Their technique might seem effortless onstage, but even the most seasoned ballet professionals have that one step that still drives them crazy. We asked five principal dancers to open up about the skills they still find challenging, and how they’re working to finesse them. Dana Benton as Kitri in Don Quixote (Francisco Estevez, courtesy Colorado […]
Story ballets that debut during American Ballet Theatre’s spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House are always the subject of much curiosity—and, sometimes, much debate. Cathy Marston’s Jane Eyre was no different. The ballet follows the eponymous heroine of Charlotte Brönte’s novel as she grows from a willful orphan to a self-possessed governess, charting her […]
There’s no better test of a true dance nerd than her ability to pick out the moment a dance double appears onscreen—and frequently, that double is a bona-fide dance star. Here are a few of our all-time favorite movie dance doubles. Isabella Boylston for Jennifer Lawrence, “Red Sparrow” OK, no, we haven’t seen the film […]
American Ballet Theatre principal Sarah Lane charms audiences with her bright energy and crisp technique. The San Francisco, CA, native first started dancing at age 4 at a local community center, and at age 7 started training in Memphis, TN, at the Classical Ballet Memphis. Her family later moved to Rochester, NY, where she continued […]
Once every four years, some of the ballet world’s best and brightest gather in Jackson, MS, to face off in the super-prestigious USA International Ballet Competition. The event’s list of alums is kind of ridiculous: Boston Ballet’s Misa Kuranaga and Jeffrey Cirio, The Royal Ballet’s Sarah Lamb, American Ballet Theatre’s Daniil Simkin and Sarah Lane, […]
The year 2011 was filled with show-stopping onstage moments and exciting offstage drama. Whether you were captivated by New York City Ballet star Sara Mearns’ 32 fouettés in Swan Lake or danced along in your seat as Sutton Foster led the Broadway cast of Anything Goes through a series of time steps, there’s no doubt […]
Behind-the-scenes ballet features are becoming the norm these days (and we’re not complaining!). It’s amazing to have access to rehearsals and classes (World Ballet Day, anyone?), pre-performance rituals and everything in between. The Wall Street Journal just upped the ante with its 360 “virtual reality” video, featuring American Ballet Theatre soloist Sarah Lane preparing dance Aurora […]
NYC is bursting with promising ballet dancers this week, thanks to the Youth America Grand Prix finals held at Lincoln Center’s Koch Theater. To all the competitors (at YAGP and beyond), we’re shouting a big “Merde!!” your way. We can’t wait to see what amazing things these kids will do next. Don’t believe us? Just […]