DANCE

Australian Ballet Gets Its First Black Principal

Davi Ramos grew up in a Rio favela and didn’t start ballet lessons until he was 12. Only two years later, he competed in Youth America Grand Prix and, subsequently, the Prix de Lausanne; he studied in London and apprenticed in Amsterdam before coming to Melbourne, drawn by AD David Hallberg. - Dance Australia

Hong Kong To Get Its First Dedicated Dance Venue

The “Dancehouse” will be part of the WestK Performing Arts Centre, opening next year in the West Kowloon Cultural District. The theater will be the new home of Hong Kong Ballet, which will be able to increase the length of its season. - South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)

Robbie Fairchild’s Debut As A Choreographer Is About Shakespeare’s “Lovely Boy”

The first dance created by the former New York City Ballet principal and Broadway star looks at the young man to whom Shakespeare addressed over 100 sonnets. The piece, Lord Chamberlain’s Men, imagines that he was an actor in the playwright’s company — and an inspiration for Romeo and Juliet. - The New York Times

Thousands Of Young Dancers Are Auditioning For The Nutcracker All Over The Country, Right Now

The kids have Ideas, too, like their dream roles: “I kind of want to be a rat. … I think a rat just is fun because it makes you laugh a lot.” - Boston Globe

Texas Ballet Theater Finds Its New Executive Director In Pittsburgh

Nicholas Dragga, currently executive director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, will take the same job at the Fort Worth-based company as of January 1. He succeeds Vanessa Logan, who stepped down in June 2025 to become managing director of Goodspeed Musicals in Connecticut. - Fort Worth Report

How Marcello Angelini Remade Tulsa Ballet

“During Angelini’s (31-year) tenure as artistic director, Tulsa Ballet has grown from a well-regarded regional troupe — best known for its efforts to preserve the Ballet Russe traditions championed by its founders, Roman Jasinski and Moscelyne Larkin — into a versatile dance company that many critics consider among the best in the United States.” - Tulsa Flyer

New York’s Museum Of Modern Art Has Just Made Itself A Hotbed Of Dance

For four weeks, MoMA is turning its large second-floor atrium over to choreographer Sarah Michelson, who has made a piece titled “nowhere.” “At the forefront of ‘nowhere’”, writes Gia Kourlas, “is a question that only seems simple: What is a dance?” - The New York Times

Making Dance In Kyiv Between Bombing Runs

The Ratmanskys’ arrival coincided with one of the worst periods of the war, a time of constant attacks on the capital that sent them and others scurrying to bomb shelters multiple times a day. “It is difficult in every sense,” Tatiana said, “mental, physical.” - The New York Times

The Problem With Philadelphia Ballet’s New Home

Architecture critic Inga Saffron observes that, if the company wants to be welcoming to the community and engage potential new fans, their new headquarters does exactly the wrong thing. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

The Martha Graham Company Gets Its Permanent Home

“Physical bodies and physical space. As an art form, dance requires little else, but in New York, the latter is especially hard to come by — even for the oldest dance troupe in the country.” No longer. - The New York Times

A Whiteface Incident At Finnish National Ballet

Brazilian dancer Nayara Lopes of Philadelphia Ballet spent this past season with FNB in Helsinki. In February, she was rehearsing the role of Cupid in Don Quixote when she was asked to wear white makeup for the staging. (As one might expect, she is now back in Philadelphia.) - Dance Magazine

The Acrobats Who Entertain Drivers Stuck In Nairobi’s Horrendous Traffic Jams

“Nairobi’s street acrobats first began appearing in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they have since become normalized at traffic stops in and around the city, with acrobats taking advantage of gridlocks to perform in exchange for cash tips. It is how they earn a living.” - AP

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

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