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DANCE

Eliot Feld’s Successor At Ballet Tech Named

Dionne Figgins, a former Dance Theater of Harlem lead and Broadway performer, will be the new artistic director of the free-of-charge ballet education program, which grew out of Feld's professional ballet company in the 1970s. - The New York Times

Who Should Next Run The National Ballet Of Canada?

Looking beyond the National Ballet, unless one imagines someone like choreographer Crystal Pite wanting to run a big company, there are no obvious standout candidates in Canada. - Toronto Star

How To Transition From Commercial Dancer To Choreographer

"Nine years ago, Del Mak decided he was done performing for artists like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and One Direction. 'I'd done everything I wanted to, and I was tired of the rat race,' he says. 'My body was starting to hurt.' The next obvious step? Choreography." - Dance Magazine

Yeah, Well — We’re A Sucker For Those Dancing Robot Videos – This Time With BTS

"While Spot’s smooth dance moves might bring a frisson of worry to any K-pop fans thinking that K-pop boy-bands might be the next industry that Boston Dynamics is targeting for its robots to replace human workers in, right now it seems that BTS isn’t too worried about the competition. - The Verge

The New Hotness In Exotic Dance? Lesbian Doms Performing For Straight Women

" are pioneering a new style: masculinized lesbian stripping that appeals both to the LGBTQ community and to a straight female crowd — the type who generally show up to more mainstream and much whiter male strip shows like those by the Chippendales." - Slate

Lucinda Childs At ’81 On Paper’

"She's most associated with the Judson Dance Theater and New York's downtown arts scene of the '60s and '70s, a hub of radical musicians, artists, performers, cheap loft studios and experimental happenings. But Childs has worked steadily since, particularly in Europe, and latterly as an opera director, too." - The Guardian

San Francisco Ballet’s Executive Director Up And Quits

"Kelly Tweeddale, the former symphony and opera executive who was hired in 2019 as executive director of the San Francisco Ballet, stepped down from the post on Monday, June 28, after less than two years on the job. An announcement from the company gave no reason for the decision." - San Francisco Chronicle

Inside The Workshop Where Some Of The World’s Best Pointe Shoes Are Made

A visit to Freed of London, where 24 skilled craftspeople make ballet shoes, many custom-fitted for dancers at the likes of Britain's Royal Ballet and ABT, where they go through about 3,600 pairs a year. - Business Insider

Choreographer Jan Fabre To Stand Trial For Abuse Of Power, Sexual Harassment

Serious allegations made by current and former dancers in his Antwerp company, Troubleyn, became public in 2018. After a lengthy investigation, that city's labor tribunal has referred Fabre's case to criminal court. - The Bulletin (Belgium)

They’re Back To Dancing At Jacob’s Pillow, Even If It’s All Outdoors

The dance festival in the Berkshires is coming back from last summer's cancellation, the first in its 89-year history, and the destruction of its Doris Duke Theater by fire last November, while its other theater, the Ted Shawn, is under renovation. - MSN (Washington Post)

Sudden Move: Oregon Ballet Theatre Ousts Artistic Director

“I was informed on Wednesday of this week that the board has decided to go a different direction in the AD role and that my resignation was required by . This was an unexpected development." - Oregon Arts Watch

Diverse Dance Companies Suddenly Have A Wealthy New Benefactor

MacKenzie Scott, ex-spouse of Jeff Bezos who was heavily involved in launching Amazon in the 1990s, gave generously to many pandemic (and perenially) cash-strapped dance companies in her latest philanthropic efforts. "This round of gifts promises to have an especially large impact on New York dance, with generous aid to some of the city’s most diverse companies. Alvin Ailey American...

The Choreographers And Dancers Of TikTok Go On Strike

At least, the Black choreographers and dancers do - following the lead of dancer Erick Lewis, who posted a massively viral video saying, "This app would be nothing without Black people." And yes, the loosely organized "strike" is having a pretty big impact on TikTok's numbers. - Washington Post

By The Bay, Bhangra Meets Bollywood And Struts It On YouTube

"Today, artists like Toor, 31, are changing the way that bhangra and other Indian dance genres are seen, creating dances meant to be consumed online in productions that resemble professional music videos. … reflects a new wave of Indian diaspora dance, a wave that has been enabled by platforms like YouTube and TikTok, and intensified during the pandemic...

A New Company To Get Retired Dancers Back Onstage

Alice Topp and Jon Buswell, resident choreographer and technical director at the Australian Ballet, have just launched a Melbourne-based troupe called Project Animo, whose roster will be made up of performers in their 30s and up who have retired from the country's major established companies. "They've learned their craft," says Topp, "they've experimented, and now they're in a place...

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