New York City Ballet: Ocean's Kingdom / David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center, NYC / September 22, 24, 25, 27, 29 Much touted in advance, New York City Ballet's just-premiered $800,000 Ocean's Kingdom is a once-in-a-lifetime (please, god) collaboration by Paul McCartney (first a Beatle, now a knight) and Peter Martins (first a superb dancer, now a company director, a choreographer, and a Danish knight to boot). Pas de Deux No. 1: Paul McCartney and Peter Martins, creators of Ocean's Kingdom for New York City Ballet Photo: Paul … [Read more...]

To the reader: The essay below, on the ballet school scene from August Bournonville's Konservatoriet (The Conservatory), was commissioned by the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark. It first appeared, translated into Danish by Lise Kaiser, in the Royal Danish Ballet's illustrated program in Spring 2011. The original English version appears here for the first time with the gracious permission of the Royal Theatre. August Bournonville (1805-1879)--dancer and choreographer, instructor and artistic director--gave the Royal Danish Ballet a … [Read more...]