The hierarchical corps-soloist-principal system has been entrenched for the art form’s entire history, and almost all dancers are expected to know their place and count themselves lucky to have a career at all. But with a strike looming in San Francisco and dancers elsewhere speaking out, should ballet take a cue from modern dance in how to treat its performers?
Category: dance
Tamara Rojo Is Getting Attention For English National Ballet
By hiring Alina Cojocaru away form the Royal Ballet and commissioning new dances from the likes of Akram Khan and Russell Maliphant, ENB’s new director (herself a Royal Ballet star) is getting the London-based journalists from the national press to turn out in such unglamorous spots as Milton Keynes for this touring company’s programs.
Edward Villella: “I’ve Been Iced!”
The former Balanchine star and Miami City Ballet founder, back in New York after an unhappy departure from Florida, found himself choreographing, of all things, an ice dancing show. And he loved it.
Researchers Study Impact Of Dance On Parkinson’s Disease
“Anecdotally, at least, dance has been found to temporarily alleviate some symptoms of Parkinson’s, or PD, a progressively debilitating neurological disorder that can cause tremors, rigid muscles, balance problems and slowed or frozen movements.”
Bolshoi Acid Attack Trial Opens – And Promptly Adjourns
“The long-awaited court case on the ugliest and most chilling incident in the Bolshoi Theater’s history, … the acid attack on Bolshoi ballet artistic director Sergei Filin, was adjourned for a week because of the absence of one of the lawyers.”
Is Ashley Page Still Bitter About His Departure From Scottish Ballet?
Not anymore. “He admits to being ‘disappointed’ about his experience in Scotland, but seems to be excited by the possibilities of being a freelance operator – his first period of professional freedom since joining the Royal Ballet in 1976 as a young dancer.”
How Dancing In The Movies Helped Define “Cool”
“The swivel of Elvis’ hips, Audrey’s zany bohemian dance in a Parisian café, Travolta’s uber-confident stroll through ”70s Brooklyn … Music and dance in the movies – whether it’s the frustrated angst of teens, the aloof gait of hip aristocrats, or the sexy saunter of a private detective – have helped to communicate to generations various understandings of what it means to be hip.”
Trial For Bolshoi Ballet Acid Attack Begins
“Dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko, who made his name on stage at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre, goes on trial on Tuesday for an acid attack that nearly blinded the ballet’s artistic director.” The 29-year-old “is accused of organizing the assault on Sergei Filin early this year.”
L.A. Welcomes Its Newest Ballet Company
“Melissa Barak, a Los Angeles native who made a name for herself with New York City Ballet first as a ballerina, then beginning in 2002 as a choreographer,” has spent two years preparing this weekend’s debut of her 17-member Barak Ballet.
Kickstarter’s Most Successful Category?
Dance: “Across all of Kickstarter, 43 percent of projects get funded, but it’s the small but dedicated collection of dance projects that boasts a funding rate of 71 percent.”