Archive for July, 2010
Friday, July 30th, 2010
This is by far one of the most touching stories we’ve ever read!
“A South African ballet dancer from a poor township outside Cape Town has been given the chance to train in the United States — all because of a documentary film, and an email from a caring viewer.
“Ghetto Ballet” is a documentary that chronicles the lives of four young ballet dancers living in one of the poorest towns on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa….One of the four dancers featured in the movie was Sibahle Tshibika. In the film, she is seen failing to make the cut for the dance company — the end of her dream, or so she thought.” ~ Quote: CNN
Click here to read all about Sibahle Tshibika’s extraordinary journey of hope, compassion and perseverance. For more information about the documentary, Ghetto Ballet please click here.
Tags: Atlanta Ballet, Ghetto Ballet, Sibahle Tshibika
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Thursday, July 29th, 2010
Geometry + Grace; photo courtesy: Scottish Ballet
“In the past two weeks at Scottish Ballet I’ve been writing less for the press and more for audiences who want to learn about ballet and the myriad activities that contribute to the finished product of a performance. In the process, I’ve been learning a fair bit myself.” ~ Quote: Amanda Grimm, press intern at Scottish Ballet.
Have you ever wanted to get a “behind the scenes” look at life on the inside of a top ballet company? Well, look no further! Amanda Grimm, a summer press intern at Scottish Ballet, is blogging about her many adventures week-by-week. She covers every aspect of the company, from the spectacular to the ordinary. Stop by the Scottish Ballet Blog and read all about life on the inside!
Tags: Scottish Ballet
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Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
Be a part of ballet history! On Monday, August 2nd hundreds of ballerinas will descend upon New York’s Central Park in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for “The Most Ballerinas On Pointe” at one time. All ballet dancers age 13 and up–and their pointe shoes–are encouraged to join in. The goal is to have 1,000+ dancers (current record is 220) standing en pointe for one minute. Special hosts include Michele Wiles (principal dancer) and Craig Salstein (soloist) of American Ballet Theatre, and every little girl’s favorite dancing mouse, Angelina Ballerina.
Participants are asked to donate $10 which benefits the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club Dance Program.
You can learn more about this awesome record-breaking event here and register to participate here.
Tags: Guinness World Record, Most Ballerinas On Pointe Record
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Friday, July 23rd, 2010
Courtesy of La Vie Photography. Houston Ballet principal Melody Herrera and Lucien Postelwaite rehearsing a new work by Annabelle Lopez Ochao with Whim W'Him, a new Seattle dance company directed by Olivier Wevers.
“Vacations are better put to use as immersion excursions. Apparently, I am not the only dance nerd in town. Others are spending their precious down time doing just what they love, dancing. For this crop, summer seems to be more about changing the where than the what.”~Quote Nancy Wozny, CultureMap.com
The moment I saw this post, I knew I had to share it! Nancy Wozny of Culture Map-Houston, reveals what some of the hottest names in dance are busy doing this summer. We were especially pleased to note that Olivier Wevers and the Whim W’him crew (Lucien Postlewaite, Melody Herrera, Annabelle Lopez Ochao) received a most honorable mention! You can read the rest of the article here.
Tags: Annabelle Lopez Ochao, Houston Ballet, Melody Herrera
Posted in Lucien Postlewaite, Olivier Wevers, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Uncategorized, Whim W'Him | No Comments »
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
Vikharev rehearses Coppélia with Maria Alexandrova, photo Vyacheslav Podorozhniy.
“When Russia was plunged into Revolution in 1917, a chief balletmaster inside the Imperial Ballet in St Petersburg feared the worst. It was not simply the death of Tsars he feared, but the death of all culture associated with them, including the classical ballet… For 25 years all the ballets in the repertoire had been notated, their choreography, how the steps fitted the music, what costumes and sets should be. The notes were filed in several large volumes. The balletmaster…packed them into crates, and when he disappeared from Russia, the volumes went with him. Possibly thus the future of classical ballet was saved….
