To better understand the intricacies of dancing in pointe shoes, choreographer Fadi J. Khoury, artistic director of FJK Dance, took private lessons from his collaborative partner Sevin Ceviker. “As a choreographer, I felt like I needed to learn more about dancing on pointe so that I could really know what I was asking from my […]
Before Anna Bass entered into her 14-year collaborative partnership with choreographer Monica Bill Barnes, she was inspired by another partnership—her James Madison University professors Cynthia Thompson and Kate Trammell. “They’ve had a duet company for over 30 years, now, and are still performing and making work. It’s still a huge priority in their lives, and […]
While studying at ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School as a teenager, Complexions Contemporary Ballet dancer Andrew Brader shared a special moment with Susan Jaffe, who soon became his mentor. “It was the 10th-anniversary performance of the ABT Studio Company. Susan was coming out of retirement to do Le Spectre de la Rose, and I remember […]
When choreographer Akiko Kitamura was a teenager, her jazz teacher Etsuko Kawasaki showed her just how enjoyable dance could be. “As a child I studied ballet, but it was very strict and limited. Then I started learning jazz and street dance from Etsuko. She was different than most jazz dancers. She taught a mix of […]
When American Tap Dance Foundation artistic director Tony Waag was in college, he attended a tap workshop conducted by Brenda Bufalino. The two hit it off, and Bufalino became his mentor. From the get-go, Bufalino was supportive of Waag’s stylistic choices. “She always encouraged me to have my own voice. I came out of a […]
When Monica Giragosian received one of her first leading roles with American Repertory Ballet, director Douglas Martin reminded her of the importance of basic technique. “My second season, I had the opportunity to perform Juliet in Douglas’ original production of Romeo and Juliet. He stressed the importance of me taking pointe classes to be lighter […]
Lyvan Verdecia and Melissa Fernandez When Ballet Hispánico’s Lyvan Verdecia was studying at the Cuban National Ballet School as a teenager, Martha Iris Fernandez helped him perfect his turns. “Male dancers in Cuba are known for their turns and their jumps. For me, jumps always came naturally, but turns—not so much. So Martha would focus […]
Santos in Elena Kunikova’s Divertimento When Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Dylan Santos was studying at the Houston Ballet Academy, his teacher Claudio Muñoz gave him the “aha” moment he needed to take his training to the next level. “I remember doing the cavalier variation from The Nutcracker for him. He looked at me and said, ‘You could be amazing.’ […]
Eryc Taylor Dance When choreographer Eryc Taylor was studying at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, his composition teacher Phyllis Lamhut taught him a meaningful way to approach dancemaking. “She said to me, ‘Find the gestalt in the work.’ That meant finding what the guts were, what the essence of the piece really was, so […]
For 12 years, Italian choreographer Caterina Rago studied Graham technique with Elsa Piperno at the Accademia Nazionale di Danza in Rome. Piperno taught her to be comfortable taking risks. “She encouraged us to push beyond our limits to understand what our limits were. I remember her saying, ‘Even if you fall on the floor, you know […]