Precious Adams, an 18-year-old dancer from metro Detroit scheduled to graduate from the Academy this spring, says that she has been ordered out of auditions, advised to experiment with bleaching her skin, and told to “try and rub the black off.”
Category: dance
TV Advertisers Discover The Power Of Dance
“Not only have adverters cottoned on to the fact that the art form is having a global moment, but they’re discovering that dance has its own expertise at combining the subliminal emotional message with the instantly striking image. However queasy you may feel about the trend, the industry is at least showing good taste in the talent they sign.”
The Guardian Launches Dedicated Dance Blog
Judith Mackrell: “For the last few months, I’ve been posting online-only stories, open threads and videos alongside my reviews, booking tips and feature writing, but for the first time these will be gathered together in one place. We’re also hoping to make the blog a forum where readers and writers can discuss a range of issues around the artform, both above the line and below it.”
How Matthew Bourne Learned To Stop Worrying And Stage Sleeping Beauty
“[It] was a project Bourne had avoided for years, despite the success he had found with Tchaikovsky’s other two ballets, The Nutcracker and – especially – Swan Lake … His reluctance to complete the trilogy stemmed from what he saw as Sleeping Beauty‘s tepid love story.”
Why It’s Easier To Be Innovative In Ballet Than In Opera
“Every classic work evolves through performance, but while opera imposes some fairly firm constants, the substance of a classic ballet is often just one grand jeté away from the drawing board.”
The Bolshoi’s Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Month (And Year)
All of the (bad) news about the Bolshoi collated in one post. Yikes.
In Ballet – Unlike Opera – Shaking Up The Classics Is Practically Required, But Why?
“Ballet music should serve the drama – i.e. the ever-renewable choreography – whereas in opera, the music is the drama’s main substance and inviolable.”
U.S. Ballerina Spells Out Allegations Of Bribery At Bolshoi
Joy Womack, the first American to graduate from the Bolshoi’s ballet academy and join the company, “described a deeply troubled organization in which casting decisions were based not only on talent but also on payoffs and personal relationships.”
Louisville Ballet Artistic Director To Retire In July
“The Louisville Ballet has announced that artistic director Bruce Simpson, 64, will retire at the end of this season. Yesterday, Simpson informed the dancers, board of directors and staff that he will complete his tenure in July, when his current contract expires.”
Bolshoi Acid Attack Trial: Accused Demanded Roles From Filin, Says Witness
Bolshoi Ballet director Sergei Filin’s assistant testified that the accused mastermind of the attack, dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko, demanded principal roles for himself and for his girlfriend and argued with Filin over docking the pay of dancers who skip morning class.