"A career in ballet lasts only as long as a dancer's body does. If they're lucky, dancers can perform into their 30s — or in rare cases, into their 40s. When every season counts, taking time off to get pregnant, give birth, and recover is daunting. … they were already losing valuable career time to COVID-19. Why not...
"More than three years after its 2018 debut, the professional company … announced April 6 that longtime Indianapolis arts leader Don Steffy will take the helm and manage the administrative, funding, facility and human resource functions." - Indianapolis Star
“We dancers bonk up against the insanity of pining after someone else’s pair of legs day after day, but with age and maturity and years of fixating on our bodies – our instruments – we come to grips with what we have and what we can do with it. … I scrutinize my physique in the same way a...
He was a star British choreographer who staged a prodigious number of works and was assured a major international career. But "after allegations of sexual misconduct at the Royal Ballet and Royal Ballet School, the company severed ties with him; an independent investigation found there were 'no matters to pursue' in relation to students." - The Guardian
Let an infectious-disease doctor explain why dancers need to get vaccinated. It's not just for themselves: "A significant part of the patronage of many ballet companies are those over the age of 60 and, therefore, at highest risk of death and complications if infected with COVID. Though a dancer may not get ill from COVID, if they are carrying...
Somehow, despite the continued strain and strife, many dance companies have successfully adapted to the evolving digital stage — reimagining Nutcracker seasons, digitizing never-before-seen archival videos and launching their own streaming services. - Washington Post
"A video of dancers twerking in hotpants at … went viral when it emerged on Wednesday. But the music video-style choreography — featuring thumps, thrusts and butt shakes — also came under attack. Conservative lawmakers led the chorus of those calling it 'inappropriate'. Tabloids splashed headlines slamming military standards. But others found offence elsewhere — projecting shame onto...
Deborah Jowitt: "Inevitable distractions occur when filming (or viewing) dances in this climate. Dog walkers may intrude. A pet cat may decide on a star appearance. Are those two dancers barefoot on gravel? Was getting wet necessary or an artistic choice? Watching performers dancing in their apartments encourages thoughts we should probably suppress. Wow, a really tiny space (wonder...
The University of East London has offered a BA in "Dance: Urban Practice" (as the program is called) since 2007. Carla Trim-Vamben, the program's director, talks about what exactly the program teaches and what kind of students enroll. - Dance Magazine
"PNB opted for an all-digital 2020-21 season, honoring its commissions from Lang, Donald Byrd, Alejandro Cerrudo, Edwaard Liang and Christopher Wheeldon by filming premieres that they hope will be performed live in later seasons. For patrons, the message is 'Stream the new dances now, see them live onstage once public health guidelines allow.'" - Dance Magazine
"How are dancers developing performance energy? How can artistry best be communicated through the camera? What is the best angle to present technique? Dance Theatre of Harlem's Derek Brockington explains that dancing for film is 'about acknowledging that it's not going to be the same experience — it's a different way of dancing.' Below, Brockington and several other dancers...
Work filmed or streamed that is performed with a live audience present cannot replicate the exchange of energy, delight, sorrow, laughter, and tears of being physically present in the theater – yet it does satisfy somewhat my craving for watching dancing. - Oregon Arts Watch
They might sound like yet another fun thing for young people to have done back in the day, but no. They were even deadly, with reports of at least two dancers dying near the dance floor as others simply passed out. "Dance marathons, also called walkathons to avoid legal and moral scrutiny, were essentially the Netflix dating show of...
Real talk: "Kathleen Tiernan, a trainee at Ballet Austin, fears that the pandemic will financially stunt the ballet industry for years to come. 'I don’t know that I would wanna risk going to one of those small companies that could be very close to shutting down,' said Tiernan, who is still in auditions season. 'And I don't know how...
"This last year, with the pandemic and its disruptions in terms of routine, discipline, just ordinary day-to-day activities, the body doesn't know itself at the moment. So I can't tell you what I can ask it to do until I refamiliarize myself. And I'm in the process of doing that. … Whenever I've finished one of these big projects,...
