionary tale. A ballet company needs to approach a radical new direction with care, and a view to the future. But what also remains is the generosity and inspiration of a singular musical artist, who saw new possibilities for classical ballet. Prince knew that ballet could tell a lot of stories, and he helped spin them in new directions.
Why Katy Pyle Created A Queer ‘Ballez’ Company
“I just don’t believe in neutral. I want to use this form to show that people are still carrying these subconscious judgments and ideas about how we should behave in relation to each other, how we should look and move, and what’s possible and what’s allowed.”
UK’s Oldest Contemporary Dance Company Launches Choreography Fellowships
“Over the next three years, the Leverhulme Choreography Fellowship will support three professional dancers in making the transition from dancing to full-time choreography. The fellows will each spend a year with Rambert as part of the programme, which will run alongside the company’s existing music fellowship and choreographic development programme.”
Johan Kobborg Returns To Romania’s National Ballet After Government Deal
Following a firestorm at the Bucharest National Opera that culminated in the near-collapse of the ballet season and the intervention of the prime minister, the culture minister has reinstated Kobborg as the ballet’s artistic director and brought back, for a three-month interim period, the general manager whose departure (due to corruption charges) precipitated the entire mess.
(in Romanian; Google Translate version here)
A Decade Of Dances Gone Viral
“Thanks to social media, short videos of these dances – sometimes incidentally – spread quickly and inspire a rash of copycats. At once silly and profound, these dance phenomena demonstrate the speed at which something can unexpectedly go from being an inside joke among friends (often teen-agers in cities) to a universal dog whistle for joy.” (video)
Court Orders La Scala To Rehire Ballerina Fired In Anorexia Controversy
“Mariafrancesca Garritano was sacked unfairly in 2012, the Court of Cassation concluded in a definitive ruling on a case that turned the spotlight on eating disorders in the high-pressure world of professional ballet.”
Dance In D.C. At A Crossroads – Several Of Them, In Fact
“It’s beginning to look like 2016 will be a year of big transitions for the Washington, DC dance community. … How will DC fare within all these changes? Here’s the deal on how the next year looks for the capital’s dance scene.”
The Bolshoi’s New Director Gives His First Western Media Interview
“Vaziev insists it was time for him to return home to the tradition he grew up in as a dancer. He says he brings few lessons back from his time in the West, other than being firmly convinced there is nowhere in the world that ballet is danced better than in Russia.”
How Peoria (Yes, Peoria) Got A Ballet Company
“Creating a ballet company in Peoria in 1965 was difficult. Ballet was not particularly popular then, and even less popular in stodgy Peoria.”