When Jules Perrot’s Pas de Quatre premiered in London in 1845, it was an unprecedented event in the ballet world. Created for four of the greatest ballerinas of the day—Marie Taglioni, Carlotta Grisi, Lucile Grahn and Fanny Cerrito—the ballet was essentially the original “international gala of the stars.” Nearly 150 years later, in a gala […]
Dancing peasants in traditional costumes often signal a Romantic ballet. However, they don’t always consist of a three-act narrative. Divertissements are short ballets created to feature a dancer’s technical skill. August Bournonville choreographed many, including this folkloric interpretation of Gioachino Rossini’s opera William Tell. The dancers don’t appear as characters, but rather perform to express the […]
One of the trickiest moves in Balanchine’s Serenade isn’t a dance step, and it wasn’t even part of the ballet until it was well past 40. It’s the moment where the Waltz Girl undoes her hair onstage before the final movement. It can go beautifully or badly, including her hairdo coming out too early or […]
This February, New York City Ballet presented Peter Martin’s two-act version of Swan Lake. In her New York Times review, Gia Kourlas reminisced about some of NYCB’s past Odette/Odiles, pointing to a masterful, and high stakes, 1999 “Live From Lincoln Center” performance starring Miranda Weese and Damian Woetzel. With just an hour’s notice, Weese stepped […]
Former New York City Ballet dancer Kurt Froman is best known for training celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence for dance roles on film. Yet Froman’s Instagram has become our newest obsession for a whole other reason. Over the past few months, Froman has been posting rarely-seen clips of old NYCB rehearsal and performance videos. These […]
Yesterday evening, Peter Martins announced his immediate retirement as New York City Ballet’s ballet master in chief through a letter to the company’s board. He had been solely in charge of the company’s artistic direction since 1989 and the School of American Ballet’s chairman of faculty since 1983. Since December 7, Martins had been on […]
Bee pollen, cacao nibs, flower buds—you might expect to find these items in a gardener’s hands, not a dancer’s pantry. Yet if you knew New York City Ballet corps member Jenelle Manzi, you wouldn’t be surprised by this odd ingredient assortment. She’s become known among her NYCB peers for her baked goods; all homemade, dairy-free […]
Over the years, many companies have premiered works or made their U.S. debut at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and some of the world’s most famous ballet dancers have performed there. This week I will give some more insights from the Pillow’s extensive archives into the dancers that have graced this world famous festival’s stage. […]