In our “Dear Katie” series, former NYCB soloist Kathryn Morgan answers your pressing dance questions. Have something you want to ask Katie? Email [email protected] for a chance to be featured! Dear Katie, I’m starting to have knee problems because I’ve been forcing my turnout. I know I need to retrain my muscles so I can […]
All dancers get tired—eventually an intense rehearsal or class schedule can take its toll. But some of us experience something greater than periodic tiredness: chronic fatigue syndrome, which is persistent or never fully goes away. Here’s how to address and reverse the effects of chronic fatigue and get back to your fully energized self. What […]
Dancers are famous (notorious?) for pushing themselves to the limit. We’re always trying for more, so it can be difficult to figure out just when, where and—honestly—why we should take time to care for our bodies. The truth is, dancers can put off necessary care if they’re afraid it might mean taking a break. So […]
As a teenager, contemporary dancer Eveline Kleinjans felt like nothing she did was good enough. Auditioning for university dance programs paralyzed her: “I was so focused on every move I made and what people would think that I wasn’t able to be free, to be myself,” she says. And her intense perfectionism had real repercussions. […]
Floorcraft: It sounds like some kind of dancer magic, but it’s actually a technical term describing the essential ability to avoid collisions with other couples on the ballroom dance floor. Because success in ballroom doesn’t just come down to masterful technique, great choreography, stellar musicality, chemistry between partners and magnetic performance quality—it also requires gracefully […]
In our “Dear Katie” series, former NYCB soloist Kathryn Morgan answers your pressing dance questions. Have something you want to ask Katie? Email [email protected] for a chance to be featured! Dear Katie, I love performing, but I dread class and rehearsals. They’re so boring! How can I find my passion in the studio as well […]
Gisele Bethea stands in the center of a rehearsal studio at American Ballet Theatre’s headquarters, breathing hard. The ABT apprentice (who was then a member of the ABT Studio Company) and her partner have just finished running a pas de deux from La Bayadère. With her impossibly long legs and regal bearing, Gisele makes a […]
Vaganova History: The legendary Russian ballerina and teacher Agrippina Vaganova combined elements of French, Italian and early Russian techniques to create this method. The syllabus is broken down into eight years of training—a slow, steady and deliberate progression. Emphases: Use of the upper body and placement of the head. “Arms are not just for decoration,” […]