Naoko Kihara, the daughter of Japanese-Brazilian immigrants to Mexico, has been practicing hanayagi dance in the Mexican capital for nearly a quarter of a century and is passing the art along to students in the Japanese diaspora community there. - AP
There are two main types of visas for this purpose, but obtaining either is a complicated, time-consuming, expensive process. Here's a look at how two troupes in San Diego handle it with company members from Brazil, Japan, and Mexico. - MSN (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Martha understood that movement was melody. Her insistence that she was creating art rather than a diversion often bewildered audiences, who wanted to be entertained and couldn’t make the imaginative leap into her landscapes. - The American Scholar
"In an essay that has been unearthed some 65 years after his death, Laban wrote of his 'dream' to stage dance in a 'kilometre house' – a gigantic dome in the middle of the countryside, 'a sort of oasis of movement for spectators and cast members alike' because existing theatres did not do justice to dance." - The Observer...
The half-dozen troupes for whom Amy Hall Garner has been making dances in the past year or so include Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor, and New York and Miami City Ballets. Yet she herself went from Juilliard straight to Broadway and even performed for a time as a Rockette. - The New York Times
Director and choreographer Adam Shankman has been named chief creative officer of DanceOne, a new brand from TZP Group. DanceOne will serve as the world’s largest dance holding company, featuring the nation’s leading dance education and competitions. - Variety
After all eight of the company's dancers went on strike over what they called unsafe working conditions under artistic director Caroline Sheridan, two returned, five were fired and one was placed on leave. Now Sheridan has been suspended following complaints that she reduced a teenaged dancer to tears. - WSYR (Syracuse)
For the dancer playing Cinders, letting the woman playing Princess Louise "take the lead has meant fighting his ballet instincts daily. 'I don’t really know how to hold myself anymore, where to put my hand with her,' he said with a laugh." - The New York Times
"On the cusp of celebrating their company’s milestone anniversary, Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, who co-founded the New York-based (company) in 1994, still have plenty to say, both onstage and off. " - Fjord Review
Gia Kourlas: "He updated Ailey’s repertory without hogging the choreographic spotlight for himself. And his taste in choreography was mercifully broad. After years of great dancers’ doing their best to elevate weak dances, this was refreshing." - The New York Times
"The three-year contract, … (coming) after months of wrangling, … includes an increase in compensation of about 22 percent over three years, a central demand of the musicians, who had argued that they were underpaid because of salary cuts made during the pandemic." - The New York Times
"In 1990, then-director Sam Miller named (Norton Owen) director of preservation, where he now oversees the scholar-in-residence program, PillowTalks, pre- and post-show talks, and exhibitions. Carrying on Pillow founder Ted Shawn’s drive to document, Owen has prioritized video and continually upgraded the quality of the organization’s performance recordings." - Dance Magazine
One candy cane (aka a "Hoops"): "Not all ballet companies involve children in their productions, and New York City Ballet kind of prioritizes children. I think that’s cool. It makes you feel special, like sometimes it’s a confidence boost." - The New York Times
