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Choreographer spotlight on Jean-Christophe Maillot of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo! His choreography appears so naturalistic on his dancers, it seems to flow from the soul onto the stage…it’s tough to think of anything better than that.
Renowned for his energetic footwork and playful musicality, Justin Peck has forged an incredibly prolific career as New York City Ballet’s Resident Choreographer. Peck began his choreographic journey in 2005 as a student at the School of American Ballet, NYCB’s affiliated ballet school, and now twenty years later, he has produced over 50 ballets.
Chloe Helimets, 15, is one of eighty-six dancers selected to compete at this year’s Prix de Lausanne taking place from 2 to 9 February 2025 in Lausanne, Switzerland. TWoA talked to Chloe about growing up in a ballet family, her ballet journey, and about the best way to approach competitions.
Fedor Dostoevsky’s dark psychological novel Crime and Punishment is a masterpiece of world literature. Last autumn, you could find it in the dance bags of many dancers at American Ballet Theatre: choreographer Helen Pickett and co-director James Bonas were turning the book into a ballet for American Ballet Theatre. The company will perform the production at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts ins Washington on 12-16 February 2025. TWoA talked to ABT dancer Joseph Markey, who created the part of Luzhin, and who will have his debut as Raskolnikov in Washington.
Curling up and watching a movie during the cold winter months is one of the best ways to unwind. For those who wish to continue to learn and indulge in dance while recuperating from stressors like Nutcracker performances or final exams, check out some of these beautiful dance films.
There are some performances that stick with you. Paloma Livellara Vidart’s interpretation of Christopher Wheeldon’s “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” at the Prix de Lausanne 2024 is one of those. TWoA talked to the Prix de Lausanne 2024 prize winner about her dance journey from Buenos Aires to Monaco and about her first couple of weeks at New York’s ABT Studio Company. Get ready for some deeply personal insights.
From 25 September 2024 until 9 February 2025, Edges of Ailey will inhabit the entirety of the 18,000 square-foot fifth floor of Manhattan’s Whitney Museum. It is the first commemoration of this size and breadth of choreographer and director Alvin Ailey, celebrating the many themes Ailey grappled with in launching a dance company that sought to center Blackness as a gift in the concert dance world.
Have you ever had a dream that made you realize something about your subconscious? What if you found out that many movie musicals of the 1950s actually expressed those dreams through dance?
Scared of fouettés? Here is the person you should blame: Pierina Legnani.
The dance world is mourning the sudden death of Michaela Mabinty DePrince at the age of 29. Michaela was born in Sierra Leone in the middle of a brutal civil war. By the time she was three, she was a war orphan. Michaela was adopted by Charles and Elaine DePrince and raised in America. She has been an inspiration to many, as a dancer, as an ambassador for black representation in ballet, and as an advocate for children affected by conflict and violence. Read our tribute.
Are you planning to compete at a ballet competition this school year? Choosing the right variation is a key condition for success. What principles should guide your choice? TWoA talked to Inna Bayer, artistic director of Bayer Ballet Academy, and one of her students, Crystal Huang, prize winner at the Prix de Lausanne 2024, the Youth America Grand Prix 2024, 2024 YoungArts (Dance/Ballet) and of the Grand Prix at the 2024 South Africa International Ballet Competition.
Crystal Huang, 15, is having a remarkable year. Until about two years ago, Crystal was training in commercial dancing. In 2024, Crystal became a prize winner at the Prix de Lausanne, one of the most prestigious international ballet competitions. She is also a prize winner at the Youth America Grand Prix 2024, 2024 YoungArts (Dance/Ballet) and of the Grand Prix at the 2024 South Africa International Ballet Competition. TWoA talked to Crystal about her unusual dance journey, gathering some valuable tips on how to succeed at competitions.
In ballet, the present recalls the past. Knowledge is passed down and repertoire is preserved through memory. Combine the past and the present in a game I’d like to call “New York City Ballet - Dancer Doppelgangers”!
A butterfly. A petal unfolding. A dazzling prism. A snowflake. American dancer and choreographer Loïe Fuller (1862-1928) was able to evoke each of those images during her swirling, spiraling Serpentine Dance. Meet Taylor Swift’s Muse.
