THE MAGAZINE
Hip Hop Meets Ballet: Dutch National Ballet and ISH Dance Collective Present Oscar Wilde’s “Dorian Gray”
What happens when classical ballet collides with hip hop culture? In Dorian, Dutch National Ballet and ISH Dance Collective reimagine Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray for an image-obsessed, social-media age. Through structured improvisation, live illustration, and sharply contrasting movement styles, the production pushes dancers—and audiences—far beyond their comfort zones. Read on for more.
Fake “Photography”? Boris Eldagsen and the Sony World Photography Awards 2023
When an AI-generated image won the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards, the artist behind it refused the prize. Boris Eldagsen revealed that The Electrician was not a photograph at all—but a work created using artificial intelligence. His decision ignited a global debate about authorship, truth, and the future of photography in the age of AI. Where do we draw the line between writing with light and writing with prompts?
Start Spring with Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1
Spring doesn’t always arrive with birdsong and baroque clichés. In Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1, spring feels restless, sparkling, and alive with movement. The scherzo’s quicksilver energy captures thawing landscapes, sudden growth, and nature waking up mid-stride. Less obvious than Vivaldi, but just as vivid—this is spring with a modern edge.
Pierre Lacotte, Choreographer, Dies at 91
On 10 April 2023, the renowned French choreographer Pierre Lacotte died by sepsis from an infected cut. He was 91. Lacotte was famous for his restagings of 19th-century ballets from the Romantic era. But he was also a key figure in a dramatic event that changed the history of ballet in the West: the Cold War defection of Soviet dancer Rudolf Nureyev in 1961. Read on for more!
Guest Artist: Isabella Guadalupe Araiza-Fortson, 16
Water becomes myth, memory, and metaphor in the work of sixteen-year-old digital artist Isabella Guadalupe Araiza-Fortson. Drawing from Celtic legend, Mexican folklore, and contemporary animation, her images explore why women and water are so often entwined across cultures. From siren-like figures to desert mountain veins, her art blends magical realism with deeply personal reflection. Read on for more.
Elaina Spiro, Cello Student at Boston Conservatory: Everyone Has a Different Path!
There is no single route to becoming a musician — and Elaina Spiro knows this better than most. From discovering the cello by chance to finding purpose through illness, practice, and performance, her story challenges the myth of the “perfect” musical path. In conversation with TWoA, the Boston Conservatory cellist reflects on resilience, mentorship, mental health, and the healing power of music.
Springtime in Art
Spring has always inspired artists to look closely at life beginning anew. In this visual meditation, TWoA brings together paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Rosa Bonheur, where animals, nests, and tender forms become symbols of renewal. While Van Gogh is universally known, Bonheur’s radical life and extraordinary success remind us how easily women artists slip from the canon.
Ask Elaina: Efficient Music Practice and Tips on Concert Wear
How do young musicians practice smarter — and dress for the stage without distraction? In this practical Q&A, Boston Conservatory cellist Elaina Spiro shares her method for turning lessons into focused, efficient practice. From recording strategies to cultivating positive self-talk, her approach puts the mind at the centre of musical growth. She also breaks down the often-overlooked art of concert wear — thoughtfully, honestly, and with performer-tested insight, exclusively for TWoA.
Wayne McGregor: Woolf Works
Wayne McGregor’s Woolf Works transforms the writing of Virginia Woolf into a powerful ballet triptych for The Royal Ballet. Set to music by Max Richter, the work blends movement, technology, and emotion in a striking exploration of modernist literature. Read on for more.
In Honour of April Fools’ Day: The Ultimate Art Prank
For April Fools’ Day, we revisit one of the art world’s boldest pranks: Banksy’s self-shredding artwork at Sotheby’s. What began as a critique of the art market became a spectacle that only sent the work’s value soaring.
Happy Birthday, Sergei Rachmaninov!
On the 175th anniversary of his birth, we celebrate Sergei Rachmaninov, one of classical music’s greatest pianists and late-Romantic composers. From early brilliance and personal tragedy to exile and timeless melodies, his life shaped some of the most emotionally powerful music ever written.
Ballet with Isabella: ‘I Really Fell in Love with Helping People!’
Former Vaganova Ballet Academy graduate Isabella McGuire Mayes shares why mindset, mental health, and injury awareness are essential to a sustainable ballet career. In an interview with TWoA, she reflects on coaching, private training, and how ballet education needs to change.
Isabella McGuire Mayes: Life Lessons from Great Teachers
Former Vaganova Ballet Academy graduate Isabella McGuire Mayes reflects on the teachers who shaped her discipline, confidence, and artistic voice. In this TWoA interview, she shares the life lessons behind elite ballet training.
He’s a Scream! The Night the Art World Met Edvard Munch
Before The Scream, Edvard Munch caused a scandal that nearly shut down his first Berlin exhibition. This TWoA story explores the night modern art met outrage—and was forever changed.
‘What is Naatu?’ Indian Film Song Hit Wins an Oscar
When Naatu Naatu from RRR won the Oscar, it marked a first for Indian cinema. TWoA explores the song’s cultural power, political echoes, and global appeal.
David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away)
In David Hockney’s immersive show Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) at Lightroom, painting, technology, and sound merge into a vivid, artist-led experience. Read on for a first-hand experience of the show.
Nick Cave: Forothermore (Guggenheim Museum, New York, until 10 April 2023)
In Forothermore at the Guggenheim Museum, Nick Cave presents a powerful survey of his work, where sculpture, performance, and beauty confront violence and imagine healing. At its heart is the story of the Soundsuits—born from trauma, transformed into protest, and ultimately into acts of hope.
The Power of Dance: P. Virsky Ukrainian National Folk Dance Ensemble
As Ukraine continues to fight for its survival, the P. Virsky Ukrainian National Folk Dance Ensemble shows how dance can become an act of cultural resistance. A rare rehearsal video reveals why movement, discipline, and shared history matter more than ever. Read on for more.
Luca Branca’s Prix de Lausanne Diary: Part II
One year after winning the Young Creation Award, Luca Branca returns to the Prix de Lausanne as a coach. In this voice diary, he reflects on finalists, first-hand emotions, and what it means to see dancers from around the world inhabit his choreography.
John Williams: May the Force be With You!
From Star Wars to Schindler’s List, John Williams has shaped how cinema sounds and feels. This TWoA article reveals how just two notes, operatic thinking, and emotional restraint turned his scores into modern classics.