Sokhoeun Sok came to the US in 2005 to teach traditional Khmer dance and is now a naturalized citizen. For now, she “is focusing on what she can control: each bend of the wrist, extension of the arm and kick of the heel” executed by her students. - The New York Times
For such a large city, L.A. has been a difficult environment for classical dance; before this company, no ballet troupe there had lasted for more than nine years. Artistic director Melissa Barak and executive director Julia Rivera talk with a reporter about how Los Angeles Ballet has lasted and where it’s headed. - Pointe Magazine
The Switzerland-based ballet competition, known for launching the careers of many star dancers, takes place next week. Here executive and artistic director Kathryn Bradney explains to a reporter how the 90-odd contestants are selected, how the weeklong event is structured, and how the important part comes the day afterward. - Pointe Magazine
When CBS Sunday Morning visited, its crew found young dance students silently meditating. Two former students say, however, that they were allowed limited contact with family, berated by teachers, physically pushed to the point of injury, and forbidden to seek medical attention. - CBS News
It’s part of an effort by the Royal Winnipeg, Canada’s oldest professional ballet company, to foster meaningful reconciliation with the country’s Indigenous people — echoing a broader national goal that has been pursued for decades. - The New York Times
“We spoke to DJs, dance experts, real estate agents who make dancing home-tour videos, aspiring professional dancers and club owners to get their take. Spoiler: Dancing is far from dead. But has it downsized? Migrated? Is it complicated? Yes, yes and yes.” - The Washington Post (MSN)
There’s a new executive director, a search for an artistic director, and of course, it’s trying to keep a 71-year-old arts institution going. - Sacramento Bee (Yahoo)
“CalMatters and The Markup tested four commercially-available AI video-generation models — OpenAI’s Sora, Google’s Veo, MiniMax’s Hailou, and Kuaishou’s Kling — and so far, dancers don’t have much to worry about.” - CalMatters
Seth Orza, when he was a principal with Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, developed plantar fasciitis and couldn’t find a shoe that would give his feet enough support and shock absorption to keep the pain at bay. So he designed one, using features copied from running sneakers. - The New York Times
Trot out the national anthem, the flag or a John Philip Sousa march, they believe, and it’s like a free exclamation mark to whatever point they’re trying to make: “Ha! See? The stars and stripes are on my side!” - San Francisco Chronicle
The oldest dance company in the US had been scheduled to perform at the DC venue as part of its centennial tour. The brief statement announcing the cancellation mentioned no reason. - The Daily Beast
OK, sure: Heated Rivalry Night “began as a single event that quickly sold out, leading to extra dates … and more than 100 multi-city pop-ups are planned over the next few months in places like Brooklyn, Washington, D.C., Chicago and London.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
That fiasco, during 2024-25, featured the firing of the dancers, loss of municipal funding, and a government-ordered overhaul of governance and employment practices. Now, with a new board, restored funding, and the search for a new executive director, DBDT is trying to rebuild its artistic work and public trust. - D Magazine (Dallas)
Last month, Kinesis Dance, rebranded earlier that year as Frequency Dance, abruptly shut down. Preceding that closure was a long series of financial irregularities, unpaid bills, and other troubles, including a 2023 break-in which involved serious destruction but no theft. - Boulder Reporting Lab
With period dress and steps learned from contemporary manuals (which include notation of the steps), historical dance societies in Britain gather in ballrooms to do The Triple Minor, the Duchess of Devonshire’s Reel, and the dance Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet did in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation, Mr. Beveridge’s Maggot. - The Guardian
