#TBT: Pointe Cover Stars Then & Now

Since 2000, megastars and budding ballet celebrities alike have graced the covers of Pointe. Take a walk with us down memory lane as we recall some of the biggest names from some of our earliest issues. Whether they continue to perform or have transitioned to a position at the front of the studio, these stars have real staying power.

Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky (May/June 2001)

Then: Pegged as “Ballet’s Hottest Couple” on our cover, the duo had recently joined American Ballet Theatre as principals.

Now: Though both have retired from ABT, they run a summer intensive in New York City, give limited performances as guest artists and have even designed items, like ballet booties, for Bloch. Dvorovenko also had a major role in the Starz’s ballet drama “Flesh and Bone.”

Svetlana Zakharova (July/August 2001)

Then: Zakharova was a young principal with the Mariinsky Ballet.

Now: She’s still tantalizing audiences with her breathtaking performances of ballets like Swan Lake—but with the Bolshoi Ballet. Last year, Zakharova also became a guest artist with Bavarian State Ballet.

Tamara Rojo (November/December 2001)

Then: The Spanish dancer was a leading performer with The Royal Ballet.

Now: If someone can do it all, it’s Rojo. She’s currently balancing dual roles at English National Ballet as artistic director and principal dancer. Pointe even named her performance with Irek Mukhamedov in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Broken Wings one of the Standouts of 2016.

Misty Copeland (February/March 2002)

Then: Way before Misty Copeland became a household name, she scored her first Pointe cover as a promising member of ABT’s corps.

Now: As ABT’s first female African American principal, she’s an all-around ballet superhero. Copeland has catapulted ballet into the mainstream and has championed issues like having a positive body image and diversity in dance.

Jenifer Ringer (April/May 2002)

Then: a leading principal at New York City Ballet

Now: Ringer traded East Coast for West when she became the director of the Colburn Dance Academy in L.A. If you’re not one of her lucky students, you can read about her perspective in her memoir, Dancing Through It: My Journey in Ballet. And, just last year, she also spoke to Pointe about how dancers can foster confidence.

Carlos Acosta (August/September 2002)

Then: The international ballet star had loads of fans at The Royal Ballet, but Big Apple audiences were also getting acquainted with him since he’d recently appeared as a guest with ABT.

Now: He’s busy leading his own company, Acosta Danza, in his native Cuba.

Paloma Herrera (December 2002/January 2003)

Then: The Argentinian dancer was wowing New York audiences as a principal at ABT.

Now: Earlier this month, Herrera became artistic director of Teatro Colón’s ballet company in Buenos Aires. We can’t wait to see what she does in her new position.

Ethan Stiefel (February/March 2003)

Then: Though he launched his professional career with NYCB, Stiefel was an ABT principal by the time he appeared on our cover.

Now: Stiefel had a short stint as artistic director of Royal New Zealand Ballet from 2011 to 2014, but now, he’s focusing on choreographing. His first major choreographic commission will premiere in May at The Washington Ballet.

For more news on all things ballet, don’t miss a single issue.