In the lavish world of the Ancien Régime (France before the 1789 Revolution), dance was considered to be just as important as music, literature and the visual arts. This was, in part, down to one man’s tastes. Beyond his role as the divinely ordained ruler of France—an “absolute” monarch—Louis XIV (1638-1713) was also a prolific dancer.
Yuka Iwai is a principal soloist with K-Ballet Tokyo. Two weeks before K-Ballet’s recent revival of Giselle, she found out that she would step in for an injured dancer and dance Giselle at the production’s opening night. TWoA talked to Yuka about the special challenge of learning a principal role in two weeks.
Martha Graham (1894-1991) was a trailblazing American modern dancer and choreographer. She told powerful stories through dance. Strong women were at the centre of her work, from the heroines of Greek myths to the female pioneers of the American frontier.
TWoA talked to Royal Ballet soloist Mariko Sasaki about her upcoming debut in Swan Lake. It is her first leading role in a three-act classical ballet.
It’s Earth Day on 22 April 2024. Thinking about sustainability in our lives, consider the problem of pointe shoes. Professional ballet dancers go through several pairs per week. Can 3-D printing produce pointe shoes that last longer without compromising on comfort?
Think of Spanish culture, and chances are you are thinking of bullfighting, tapas - and flamenco. Flamenco is one of the most popular symbols of Spain, but for centuries, it was confined to the margins of Spanish society. It was the art of the Gitanos, the Roma (Gypsies) of Spain. Until dictator Franco decided to push flamenco centre stage.
Are you looking for the perfect Easter ballet? Probably not – but maybe you should! TWoA has two suggestions for you: John Neumeier’s St. Matthew’s Passion and Frederick Ashton’s Tales of Beatrix Potter. These two ballets embody two very different aspects of Easter: its spiritual essence, and the cuteness of the Easter Bunny.
It starts with one harmless minute on your phone, right? Just a few minutes on Instagram, one more video on YouTube, and soon enough hours have passed and nothing you originally set out to accomplish has been done. But you can learn to turn this form of procrastination into a vital tool for your own artistic education.
From 29 January 2024 until 4 February 2024, dance students and ballet lovers all over the world got to experience the Prix de Lausanne in daily live streams. Apart from the dancing, one of this year’s highlight were the inspiring words spoken at the awards ceremony by two former prima ballerinas, President of the Jury Darcey Bussell and Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Alessandra Ferri.
Many dancers often fear forgetting their dance on stage, or messing up the sequence of steps. Imagine your choreographer rolling a die just before the curtain opens to determine the order of the choreography that night. Merce Cunningham (1919-2009), a renowned American modern dancer and choreographer, did just that—relying solely on trust and chance, thereby taking collaboration to a new level.
Join Thy-Lan Alcalay on a tour of her dorm room turned mini fitness studio. Thy-Lan is a dance and architecture student at Barnard College of Columbia University, New York.
Every dance company has a piece that encapsulates its identity. For Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, this piece is Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece Revelations. Ailey’s company was one of the first to welcome dancers of all races. Revelations is Ailey’s highly personal take on the African American story: he described the childhood memories that inspired the piece as “blood memories.”
Dance in NYC has a deep and powerful history; shaped by cultural fusion, rebellion, and preeminence. Below are six films in no particular order, both new and old, famous and obscure, of genres from ballet to salsa, to watch this Christmas break to relax and get in the spirit of dance in the city!
Natascha Mair, principal dancer, is gearing up for a very different Nutcracker: from 20 until 30 December 2023, her fans will be able to watch her in Chicago in Sugar Hill, a show choreographed to Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s The Nutcracker Suite, a jazz interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. TWoA talked to Natascha about Sugar Hill and about some of the most memorable Nutcracker moments in her career.
What happens when street artist JR, choreographer Damien Jalet and composer Thomas Bangalter collaborate on a show on the scaffolding covering the iconic Palais Garnier, the old building of the Paris Opera that is currently being restored? Hint: think human bats in Chanel.
Perhaps you notice patterns within yourself that stir as the winter colours into spring or the summer burns into autumn. Russian avant-garde composer Igor Stravinsky captures this most masterfully in The Rite of Spring.