As the company’s founding artistic director, Alice Reyes, retires after 50 years, its board of directors selected as her successor Mikhail Martynyuk, a star of the Kremlin Ballet in Moscow. Many of the dancers and other members of Manila’s dance community are objecting to the appointment; they say they’re upset about a rushed timeline and lack of consultation, but the petition now circulating calls on the board “to rescind or revise the contract offered to a Russian artist … and to keep the position of Artistic Director Filipino.” – BusinessWorld (Manila)
Category: dance
The Photographer And The Photos Of A Ballerina Who’s 33 Weeks Pregnant
Photographer Sayuri Ichida and NY Theatre Ballet dancer Maya Oguri formed a fruitful artistic friendship – one that set the ballerina dancing in photos from across the city. That didn’t stop when the dancer got pregnant. – The Paris Review
Living At The Intersection Of Dance, Social Media, And Teenage Life
Who profits when a 14-year-old Black teenager creates a dance and shares it – and it goes viral? Not she.”TikTok, one of the biggest video apps in the world, has become synonymous with dance culture. Yet many of its most popular dances, including the Renegade, Holy Moly Donut Shop, the Mmmxneil and Cookie Shop have come from young black creators on myriad smaller apps.” – The New York Times
Gibney Dance Reinvents From The Inside Out
Gibney is becoming a commission-based repertory group—that is, a company not grounded in the aesthetic of a founding choreographer—and allow it to double in size from six dancers to 12. The model will allow Gibney to work with renowned and rising international choreographers representing a broad range of aesthetics and techniques. “The stage is set,” Davis said, for Gibney “to establish a wholly new paradigm for a contemporary dance company.” – Inside Philanthropy
Wayne McGregor Is Choreographing A Margaret Atwood Ballet
In a joint project for the Royal Ballet of Great Britain and the National Ballet of Canada, McGregor will create MaddAddam, a three-act work based on Atwood’s trilogy Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood and MaddAddam with a new score by Max Richter. The world premiere will be this coming November in Toronto, with London performances in 2022. – The Guardian
When The Doctor Called The Star Ballerina With Terrible News
“He said, ‘You have to promise me you won’t go into work today. I just could tell by the tone. I said, ‘I’m going to be able to dance again, right?’ And he said to me, ‘Well, we’re just going to take it one day at a time.’ It was one of the worst days of my life.” – The New York Times
Making The Leap From Dance Student To Professional Less Daunting
“For generations, dancers have been thrust into professional life at a young age without much preparation or tools, sinking or swimming on their limited industry know-how. Today, some independent programs are presenting unique models that bridge the gap between student and professional life through networking, performance opportunities and more.” Haley Hilton surveys those programs. – Dance Magazine
How Ballerina Costumes Influenced 20th Century Fashion
“Ballet costumes influenced fashion, and fashion influenced ballet costumes. This interplay, I think, was very, very rich during the mid-century.” – The Daily Beast
Carlos Acosta’s Big Plans For Birmingham Ballet
The new artistic director says: “I want the level of the dancers to be raised dramatically, and the repertoire I’m bringing is crucial. I want a company that is strong, that is not predictable, that is energetic, that takes risks, but stays true to tradition at the highest level. I’m up for big crazy ideas. I’m never going to say no to anything that’s new and bold.” – The Guardian
Varna International Ballet Competition Postponed Indefinitely
The world’s oldest ballet competition, held every second year on an outdoor stage in the Bulgarian seaside resort town of Varna, simply hasn’t raised enough money to go ahead this summer. – Dance Magazine