Our Next Dancers

“The School of American Ballet is the closest thing that the United States has to a national dance academy. Founded in 1934 by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein as a training ground for what would become New York City Ballet, it is as rigorous as the Paris Opera Ballet School, the Royal Ballet School in London and its own most direct ancestor: the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg, where Balanchine trained. Of the 304 dancers, ages 7 to 18, who auditioned this year, only 68 earned spots.”

Comparing New Opera Houses In Oslo And Toronto

“Where Toronto opted to build an opera house that serves its purpose and nothing beyond, Norwegians understood that such a project must address more than the narrow spectrum of opera lovers. Oslo is also in the process of burying its elevated waterfront highway and its railway tracks. The objective is to reintegrate the old harbourlands back into the city, and transform it into a mixed-use neighbourhood where people live and work. What better way to launch the regeneration than by building an opera house?”

Denver Art Musem – Ready For The Big Time?

The Denver Art Museum has always been underappreciated, writes Kyle McMillan. “Unlike some Eastern and Midwestern art institutions, which established their reputations in the 1920s and ’30s, many of the Denver Art Museum’s top collections did not come together until decades later. Its standing consequently has suffered. All that will soon change” with the opening of the museum’s new Daniel Libeskind-designed building.