Photo by Carlos Quezada, Courtesy ABT
American Ballet Theatre announced today that Brooklyn Mack, a former Washington Ballet star, will join the company as a guest for its spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House. Currently an in-demand international guest artist, Mack will dance in three performances of ABT's Le Corsaire this June.
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Boylston and Whiteside brought charm and technical brilliance to Harlequinade. Photo by Alan Alejandro Sánchez, Courtesy ABT.
Alexei Ratmansky's reconstruction of Marius Petipa's Harlequinade, which debuted this spring at American Ballet Theatre, felt as fizzy and decadent as a glass of champagne. Though resplendently designed and lovingly assembled, the ballet relied on the personal charms of its Harlequin and Columbine to buoy its all-too-poppable bubble of a plot. And nobody brought more charm, or technical brilliance, to the leading roles than the opening-night cast, James Whiteside and Isabella Boylston. The charismatic duo perfectly understood the lightweight fun of the ballet, relishing the beauties of its coloratura choreography while keeping the extended mime passages just to the right side of camp. Their offstage best-friendship—they're known to their Instagram fans (including Jennifer Garner) as "the Cindies"—lent a special warmth to their onstage partnership, especially in the ballet's surprisingly tender climactic pas de deux. Audiences floated out of the theater afterward, pleasantly intoxicated.
Harlequinade www.youtube.com
Jennifer Garner "helps" Stella Abrera warm up. Still via Instagram.
Jennifer Garner wants the world to know that she takes game day seriously—and she's not talking about football. For ballet dancers during December, there's obviously only one type of "game day." Nutcracker, of course.
Garner is a highly documented ballet lover, and, this time, she went the extra mile to show her dedication. Thankfully, she was on hand as American Ballet Theatre warmed up for its current Nutcracker run at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California.
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ABT corps members Rachel Richardson (left) and Zimmi Coker in rehearsal with choreographer Gabrielle Lamb. Photo by JJ Geiger, Courtesy ABT.
"I feel like you want to move one more thing," says choreographer Gabrielle Lamb, her head cocked slightly to the right as she watches American Ballet Theatre corps dancers Zimmi Coker and Xuelan Lu work through an intertwined movement sequence. "My hip," answers Lu, who stands with her right leg extended, foot flexed, her hand on Coker's head. Both are in socks, and in the background music plays softly, providing atmosphere rather than counts and cues. It's week two of ABT Incubator, a new choreographic workshop spearheaded by principal dancer David Hallberg that was held earlier this month. Lamb is one of five choreographers, including New York–based dancemaker Kelsey Grills and ABT dancers Sung Woo Han, Duncan Lyle and James Whiteside, who were chosen to participate through an audition process.
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Jennifer Garner made all of our dreams come true and officially joined the Cindies at American Ballet Theatre's studios this week.
What's been going on in the wonderful world of the Cindies (a.k.a. American Ballet Theatre principals James Whiteside and Isabella Boylston)? Just a casual visit at the ABT studios from actress Jennifer Garner, of course.
Judging from both Boylston's and Whiteside's Instagram accounts, Garner dropped by ABT's company class this week while in New York City promoting her new movie, Peppermint. And this means two major things: Garner has officially earned her Cindy title—at least according to Boylston's Instagram caption, which is about as official as it gets. And, perhaps even more importantly, this picture of the Cindies together means we can finally stop photoshopping Garnerhotoshopping Garner onto photos of the dancers (you're welcome).
While we hope there's more Cindy content on the way, we needed to take a minute to give Garner's tendu the recognition it deserves.
Lauren Post unwinds by sewing pointe shoes in the tub. Photo via Instagram/@laurencpost
Let's face it. Dancers just do things differently. We can never walk down a grocery aisle—we have to tap. We can never simply pick something up we've dropped—without going into a penché. But it's not a bad thing. We love all the ways that dance bleeds into our daily lives.
Turns out the pros aren't ever really off-duty either. Here's how we caught them dancing through their downtime.
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Lauren Post unwinds by sewing pointe shoes in the tub. Photo via Instagram/@laurencpost
Let's face it. Dancers just do things differently. We can never walk down a grocery aisle—we have to tap. We can never simply pick something up we've dropped—without going into a penché. But it's not a bad thing. We love all the ways that dance bleeds into our daily lives.
Turns out the pros aren't ever really off-duty either. Here's how we caught them dancing through their downtime.
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Aspen Santa Fe Ballet will revive "An Evening with Pianist Joyce Yang" this weekend in Aspen. Photo by Rose Eichenbaum, Courtesy of ASFB.
Wonder what's going on in ballet this week? We've pulled together some highlights.
