Li Cunxin, who defected from China in 1981, danced with the Houston and Australian Ballets, retired from the stage in 1999, and became a Melbourne stockbroker. Then, in 2012, came a call from Brisbane. “Seven years [after he became artistic director], Li’s contribution has been dramatic. Queensland Ballet, once a struggling choreographer-led company, has become one of Australia’s most exciting repertoire ensembles … The budget has more than quadrupled, to over $20 million USD, and Li has launched not one but three major construction projects, with world-class headquarters, a theater and a new academy all in progress.” – Pointe Magazine
Category: dance
A First: More Boys Than Girls Graduate National Ballet Of Canada School
The class of 2020 at the Toronto-based academy is comprised of 16 boys and 11 girls. – Newsweek
How To Stage A Dance Piece Overseas When The Choreographer Won’t Fly
Jérôme Bel has decided to do his part to reduce greenhouse gases by ending his travel by air. Catherine Gallant is dancing his new solo work, Isadora, in New York. Reporter Roslyn Sulcas visits Bel in his Paris kitchen to see how he choreographs on Gallant via Skype. – The New York Times
Male Dancers Say Homophobia And Misogyny (Yes, Misogyny) Still Cloud Their Careers
The recent #BoysDanceToo discussion – and the need for that discussion – highlighted the issue that boys and men who become dancers, especially ballet dancers, face bullying and homophobia offstage, and, if they’re gay or bi, problems of heteronormativity onstage. – NBC
Dance Class Helps A Child-Turned-Adult Movie Star Feel Normal
Keke Palmer came to fame playing Queen Latifah’s niece, and 17 years later, she’s about to become the host for the third hour of Good Morning America (oh, and she plays a part in the new movie Hustlers as well). How does she relax and stay focused? Dance, of course. “Fame is extremely traumatic,” she says, but dancing helps her find friends and just feel like a normal person in the struggle of a challenging class. – The New York Times
Can Anyone Truly Explain Britain’s Strictly Come Dancing?
Not really, but let’s try: Strictly “is a lightheartedly competitive dance show that is still rigorously ruled by ancient stone tablets engraved with edicts and stored in a holy room at the back of the BBC archives; ones that producers are too scared to deviate from in case they bring down an ancient blood curse.” – The Guardian (UK)
Benjamin Millepied, LA Dance Project, And Figuring Out Dance In LA
“We’ve never had anything kind of like the splash that Ben has made, for better or for worse,” said Ben Johnson, performing arts program director at the city of L.A.’s Department of Cultural Affairs. – Los Angeles Times
Making Dance Accessible To Blind And Partially Sighted Audiences
“Our ears take in the score, the artists’ breathing patterns, fellow audience members’ reactions, and the physical percussion made by the dancers’ footfalls and partnering. All of this information is available to audience members with limited to no vision, and when it comes to providing them with the rest, there are multiple approaches being refined by experts in the field generally referred to as ‘audience accessibility.'” – Dance Magazine
The Best Dance Of The 21st Century (So Far)
Be wary of lists such as these. The Guardian attempts to select the best dance this century. But with dance spread out all over the world, can a critic (or group of them) choose (let alone judge) best performances? Doubtful. And yet, there are some great candidates for a best-of list here. – The Guardian
A New City-Wide Dance Festival Is Coming To Los Angeles
“Dance moguls Debbie Allen and Nigel Lythgoe are organizing a new two-week festival next spring” — titled, simply, the Los Angeles International Dance Festival — “featuring local and global companies including Ailey II, Bodytraffic, Syncopated Ladies and Heidi Duckler Dance, performing at venues across L.A. County.” – Los Angeles Times