Born in 1872 in St. Petersburg and possibly descended from African servants at the Tsar's court, Maria Skorsiuk was directly recommended by her teacher to Marius Petipa. She danced in the corps and took bit parts for ten years before her career was cut short by tuberculosis. - Pointe Magazine
Joel Burke, founder of BIG (Ballet International Gala) in Brisbane: "I grew up playing footy and cricket. There's no reason why ballet can't be like that; I don't like the whole idea of going to the ballet and having to be quiet and not cheer." - The Guardian
After dancing as a principal at New York City Ballet under Balanchine, she became a TV reporter, ballet instructor, head of the Balanchine Foundation, and co-founder of the dance company Morphoses before returning to her hometown to stabilize MCB after the firing of founder Edward Villella. - MSN (The Miami Herald)
Melissa Barak was a leading dancer for Los Angeles Ballet during its first five seasons. She also performed with New York City Ballet, and in 2013 founded her own contemporary ballet company, Barak Ballet, which is on hold while Barak focuses on her new position. - Los Angeles Times
Some are continuing to create dance as possible; most are doing volunteer work as well. Several are developing ways to assist solders with stress (physical and mental); one couple is devising a method to teach them how to fall, crawl, and get up without injuring themselves. - The New York Times
Aaron Watkin, a 52-year-old Canadian who has spent the last 16 years as artistic director of the Semperoper Ballett in Dresden, actually danced with ENB for two seasons three decades ago. He officially becomes the company's artistic director next August; Rojo heads to San Francisco Ballet this January. - The Guardian
Performers who work or worked at the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood have been picketing for months, arguing that working conditions aren't safe, compensation is sometimes withheld, and complainants have been fired or locked out. Now the actors' union has come to their aid. - The Hollywood Reporter
If people are ragging on poor Sanna Marin, the Finnish prime minister who was videotaped while out partying, then Lyndsey Winship will wield her gimlet eye and keyboard to choose her top three and bottom three world-leader dance moves. (There is a Boris in each bracket.) - The Guardian
Every dance is site-specific in some sense, but, in a warming world changed by war, political upheaval and a pandemic, some choreographers forgo traditional venues entirely. Whether their work is about climate change, social dynamics, systemic oppression or community vibrance. - Dance Magazine
Intellectual property law concerning choreography in general hasn't yet been thoroughly worked out by the courts — and when it comes to choreography created specifically for social media (where users copy each other all the time), answers are even less clear. Here's a deep dive into the legal murk. - Bloomberg Law
With its freestyle form and openness to incorporating almost any movement style — from tap to voguing to capoeira to jacking — house dance has flexibility and what economists might call low barriers to entry, so it easily brings people together, especially at protests and other such public gatherings. - The Guardian
The new two-year, ten-dancer program will run parallel to the Joffrey’s longstanding Trainee Program in classical ballet, with the primary difference being in the movement styles included in the curriculum and the goal being to expand ideas of who can work as a professional ballet dancer. - Chicago Tribune
"You know, I (had) made so many works that look at the injustice that we face as a people," said the gay Black American choreographer about his piece An Untitled Love, "and I really wanted to make something much more celebratory." - The Guardian
One day a dance tutor, Catherine Chappell, came to show the children a video about “mixed ability” dance. She invited Rodney Bell to play harmonica at a workshop; instead, he found himself part of a dance improvisation, in which he fell, crawled and was pulled back to his chair. - The Guardian
