[This piece originally ran on Crosscut.] When a three-quarter-length tulle ballet skirt hits a certain sweet spot on the calf, it evokes one of the most pleasing iconic ratios — think of the lip of a bell encircling its clapper or the curving girth of a willow tree around its trunk. Fill a stage with a perfect storm of these swirling, swaying … [Read more...]
Plucking Dancers from the Corps
(First published on Crosscut.) In ballet’s caste system, the corps de ballet is the lowest rank and the largest body — at Pacific Northwest Ballet right now there are 25 corps dancers, which is more than the number of principals (13) and soloists (7) combined. Everyone knows it’s a grueling job. Corps dancers have to perform more frequently than … [Read more...]