Miami City Ballet / New York City Center / January 21-25, 2009 Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra of Miami City Ballet in Balanchine's La Valse. Photo by Joe Gato. At Miami City Ballet's opening night at New York City Center--the company's long-awaited Manhattan debut--the curtain rose on a bevy of gorgeous, long-limbed young women in rakish pony tails and plain white leotards, reaching into space in a diagonal line that stretched cross-stage. The line then undulated, wave-like, in perfect formation, as if an electric impulse were coursing … [Read more...]

New York City Ballet: School of American Ballet 75th Anniversary Tribute / David H. Koch Theater / Lincoln Center, New York City / January 14, 2009 Patricia Delgado in Balanchine's Serenade. Photo by Paul Kolnik. I remember a time when it was informally called "The School," as if the School of American Ballet, founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein as the breeding ground for what would become the New York City Ballet, were the only teaching institution in America guaranteed to produce top-notch classical dancers. This was not the … [Read more...]

This article originally appeared in the Culture section of Bloomberg News on January 26, 2009. New York City Ballet dancers take part in a performance of "Lifecasting" in New York in this undated handout photo. Performances continue through March 1 at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater. Photographer: Paul Kolnik/NYCB via Bloomberg News Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- For George Balanchine's birthday last Thursday at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater, the New York City Ballet premiered Douglas Lee's "Lifecasting," a dark yet strangely … [Read more...]

This article originally appeared in the Culture section of Bloomberg News on January 9, 2009. Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) -- What can money buy? Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet offers its 15 dancers most poverty-stricken artists' dream: steady employment and health insurance, a rare luxury for American artists. The trendy young company is performing through Jan. 18 at its own theater in Manhattan's Chelsea district. Wal-Mart heiress Nancy Laurie, whose wealth makes the group possible, and Benoit- Swan Pouffer, its artistic director, are building a … [Read more...]