Category: dance

Only a handful of dancers are made City Ballet apprentices each year, but for them it is an almost certain prelude to becoming part of the company. “City Ballet does not hold auditions; other than a few dancers like Nikolaj Hübbe, who joined as a principal after attaining that rank at the Royal Danish Ballet, company members enter through the school, which was created to cultivate dancers of the quality George Balanchine needed.”

It’s been more than 15 years since Alvin Ailey died, and yet the company that bears his name is more vibrant than ever, says John Rockwell. “As this 2006 season opens, the company is showing signs of moving up to a new level. Its performances are enjoyed by teeming audiences nationally and internationally, with a steady, not to say backbreaking, touring schedule. Its dancers are better than ever, with the marvelous athleticism, vivid personalities and sleek sensuality the company has long fostered, now infused with the presence of starry newcomers.”

“The principal of a south Orange County high school has lifted a nearly three-month-long dancing ban he instituted after seeing teenagers’ sexually suggestive moves at school dances that were ‘one step from events that should be occurring on wedding nights.’ … The new guidelines forbid students from straddling each other’s legs, bending over, dancing front-to-back, grinding, touching breasts, buttocks or genitals, or ‘making out,’ and require students to keep both feet on the floor. The guidelines also limit dancers’ hands to their partner’s waist or shoulders.”

Why has ballet completely vanished from the radar screen of most Americans? There are plenty of reasons, but one of the primary ones may be that classic dance hasn’t been seen on American television in decades, with the exception of the odd Nutcracker showing. “Things were different in the ’60s and ’70s, when Edward Villella would fly through the air on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ one week and swap one-liners with Tony Randall on ‘The Odd Couple’ the next… Back then, dance was the most glamorous of the lively arts. Now it’s the one most in danger of slipping through the cultural cracks.”

“Lola Botka, renowned dancer and co-founder of The National Ballet of Chile, died Monday at age 96, weakened by a serious battle with pneumonia. Botka and her husband, Ernst Uthoff, were important figures in the modern dance movement in Chile.”

“It’s a fact of life: Dancers must make the choice between the artistic challenge offered by a concert dance company (a loose term that implies an artistic entity that presents stage performances of modern, ballet or other styles, for which dancers and choreography are the focus) and the steady work, paycheck and benefits that come with a big Broadway touring production, a pop concert tour, an industrial show or even a cruise ship.”

This has been the year of the dance in Chicago, and audiences have been turning out in droves. “Fall could well have resulted in box-office disaster. Within a period of only five weeks between late September and early November, the Joffrey’s ‘Cinderella,’ the [New York City Ballet] engagement and the Kirov vied to sell tickets, and not cheap tickets, some going for as much as $110 apiece. All three engagements fared phenomenally.”

Ohad Naharin is the 54-year-old head of Israel’s acclaimed Batsheva Dance Company. “The veteran artistic director of Israel’s premier dance company has been hailed for pioneering some of the most innovative work – and intriguing movement language – in contemporary dance during the past 20 years. He has battled all manner of inclement weather since taking over the helm of Batsheva in Tel Aviv in 1990.”

“The excitement for critics and audiences alike in so many performances these days, from downtown to Brooklyn and beyond, is to ignore the old categories, or at least not fret if their expectations are thwarted. Artists are eager to mix things up, and audiences better be ready to go along for the ride.”

“The emphasis in the Australian Dance Awards on contemporary dance is not surprising as the 14-person national selection panel is dominated by contemporary dance practitioners. The panel chooses the winners from nominees shortlisted by 200 members of the dance community and the public.”