In most places, the pandemic has put a stop to large-scale corps dancing. Yet, even when the virus is finally under control, there's reason to wonder about the future of large groups of ballet dancers beyond revivals of old classics: few contemporary choreographers make use of more than small groups. Laura Cappelle looks at why that is and why it matters. - Pointe Magazine
"Western classical ballet is still a very unfamiliar art form in India. But in the last few years, promising talent has begun emerging, often in dancers from disadvantaged or working-class families with no prior association with Western classical music or dance." And one particular instructor in Mumbai has made a huge difference. - Pointe Magazine
"Now, against all odds, programs are rising from the ashes to bring you meaningful training and performance opportunities both in person and online. We asked four prominent competition/convention directors to give you the inside scoop on what to expect from this season. … First: Things are going to be OK." - Dance Spirit
"Planning and executing a virtual season in the midst of a pandemic presents many challenges, not least how to stream or record original programming at a technically polished standard without going beyond the confines of the studio. That problem has now been solved with the retrofitting of the largest studio, called Prima, as, in effect, a well-equipped television studio." - Toronto Star
Monica Thomas: "I spent time watching the robots move to get a sense of joint flexibility, etc. I then made a dance on my body to act out each part. I hired dancers to learn this choreography, which allowed it to be put together in one sequence for filming. I gave a video of the whole dance to Boston Dynamics, as well as each robot's part." And that was just the beginning. - Dance Magazine
"The company announced on Thursday that McKenzie, 68, will continue to oversee programming and performances through 2022 while a search for a successor begins this summer. … A former principal dancer with the company, McKenzie is a direct link to the founders of Ballet Theater, which was formed in 1939 by Richard Pleasant, and partially financed by a dancer, Lucia Chase." - The New York Times
Devynn Emory, 40, sees nursing as “not so far away from dancing,” they said in a video interview. “It’s really just another understanding of how the body works.” - The New York Times
Susan Jaffe was announced as the new artistic director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre last April, near COVID's first peak in the U.S., and she started July 1. Since then, she's gotten her dancers back into the studio with safety protocols, presented live-streamed productions, and had the company purchase a mobile stage for outdoor performances. Here's a Q&A on how she did it. - Dance Magazine
From parking garages to lakes and rooftops, outdoor performances can be exhilarating for artists and audiences alike. Vistas that would be impossible to re-create onstage are now more available. - Dance Magazine
In the earliest period of Christianity, dance was frowned upon as pagan. (St. Augustine, in his typical way, was particularly scornful.) But when folks want to dance, it's hard to keep them from it, and by the 9th century the church was permitting and even encouraging dance; by the 13th, it was being formally incorporated into liturgy. (Then came the Reformation and Counter-Reformation …) - The Conversation
Telling us how the team came up with the idea of dance marketing, Lekhinee shared, “We were going to launch our Saris. We were known for our Kurtas and our fabrics before then. We wondered, how can we really break the clutter…My friends would come for the photoshoot because we always believed in showcasing real women (not models). So one fine day, my father suggested why don’t you start making dance reels with them? - Media Insider
The St. Paul-based Ballet Co.Laboratory has " dual-contract structure provides its dancers with administrative employment, whether in management, communications, development or teaching — a framework that became especially useful in keeping the dancers employed during the pandemic." - Pointe Magazine
The choreographer’s eclectic inspirations wind like a scenic highway through American culture, from ballet to figure skating, from Frank Sinatra to Philip Glass. - Washington Post
The plan: Audacious, but careful. The space: The Park Avenue Armory, with an extremely limited audience. The issue: "The eagerly anticipated performances, which were set to begin on Wednesday for a sold-out seven-day run, had to be postponed after several members of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company tested positive for the virus." - The New York Times
Hugo Marchand's new memoir speaks of feelings that seem to beset nearly every dancer - of not belonging, of self-doubt, and of stage fright. And his newest pandemic project brought him into close contact with artist Anselm Kiefer. "I like the way loops and matches Kiefer’s work which uses recycled and repeating materials. We were lucky to meet Anselm Kiefer, and I was very touched and moved by the paintings." - The New York Times
