The company, always oriented more toward the abstract works of Balanchine and his artistic successors than toward story ballets, has performed only an abridged one-act version of the Tchaikovsky classic before now. And this version, by Alexei Ratmansky, is based on notation of the 1895 Petipa/Ivanov original. - The New York Times
That's the challenge choreographer Cathy Marston took on for San Francisco Ballet, where her new work, Mrs. Robinson, is now premiering. In a Q&A, she talks about why and how she did it. - Pointe Magazine
The pandemic smothered everything, wiping Battle’s calendar clean, and crazy as it sounds, it helped him. The shutdown provided space, and the racial reckoning, a spark. Battle dusted off some of his older works. And for the first time in years, he created a new one. - Washington Post
Bonelli succeeds David Nixon, who ran the company — based in Leeds but touring more than any other ballet troupe in the UK — for 21 years. - SeeingDance
Much more than a kerfuffle - it's about skill, rehearsal, and money. The half-time dancers "frame the action. And in a space as vast as a football stadium, that’s paramount. They bring structure to the stage; like a corps de ballet, they complete the picture." - The New York Times
The position of resident choreographer, while it does not exist at every company and varies between organizations, represents job stability, resources, and artistic opportunity for choreographers, who otherwise tend to operate as freelancers or gig-workers. - Dance Data Project
Jamar Roberts, who only stopped dancing for the Ailey company last month and who remains its resident choreographer, says that the new work is very different than he thought it would be in the spring of 2020, when it was supposed to have premiered. - The New York Times
“We’ve been told forever that what you receive from your teachers, you are then passing on to your students. And I think in that way we are losing the accumulation of new research and information. As the information changes, sometimes we stay attached to our old language.” - Pointe
"We came up with the structural pattern that starts the ballet!" said the choreographer, who had been moving around building blocks with his toddler while listening to Caroline Shaw's Partita for 8 Voices — which is now the work's score, with sets by Eva LeWitt (Sol's daughter). - The New York Times
Students are taught mindfulness, yoga, talking therapy - and coping techniques, such as breathwork. "The aim is to counterbalance everything else they do, not only in their training but in their lives; to let go of pressure, judgement, expectations." - BBC
The ritual of sema (as it's called) is meant to be a sacred meditative practice, and its practitioners are devout Sufis uncomfortable with commercialization. On the other hand, the Turkish city where they live needs the tourist money. - PRI's The World
Says dancer/choreographer JaQuel Knight, who founded Knight Choreography and Music Publishing Inc. to address the issue, "Over the past year and a half, so many of the biggest records were directly tied to TikTok dances. Those songs made millions. And the creators of the dances received zero." - Dance Magazine
Of course: "Field cast participants — aspiring dancers, actors, singers and musicians recruited from local drill teams as well as theatrical, community and athletic groups — are expected to be grateful for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." But wait; it's 2022. - Los Angeles Times
Dance Data Project founder Elizabeth Yntema: "The lack of artistic and leadership opportunities for women in ballet has been talked about for years. But since nobody was putting numbers to it, it was all anecdotal. … Without data, it's almost impossible to measure progress." - The New York Times
