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Feb 24, 2021
Skylar Brandt. Photo by Jayme Thornton
Take a Free Class With Skylar Brandt
What is the secret sauce to Skylar Brandt's seemingly superhuman technique? (Those balances! Those turns!)
Well, the American Ballet Theatre principal is ready to share some insights. Take a free online class with the cover star of our February issue through Dance Media Live! On Wednesday, March 3, at 4 pm ET, Brandt will teach a 45-minute ballet barre, followed by a short Q&A with participants.
<p>Click <a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtd-iqpjMsGNJUfkPT1_0RjF5_fJmu0LfV" target="_blank">here</a> to register for free, and submit any questions you'd like to ask her. The class is open to all levels. </p>
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Feb 24, 2021
Artists of The Australian Ballet perform the "Kingdom of the Shades" from La Bayadère. Lynette Wills, Courtesy The Australian Ballet.
Catch The Australian Ballet’s Livestreamed Season Premiere This Weekend
After a yearlong hiatus, The Australian Ballet is ready to return to the stage. The company's season opener, titled Summertime at the Ballet, packs a great deal of firsts: It marks the ballet's first performance before a live audience since the start of the pandemic; the first time the company takes the stage under the leadership of its new artistic director, David Hallberg; and the first time The Australian Ballet performs at the Melbourne & Olympic Parks Margaret Court Arena. Another important first: The performance will be livestreamed not only in Australia but all over the world. Summertime at the Ballet will be broadcast February 28 at 11:45 am AEDT (that's 7:45 pm EST on February 27 here in the U.S.), with bonus features, such as interviews and commentary. It will be accessible for 48 hours to accommodate all time zones.
This livestream will be provided via The Australian Ballet's newly launched digital platform, Live on Ballet TV. "One of my main goals is for the company to be seen by as many people around the world as possible," says Hallberg, the American-born international star who took the helm at The Australian Ballet in January. "Which is why Live on Ballet TV is such an integral part of my vision artistically."
<p>The Australian Ballet has been a second home for Hallberg for nearly 10 years, and he has established a special connection with the company and its dancers. But in his new role, he says he comes "with fresh eyes and a fresh perspective," as well as his experience performing with some of the world's most illustrious ballet companies—experience which, he hopes, will allow him "to invigorate The Australian Ballet and its dancers" and bring them into the new era.</p><p>So what can the audience expect from the season's inaugural performance?</p><p>"Summertime at the Ballet is a big gala program that really shows off the talent in the company," says Hallberg. It opens with "Kingdom of the Shades" from <em>La </em><em>Bayadère</em>, "which in my opinion is the greatest display of the women's corps de ballet in the classical repertoire," says Hallberg. The program also includes Balanchine's <em>Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux</em>,<em> </em>as well as<em> </em>the pas de deux and finale of <em>Theme and Variations</em>. "There are also ballets by the company's resident choreographers, including Tim Harbour and Alice Topp, that highlight the work being created here in Australia."</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY4MzEyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzUzNjIxMX0.9Oo7mSTCsBE3wYv5Ze_87eavi6AWOilKrd-8zCWRH3c/img.jpg?width=980" id="57eb3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6259ea5abba076e8aa8347d692074dc3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="A blond David Hallberg is shown from the back wearing a black tank top, watching rehearsal with his arms crossed. In front of him in the dance studio, three lines of ballerinas kneel on their right knee with their left leg extended and cambr\u00e9 slightly back with their arms in third position. They each wear a leotard, pink tights, pointe shoes and a white practice tutu." data-width="1440" data-height="1080" />
David Hallberg rehearses the corps de ballet in "The Kingdom of the Shades" from La Bayadère.