“….Here is where Sergei Vikharev comes onto the scene. A dancer in the Mariinsky, in the late 1990s he was struck – while rehearsing Balanchine and Fokine ballets, both of which have active custodians zealously preserving their text – that the classics had no such equivalent, and in particular the ballets of the master of them all, Petipa. Vikharev learned about the Harvard notations and…the result was the astounding restoration of the 1890 The Sleeping Beauty, which set London and New York by the ears in 2000. This was followed by (an) ”old” La Bayadère, recreating the 1900 staging supervised by Petipa and restoring the full four-act score.” ~
Quote: Ismene Brown, The Arts Desk.com
Tags: Mariinsky, Marius Petipa, Sergei Vikharev
Posted in Dance, General Interest, The Sleeping Beauty | No Comments »
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
“Big by name, big by nature, the Bolshoi possess a distinctive, muscular style that melds drama with spectacle. Even Lady Gaga is a fan.” ~ Quote: Sanjoy Roy, Guardian.co.uk.
Think you know everything there is to know about the Bolshoi Ballet? Well check out the new “step-by-step guide” published in the Guardian. Author Sanjoy Roy explains the company’s rich history and provides details about the company’s current “Who’s Who” roster! Read all about it here.
Tags: The Bolshoi Ballet
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Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
Photo Credit: Austin Bommer
I just stumbled upon this awesome article written by Austin Bommer, a Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory student. Here’s a little taste… “Because I am in the dance section, we started spacing and choreography for the piece with our dance teacher and choreographer, Michele Mossay. The piece shows a fluid blend of jazz, ballet, and contemporary, with many ethnic influences. The movement is quite beautiful and will bring a nice balance and contrast to the concert.” ~ Austin Bommer, South Orange Patch.
Click here to read the rest of Austin’s exciting article.
Tags: Austin Bommer, Paper Mill Playhouse
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Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
Class Act Tutu would like to extend its sincere condolances to the students and faculty of the Ailey School in New York. On Saturday, their beloved director Denise Jefferson, lost her battle with ovarian cancer. She was 65 years old.
Jefferson was a member of the Ailey School faculty since 1974, and served as director from 1984 until her passing.
“In addition to mentoring countless young dancers, she helped create an innovative degree program with Fordham University. Co-workers say she was an amazing woman whose spirit will live in on in the school.” ~ Quote NY1 News.com
To read more about Jefferson and her legacy, please click here.
Tags: Ailey School, Alvin Ailey, Denise Jefferson
Posted in Dance, General Interest | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
Check out this amazing story! Twin brothers, Shaakir and Naazir Muhammad, dubbed “the Billy Elliots of Brooklyn”, have won full scholarships to the prestigious American Ballet Theatre in Manhattan. Like the Broadway character, the boys had to overcome some major hurdles to fulfill their dreams. You can read all about their journey here and check out the video clip below!
Tags: American Ballet Theatre, Brooklyn Ballet, Naazir Muhammad, Shaakir Muhammad
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Thursday, July 15th, 2010
July 14th, 2010 marked the 100th anniversary of Marius Petipa’s death. Petipa is considered to be ”the father of Russian ballet” and one of the most influential choreographers in history. His most famous works include the beloved Nutcracker, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty.
“In recognition of Petipa’s vast contributions to Russian ballet and culture, Moscow Ballet is selecting Russian artists who represent the contemporary sensibilities in Russian visual art to create limited edition paintings. These new works will be inspired by three of Petipa’s artistically acclaimed story ballets: Swan Lake,The Nutcracker, and Sleeping Beauty- all of which Moscow Ballet performs on it’s annual tours of North America.” ~ Quote MoscowBallet.Wordpress.com You can read more about this amazing tribute here.
Tags: Marius Petipa, Moscow Ballet, Nutcracker, Nutcracker Tutu, Russian ballerinas, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake
Posted in Dance, General Interest | No Comments »
