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DANCE

The “X” Factor Of City Ballet’s Roman Mejia

Mejia is an airborne dancer whose exuberance shines in joyful Balanchine ballets like “Stars and Stripes,” “Rubies” and “Western Symphony.” But his repertoire, especially in recent seasons, has expanded to roles that require him to be more subtle, more sophisticated. - The New York Times

Christopher Wheeldon On Pushing Story Ballets Beyond The Old Tropes

“Ballet doesn’t have to be ‘boy meets girl, girl goes crazy, girl dies, becomes a fairy, boy chases her through the woods’. Audiences want to be taken somewhere a bit deeper.” - The Telegraph (UK) (MSN)

How San Diego’s Dance Organizations Are Facing Down A Barrage Of Challenges In 2025

“We spoke to four local company leaders about challenges unique to dance organizations that present shows, in addition to operating schools and serving the community through outreach programs.” - The San Diego Union-Tribune

André Lewis On His 30 Years At The Helm Of Royal Winnipeg Ballet

“(Artistic) vision is most clearly expressed through the repertoire you do. It was really important for us, I felt, to go into contemporary full-lengths, like we did with The Handmaid’s Tale or Dracula or Jekyll and Hyde (or) Moulin Rouge — none of that existed in my days as a dancer.” - Winnipeg Free Press

Orphaned University Of The Arts Dance Program Is Coming Back To Philly, But Not Yet

“The former UArts undergraduate dance program, that landed at Bennington College in Vermont, had planned to return to Philadelphia for the 2025-26 school year. But leaders now say the return has been delayed as the program awaits Pennsylvania Dept. of Education’s authorization to award degrees.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

A Dancer-Turned-Neuroscientist On Finding Flow

“This passing of the boundary between ‘doing steps’ and really dancing … is truly exhilarating. I’ve experienced it many times when dance took me away from the here and now, transported me into a different reality, soothed my thoughts and calmed my mind into one single inviting trail of thought.” - Dance Magazine

The Challenges Of Putting Dance, And Other Performing Arts, On Screen

“Putting a camera in the audience POV of a dance show is only a reminder that the real thing is probably way better. Putting a camera in the wings, on stage, up close and personal ... in a way that no one can experience in an auditorium — that’s worth watching.” - IndieWire

Bunheads Walked So The New Series Etoile Could Leap

Or at least, that’s what creator Amy Sherman-Palladino (the force behind The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) wants to see. “Ballet isn’t something for someone else. It’s storytelling; it’s athletic; it’s powerful, emotional, transporting. It’s a great, dynamic art form.” - The New York Times

Hofesh Schechter Says The English Have A Problem With Contemporary Dance

“’English audiences, in particular, expect to come in, understand it, and have a good conversation about it afterwards.’ The Israeli-born, soon-to-be-British choreographer would prefer people to approach contemporary dance ‘more like a concert’ – something you experience ‘through your senses’.” - The Telegraph (UK) (Yahoo!)

New York’s Hot New Dance Studio Is A Corridor In Penn Station

“Officially called the West End Concourse, the corridor has a lot going for it: It’s easily accessible, the floors are spacious and smooth, and there are public restrooms, a rarity in New York City. It’s a ready-made stage for all sorts of group and partnered dance. … The biggest draw? It’s free.” - The New York Times

The Rockettes At 100

Each April, hundreds of hopeful leotard-clad dancers travel from all over to the Big Apple to audition for a coveted spot on the famous kickline — founded in 1925, halfway across the country in St. Louis, Missouri, by choreographer Russell Markert. - New York Post

U.S. Ballet World’s Favorite Shoemaker Is Sold To Private Equity Firm

“Capezio is changing hands after more than a century of family ownership. On Thursday, Argand Partners LP, a New York-based middle-market private equity firm, revealed its acquisition of Ballet Makers Inc., the parent company of the venerable dance brand.” - WWD

The Debut Of Climate-Protesting Ballet Vandals

At opening night of New York City Ballet’s spring season, as the dancers performed Balanchine, a woman began yelling from a balcony, “We’re in a climate emergency. Our country has become a fascist regime, and we are enjoying this beauty.” - The New York Times

Queensland Ballet: An Unexpected Unraveling

The company that former artistic director Li Cunxin turned into a powerhouse with an international reputation is now “beleaguered”, as one headline put it. - InDaily (Australia)

Two More Ex-Dancers Sue Shen Yun

“Two former dancers … filed a lawsuit on Thursday accusing the group of amassing a financial fortune and worldwide renown by subjecting an ‘army of child laborers’ to brutal working conditions and psychological coercion.” Another former company member filed a similar suit last November. - The New York Times

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