When it comes to dance, the general rule of thumb is that the younger you begin training, the better. Serious ballet dancers, for example, are often expected to be career-ready by 16. But what if you didn’t start dancing at age 2? Is there room in the professional dance world for late starters? The short […]
Martina Chavez in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Nutcracker (James McGrew) As The Nutcracker’s familiar “Waltz of the Flowers” theme swells to its exciting finale, Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Martina Chavez gathers up all her energy for Dewdrop’s most exhilarating choreography: a series of huge saut de chats traveling back and forth across the stage. “By that point […]
When we first told you about Irish step dancer-turned-high fashion model Coco Rocha, she was getting her tap on in a TV spot for White House | Black Market. And we were beyond lovin’ it. Now, she’s back on the airwaves in a new spot for the brand. But this time she’s battling it out—with herself! […]
We’ve always known dancers are special. (Duh.) But here’s a fun Friday factoid: Did you know that there are actually genetic differences that separate dancers from non-dancers? Seriously! A study suggests that dancers “show consistent differences in two key genes from the general population.” Those particular genes are involved in the way information is transmitted […]
On Sunday, with the London Olympics in full swing, we posed a question on our Facebook page: “Do you think dance should be added to the Olympics as a sport?” We were overwhelmed not only by the number of responses (for the record: about 55 of you said “yes,” while about 25 said “no”), but […]
If you follow Dance Spirit on Facebook, you probably laughed and cried and felt all kinds of warm fuzzy feelings about this video, which we posted yesterday: Such a sweet proposal! Such a cute couple! (And such talented dancers, to boot!) So today I thought I’d round up a few more dance-y flash mob proposals. […]
We all have nightmare stories about falling onstage. Mine happened when I was 16, dancing my first real soloist role in my first real tutu ballet. I was supposed to enter with a big, beautiful grand jeté. But on opening night, something went wrong. My back foot slipped as I attempted to push off for […]