Tag: runqiao du

It isn’t every day one steps to the front of a classroom and gazes out at endless rows of dancers pursuing their next level of training. Being asked to teach convention-style master classes is an honor, but it can also be a daunting trial of a teacher’s skill. Little beyond hands-on experience can prepare one […]

As well-trained as pre-professional students are, how many are ready to move into a company environment at 17 or 18 years old—and succeed? Runqiao Du, artistic director of the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, DC, has seen many dancers struggle as apprentices and first-year corps members and notes that some don’t make it beyond […]