Not forever, but the 2022 season is tutu-less thanks, new AD David Hallberg says, to the realities of pandemic programming - and "Kunstkamer, a large-scale contemporary work for 40 or more dancers (no tutus, no pointe shoes)." - The Guardian (UK)
Encouraging dancers to pay attention to their mental health is one thing, but actually providing access to services sends an entirely different message. - Pointe
A dozen graduates wrote letters describing abusive and sometimes racist language as well as body-shaming and authoritarian attitudes. The school's current director says progress has been and will continue to be made. (He even threw out the scales.) - The Salt Lake Tribune
Sabina Galasso was a member of La Scala Ballet's corps when, in 1991, the visiting Rudolf Nureyev picked her out for a lead in his Swan Lake. From then on, says Galasso, company leadership deliberately stifled her career. Only now has a final verdict come down. - Gramilano (Milan)
The haka is a traditional (and rather intimidating) pre-battle dance that's been made famous by New Zealand's national rugby team. Demonstrators who oppose vaccine mandates have been doing the "Ka Mate" haka, and that dance's owners, the Ngati Toa Māori, have told them to knock it off. - NPR
"Wouldn't it be great if science could confirm … that dancing is one of the best things we can do for our heath, joyful well-being and even our brain power? That's what brain scientists Julia F. Christensen and Dong-Seon Chang set out to prove." - MSN (The Washington Post)
Users who look at videos and pictures of bodies deemed attractive by broader society will be shown more of those images, potentially feeling worse about their own looks by comparison. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Well, there's no point in trying to deny that some people have more natural aptitude. However, writes neuroscientist Gayle Doherty, everyone has the ability to feel and respond to rhythm and can, with some work, dance well enough to enjoy it. - The Conversation
"Dance Magazine joined Saturday night's sunset bonfire to capture some of the competitions, and asked Thunderbird director Louis Mofsie and company dancer Michael Taylor to share their insights on the place of dance within the powwow." - Dance Magazine
Sadler's Wells East, one of the anchors of the coming East Bank arts district, will include a 550-seat theatre presenting numerous dance genres, a choreographic school, rehearsal spaces, and a new Hip Hop Theatre Academy where the UK's Olympic breaking team will train. - Time Out (London)
"Starting from scratch with no funding and with a global pandemic raging on, the group set a goal to raise $50,000 over the course of the summer. Instead, their first fundraiser exceeded this goal in one day." - Dance Magazine
"Changes to characters, costumes and choreography will be made to 'remove elements of caricature,'" especially from the Land of the Sweets. In addition, Drosselmeyer the magician will be played by both male and female dancers. - The Scotsman
Says one choreographer, "It's not the first fight I would pick about the homogeneity of bodies on stage. But there's something archaic in dance – where your body is policed in certain ways. You're taught not to have agency over your body." - The Guardian
Makhloot had an entire crew of professional hip-hop dancers in Kabul (including one woman) and hoped to compete in breaking at the 2024 Olympics. Fahima performed and taught sema, the meditative whirling dance of the Sufis. Both had to flee quickly when the Taliban took over. - Dance Teacher
"Choreographer Amy Gardner used to consistently run into the same problem: When jobs popped up in different cities, whether for Nick Jonas or Neiman Marcus, finding dancers wasn't easy, and casting was slowing down her momentum." So she started Dance Hypha. - Dance Magazine
