Ishmael Houston-Jones has built an illustrious career on a willingness to take risks, push boundaries, and improvise. A performer and dancemaker who primarily works in the postmodern dance world, he says he brings that sense of curiosity and spontaneity to the classroom, too—something he hopes to impart to the students he teaches at colleges and […]
While Daria Fitzgerald was a long-time dance student, she never thought to major in dance during college. She felt “nervous and insecure,” as she puts it, and had the misconception that one needed to fit a specific body type. Instead, she pursued a completely different route, earning her undergraduate degree in theology from Sacred Heart […]
American Dance Festival, the Durham, North Carolina–based modern dance hub, celebrates its 90th season this year. Last October, Nile H. Russell became ADF’s first on-site, full-time director of education. Dance Teacher caught up with Russell in May via Zoom. It was apparent just how many balls he was juggling: Russell was fresh off the heels […]
Julia Ritter’s dance journey began like many others, in a creative movement class at the age of 5. “A preschool teacher told my mom that I had good rhythm and lots of energy, so dance would be a good way to channel all of that,” she recalls. It turns out that over the years, that […]
As a principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet, Davit Karapetyan was known as “the ultimate classicist”: an artist who brought buoyant jumps, clarity of line and thoughtful commitment to every role. Director of the School of Philadelphia Ballet since August 2022, Karapetyan hopes to draw out those same qualities (and more) in his young charges—and […]