Students are taught mindfulness, yoga, talking therapy - and coping techniques, such as breathwork. "The aim is to counterbalance everything else they do, not only in their training but in their lives; to let go of pressure, judgement, expectations." - BBC
The ritual of sema (as it's called) is meant to be a sacred meditative practice, and its practitioners are devout Sufis uncomfortable with commercialization. On the other hand, the Turkish city where they live needs the tourist money. - PRI's The World
Says dancer/choreographer JaQuel Knight, who founded Knight Choreography and Music Publishing Inc. to address the issue, "Over the past year and a half, so many of the biggest records were directly tied to TikTok dances. Those songs made millions. And the creators of the dances received zero." - Dance Magazine
Of course: "Field cast participants — aspiring dancers, actors, singers and musicians recruited from local drill teams as well as theatrical, community and athletic groups — are expected to be grateful for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." But wait; it's 2022. - Los Angeles Times
Dance Data Project founder Elizabeth Yntema: "The lack of artistic and leadership opportunities for women in ballet has been talked about for years. But since nobody was putting numbers to it, it was all anecdotal. … Without data, it's almost impossible to measure progress." - The New York Times
The series, titled The Real Dirty Dancing and debuting on Fox on February 1, will feature eight celebrities learning routines from the film at the lodge where the original was shot. - Deadline
Jodie Gates —founding director of USC's Kaufman School of Dance, former assistant to William Forsythe as well as admired choreographer in her own right, former principal dancer at the Joffrey, Pennsylvania, and Frankfurt Ballets and Complexions Contemporary Ballet — begins her term on August 1. - The Cincinnati Enquirer
"In her first two years as UCLA's choreographer, Bijoya 'BJ' Das has set the internet aflame with three viral floor routines. … Breaking the internet has become an annual tradition in Westwood, but … Das keeps the focus on something simpler: fun. - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
"Copeland says she believes it’s her responsibility to tell the untold stories of trailblazing Black ballerinas who came before her. ... She wants aspiring young Black ballerinas and parents wanting to put their kids into dance classes to know that they do belong." - WBUR (Boston)
"The short video of Aya Youssef, a 30-year-old primary school teacher, shot on a mobile phone shows her wearing a headscarf, trousers and a long-sleeved top as she dances alongside colleagues, smiling as she enjoys a river cruise on the Nile." - Al Jazeera (AFP)
There are now 56 plaintiffs, male and female former students, and 30 defendants, including some female as well as male former faculty and administrators. Most of the alleged abuse dates from the 1970s through 1990s, though one claim dates as late as 2008. - Dance Magazine
To put it succinctly, she's responsible for "turning ENB from a respected but unexciting touring company into a news-making organisation." - The Guardian
Tamara Rojo will be the first woman and only the fifth director to lead the troupe, the oldest professional ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933. Her appointment comes after a yearlong search for a successor to Tomasson, who has led San Francisco Ballet for 37 years. - The New York Times
In the state of Kerala, the actual ceremony may be brief and subdued, but the celebrations often include professional choreographers directing a mix of relatives and professional dancers in routines that range from traditional local forms to Bollywood, Sufi, and even Mexican styles. - The New York Times
From a very early age, dancers are taught that pain comes with the territory. “Dance is not natural. We’re stretching our bodies to extremes.” Think of a young, impressionable dancer developing their splits or breaking in pointe shoes for the first time—basically everything hurts. - Dance Magazine
