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DANCE

Now That Breakdancing Is An Olympic Sport, Could Pole-Dancing Be Next?

"With breaking making its first Olympic appearance at the Paris Games later this year, pole dancers feel it could soon be their turn to be in the limelight, although it could come at the cost of losing the spirit of the discipline." - Reuters

The Unorthodox Collective Who Choreographs For Madonna’s Tour, The Cannes Film Festival, And Marseilles’s Ballet Company

"Don’t expect the august perch to change (La)Horde’s approach. The collective’s three millennial co-founders share a generational view forged by 1990s video stores and 2000s Queer nightlife, and fed by a plugged-diet supercharged by social media." - Variety

As Illinoise Opens On Broadway, Choreographer Justin Peck Plans To Conquer Hollywood As Well

"Peck, who has created almost 40 works for NYCB and other ballet companies around the world, is ambitious to bring modern dance to bigger, more diverse audiences on both stage and screen,” and the speedy opening of Illinoise on Broadway is just part of that. - The Daily Beast

How To Train Dancers In Acting Skills

There's a lot of overlap between acting and dance, and while it's standard for student actors to take dance classes, it's less common for those training in ballet or contemporary dance to get acting instruction. Juilliard dance students do, and here's one teacher there explaining what gets taught. - Dance Magazine

With A Permanent CEO, New Leadership At Cleveland Ballet Intends To Turn The Page

"(Larry Goodman), interim president and CEO, announced Tuesday he would permanently fill the position. Goodman was formerly on the company’s board of directors when it launched an investigation into its workplace culture and practices." - WEWS News 5 Cleveland

The Legal Issues Involved With A Ballet Company’s Rehearsals

"According to the dancers’ union contract, the temperature must be just so to reduce injuries. The floor must have the correct level of springiness. Breaks are mandatory; the length of rehearsals is carefully capped. Certain ballets are still under copyright protection, meaning that (various conditions must be met)." - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As Ailey II Turns 50, There’s Plenty To Be Proud Of

The two years of apprenticeship is so tough that former dancers who went on to sitcom work, Broadway, and even the unionized top-level Ailey troupe feel like everything else is a breeze. - The New York Times

Lorraine Graves, Who Dazzled As A Groundbreaking Harlem Ballet Principal, Has Died At 66

"Graves broke barriers — not only as a celebrated dancer for a multiracial company that showcased African American excellence in a traditionally European art form, but also, at a towering 5-foot-10 ½, as an exceptionally tall one." - The New York Times

For Arts Ecosystems, Dance Is A Harbinger Of Health

The infrastructure necessary for dance to succeed requires development - and support. That’s why "the fall of the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts in downtown Minneapolis is worrying. Not just for dance but for the whole Minnesota arts scene.” - The Star-Tribune (Minneapolis)

At 60, Alessandra Ferri Prepares To Leave The Stage For Good — And Start Running The Vienna State Ballet

On retiring: "At this stage in my life, dancing takes up the whole day, for my body, the training. I have the energy for one thing or the other." On becoming the boss: "I’m actually really enjoying the management part, … which for me is quite surprising!" - Bachtrack

Choreography On Broadway Is No Longer Broadway-Style Choreography

"Today’s shows are increasingly using movement makers from genres outside the musical theater world altogether, like experimental dance (David Neumann, Annie-B Parson, Raja Feather Kelly), commercial dance (Sonya Tayeh, JaQuel Knight, Keone and Mari Madrid), modern dance (Camille A. Brown), and physical theater (Steven Hoggett)." - Dance Magazine

How The Head Of Juilliard’s Dance Program Is Shaking Things Up

In 2018, she became the prestigious New York conservatory's first woman of color to head the dance program — and the youngest person to do so. Graf Mack, 45, is shaking up what is taught and how to make art dance more relevant. - NPR

“Information Is Power” — Dance Data Project’s Founder Talks About Five Years Of Collecting Information About Gender Inequity

"We are here to provide data and analysis which journalists, funders and advocates can deploy to create a more interesting dance world. Artistic-director candidates have used our reports to demand pay equal to their male peers. Dancer representatives say they negotiated a 40% salary increase based on our work." - Classic Chicago Magazine

Ohad Naharin On Ballet Ireland’s Cancellation Of His “Minus 16” Because He’s Israeli

"From the abyss of my sadness witnessing the ongoing catastrophe ... I am writing to you. If the act of cancellation would have helped the Palestinians' cause I would boycott my own show. It is obvious that this cancellation does nothing to reduce the suffering of people in our region." - The Irish Times

Could Classical European Ballet Actually Return To Iran?

The Iranian National Ballet, founded under the Shah in 1958, was disbanded by the new Islamist regime in 1979. The story of one of the company's last dancers has been adapted into a new work by choreographer Tara Ghassemieh, who hopes, yes, to bring it to Iran someday. - The New York Times

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