The changes are the result of a yearslong effort by performers and activists to draw attention to Asian stereotypes in “Nutcracker.” - The New York Times
Natalia Osipova of London's Royal Ballet is selling specially-filmed of three duets with fiancé Jason Kittelberger, who says they hope to fund a new dance company with the proceeds of the sales. - The Guardian
At the Washington Ballet, for instance, "Dancers younger than 12 will be wearing custom-designed masks to match their party frocks, clown costumes and mouse fur. These kids will also need a negative coronavirus test 72 hours before any performance." - Washington Post
Latin America’s ballroom scene is relatively new. It started in 2013 when a group of dancers began hosting vogue battles in Brazil, and has since spread to Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Argentina and Colombia. - The New York Times
Janet Rollé, general manager of Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé’s media and management company, will in January assume the role of chief executive and executive director of Ballet Theater, one of the nation’s most prestigious ballet companies. - The New York Times
In the 19th century, prompted by the disapproval of Protestant missionaries who wanted Hindu temple dancing banned, some Tamil reformers campaigned for the performers, called devadāsīs, to become like nuns, as they supposedly were in a purer golden age. Starting in 1911, some devadāsīs argued back. - JSTOR Daily
Drawing on its sports-mad nation's expertise in sports medicine, the Australian Ballet has developed physical therapy techniques to help dancers heal without surgery. In more than 15 years, not one of the company's dancers has had to end a career due to injury. - The Age (Melbourne)
Not forever, but the 2022 season is tutu-less thanks, new AD David Hallberg says, to the realities of pandemic programming - and "Kunstkamer, a large-scale contemporary work for 40 or more dancers (no tutus, no pointe shoes)." - The Guardian (UK)
Encouraging dancers to pay attention to their mental health is one thing, but actually providing access to services sends an entirely different message. - Pointe
A dozen graduates wrote letters describing abusive and sometimes racist language as well as body-shaming and authoritarian attitudes. The school's current director says progress has been and will continue to be made. (He even threw out the scales.) - The Salt Lake Tribune
Sabina Galasso was a member of La Scala Ballet's corps when, in 1991, the visiting Rudolf Nureyev picked her out for a lead in his Swan Lake. From then on, says Galasso, company leadership deliberately stifled her career. Only now has a final verdict come down. - Gramilano (Milan)
The haka is a traditional (and rather intimidating) pre-battle dance that's been made famous by New Zealand's national rugby team. Demonstrators who oppose vaccine mandates have been doing the "Ka Mate" haka, and that dance's owners, the Ngati Toa Māori, have told them to knock it off. - NPR
"Wouldn't it be great if science could confirm … that dancing is one of the best things we can do for our heath, joyful well-being and even our brain power? That's what brain scientists Julia F. Christensen and Dong-Seon Chang set out to prove." - MSN (The Washington Post)
Users who look at videos and pictures of bodies deemed attractive by broader society will be shown more of those images, potentially feeling worse about their own looks by comparison. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
