Category: dance

“Among other changes, she got rid of the intermission, shortened the length to 80 minutes and changed both the beginning and the ending. The musical also has a stunning trick that makes the Sinatra vocals sound live. The onstage band accompanies the singer as if he were giving a concert.”

Jin Yao of the Hong Kong Ballet: “If the ballet world was really as it is in the movie, we’d all be dead by now.”

Maile Okamura, Noah Vinson and Laurel Lynch give an inside view of Renard, Socrates and Festival Dance.

“The Joffrey Ballet has brought a new ballet master on board, as well as eight new dancers from Chicago and around the globe. Nicolas Blanc, who has served as ballet master of the Scottish Ballet since 2009, … will replace Chartel Arthur, who retired after years as both a Joffrey dancer and longtime ballet mistress with the company.”

“Adaptor and director Li Liuyi, choreographer Fei Bo and producer Zhao Ruheng talk to Andrew Dickson about the piece and the company’s tumultuous history, and describe their hopes for the future of dance in China.”

“I started dancing when I was a baby. I had my own space by the time I was three. … That was where I began this work.”

“The BBC has been given access behind the scenes with the Mariinsky Ballet company from St Petersburg, which is celebrating 50 years of performing at London’s Covent Garden.”

“[A] new irritant has emerged that is stirring nationalist sentiment in both countries: ownership of a graceful hand position that is part of traditional dance and shadow plays.” The gesture is called the jeeb: “the thumb touches the index finger and the three other fingers are fanned out.”

“Chicago’s gonna have one of the greatest dance festivals. We’re going to build it to be one of the great festivals of dance in the country.”

“While Gaga is a serious new way of training the body, it is also about connecting to pleasure and, hardest of all perhaps, realizing that there’s nothing wrong with being silly.”