Tag: american ballet theatre

How to Handle Dance Audition Nerves

Ohio University sophomore Morgan Arcoraci was at a dance audition a few years ago when disaster struck. “People kept coming up to me, asking for my name. I thought I was really killing it!” she recalls. “It turned out I’d pinned my number upside-down. When they asked me to fix it, I was so upset […]

What Inspires Choreographer Gemma Bond

Gemma Bond’s rise as a choreographer has been not meteoric but steady, characterized by constant creativity and commitment to her craft. Her style is informed by her dancing career—she performed in the corps de ballet of two of the world’s most renowned companies, the Royal Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Because of this, she says, […]

6 Dancers Dish on Their Toughest Roles of All Time

As an audience member, it’s easy to overlook how much work went into the performance onstage—a dancer’s job is to make it look effortless, after all. But every pro has tackled a role that made them doubt themselves, whether by testing their stamina, pushing them out of their comfort zones, or touching on their vulnerabilities […]

Stella Abrera to Retire from American Ballet Theatre in June

American Ballet Theatre announced today that, after 24 years, beloved principal dancer Stella Abrera will retire from the stage this coming summer. Her farewell performance will be June 13, 2020, at the Metropolitan Opera House, dancing the title role in Giselle. Giselle holds special significance for her. In 2015, Abrera, then a 37-year-old soloist, made […]

7 Tough-Love Lessons from the Legendary Irina Kolpakova

Being coached by a treasure like former Kirov prima Irina Kolpakova is an experience most dancers only dream of. But company members at American Ballet Theatre have been the lucky beneficiaries of her wisdom since 1990. Thanks to Instagram, where pros like Gillian Murphy and James Whiteside share snippets of their sessions with Kolpakova, any […]