Jennifer Stahl's blog

The New York Times just reported that David Hallberg, currently a principal with American Ballet Theatre, just signed a contract with the Bolshoi Ballet as a principal dancer for the 2011-2012 season. (The story even made the newspaper's homepage!) Hallberg will be the first American ever to join the Russian company. Read the full story here.

Got the choreography bug? The Bay Area's Company C Contemporary Ballet is celebrating its 10th anniversary season with a new commission project.

For dancers trained in ballet, improvisation can feel like a completely foreign concept. Yet so many contemporary choreographers these days ask dancers to improv as a tool for creating movement. More and more companies are even including improv as part of their auditioning process.

To kick of its 10th anniversary season, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater is offering a free performance. On Friday, August 28 at 8 pm in Houston's Miller Outdoor Theater, the small but mighty contemporary ballet troupe will present a mixed rep of audience favorites. The bill includes Walsh's Medea, Clair de Lune, and multidisciplinary Time out of Line as well as Mats Ek's Pas de Dans. Go to dwdt.org for more info.

Calling all NYC dancers: Dance/NYC, Buglisi Dance Theatre and The September Project are collaborating on a new work to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11. The Table of Silence Project, to take place at Lincoln Center will be an opportunity for the New York dance community to gather and, through dance, offer a prayer to the city.

There's so much great dance going on outdoors this time of year. Jacob's Pillow, Summerstage, Saratoga Springs, Wolf Trap, Vail, the list seems endless. In addition to the thrill of seeing dancers leap among the leaves, one of the best parts is that many of these events are offered for free!

The hugely popular Chicago Dancing Festival celebrates its fifth anniversary this year with five days of free dance events, starting on August 23. Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, New York City Ballet, Ballet West and The Joffrey are all scheduled to perform at a variety of venues around the city. The Chicago Cultural Center will even screen The Red Shoes. Tickets will become available on July 19. Get 'em quick before they're all gone—past years' events have "sold out" within hours!

New York City's Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet is arguably the edgiest, coolest ballet company in the country. But what's more impressive is how they accomplish this without alienating mainstream audiences. In fact, they've been able to reach potential dance fans that most companies only dream of: This spring, they danced alongside Emily Blunt on the big screen in The Adjustment Bureau. And on Thursday, they'll be streamed into your living room as guest artists on So You Think You Can Dance.

If Step Up can do it, why not Giselle? On July 12, you'll be able to watch ballet dancers sauté off the screen in 3D for the first time in history! Movie theaters nationwide will present the Kirov Ballet's Giselle at 12 pm and 7:30 pm (local time). Bolshoi Ballet star Natalie Osipova and Kirov phenom Leonid Sarafanov perform the leads in St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre. For a list of participating theaters in your area, check out fathomevents.com.

Registration is now open for the 40th Prix de Lausanne. The prestigious Swiss competition has launched many a dance career, and awarded hundreds of scholarships to top schools around the world. One of the coolest things about this particular competition? It always reserves a certain number of spots for students from small studios in order to even out the playing field so that the finals don't solely consist of dancers who come from big-name schools. I love that!