THE MAGAZINE
Étoile: What Does it Mean to Put Dance on Screen?
“When I heard about Amy Sherman-Palladino’s newest dance show, Etoile, I was tentatively optimistic.The pull of Gilmore Girls nostalgia melded with my first love, televised dance — what could be better? As I began to watch, my naive flickers of hope slowly diminished, leaving me in the dark, with more questions than answers. Namely, what is it that makes the dance world so challenging to capture on screen?”
Anastasia Cheplyansky, Dutch National Ballet: “Studying While Dancing Brought a Lot of Balance Into My Life.”
A new school year has begun. If you are close to finishing school, you might have to decide soon between the stage, or further studies. But fear not - you actually might not have to choose. TWoA talked to Anastasia Cheplyansky, Dutch National Ballet, about the benefits of combining dance with serious academic studies at the university level and about her dance journey.
A Life in Dance: Back to School Book Recommendations
As September cools into fall and the academic calendar resumes its merry buzzing, it’s time for breezy summer reading to morph into something more serious. These three books — one memoir, one creative guidebook, and one historical account — each portray the risks and rewards of making a life in the arts.
Ballet Across the Globe: Rudolf Nureyev and the Paris Opera Ballet
The name Rudolf Nureyev is undoubtedly familiar to many. What many may not know is that part of his lasting presence ascends beyond individual star power and rests in the realm of the Paris Opera Ballet.
Interview: Zenaida Yanowsky, Coach and Former Principal Dancer, The Royal Ballet
For many years, Zenaida Yanowsky was one of the most beloved principals of London’s The Royal Ballet. She now coaches at The Royal Ballet and many other international companies. If you want to learn about the importance of speaking up (politely), directing the audience’s eye like a magician, and the wisdom of the words “not everything that shines is gold,” read on.
Ballet Across the Globe: Marius Petipa
Ballet isn’t just one style of dance - it is spoken with many different accents. Read on to find out about Marius Petipa, the choreographer of great classics such as Swan Lake, Don Quixote, La Bayadère and The Sleeping Beauty which are central to the Russian school of classical ballet.
Ballet Across the Globe: Bournonville and the Danes
Contrary to popular belief, classical ballet isn’t just one style of dance that functions the same way across the globe. The art form is comprised of many schools of technique that vary in style, choreographic emphasis, and pedagogical frameworks. Read on to find out about Bournonville and the Danes.
Pointe Shoe Rewind: A Brief History of Ballet’s Signature Shoe
In the fashion world, pointe shoes have been having a moment. But pointe shoes are anything but a recent phenomenon; despite their current aesthetic popularity, their origins date back as early as the 1730s.
Whispers in the Wings: Meet Josephine Baker, Dancer and Spy
Josephine Baker (1906-1975), an icon of the Jazz Age, was a woman of many talents. In addition to being a groundbreaking dancer, singer, and actress—even being the first Black woman to star in a motion picture—Baker was a World War II spy and a civil rights activist.
Chun-Wing Lam, Paris Opera Ballet: “I never danced so well before I had my wealth management firm.”
Paris Opera Ballet’s Chun-Wing Lam is probably the only dancer in the world to combine a successful dance career with running his own wealth management firm. TWoA talked to Chun about moving from Hong Kong to Paris when he was fourteen, about the unique promotion system at the Paris Opera Ballet, and about the artistic and mental benefits of having two careers at the same time.