News

Good evening, and welcome to the show. Please take a minute to take out your cell phones and tweet.

Yup, Diablo Ballet is looking for real-time Tweeters. For their upcoming performance next month, the company is creating complimentary "tweet seats." A section at the back of the house will be reserved for audience members who promise to tweet throughout the show in exchange for a free ticket. Diablo Ballet hopes to encourage "citizen critics," and encourage artistic conversation between audience members. 

Move over New York—Montréal is the new Mecca for dancers who love pushing boundaries. One of the many artistic opportunities this city offers is Springboard Danse Montréal, a summer project where advanced dancers work directly with multiple companies and learn ballets by several top choreographers.

As dancers, we all hope that others will recognize our potential. The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is one organization that offers tangible rewards for your dedication to dance. They provide financial awards for aspiring artists in theater, dance, choreography and film. To be considered for the dance category, you have to be a student at a professional, non-profit school or a dancer at a non-profit company. However, applicants must be nominated by their artistic director or department chair.

There's something thrilling about watching great dancers from major ballet companies perform in smaller, more intimate side projects. It shows an unfamiliar side of familiar ballet faces—and it gives the dancers a chance to expand their artistry in unexpected directions.

"If you could write a letter to your first love, what would it say?"

To celebrate their company premiere of John Cranko's Onegin, San Francisco Ballet is hosting a Tumblr account where people can submit letters to their first loves. Some of the notes are short but sweet, some are sacharrine but moving and others are hauntingly sad. Check it out, and add your own, at sfballet.tumblr.com

Quiksilver just released a quirky new series of short films called "The Water Dancer." In each of the three vignettes, brand ambasador and surf champion Stephanie Gilmore meets a professional dancer—site-specific choreographer Noemie LaFrance, break dancer Casandra "Defy" Rivera and New York City Ballet principal Tiler Peck. The women share their passions and find similarities between the commitment, energy and grace needed in their respective professions. Each episode offers inspiration and celebrates female strength.

The Boston International Ballet Competition is back for a second round. Founder Valentina Kozlova just announced the event will be held from June 12 to 17 this year. The former Bolshoi and New York City Ballet principal describes BIBC as less of a competition than a "celebration of young talent." That might sound like overly-idealized marketing speak. But look at the results: A whopping 38 medals and prizes were awarded to the almost 100 dancers who attended last year's innaugural event.

Dates: June 12–17

Location: Boston's Cutler Majestic Theater

Pennsylvania Ballet's beautiful Riolama Lorenzo just announced that she'll be ending her performing career next month. It will be a sad loss for the company, and for the ballet world. Lorenzo moves with a natural grace, and has amazing, fluid extensions that seem to reach to eternity. At 5'8", she's also an inspiration for other tall dancers. She started her career at New York City Ballet, where as a young corps member, Lorenzo was a favorite of the legendary Jerome Robbins.

Youth America Grand Prix’s “Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow” gala makes its Tampa debut January 22 at the David A. Straz, Jr Center for the Performing Arts. Dancers from New York City Ballet, Miami City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Boston Ballet will dance alongside top-scoring students from YAGP’s 2012 Tampa semi-finals. One of those “Stars of Today” is Boston Ballet soloist Jeffrey Cirio.