I met Michelle Ottley-Fisher (“Mama O,” as we like to call her) as a soon-to-be middle-schooler auditioning for LaVilla School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida. The school was looking for students who were confident enough to get out there and move. I had never danced before, and according to Mama O, I was the […]
For Gianna Reisen, a classically trained ballet dancer who now performs with L.A. Dance Project, the process of finding music for her choreography is everything. “If I’m not 100 percent inspired by the music, the movement just doesn’t come out,” she says. Following this natural creative spirit, though, wasn’t always the driving force behind her […]
Aurélie Dupont in Paris Opéra Ballet’s Manon The world’s oldest ballet company, Paris Opéra Ballet, will have a new leader in July: former POB ballerina Aurélie Dupont, who spent 32 years dancing with the company, 17 as an étoile (POB’s highest rank). She retired last year at age 42 and has served as a ballet […]