Now that truth and privacy have been banished from our culture, it’s not astonishing (or, apparently, actionable) that Varley O’Connor should have co-opted a chunk of a singular artist’s life and “novelized” it.  Tanaquil LeClercq was not a heroine in a middle-brow tale.  She was a unique, fascinating, and—for those, like me, who saw her dance—unforgettable ballerina who was dealt the worst hand imaginable—paralysis.  She was, for the period O’Connor covers, the muse and wife of the New York City Ballet’s George … [Read more...]

Dear Readers, I want to share with you the honor and pleasure I feel in having been named a finalist in this year's Pulitzer Prize for criticism.  The citation reads:  “For work appearing on ArtsJournal.com that reveals passion as well as deep historical knowledge of dance, her well-expressed arguments coming from the heart as well as the head.” This year's winner is Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe for film criticism; the other finalist is Philip Kennicott of The Washington Post for cultural criticism. I'm especially pleased … [Read more...]

Here in the States we all know Brigitte Lefèvre, head of the Paris Opera Ballet, thanks to Frederick Wiseman’s documentary on the venerable company, La Danse.  She’s a woman who knows how to take charge.  At a press conference hosted by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, she tells us about the company’s upcoming American tour, which will bring it to New York July 11-22. Encountering her live, your attention is seized by her exquisitely shaped hands, which move with a ballerina’s grace.  Turns out she was a petit rat at … [Read more...]