Christopher Rodgers Wilson, Courtesy The Australian Ballet
<p>After a year offstage, it's no small feat to prepare such an impressive gala program, which will also include excerpts from <em>Don Quixote</em>, <em>Spartacus</em>, <em>The Merry Widow</em> and <em>Swan Lake</em>, among other pieces.</p><p>"I'm really proud of how we have prepared this program, and I've had a very productive time in the studios with all of the dancers, shaping the work," says Hallberg. While describing his approach to coaching, the new artistic director emphasizes the importance of developing and nurturing the dancers. "Every artist is different. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. I observe, and then connect my experience to the dancer I am working with. There is so much fulfillment in seeing a dancer bloom under your development." </p><p>The performance will be held at Melbourne's Margaret Court Arena, notably acclaimed for hosting the Australian Open. The unconventional venue will offer some rare perks for ballet spectators, as there will be no customary curtain or wings. "The audience will see everything, from the warm-up to the entrances and exits," explains Hallberg. "We usually hide behind a curtain, and show the audience what we want them to see. But this time they will see everything, to the action onstage to the collapse of fatigue in the wings!" </p>
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<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY4MzA5OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzODI0Mzg0N30.GjiLcL9mBnjVGY5NSURqIEccIjjSO8bT_KT2aFxeAi4/img.jpg?width=980" id="3f2d4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bbcc53c350fdf7b373ddd9a614ccbcb4" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Wearing a black T-shirt, leggings and dance sneakers, David Hallberg stands in tendu derriere on his left leg with his arms in high fifth. A group of ballerinas in practice tutus watch." data-width="1350" data-height="1080" />
Hallberg in rehearsal
Christopher Rodgers Wilson, Courtesy The Australian Ballet
<p>When talking about the company's new streaming platform Live on Ballet TV, Hallberg says he wants to spread the word about the company nationally and internationally. "We are very lucky to be able to perform in front of a live audience," he says, "but there are certainly people in Australia who cannot come to the show because of the pandemic. We are still recovering as a community. So it is imperative that we allow everyone to have the opportunity to see this program, including our international audience."</p><p>Hallberg is also excited to present the company's dancers. "We are beginning a new era, building a new generation of Australian dancers, and creating and upholding repertoire that is so important to be seen," he says. "It's a great turning point for this company that I know the world will enjoy."</p>
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Feb 23, 2021
Joffrey Ballet dancer Hyuma Kiyosawa on set during the shoot for Interim Avoidance. Michael Kettenbeil, Courtesy Action Lines.
Action Lines' Digital Art Installation, Starring Joffrey Dancers, Brings Virtual Ballet to the Chicago Public
This past year, dance has taken a flying leap into the world of virtual performance, with dancer-led enterprises emerging along the way. Laptops and television screens have hence erupted as leading performance venues. But for the new Chicago-based production company Action Lines, co-founded by Joffrey Ballet artists Xavier "Xavi" Núñez and Dylan Gutierrez, and film producer Eric Grant, dance has found another home: a 3,300-square-foot media-installation wall in downtown Chicago.
<p>Now through April 30, <a href="https://150mediastream.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">150 Media Stream</a>, a digital art installation platform housed in the lobby of the 150 North Riverside skyscraper, hosts Action Lines' <em>Interim Avoidance</em>, a new project featuring six dancers from The Joffrey Ballet. Dylan Gutierrez, Hyuma Kiyosawa, Dara Holmes, Olivia Duryea, Edson Barbosa and Jeraldine Mendoza pirouette, saut de chat and cabriole across the building's lobby in this massive, seven-minute looping media stream. Designed as a reflection on dance in divided space, <em>Interim Avoidance </em>marks Action Lines' first step into curated work.<strong></strong></p><p>We spoke with Núñez, Gutierrez and Grant about their first commission.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY3MzgzOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTM2MDcwNn0.ikYr8Dcxp7tNDpIvOskoemvtllKsF1Yy2pS_Q8Ya_J4/img.jpg?width=980" id="e2c29" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c4f4d2109aa7a3f06937f202036aa0eb" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="In the glass lobby of a building, a panel of LED blades stretches along the wall and features a film showing the images of four female dancers from the waist up." data-width="3840" data-height="2006" />
Joffrey Ballet dancers Dara Holmes and Jeraldine Mendoza in Interim Avoidance on the 150 Media Stream installation in downtown Chicago.
