Category: dance

Maria Kachetkova is classically trained, and danced with American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Ballet before striking out on her own – and learning some new techniques. “I thought it would be nice to show what ballet is today,” she says. – The New York Times

Ilya Vidrin was a competitive ballroom dancer until the day he fractured his back while partnering. “In the years since, the incident has led him into a deep exploration of the less tangible elements involved in partnering: motivation, trust, interpersonal chemistry and implicit agreements.” His studies, including a PhD, have led him to form what he calls the Reciprocity Collective, with which he’ll be offering a “partnering and science lab” at Jacob’s Pillow. – Times Union (Albany)

“[She] danced her first Swan Lake on her 15th birthday, … went on to be the first western ballerina to perform with Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet in 1957 and became director of the London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet) in 1968, rescuing the company from crisis.” And she dealt with Rudolf Nureyev, as difficult a divo as ever there was. – The Guardian

Nancy Wozny: “We used to be able to tell a dancer’s ancestry — be it Graham, Cunningham or Balanchine — by their movement.” No more: “I’ve always felt my gift to the field is being able to put into words how an artist moves differently than the person next to them. … I am finding it harder these days to define a dancer’s kinetic signature, which is my signature as a dance writer.” – Dance Magazine

These newly published observations cement the human-ness of Snowball’s dancing. His initial headbangs and foot-lifts are movements that parrots naturally make while walking or courting. But his newer set aren’t based on any standard, innate behaviors. He came up with them himself, and he uses them for different kinds of music. “This is what we would genuinely refer to as dance, both in the scientific community and in the dance profession,” says Nicola Clayton of the University of Cambridge, who studies bird cognition. “It’s amazing.” – The Atlantic

And here’s the dynamic she means not to recreate: “In my whole 30 years in New York City Ballet, I rarely interacted with my boss except on the stage. I never knew where I was in his eyes or other people’s eyes, so I was just guessing, along with everybody else.” – Vogue

Once a soloist at New York City Ballet with an auspicious future, Kathryn Morgan was forced to leave the company in 2012, felled by an autoimmune disease that saw her hair fall out, her weight rise and her balance disappear. – CNN

Kathryn Morgan had to leave City Ballet in the fall of 2012 after an autoimmune disease screwed up everything from her hair to her balance, starting a couple of years earlier. “What Morgan initially believed would be a few months of recovery became a nine-year ordeal: of doctors who dismissed her, of surrendering a dream, of personal turmoil and a life repeatedly upended. And, now, as she prepares to return to ballet on her own terms, a rebirth.” – CNN

Yeah, doing work “for the exposure” and vague promises of pay isn’t really great. “Some dancers were going for that because it was a good opportunity and gives you more of a profile and helps to build your CV, but it’s not a good deal. It’s not fair. At the end of the day we deserve fair payment.” – The Guardian (UK)

Wayne McGregor teamed up with Google engineers and creative technologists to train the algorithm, called “Living Archive,” using thousands of hours of video from the choreographer’s previous works over 25 years. It was a way of “activating the archives” and “hijacking its past,” McGregor said. – Los Angeles Times