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La Scala Ballet Has A New Director. It’s His Third Time In The Job.

Frédéric Olivieri will begin his latest term as Director of La Scala’s ballet company on March 1. He first led the company 2002-2007, after having been chief ballet master. He then spent 10 years at the helm of the company's school before serving as the company's director 2017-2020. - Gramilano (Milan)

The Martha Graham Dance Company Is Moving To Times Square And Getting A Lot More Space

"The company announced on Friday that it would leave its offices in the West Village of Manhattan and relocate to a 30,000-square-foot space in Times Square, more than doubling its footprint.” - The New York Times

Miami City Ballet Director Lourdes Lopez Will Step Down This Summer

"Lopez, 66, who joined the company in 2012, was originally scheduled to leave at the end of the 2026-27 season. (Her) departure ... came as a surprise to Miami City Ballet’s dancers, staff and some board members." - The New York Times

“Nutcracker” Choreography In The US Is Still Almost Entirely By Men

"The findings reveal an overwhelming dominance of male choreographers, particularly in the Largest 50 ballet companies, despite some growth in opportunities for female choreographers in mid-sized and smaller companies." - Dance Data Project

“A New Identity”: When Dancers Switch To Choreographing Full-Time

"The transition ... involves more than just hanging up their (sometimes-proverbial) shoes. It can come with a new perspective on movement, a new relationship to their bodies, and a new way of making dances. And what that shift looks like can vary widely from artist to artist." - Dance Magazine

Salomon Bausch On Maintaining The Legacy of His Mother, Pina

He had just finished law school when his mother suddenly died in 2009. Within two weeks, he was heading the Pina Bausch Foundation, where he oversees licensing of her works to her own company and others and is assembling a freely available online archive documenting all of her creations. - The Observer (UK)

What A Major New Prize Says About Dance Right Now

The new biennial competition with a £40,000 bounty for the victor is initially guaranteed to run for 10 editions, by which time it hopes to be on a par with the Booker or Turner prizes, boosting dance’s profile accordingly. - The Guardian

How Dancer Syreeta Hector Kept Her Ballet Dream Alive During COVID-19

“She was committed to keeping the project alive, so she rented a shipping container and used it as a rehearsal space, continuing to improve her work despite the limitations. ... Black Ballerina was performed via live stream, reaching audiences remotely” - including artistic directors. - Globe and Mail

What Carlos Acosta Looks For In Dancers

"From day one I said: 'This has to be a company of virtuosos,'" says the former Royal Ballet star and current director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. "I want personalities, 'Look at me!' – that’s how I like it." - The Guardian

Stephen Petronio Will Close Down His Dance Company This Summer

"What doesn’t work anymore, (he) said, is what he has been doing for decades: sustaining a company of dancers through touring and grants." The Stephen Petronio Company's final performance will be at Jacob's Pillow in July. - The New York Times

What You Get When You Cross Crystal Pite And Simon McBurney

You get Figures in Extinction, a trilogy which choreographer Pite and director McBurney have been creating for Nederlands Dans Theater. "The idea was to have me in the driver’s seat for part one, Simon for part two, then work jointly for part three," said Pite, but their roles quickly merged. - The Guardian

Why Alexei Ratmansky Is Not Recreating Petipa’s “Paquita” This Time Around

Back in 2014 in Munich, he and historian Doug Fullington did a full reconstruction of Petipa's 1881 version of the piece for the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg. This season at New York City Ballet, he's decided on a "new, freer approach." Here's why. - Playbill

A Dance Tour, A Topic Trump Doesn’t Like, And Suddenly The Funding…

If climate change is an integral part of your work, how do you write a proposal to an administration that is actively not wanting to draw attention to that science? I think we’re going to find that some of us are maybe more cautious about how we communicate. - Dance Magazine

Ballet Costumes, But Make Them Modern Fashion

“This one is a particularly huge, ambitious design—there’s probably close to 50 costumes in this ballet, and it’s a one-act ballet.” - GQ (MSN)

Today In Dancing Robots: A Lunar New Year Show In Beijing

"Developed by Hangzhou Yushu Technology, also known as Unitree, the robots kept up with the beat of a Chinese folk dance and danced with red handkerchiefs. They spun the handkerchiefs in circles, tossed them into the air, and caught them again with precision, drawing applause from the audience." - Business Insider

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