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Ballet Stars

Standout Performances of 2019: ABT's Calvin Royal III in "Apollo"

Calvin Royal III in George Balanchine's Apollo. Rosalie O'Connor, Courtesy ABT.

In one sense, American Ballet Theatre soloist Calvin Royal III's company debut as the lead in George Balanchine's Apollo in October felt momentous: a black dancer, in a historically lily-white company, portraying a god. In another, it felt inevitable: Royal is regal as soon as he stands onstage, to the manner born. As Apollo, authority radiated even from his decisively placed fingers. That famous "stoplight" moment, in which the hands open and close in quick succession, like flashing traffic signals, registered with spine-tingling precision.

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Ballet Stars

The Standouts of 2018: ABT's Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside in "Harlequinade"

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

Ballet Stars

The Standouts of 2017: New York City Ballet in "Rubies"

Fairchild and De Luz brought wit and jazzy abandon to "Rubies." Photo by Paul Kolnik, Courtesy NYCB.

Ask the Paris Opéra Ballet, the New York City Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet to share a stage, with each performing one act of Balanchine's Jewels, and you might expect a degree of friendly (or less-than-friendly) competition. But as POB gave its exquisitely polite rendition of "Emeralds" during the Lincoln Center Festival's three-company production this summer, one-upsmanship seemed far from everyone's mind.

Then the curtain rose on New York City Ballet, its dancers visibly shaking with excitement in their "Rubies" finery. And the David H. Koch Theater audience collectively leaned forward.


Photo by Paul Kolnik, Courtesy NYCB.

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Ballet Stars

2017 Stars of the Corps: Rachel Richardson of American Ballet Theatre

Photo by Mary Sohl, Courtesy American Ballet Theatre.

Petite and fine-boned, American Ballet Theatre's Rachel Richardson can look younger than her 21 years, vulnerable in a way that makes you want to give her a hug. That is, until she begins to move. Elegant and precise, with beautifully articulated legs and feet, Richardson radi- ates authority onstage, commanding attention rather than asking for it. There's a lot of power in that delicate frame.

Photo by Rosalie O'Connor, Courtesy of ABT.

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Ballet Stars

Indiana Woodward: Flying High at New York City Ballet

Indiana Woodward photographed by Nathan Sayers for Pointe.

This is Pointe's April/May 2017 Cover Story. You can subscribe to the magazine here, or click here to purchase this issue.


Last December—a few days before her 23rd birthday—Indiana Woodward did a quick barre backstage at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater. In the purity of her port de bras and articulation of her cambered feet, she epitomized Russian-style elegance. Then she removed her warm-ups and suddenly looked more French than Russian, her pastel practice tutu and black choker evoking Degas' paintings. Rehearsal began, and as the music gathered speed, she transformed again. Sweeping headlong across the stage, buoyant and boundless, she was pure New York, pure Balanchine.

Born in Paris and trained in Russian technique before coming to the School of American Ballet, Woodward brings an unusually diverse perspective to her growing repertoire at New York City Ballet, which she joined in 2012. She's the rare dancer who can project worldly glamour and youthful exuberance simultaneously, who can toggle between the precision of the Russian style and the freedom of Balanchine's. One senses she'd make a regal Theme and Variations lead, or an eloquent Odette. But while she's had many opportunities at NYCB, she's such a natural soubrette—petite and bubbly—that we've yet to see the other sides of her artistry. Recently promoted to soloist, she seems about to fully flower.

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Julia Erickson on Mastering Nikiya's Beautiful Death Scene in "La Bayadère"

Photo by Rosalie O'Connor, courtesy Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

Nikiya's epic “death" solo at the end of La Bayadère's second act is more than a test of stamina: It's integral to the ballet's plot. In it, Nikiya laments her doomed relationship with Prince Solor, rejoices upon receiving a basket of flowers she believes to be from him and collapses after being bitten by a snake hidden in the basket. “There's a lot of storytelling in the steps," says Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre principal Julia Erickson, who danced the role this spring. Here are her tips for navigating the variation's technical and emotional complexities.

1. Let the Character Drive the Choreography

One of the most difficult aspects of the variation is making the spare choreography fill the music. If you're having trouble slowing down, focus on what Nikiya is feeling as much as what she's doing. “Her love has betrayed her—and she's mourning," Erickson says. “When you grieve, it's like you're suspended in time, and that's exactly how the variation should feel."

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SFB Principal Frances Chung Totes Massage Oil for Sore Muscles In Her Dance Bag

Kyle Froman for Pointe

What gets top billing in San Francisco Ballet principal Frances Chung's dance bag? Oil. Massage oil, first of all. "I do self-massage all the time," she says. "It's extremely relaxing, and it really helps your muscles recover." That explains her array of massage tools, too, including a hot-pink foot roller she's had since she graduated from Canada's Goh Ballet Academy. Usually she doesn't get oiled up until after rehearsal, though: "I don't want to be a slippery partner!"

And then there's her dance bag itself, a small tote reading "Je suis Prodigieuse." "Prodigieuse is this other oil that's amazing for skin, hair, everything," she says. "I have a bottle of it with me at all times—I'm obsessed. I got this bag for free, but it's kind of perfect because I'm a walking ad for Prodigieuse anyway."

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Ballet Stars

Inside Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet Dancer Rachelle Scott’s Dance Bag

Nathan Sayers

Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet's Rachelle Scott may have a dance-filled life, but that doesn't mean she has to tote her supplies in a “dance bag." “I use this really nice leather bag that I got during my second year at Juilliard—there's nothing dance-y about it," she says, with a laugh. “It's a relief to have something beautiful and functional that makes me feel like a human being, as well as a dancer."

That said, Scott enjoys thinking analytically about her craft. She always carries Steven Pressfield's The War of Art, a book that discusses ways to avoid creative roadblocks. “A good school friend of mine recommended it to me three years ago, right at that moment when I was transitioning from student to professional," she says. “Its way of talking about the artistic process grounds me and gives me a sense of perspective. I've been living by its philosophies ever since."

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