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Returning to “Nutcracker”: Dancers Reflect on the Holiday Classic After...
For most ballet companies, The Nutcracker is an annual repertoire staple, sometimes requiring dancers to perform in as many as 30 to 40 shows during the holiday season. But last year, the pandemic...
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My Big “Nutcracker” Break: 3 Pros Share Memories and Advice for Taking on...
Updated on 11/28/23 For ballet dancers, Nutcracker season is a time of new artistic and technical heights. And thanks to the sheer number of performances, it can also be a time when many dancers get...
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Finding Their “Live-Performance” Legs Again
Never before has the dance community experienced such a collective return to the stage as during the pandemic. In celebration of our industry’s triumphant—although staggered—return to in-person...
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Choreographer Jorden Morris, Orlando Ballet’s New Artistic Director, Shares...
The phrase “being in the right place at the right time” certainly applied to Jorden Morris in the lead-up to his appointment as Orlando Ballet’s new artistic director. Morris, the company’s artist in...
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How to Develop a Safe and Successful Dance Partnership
Two dancers coming together in a pas de deux represents the humanity of our artform and our natural desire for connection. But while building a strong partnership is rewarding, it’s not always easy....
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Why We Need to Diversify Hair in Ballet
It was the last week of my freshman year in college. The promise of summer break and the humidity of my Texas hometown created the perfect excuse to dabble in protective hairstyles. Long transfixed...
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Letting Their Hair Down: 4 Dancers on the Waltz Girl’s Signature Moment in...
One of the trickiest moves in Balanchine’s Serenade isn’t a dance step, and it wasn’t even part of the ballet until it was well past 40. It’s the moment where the Waltz Girl undoes her hair onstage...
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Alejandro Cerrudo, Charlotte Ballet’s New Artistic Director, Talks About His...
Each step along Alejandro Cerrudo’s 24-year career, he’s planted the seeds for his next area of growth in the dance field. Born in Madrid, he first became a dancer, then a choreographer and, most...
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Location, Location, Location: 5 Dancers on Negotiating Career Goals With...
Professional dancers often have a complex relationship with where they live geographically, especially since ballet’s job market is so scarce. In many cases they have to have some flexibility about...
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How 3 Choreographers Revamped Their Pandemic Dance Films for Live Performances
For almost two years, the pandemic forced ballet dancers to step off the stage—and onto the screen. As dance organizations adjusted to keep audiences and dancers safe, many choreographers turned their...
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Changing Course: How the Pandemic Altered 5 Dancers’ Career Paths, With and...
Call it routine, call it ritual—each dancer has one. A life in ballet can dictate what we eat, how we exercise and what other passions we pursue; limited free time and energy outside of the studio...
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A Conversation With Jodie Gates: The Cincinnati Ballet Director’s Vision...
When Jodie Gates was named Cincinnati Ballet’s new artistic director, succeeding Victoria Morgan, she came to the position with a wealth of industry knowledge and decades-long dance experience. Back...
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Melissa Barak Shares Her Plans for Los Angeles Ballet
On August 24, the board of Los Angeles Ballet announced Melissa Barak as its new artistic director. The California native, who has led her own Los Angeles–based company, Barak Ballet, since 2013, has...
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Let’s Hear It for the Corps: 5 Reasons to Love the Corps de Ballet
Few things seem more empowering for a ballerina than being promoted to principal, perfecting those iconic 32 fouettés, or tackling a lead role, like Giselle. However, there’s something uniquely...
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Estonian National Ballet: The Bustling Baltic Company Reflects a Mix of Cultures
While dancers flit down hallways to coaching sessions and costume fittings, men practice tours en l’air in one room and women pirouette in another. They could be ballet studios anywhere, but given its...
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Maria Kowroski Gets Down to Work at New Jersey Ballet
When Maria Kowroski retired from dancing in October 2021, she had been with New York City Ballet for 25 years. Her glamor and air of mystery onstage were unparalleled in the company. While there she...
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Cleveland Ballet: A Familiar Name Is On The Rise Again
Since launching Cleveland Ballet in 2014, co-founders Gladisa Guadalupe and Dr. Michael Krasnyansky have aimed for it to become a pillar of Cleveland’s arts scene. And it has come a long way in a...
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Transitioning Up: 3 Dancers Who Risked Major Career Moves, and Thrived
Achieving an elevated rank in a ballet company doesn’t always equal career fulfillment. Now and again, successful dancers upend their lives and transition to new companies in hopes of finding that...
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Passing ABT’s Torch: A Conversation With Susan Jaffe and Kevin McKenzie
American Ballet Theatre is starting the New Year with a new leader: Susan Jaffe, who last May was named as the successor to Kevin McKenzie after his 30-year tenure as artistic director. Jaffe isn’t...
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Nutcracker Tips for Surviving Double-Show Days
’Tis the season for the Nutcracker grind. Throughout the next month, companies will be staging the Tchaikovsky classic, some doing multiple runs over several weeks. That means packed days for dancers,...
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