Olivia Duryea, Courtesy Action Lines
<p><strong>Action Lines is a very new company. How did you get started?</strong></p><p><strong>Xavier Núñez:</strong> It was about a year in the making. The three of us got together and decided to make a short film; it was more nonchalant—this was all before the pandemic. We realized then in making our first video, "<a href="https://vimeo.com/showcase/7478632/video/411853250" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Circles</a>," that we worked really well together. Then once quarantine hit, we found ourselves still wanting to make things.</p><p><strong>Dylan Gutierrez: </strong>When we all sat down together in the middle of summer, we felt that it was the perfect time to start it.</p><p><strong>XN: </strong>Action Lines officially became a company in early November, and then a week later we were contracted to do the 150 Media Stream project. We jumped right into it!</p><p><strong>That's a quick transition! How did Action Lines get involved with 150 Media Stream?</strong></p><p><strong>DG:</strong> I was introduced to the curator of 150 Media Stream, <a href="http://yugezhou.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yuge Zhou</a>, by a mutual friend. We began discussing our new company and how we wanted to get started on some projects. We pitched the idea that [virtual performances] are where dance is going to exist this year because the Joffrey had had to cancel its winter program. Once she heard the idea, she bought it right away, and we got to work.</p>
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<p><strong>The pandemic has affected the way we all work as artists. What was your creative process like for this project?</strong></p><p><strong>Eric Grant:</strong> Where Xavi and Dylan have a keen eye for visuals and dance in storytelling, I bring the visual language of film. In a lot of our meetings, they come in with a certain set of skills and I say, "Okay, how can we take what you want to do and make it make sense for a viewer of a film, rather than a stage production?"</p><p><strong>DG:</strong> What's great is that Eric will give us a suggestion movement-wise, and it will be something absolutely valid. While it may not have been something Xavi and I might have thought of, I think that adds to our creativity as a whole.</p><p><strong>XN:</strong> There was a lot of pre-production planning that went into this. Initially, the stream was just going to be dancers in slow motion in a black void, but then it evolved. We added color to it because we knew it would be the dead of winter, and we wanted to do something really bright so it would pop. We filmed in Joffrey's Gerald Arpino studio, which is basically a black-box theater, so we had complete control of the lighting. We also outsourced our director of photography with a company called <a href="https://www.bigfootcreates.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Big Foot Media</a>. Tim Whalen and Michael Kettenbeil handled the videography portion. Because we knew the dancers, we were then able to direct them and say, "This is the kind of angle we're looking for here."</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY3Mzg0MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0OTEzMTc0OH0.IUgpezvZN_bgT5Sj7Y3wk4eW_ja7CYFLMQSOJtJ5-aw/img.jpg?width=980" id="cd1fc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2dbd9fed9e13ea5ac499e8f882f3087e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Jeraldine Mendoza, wearing a brown bra-top and briefs and pointe shoes, stands in tendu devant en face on her left leg. Her arms reach straight down with flexed hands as light from above pools around her on the darkened stage." data-width="3024" data-height="2012" />
Jeraldine Mendoza performs a section of Interim Avoidance while a cameraman shoots from the side.
Michale Kettenbeil, Courtesy Action Lines.
<p><strong>How did you navigate filming during the pandemic?</strong></p><p><strong>XN:</strong> The Joffrey has really strict pandemic rules within the studios, so each dancer had to be filmed independently of each other.</p><p><strong>DG:</strong> Each of them had a 45-minute block, then there'd be a 15-minute airing-out period. Then the next person had to start on the dot. It was really scheduled.</p><p><strong>EG:</strong> I was so impressed with Joffrey's COVID restrictions. They already knew how the airflow was going to work, and it influenced how we constructed the story. We said, "How do we now create a story where we're filming everybody individually and cutting it to make it look like they're together again?"</p><p><strong>XN:</strong> We're used to filming one video at a time. Because of the epic size of this installation, it was more like filming four separate videos into one and having the shots interact with each other. There are times when they're layered over each other, and it makes it seem like the dancers are in the same room together.</p><p><strong>DG: </strong>The editing was so involved. But that's why the project looks so incredible. Especially with the slow motion, you actually have time to see everything that's happening.</p>
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<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY3MzgzOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxOTg5NTM0MX0.NLm2Pef62ceNoY6XA5hPtE5qv3LNdec4FH1BaxAGE-M/img.jpg?width=980" id="e919a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3d75a0a08da9bc420a7371550f27dc4e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Hyuma Kiyosawa wears nude booty shorts and stands in front of a pink backdrop with his arms crossed at his bare chest. He watches Xavier N\u00fa\u00f1ez, who is in front of him in street clothes and lunges ardently onto his left leg. He has a camera looped around his chest and looks over his right shoulder towards Kiyosawa." data-width="1440" data-height="917" />
Xavier Núñez (right) offers direction to Hyuma Kiyosawa during the shoot.
