There’s a surprising twist to Regina Willoughby’s last season with Columbia City Ballet: It’s also her 18-year-old daughter Melina’s first season with the company. Regina, 40, will retire from the stage in March, just as her daughter starts her own career as a trainee. But for this one season, they’re sharing the stage together. Read […]
When most of us think of The Nutcracker, we imagine a growing Christmas tree, dancing mice, and a little girl named Clara (or Marie) traveling to the Land of Sweets. But companies around the world have been reinventing the holiday classic, changing the storyline or adding their own spectacular sets and characters. To get in […]
We all suffer from Nutcracker fatigue sometimes. After a zillion performances, it’s hard not to. But there’s nothing to restore your little-kid sense of Nutcracker wonder like a look at the sheer scale of a world-class Nut. New York City Ballet’s iconic production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker opens on Friday, and for the past […]
Bunheads, this one’s for you. They say you can tell a Nutcracker by its “Snow” scene—and we fully believe it. There are so many versions with extra goodies—olive branches! Fake snow! Sleds! Choirs! Snow queens!—and each brings a special something to the holiday favorite. But do you know which ballet has what? Loading…
New York City principal Lauren Lovette has become an icon thanks to her emotional maturity and exceptional musicality. The 26-year-old quickly rose through the ranks after joining the company as an apprentice in 2009, reaching principal status in 2015. A Thousand Oaks, CA, native, Lovette started studying ballet seriously at age 11, at the Cary […]
Every ballet dancer knows the time, sweat, and occasional tears the art form demands. But many non-dancers are clueless about just how much work a ballet dancer puts into perfecting his or her dancing. So when the mainstream crowd recognizes our crazy work ethic, we’ll accept the round of applause any way it comes—even if […]
Yes, Dance Spirit, there really is a Santa Claus. And we’ve got proof—namely, the delightfully silly stunt Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker Bear pulled off last week to celebrate the start of ticket sales for BB’s 2017 production of the holiday ballet classic. For reasons that would maybe be clearer to me if I were a Bostonite, […]
A few weeks ago, The Huffington Post did a piece on dancer fashion at New York City Ballet. Now they have an up-close-and-personal look at the backstage world of the company’s Nutcracker. While some of it is a little basic for those of us well-versed in the world of Nut, other bits are totally fascinating. […]