DANCE

Europe’s Largest Center For Dance Is Now Under Construction In The Netherlands

“Located on a prominent site in Rotterdam’s historic docklands, … Danshuis will be the largest centre in Europe dedicated to the production and development of dance under one roof. Open to all ages and levels of experience, it will provide facilities for both professional and amateur dance-making.” - Gramilano

Fans Are Angry That This Season’s “Dancing With The Stars” Features Stars Who Can Already Dance

“Why do you keep adding professionally trained dancers to the cast?” tweeted one fan in response to the news that the next crop of celebrity competitors — Jenna Dewan, Julia Stiles, and Harry Shum Jr. — have all at some point danced for their livelihood. - The Independent (UK)

Barcelona: Hotbed Of Tap Dance

Guillem Alonso and his colleagues trained a new generation of tap dancers, and that generation, in turn, developed its own styles, pedagogies, and companies. They’re still developing them, as are their students. The result is a hotbed of creativity. - San Francisco Classical Voice

Jacob’s Pillow Finally Has A Full Season Again

In the wake of a beloved production manager’s death in a tragic accident last year, questions remain about how staff and interns manage the intense dance festival workload. - The New York Times

CEO Who Turned Around Joffrey Ballet’s Finances To Step Down

“Since joining the Joffrey in 2013, (Greg) Cameron has brought financial stability to the organization, eliminating a budget deficit and establishing its first-ever endowment, which has grown to approximately $30 million. During his tenure, the operating budget more than doubled from $13 million to about $33 million.” - WBEZ (Chicago)

How D.C.’s Dance Place Fell Apart

This past May, Dance Place executive director André Mazelin abruptly fired artistic director Tariq O’Malley and eliminated his position. In July, at a town hall, former staffers, performers, and choreographers gave accounts of severe staffing, management, and interpersonal difficulties. (Mazelin himself resigned in August.) - Washington City Paper

Somebody Just Gave Boston Ballet $10M

The money was given by “an anonymous, long-time patron” of the organization who found themselves “inspired” by its transformation during Nissinen’s time there, according to the news release. - People

What Do You Get When You Cross Indian Classical Dance With A 1980s Video Game?

You get semi-improvised Bharatanatyam — normally a highly codified form — by three dancers basing their moves on a game of Ms. Pac-Man which they’re playing live onstage. - BBC (MSN)

The Star Who Injected Feminism Into Indian Classical Dance

“By the 1950s, Chandralekha was a legendary figure in (Bharatanatyam). However, she walked away from fame, rejecting the Brahminical and nationalist values that had come to shape it. ... When she returned to the stage in 1984, she brought with her a radically reimagined practice — sensual, iconoclastic and uncompromisingly feminist.” - Elle India

Tiit Helimets Takes The Reins At Sacramento Ballet

The 49-year-old native of Estonia danced with San Francisco Ballet for 18 years, retiring as a principal in 2023. He spent over a decade applying for artistic director positions; now that he has one, he’s excited about almost every aspect of it, even the fundraising. - Pointe Magazine

NY Governor Cancels Law Requiring Licenses To Dance

"Dancing? Banned? In New York?! Not anymore," Hochul said. "Thanks to my administration, you can now cut loose, footloose and kick off your Sunday shoes." - New York Daily News (Yahoo)

“Aura Farming” Has Become Young Latin Americans’ New Favorite Dance Sport

“The contests appear to be designed for virality, with young competitors often demonstrating exaggerated versions of popular TikTok dance moves for the audience. Outrageousness seems to be the point of these battles, which have no apparent criteria, judges, or rules. Instead, contestants compete for crowd reaction and are rewarded with attention.” - CNN (MSN)

Raygun, The World’s Most Infamous Breakdancer, Is Ready To Talk (After Plenty Of Therapy)

Rachael Gunn, the middle-aged Australian breaker who went viral worldwide after coming dead last in the 2024 Olympics: “It’s part of society now, if you end up online, people are going to rubbish you, but maybe we need to reframe it as a badge of honor that you’ve actually done something interesting.” - CNN (MSN)

Choreographer Azsure Barton Reimagines Pandora’s Box As A Parable About AI

“Pandora … was the first woman, an Eve-like figure, created from clay and given by Zeus to Epimetheus, unbeknownst to him, as a punishment for his brother Prometheus giving humans fire. ‘One of the things I was really driven by was the fact that she was an agent of change,’ says Barton.” - The Guardian

An All-Star Dance Company At Over-40

For dancers over 40, retirement is close. A new company, WINNDance, is challenging that assumption, and it’s launching with a roster of names that most companies would kill for. - Gramilano

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss