Category: dance

“Coming back, seeing my family again it was an indescribable feeling. It’s been such a long time. I started … I broke into tears ’cause it was so much emotion.”

“Just like American sports fans today who may fall in love with soccer, and cheer for a club based 5,000 miles away while ignoring the one in their own backyard, American ballet fans tomorrow are primed to subscribe to a ballet company that they will rarely, if ever, have the opportunity to see live, but can still enjoy through one of many different distribution channels.”

“Other reality-type ballet shows have strained to squeeze some drama out of the workaholic grind of a dancer’s life (I’m thinking of the short-lived “Breaking Pointe,” the Ballet West soap opera). But “citi.ballet.” doesn’t make its dancers look like needy geeks, freaks or goofballs; rather, they’re hard-working, self-possessed people with interesting stories to tell.”

“When we think about Russian ballet, our minds inevitably drift to two companies, the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky. They represent a kind of yin and yang of Russian aesthetics. … [But] the Mikhailovsky Ballet of St. Petersburg, has lately seen its fortunes rise, propelled by the ambitions of Vladimir Kekhman, a Donald Trump-like tycoon who built his fortune on fruit imports.”

“We have created a record number of new ballets, grown Birmingham Royal Ballet’s access to UK and overseas audiences and deepened the company’s relationship with the communities of Birmingham and other cities it visits. Significantly, we have ridden the economic storm.”

“Guillem will bow out with a world tour called Life in Progress beginning in Modena, Italy, on 31 March … and ending in Tokyo in December. It will include two new works by Akram Khan and Russell Maliphant as well as a solo piece written for her by Mats Ek, called Bye.”

Margaret Lyons: “I generally prefer longer-form, more in-depth pieces. But city.ballet captured me completely, and the series’ second season, which premiered yesterday, is much of the same: a fascinating, moving, sometimes transcendent behind-the-scenes look at the New York City Ballet. I just wish there were more of it. The longest episodes of the new 12-episode season are still only clocking in around eight minutes.”

“Ms. Monte made her professional debut dancing with Agnes DeMille in the 1957 revival of “Carousel” and has been a principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, among others. Her company has more than 40 repertory works and is known for its physical vigor and a style that defies categorization.”

“If I could go back in time and give my younger self some advice, it would be to be a little softer and kinder. I was so ambitious for many of the students I worked with and so determined for them to succeed, that I demanded everyone worked and pushed themselves.”

“Dance could help nursing staff create a better environment for patients. ‘Someone said to me once, 60% of our communication is non-verbal, so being aware of your physical presence, how you move and carry yourself and the energy you give out can set the tone in a ward.'”