Vail Dance Festival Races to the Finish Line
This Sunday, Vail Dance Festival wraps up an eventful few weeks jam-packed with premieres, collaborations and guests. The final week of the festival has us looking forward to appearances from American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Hispánico and more.
Vail's NOW: Premieres Includes New Michelle Dorrance Work for ABT
On August 6, Vail's NOW: Premieres program features new works commissioned for the festival. Choreographers include New York City Ballet star Tiler Peck (making her festival choreographic debut), Lauren Lovette, Justin Peck and Claudia Schreier, who is creating a ballet on dancers from Ballet Hispánico. Tap maverick Michelle Dorrance is also choreographing a piece on American Ballet Theatre, the second of Dorrance's three works on the company this year. Watch some of the same choreographers' premieres at the 2017 edition of NOW below.
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Patricia Delgado in Pam Tanowitz's "Solo for Patricia 2017." Photo by Erin Baiano, Courtesy Vail Dance Festival.
Wonder what's going on in ballet this week? We've pulled together some highlights.
Vail Dance Fest Enters Its Second Week
With half a month devoted to creating new art in the midst of stunning nature, Vail Dance Festival seems a dancer's paradise. Last week marked American Ballet Theatre's festival debut. The second week of performances, starting July 30, brings even more amazing ballet, with dancers and choreographers presenting a slew of new collaborations and premieres. Get the scoop on each program below.
Alonzo King LINES Ballet Takes the Vail Stage
July 30-31, Alonzo King LINES Ballet presents two different programs. The first performance, is a free, family-friendly event held in the Avon Performance Pavilion. The second, held at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, presents two works by King: Sand, a piece from 2016 set to jazz music, and Biophony, an exploration of the Earth's diverse ecosystems.
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Kathryn Boren dancing Giselle with Ballet Frontier of Texas. Photo by Chung Lin Tseng, Courtesy Boren.
As the marathon of American Ballet Theatre's eight-week Met season comes to a close, we caught up with corps dancer Kathryn Boren to talk to her about about the importance of warming up properly before a show. After four years with the company, Boren has her pre-performance routine down to a T.
What do you do before a show?
I always take a hot shower just to start the day over and get really warm, really fast. Then I put on my makeup and get my hair ready. At 6:40 I start doing a full, basic barre and core work; I feel like it's the only way I can get back to feeling centered and know what my body is capable of doing. I'll work in my pointe shoes for one or two exercises. Then it's 15 minutes till curtain, and I have to get in my costume and get onstage.
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Last week American Ballet Theatre principal Gillian Murphy danced the iconic dual role of Odette/Odile as part of the company's spring season. In preparation for the performance she posted an adorable photo from her childhood on Instagram of her posing in costume as the Black Swan. Murphy also admits that as a young dancer she was determined to master the 32 fouettés, which Odile performs at the climax of the Black Swan pas de deux. Her performance in this clip from a 2005 performance, alongside former ABT principal Angel Corella as Siegfried, makes it obvious as to why this childhood dream role is now one of her signatures.
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Marcelo Gomes and Victoria Hulland in Sir Frederick Ashton's The Two Pigeons. Photo Frank Atura, Courtesy Sarasota Ballet.
Last December, in the midst of the #MeToo movement and the scandal surrounding Peter Martins, the ballet world was shocked when longtime American Ballet Theatre principal Marcelo Gomes resigned suddenly. A statement from the company revealed that ABT had learned of an allegation of sexual misconduct against Gomes related to an incident eight years prior. Gomes kept a very low profile in the aftermath before reemerging this spring. He presented a world premiere at The Washington Ballet in March and has been guesting internationally (this summer alone has him dancing in Japan, Mexico and Russia.) Now he will have a new company to call home: The Sarasota Ballet has just announced that Gomes will be joining their company as a guest artist for the 2018-2019 season.
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Jane Cracovaner and Elijah Laurant with MOVETHECOMPANY, which will perform at the Joyce Ballet Festival this week. Photo Craig Foster, Courtesy Joyce Theater.
Wonder what's going on in ballet this week? We've pulled together some highlights.
The Joyce Ballet Festival Is Back
New York City's Joyce Theater kicks off its five-company Ballet Festival June 26-July 7. Showcasing a variety of styles including neoclassical and contemporary dance, the festival prides itself on featuring smaller companies. Below, check out the three companies opening this week. (Feeling festive? Enter our giveaway to win tickets to the Ashley Bouder Project at the Joyce on July 5.)
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ABT principals Christine Shevchenko and James Whiteside rehearse "Swan Lake" in Singapore.
In the middle of American Ballet Theatre's spring season, principal dancer Christine Shevchenko takes a break from her comedic role of Pierrette in Harlequinade to (briefly) transform into a swan. During the half hour rehearsal, Shevchenko seamlessly transitions from Odette to Odile, running through her various solos without pause—save for the short conferences with ballet mistress Irina Kolpakova, which switch between Russian and English almost as quickly as Shevchenko whips out her fouetté turns (but more on those later).
