Hoofer Jessica Vetrano had already bested about 40 dancers when she approached her final opponent in the D.C. Tap Festival’s Cutting Contest tap battle last year. “Everyone was watching us, but I was confident,” Jessica says. With tap mentor Chloe Arnold clapping a beat, Jessica improvised tough steps: cramp rolls, over-the-tops and shuffle turns. Her […]
Even in a sweaty practice studio, ABT II’s Meaghan Grace Hinkis exudes a quality of performance-level flawlessness. As she rehearses the Sugar Plum Fairy pas de deux, not a hair is out of place in her classic French twist, and there are no holes in her pink tights—even her pointe shoes are scuff-free. Meaghan moves […]
In May 2008, Madelyn Ho decided on a whim to audition for the Paul Taylor Dance Company and Taylor 2. She was a Harvard premed student, just weeks from graduation, with only six months of exposure to the Taylor technique. “I wasn’t thinking about my chances,” Madelyn says. “I just thought it would be an […]
In Compania Rocío Molina’s newest production, Oro Viejo, flamenco sensation Rocío Molina’s tight, salmon-colored dress, blonde hair and decorative hair clips make her look like a cross between an 18th century Spanish lady and a porcelain doll. With a fan in hand, she twirls across the stage then stops momentarily to draw attention to her dramatically […]