Category: dance

“Michael Flatley’s starring role in Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games will mark more than one milestone for the 57-year-old who founded two major Irish dance franchises. It will be his Broadway debut – and his farewell.”

“The problem with Misty’s fame, however, is precisely it’s relationship to her ethnicity; she should be known as an incredible dancer who is a principal at American Ballet Theatre, not as an incredible dancer who is the first African American to be named a principal at American Ballet Theatre. To see her as an African American first is, in fact, benevolent prejudice — to congratulate someone for doing something that most people of her race have not done. But to do so only reminds us that it is not the norm.”

“Emmaly Wiederholt, a 29-year-old dancer and journalist, rejects the notion that dancers have an expiration date and that the acme of their careers only occurs when their technique is at its finest. She has collaborated with photographer Gregory Bartning to capture the voices of 50 professional dancers ages 50 to 95 along the West Coast who have transcended the physical limitations of their bodies and continue to contribute their artistry to the dance world in meaningful and fulfilling ways.”

“Boston’s was one of eight ballet companies started in cities across the U.S. — including Philadelphia, Houston and Washington D.C. — that were launched with a $7.7 million Ford Foundation grant in 1963. Created and nurtured by strong female artistic directors, these companies grew in size and stature, and all are thriving today. But the women leaders are gone; all of these troupes are headed by men.”

“Should the new Cleveland Ballet now taking shape succeed and endure, it will mark not only the third official use of that name, but also the beginning of a potentially glorious age: the return of professional ballet to Northeast Ohio after a gap of nearly 15 years.”

“Pretty Big Movement, seven big women who seamlessly blend African dance with hip hop, plan to stage a protest dance for Black Lives Matter this month. They’ll perform in front of a police precinct down the street from where they rehearse at the Harlem YMCA.”

“As part of a pilot program aimed at curbing illicit performances on the rails, the de Blasio administration is urging dancers to take their act above ground, setting aside outdoor space for performances that can allow dancers to earn tips legally.”

“What makes a company? It is, like a good performance, greater than the sum of its parts. It brings together a wealth of experiences and commitments that create a single foundation. Tacitly expressed in the dancing is a guarantee to the audience that whatever goes down, there’s no need for panic because onstage we have your back.”

“The idea of having a third stage that’s a digital platform was really to invite [non-dance] artists to come to the opera and get a sense that they can really create something here: work with the dancers, the music, the architecture, something. … It’ll be totally original content; so far we’ve had many people, from visual artists to directors. I want them to feel they have carte blanche.”

“[They] must contend with their own newly emerging public identities almost as readily as they practice their turnout. Last year, Valeriia Chaykina, a dancer from Russia, was cast in an ongoing series from Teen Vogue. In 2011, Colombian-born Joan Sebastián Zamora starred in the documentary First Position, which followed six young ballet dancers preparing for New York City’s Youth American Grand Prix, one of the world’s largest ballet competitions.”