At age 15, Darrion Sellman already possesses the traits that make his idols—The Royal Ballet’s Steven McRae and American Ballet Theatre’s David Hallberg—such world-class dancers. Darrion has McRae’s easy grace and controlled turns, plus Hallberg’s noble movement quality and super-archy feet, and he’s taken those gifts and run with them. The talented dancer has earned […]
Keaton Gillespie has the expressive face of a silent film star. Add in her soaring extensions, elegant port de bras, and gorgeous feet, and it’s no wonder this 15-year-old is turning heads. Currently in her second year at Ellison Ballet in NYC, Keaton made the big move up from South Carolina on her own at […]
This week, over 1,000 young hopefuls gathered in New York City for the Youth America Grand Prix finals, giving them the chance to compete for scholarships and contracts to some of the world’s top ballet schools and companies. Roughly 85 dancers made it to the final round at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater on […]
When we asked what her proudest accomplishment so far is, Kiarra Waidelich paused for a moment. That’s because she has so many to choose from: In the past two years, Kiarra’s earned Mini and Junior Female Best Dancer at The Dance Awards, snagged Youth America Grand Prix’s Hope Award, and made it to the divisional […]
It seems like these days, if you wanted to spend all of your free time watching dance on TV, you probably could—not that we recommend it (everything in moderation, right?). But think about it: Just this spring/summer, we’ve welcomed Teen Vogue‘s “Strictly Ballet,” Hulu’s “The Next Step” and Ovation’s “Young Marvels” to the dance TV […]
Avery Gay’s chameleonlike abilities have earned her comp-world celebrity. In a testament to her versatility, she won the 2015 Hope Award—a prize reserved for the best classical and contemporary dancer in the pre-competitive age bracket—at the Youth America Grand Prix Las Vegas semifinals. Then she won it again at the 2016 Austin, TX semifinals. Considering […]
Happy Friday, ladies and gents! Does it feel like this has been an especially long week? It does, right? I have this theory that the colder it is, the slower time passes. Anyway, here’s a little something to reward you for making it through: a #FouetteFriday video! Our friends over at TenduTV recently posted this […]
Every dancer dreams of the day she’ll get her first tutu. Her first real tutu, that is. Not a puffball of pink tulle designed for pre-ballet class—though, hey, when you’re 5, those are pretty great, too—but a big, glorious platter skirt with a corseted bodice. Ballerinas wear many tiaras over the course of their careers, […]