"The strong tendency in Western dance …, especially since the dawn of the twentieth century, … is to present honorable-sounding statements as rationalizations (often poorly conceived) for how the field functions. Whether intentionally or not, moral-sounding (vs. morally sound) perspectives have come to mask a broad spectrum of questionable behaviors." - Dance Magazine
American Ballet Theatre's dancers and stage managers, members of AGMA, have been working without a contract since September as negotiations drag on. The vote to authorize a work stoppage, which could begin at any time, was over 95% in favor. - American Guild of Musical Artists
About two dozen ballet companies are unionized, but only three contemporary dance companies are: Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, and Ballet Hispánico. There are certainly barriers to unionizing (not least that almost all contemporary dancers in the US are freelancers), but some of those barriers may be falling. - Dance Magazine
There's always been an audience for dance there, but for many years fans were content with visits from touring companies. Now, Los Angeles Ballet (founded in 2006), Benjamin Millepied's L.A. Dance Project, the new Hollywood Ballet and contemporary company Bodytraffic all thriving, homegrown dance has taken root. - The New York Times
The artistic director at the prestigious ballet invited a former production director, who had been fired after a massive investigation into harassment, to a show in Paris, in front of all the dancers. - MSN (AFP)
Given the costs of new flooring, lighting, and sound systems, director Olivier Wevers says, "'investing in a space you don’t own seems perilous.' When the company began looking to buy, a church was an obvious choice. In addition to architectural benefits, 'many churches were on the market after the pandemic.'" - Dance Magazine
Having seen audience members, viewing an admired staging considered as close as possible to the 19th-century original, laugh and applaud at inopportune times, Matthew Paluch considers whether the aesthetic and mentality of the ballet are too far from our own — or whether the problem is more basic. - Gramilano (Milan)
Dance sells everything from Nike to Pepto Bismol, and now we have TikTok. But concert dance as an art form is a hard sell. Yet when new audiences get the opportunity to experience dance, they often fall in love. - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Australia's Dance Research Collaborative and a musculoskeletal physiotherapist and researcher in Queensland are working together to investigate injury reduction in dance, particularly in young pre-professional dancers and students. - ArtsHub (Australia)
She’d like to involve the audience, sharing extracts or work-in-progress and getting feedback, like a TV pilot or test screening in film. “We’re competing with Netflix,” she says. “That’s the level of excellence and slick production values our audiences expect. We’re competing with Broadway, with Disney.” - The Guardian
Órla Baxendale, 25, was "an exquisite ballet, contemporary, and Irish step dancer" who was incredibly cautious, knowing her peanut allergy was severe - but the cookie's labeling made no mention of nuts. - Yahoo News (The Independent UK)
Peck isn't giving up the stage at City Ballet; indeed, she wore pointe shoes as she choreographed her new work. "If they tell me that something I want them to do can’t happen, I can be like, Actually, it can!" - The New York Times
In one of the letters, defendant Giulia Di Stasi urged the opera house's management to fire Eleonora Abbagnato: "Together with her business partner, they have planned to kill off the corps de ballet and create a company of their own." Other letters called Abbagnato "incompetent" and "fake blonde." - Gramilano (Milan)
"Every time I’m asked (that) question, it’s like being asked for the first time. I am constantly changing, and it depends on the day and the moment of the day." - San Francisco Classical Voice