"The rehearsal process is a lot different right now because every week it's a new ballet," Shevchenko says during a rehearsal break last week. "I'm really trying to squeeze in as many Swan Lake rehearsals as I can, and at the same time, I'm trying to prepare for Don Quixote, which is the week after," she explains of juggling the season's eight programs. "This is my first year as a principal during the Met season, so I'm learning how to figure it out as we keep going. In a way, I'm used to doing parts last minute because that's how I got most of my roles," she says. Ahead, Shevchenko shares exactly how she's gearing up for her Met debut on June 20.
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Carla Fracci in "Giselle," via YouTube.
In the late 1950s and 60s, Italian ballerina Carla Fracci won the world over with her definitive interpretations of romantic ballets like La Sylphide, La Sonnambula, and, of course, Giselle. At just 22 years old, she left her home stage at La Scala in Milan to begin guesting internationally, eventually forming a famous partnership with the dashing danseur Erik Bruhn at American Ballet Theatre. The two appear together in this film of ABT's Giselle, in which Fracci's Act I variation is as near to perfection as any Giselle before or after.
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Costume sketches for Alexei Ratmansky's new "Harlquinade" for ABT. Courtesy ABT.
Wonder what's going on in ballet this week? We've pulled together some highlights.
ABT's New Harlequinade is Finally Here
The long wait for Alexei Ratmansky's Harlequinade for American Ballet Theatre is finally over. June 4-9, catch ABT at the Metropolitan Opera House in this bold and colorful tribute to the Italian commedia dell'arte traditions, based on the archival notes of Marius Petipa. If this trailer by Ezra Hurwitz is any indication, this new story ballet is sure to delight (fingers crossed that those dogs make their way to the stage).
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It's been an exciting few weeks in New York City with both American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet in the midst of their respective seasons at Lincoln Center. With so many homegrown stars in the spotlight, it's wonderful to remember the past generations of dancers who once lit up the same stages and helped shape American ballet into what is it today. One such luminary is former ABT principal Cynthia Gregory, whom Rudolf Nureyev dubbed the "American Prima Ballerina Assoluta." In this 1970's clip of her "Rose Adagio" from The Sleeping Beauty, it's plain to see how she enchanted balletomanes everywhere with her unaffected elegance.
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Devon Teuscher in "Giselle." Photo by Gene Schiavone, Courtesy ABT.
Last July, Devon Teuscher became a principal with American Ballet Theatre. ABT artistic director Kevin McKenzie called her into a meeting and told her, "I think you've done wonderful work—I'd like to promote you." Surprisingly, Teuscher's first thought was, "Are you sure?" Despite having proved herself by climbing the ranks of the company for 10 years, she still felt nervous about her new role. "I had been dreaming about this since I was 8 years old," she says. "But the responsibility that comes with being an ambassador for the company—really, a face of the company—felt like a huge amount of pressure."
Watching her onstage, it's easy to see how the title of principal suits her long lines, elegant strength and crisp technique. Next month she debuts her dream principal role—Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at Metropolitan Opera House.
Keep reading at dance-teacher.com.
Pari Dukovic, via Instagram.
In need of weekend rehearsal inspo? Harper's Bazaar has you covered, thanks to their May issue. To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the dancer-favorite film, The Red Shoes, the mag combined some the world's biggest names in ballet with designer gowns (and red shoes, of course).
Photographed by Pari Dukovic, the full story is available on newsstands and the Harper's Bazaar site, and it includes insight on why the 1948 film still matters from American Ballet Theatre's Isabella Boylston and Misty Copeland as well as New York City Ballet's Tiler Peck.
"Watching The Red Shoes is like watching a ballet," Copeland tells Bazaar. "Just like Swan Lake, it has stood the test of time. You don't look at it and think, 'Oh, this was filmed in a certain time.' It's like experiencing a live performance."
Check out each of the dancers' portraits as they channel the film's leading lady, Vicky Page (played by real-life ballerina Moira Shearer).
Boylston in Dior with Christian Louboutin shoes
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Amar Ramasar as Jigger Craigin in the Broadway revival of Rogers and Hammerstein's "Carousel." Photo by Julieta Cervantes, courtesy the production.
The Broadway revival of Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein's Carousel opened last week, and while it stars luminaries from the worlds of musical theater (Joshua Henry, Jessie Mueller) and opera (soprano Renée Fleming), it also stars choreography by one of ballet's own heavy hitters: New York City Ballet soloist and resident choreographer Justin Peck, who shares top billing with the musical's director, Jack O'Brien.