Courtesy Action Lines
<p><strong>What is the concept behind the piece?</strong></p><p><strong>DG:</strong> We're using the media wall as if it's a living thing—like it's the only place these dancers can exist. At first they're kind of confused why they're there, but then they realize that it's their space to dance. Then they disappear before it repeats again. It's this looping dream…the only place we can do what we want to do at the moment.</p><p><strong>How did this process differ from working on a choreographic project designed for the theater?</strong></p><p><strong>XN:</strong> There was a lot we didn't know about planning and logistics. As dancers, we rarely think about how many people are involved in making something happen—from the crew to PR and marketing. It's really opened our eyes to be able to see the full picture, as opposed to just the art itself.</p><p><strong>Looking to the future, do you have any plans or visions for where you'd like Action Lines to go?</strong></p><p><strong>XN:</strong> Once I'm done dancing, I want to be able to say that we have something we can transition into full-time—something that we all love to do.</p><p><strong>DG:</strong> I think we're in a really privileged position to be able to start this right now, because the opportunity to do good work is huge when you're starting out. We have a fresh perspective, but also one that's relatable beyond dancers. We want everyone to see themselves in our work. I see big things for us in the future.</p><p><em>For more information and access to an adapted online version of </em>Interim Avoidance<em>, check out the 150 Media Stream </em><a href="https://150mediastream.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>website</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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Feb 18, 2021
Kyle Froman
Using Physics to Explain "Centered Placement," and How It Can Impact Your Dance Longevity
Could dance science help to prolong your performing career?
What if I told you that a few changes to your alignment, and, specifically, more targeted hamstring usage, could make a huge difference? This change could empower your dancing and impact longevity. The muscles are more available to recruit to fire, energy is conserved when executing movement (so stamina is increased), and consistency in balances, turns, jumps and lines could be more easily attained.
I've been fortunate enough to collaborate with dance physicist Dr. Kenneth Laws; we primarily focused on alignment and weight placement. Using an electronic barre (which uses the weight of the hand to measure various forces), we discovered that the even distribution of weight over a vertical axis (the supporting leg) resulted in a more stable center, which translated into dancers having greater freedom of movement. Alignment departing from this centered placement meant that the body usually gripped with opposing muscles.
<p>After 25 years of using the ballet studio as a lab, I have tested and finessed this concept of "centered placement." The idea is not new. However, combining science with ballet gives the concept new life and meaning, and is the foundation of this alignment. So, what do I exactly mean by "centered placement"?</p><p>When I use the word "centered," I mean standing vertically near a centered axis (whether on one foot or two feet), implying working with gravity. Remember that gravity's force pulls the body vertically toward the earth; if the weight is centered, there is less strain placed on bones and muscles.</p><p>But first: the how. Basically, it's a two-step process. Keep in mind that we want to achieve verticality with the entire body.</p>
Side-to-Side Centering
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY2MjM1NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNzQwODQ4NX0.Z5BNHyuNb5kpw9gr36Nm5ejmkMl-C8WQp5DFgfLJXYA/img.jpg?width=980" id="a13f9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5732d1408bd05184f2e25b7b7257fc0d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="A white female ballet dancer in a turquoise leotard and black booty shorts stands in front of a red curtain with her arms resting on a ballet barre behind her. She stands in fifth position. A fuschia dashed line runs through the center of her body pointing towards the floor, while two dotted purple diagonal lines follow each leg from hip to heel." data-width="1894" data-height="2402" />Gravity's force goes through an imaginary straight vertical line through the center of the body.
Photos by Kyle Froman; modeled by Natalia McCarthy.
