Jennifer Stahl's blog

Alina Cojocaru has no tendons—I am convinced of it! Legs aren't supposed to float up that high quite that easily. It's kind of absurd. Just like her supernatural sense of balance. Seriously, I'm pretty sure she could drink an entire cup of coffee while hanging out on pointe in arabesque.

Well, this is going to make for one awesome "first dance:" At American Ballet Theatre's gala on Monday night, Ethan Stiefel proposed to Gillian Murphy backstage right after she finished performing Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. And...she said yes! The couple has been dating for over a decade after a close friendship blossomed into something more. 

Congrats you two!

Last month, severe storms ripped through the South, leaving dozens dead and an estimated 10,000 people in need of a place to live. Alabama was one of the states hit the hardest. To help out their neighbors in need, Huntsville Ballet Company will present two special encore performances of Stars and Stripes on May 31 and June 1 at VBC Concert Hall in Huntsville, AL. Both shows are completely free to the public. Company members are asking for donations to help families affected by the tornadoes and will be collecting non-perishable food items at the theater.

Calling all choreographers! You can win $15,000 towards your own show in NYC. All you've got to do is enter a clip of your choreography in the Capezio A.C.E. Award contest on dancemedia.com by the end of this week. Fifteen finalists will be invited to perform at the Dance Teacher Summit in New York on July 30, where one winner and two runners up will be selected by a panel of esteemed judges. Submit your video here!

For the first time, the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in the Arts is looking for dance artists. This annual award for young foreign-born artists has previously focused on filmmakers, culinary artists and writers. But this year, they're inviting dancers, choreographers, artistic directors and former dancers who teach to apply for the $25,000 prize. (Four finalists will also receive $5,000 each.) Applicants can be from any dance genre. The only requirements are that they must have been board abroad, permanently reside in the U.S. and be no more than 35 years old as of December 31, 2011.

Heads up New York dancers! Peridance Capezio Center is offering a great deal through Groupon today. For $25, you get your choice of any three classes (usually $51). Step into the studio with Alexandre Proia, Igal Perry, Graciela Kozak, or any other of the studio's great ballet teachers.

Do you work in the dance field in New York City? Help Dance/NYC's Junior Committee figure out how to serve you best. They just launched a census to gather research on the hurdles and contributions of people ages 21–35 who work in dance.

No matter how beautiful they are, every dancer eventually takes a final bow. But what happens once they've given up performing?

In ballet, there's no such thing as perfection—especially when it comes to bodies. In our April/May issues we spoke to top dancers and directors about how shape and size affect their casting in Too Fat? Too Thin? Too Tall? Tall Short? "So You Think You Can Dance's" Melissa Sandvig opened up about being put on weight probation and being chided for eating a banana because it had too many calories.

As a dancer, it's easy to think that all you'll ever need is the music and the mirror. But in a career that depends on your body, you need to have a Plan B, no matter how talented you are.