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Kochetkova in Helgi Tomasson's Trio. Photo by Erik Tomasson, Courtesy SFB.
San Francisco Ballet announced this morning that principal dancer Maria Kochetkova will leave the company at the the end of the 2017–18 season. Her final performance date has not yet been announced, but it will be sometime during the company's Unbound Festival, April 20–May 6.
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Misty Copeland photographed by Jayme Thornton.
Nobody has a "perfect" performance every time they go onstage—not even the dancers at American Ballet Theatre. Despite knowing this, we tend to beat ourselves up enough over the tiniest of slip ups without having someone else pointing out our errors, too.
But imagine if your mistake was posted on YouTube for the whole world to see. That's exactly what happened to ABT principal Misty Copeland when a less-than-flattering clip of her performing the infamous fouetté turns in Swan Lake was shared on YouTube. Rather than report the video as offensive and pretend it never happened (like we would have done), Copeland wrote a compelling response on Instagram, linking to the video herself.
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Photo via @abtofficial on Instagram.
Though according to our calendars today is the first day of spring, it feels like anything but. That's why we've been extra jealous watching American Ballet Theatre dancers' Instagram posts from their tour to Singapore. From swimming in rooftop pools to hiking with monkeys to jet-lag influenced shenanigans (oh, and dancing Swan Lake), their photos are making us believe that warm weather really is on its way. We rounded up some of our favorite shots from the first half of ABT's Asian tour; they'll spend this week in Hong Kong dancing Alexei Ratmansky's Whipped Cream. Keep the photos coming, ABT!
Rather than cling onto the railing in fear (like we would have), Isabella Boylston stepped gracefully into the highest pool in the world with a low arabesque.
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ABT principal Isabella Boylston, Jennifer Lawrence's dance double in "Red Sparrow," and Lawrence in a shot from the film. From left: Jayme Thornton for Dance Magazine; Murray Close, Courtesy 20th Century Fox.
As the star of the 20th Century Fox thriller Red Sparrow (opening March 2), actress Jennifer Lawrence plays Dominika Egorova, a former Bolshoi ballerina who becomes a dangerous and cunning spy. Though ballet is relegated only to the first 10 minutes of the film, Lawrence needed to dance six minutes of Firebird choreography by Justin Peck alongside dancer-cum-actor Sergei Polunin. In the fall of 2016, on Peck's recommendation, director Francis Lawrence invited American Ballet Theatre principal Isabella Boylston to be Lawrence's dance double and asked Kurt Froman, a former New York City Ballet dancer whose many credits include training Natalie Portman for the 2010 film Black Swan, to turn the notoriously clumsy Lawrence into a convincing ballerina in just four months.
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via Instagram
Every ballerina grows up aspiring to nail the fouetté turns in the coda of Swan Lake's Black Swan Pas de Deux. From classic primas like Natalia Makarova to current pros like Gillian Murphy, the 32-fouetté sequence has become so iconic that even our non-dancer friends know about the tricky turns. But yesterday, American Ballet Theatre principal Christine Shevchenko introduced us to a totally new take on the fouettés that we've been watching on a loop, in awe.
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Gene Schiavone, Courtesy ABT.
American Ballet Theatre just announced that principal dancer Marcelo Gomes, who celebrated 20 years with the company this summer, has resigned.
Last Saturday, ABT learned of a "highly concerning" allegation of sexual misconduct by Gomes, related to an incident from approximately eight years ago. A press release from board chairman Andrew F. Barth says that the allegation did not involve any current or former company members, and didn't occur in relation to Gomes' employment with ABT. The company launched an independent investigation, and today, in light of that investigation, Gomes gave his resignation.
Hallberg speaking at a Bolshoi press conference before the premiere of "The Sleeping Beauty." ITAR-TASS Photo Agency/Alamy Stock Photo, Courtesy Simon & Schuster, Inc.
"Do you still love ballet?" I ask David Hallberg as we sit in a drab conference room at American Ballet Theatre discussing his new memoir, A Body of Work: Dancing to the Edge and Back. The book details Hallberg's grueling return from a series of injuries that left him questioning whether he would ever dance again. "Yes, I love it even more," he says almost hungrily, as he stares me down with his searching, slightly hollow gaze.
A Body of Work is not an easy read. Its final section, devoted to the long road back from injury and despair, is the most distressing, but what comes before is not much lighter. The self-portrait Hallberg has outlined is stark: a boy, and later a man, propelled by a single-minded drive, subjected to savage bullying at school in Arizona; ostracism during a year of studies at the Paris Opéra Ballet School; arduous private training that has his parents half-joking about appealing to child services; un-empathetic partners; a punishing work schedule that leaves his body broken. All this, in order to satisfy the "gravitational force" of ballet, which he feels "pulling [him] in deeper and deeper," he writes.
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