<p>Imagine yourself in fifth position facing the mirror. The legs are in diagonal lines and gravity's force goes through an imaginary straight vertical line through the center of the body from the head to the feet.</p><p>From fifth position, do a battement tendu à la seconde. Keeping in mind that gravity runs vertically straight down, how do we achieve that with the supporting leg?</p><p>Simply put, in order to create balance and stabilization, you must shift your weight towards the supporting mid-foot (where the ankle and foot meet), as opposed to the ball of foot. By doing so, you naturally activate your hamstrings and adductors,<strong> </strong>and the quads don't have to do all the work of preventing the body from toppling. It will feel as though the weight is in your heel.</p><p>The body works most efficiently when closest to a neutral (vertical) anatomical skeleton. Standing on a diagonal leg with all the weight on the forefoot doesn't achieve this. When the muscles are closest to their resting position, they are much more able to contract. In a diagonal, the hamstrings are stretched, the knee is pushed back, and the turnout muscles aren't being used to their fullest.</p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY2MjM1OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDc4NjY2MH0.7m3U1p6C-Rr6JDXdmklC8xcnDv_e6IqhfXMhou0a8Tw/img.jpg?width=980" id="121ae" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ba58418dcd815328a33cc50be584286d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="A white female dancer in a turquoise leotard and black booty shorts poses in tendu \u00e0 la seconde in front of a ballet barre and red curtain. A fuchsia dashed line runs down the middle of her face and body, through her left heel." data-width="2081" data-height="2588" />
Kyle Froman
Here, the dancer has shifted her weight to the mid-foot on her standing side, maintaining verticality.
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Front-to-Back Centering
<p>Centered placement is two-dimensional. You just experienced your weight shift sideways from fifth position to a more vertical stance from a diagonal leg. That's step one, side-to-side centering. Step two involves front-to-back centering, viewed from a profile perspective.</p><p>When moving from fifth position to one leg, your weight not only has to shift sideways but also up and forward. This means you really have to use the hamstrings (backs of the legs), adductors (inner thigh muscles, to stabilize) and turnout muscles (external rotators). The quads (front thigh muscles) must be contracted to lift the kneecap. The shoulder girdle sits directly over the pelvic girdle.</p><p>Go back to your fifth position, this time viewing yourself in profile. Both hips should be perpendicular to the barre. The buttocks are not tucked under, which maintains the natural lumbar curve.</p><p>Put the body in a fifth position that "feels" as though the body weight is located in the center. My bet is that the back leg is bearing a good percentage of the weight. Do a tendu side: the weight on the supporting leg probably shifts back, the knee is locked back, the pelvis and upper body tip forward and the quads grip for dear life to keep on balance.</p><p>The solution: For starters, shift your weight forward in fifth position so that both legs can turn out. The butt cheeks from the back will look even, and the inside hip will not be pushed back.</p><p>Extending the leg to the front, side or back, the hamstrings have to work with the rotators to maintain the weight "up and forward" while also shifting sideways toward the midfoot. In this way, the supporting leg does not twist, protecting<strong> </strong>the knees, hips and ankles. Verticality is maintained!</p>
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY2MjM2Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NTgyNzkzMX0.dEUzoMf-m4CxWGLnLdKYzQwH-SFcgTvA4_FC-uhxG1E/img.jpg?width=980" id="46ede" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c7ea5d5b6a7b01b103ed308ff1b20369" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="A white female dancer in a turquoise leotard and black booty shorts stands in fifth position facing the right, holding onto a ballet barre. A fuchsia dashed line runs down the middle of her body from her head to between her feet." data-width="1667" data-height="2400" />
Kyle Froman
Keep weight shifted forward in fifth position so that both legs can turn out.
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<p>Achieving this centered alignment fosters the efficient use of the muscles, translating into more successful balancing, external rotation, turning and jumping. And the big bonus is that it will reduce your risk of injury and promote dance longevity for years to come.</p><p><br></p><p><em>Arleen Sugano, a ballet coach and dance scientist, is the owner and creator of <a href="http://suganosystem.com/" target="_blank">SuganoSystemBallet</a>.</em></p>
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Feb 09, 2021
The Constellation Project's detailed orbit of Dance Theatre of Harlem co-founder Arthur Mitchell. Digital design by Natasha Hulme, Courtesy MoBBallet
Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet's "Constellation Project" Maps the Complex Histories of 6 Dance Pioneers
Last week, Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet celebrated the start of Black History Month with the launch of The Constellation Project, a star-studded online exhibition of dance history. The project maps the lives of six influential Black dancers—Arthur Mitchell, Mel Tomlinson, Lavinia Williams, Mabel Jones Freeman, Doris Jones and Claire Haywood—across a digitally rendered galaxy of historical events, institutions and more. The result is an educational experience that, much like its galaxy-inspired title, will no doubt only continue to grow.
<p>Writer and activist Theresa Ruth Howard founded MoBBallet in 2015 with a fairly simple mission: to make the invisible visible. She started with projects like her <a href="https://mobballet.org/index.php/impact/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Roll Call</a> of Black dancers and the <a href="https://mobballet.org/index.php/timeline/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Timeline</a> that traces their presence back into the 19th century. These designs highlighted Black artists as individuals, but the more that Howard learned, the more complex these stories became. </p><p>"We don't dance in a vacuum," Howard explained recently, "and history is not as siloed as it's presented when we teach it."</p>
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Mel Tomlinson, one of the artists profiled by MoBBallet's Constellation Project, danced for Dance Theatre of Harlem, Heritage Dance Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, New York City Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre and Boston Ballet.
Courtesy Dance Magazine Archives
<p>One example, she says, is the way that renowned 20th-century choreographer Anthony Tudor—a white man—also spent time teaching private dance classes to Black women in Philadelphia.</p><p>"What does that do?" Howard asks. "Does it change the way that we perceive what ballet is and how the world actually worked?"</p><p>This question guided the start of MoBBallet's Constellation Project, whose full title includes "Mapping the Dark Stars of Ballet." Howard, along with MoBBallet's digital art director Natasha Hulme, conceptualized the dancers in orbit with each other's influences. Howard had also partnered with Janine Parker, the artist in residence at <a href="https://www.williams.edu" target="_blank">Williams College</a>, to co-teach a course that would eventually lead to The Constellation Project's launch.</p><p>The five students in Howard and Parker's class chose their own subjects and then spent the semester conducting expansive research. "I didn't say, 'Oh, no, that's not relevant, that's not about ballet,'" Howard explained. "It ended up being more anthropological—it looks at Black culture and Black life."</p>
<p>The approach shifted the way the students looked at history, Howard said: "It wasn't as one-dimensional. It automatically made them think about what's <em>not</em> being said and who is <em>not</em> being represented."</p>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTYyOTA2OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDcyMjA1Nn0.l2AkkajAG7E9e8C7lp4gQKT6sD6ig-famOMPyxSK74U/img.jpg?width=980" id="b9ecd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a3de1b8f66e044b1b33427ef8a2a0e5e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="In this graphic of orbits of planets in space, a large light purple planet labeled "Lavinia Williams" is surrounded by darker purple planets of people and dance institutions she was connected to, like American Negro Ballet and Katherine Dunham." data-width="1920" data-height="1080" />
Digital design by Natasha Hulme, Courtesy MoBBallet
The Lavinia Williams orbit
<p>Howard hopes The Constellation Project will encourage a shift in the way we view, teach and categorize dance history and normalize more conversations like these. She wants dancers, educators, directors and choreographers to start actively looking for what has been invisibilized. On the site, users start by choosing one of six galaxies that surround each featured artist and then take step-by-step tours of the stars that represent overlapping influences within each orbit. For example, near Lavinia Williams, who danced for the American Negro Ballet and Katherine Dunham Company, is a star that represents Virginia Lee, the woman who provided Williams' scholarship to the Art Students League, where she had trained in her childhood. The Art Students League has its own star, which also orbits around Lee and Williams. This continues, with each intersection moving in sleek animation, until the user has seen a galaxy made up of dozens of stars with interwoven orbits. At each stop along the way, users can click to read a few paragraphs of information and find more sources.</p>
<p>"It's designed to be like a rabbit hole," Howard says "so that you just trip and fall down and you find all these interesting things."</p><p>As she adds more artists with their own orbits of history, Howard hopes to collaborate with a few more colleges, and one day she would love to see the exhibition in a physical space—maybe even the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC.</p><p>For now, though, the project will continue to grow online, where everyone can navigate it easily.</p><p>"History is for everybody," Howard says. "And everybody's history is for everybody. It really does involve all of us almost all the time."</p>
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