At the start of last night’s episode of “So You Think You Can Dance,” 41 dancers remained. An hour later, we had a Top 20. And then there was a BIG FAT TWIST. (We’ll get to that.) The 41 still-standing Academy dancers showed up at the Dolby Theater in L.A. ready to tackle three rounds: […]
In 2011, when former American Ballet Theatre principal Michele Wiles departed the company and formed BalletNext, she found an artistic freedom she’d been longing for. Along with new collaborations with choreographers and musicians, she began working with trumpeter Tom Harrell, who introduced her to the multilayered sounds of jazz. “The dancers are another instrument to […]
Ballroom dance could be the best form of diplomacy, according to New York City teenagers starring in a new documentary, Taking New Steps—The Dancing Classrooms Youth Dance Company Goes to Israel. Saturday, members of the Youth Dance Company and their loved ones watched the private screening with family and friends at the Film Society of […]
Happy Nationals season, everybody! It’s that time of year when us lucky editors get to watch so, SO many gorgeous solos by dancers competing for big titles. But even among the insanely gifted artists at the top of the comp circuit, Tate McRae stands out. Just ask anyone who’s seen the solo that helped her […]
Last week at The New York City Dance Alliance Finals, former New York City Ballet soloist Kurt Froman and Andy Veyette, a current NYCB principal, led classes at the Outstanding Dancer scholarship auditions. Although seasoned professionals, they both admit that teaching at a convention can be overwhelming. “It was a very new experience to be […]
Justin Timberlake dancer and “SYTYCD” favorite Ivan Koumaev offers teachers this killer playlist of songs. “I urge teachers to be music hungry,” says NUVO Dance Convention teacher Ivan Koumaev. “Search and find music, don’t just get trapped into pop culture, which is limited and not driven by creatives—it’s driven by executives. Use the creativity inside […]
Prohibition fever is sweeping the nation with toe-tapping picnics that will have you shimmying all summer long. “I think with 2020 approaching and the release of the 2013 film The Great Gatsby, people are excited about the Roaring Twenties,” says dance instructor Andrew Selzer of Boston Lindy Hop. You may have missed Miami’s Jazz Age […]
How does a choreographer maintain the authenticity of his or her work? Unlike the words in a book or lyrics from a song, attributing movement isn’t as black and white. This makes the job of The Verdon Fosse Legacy, the organization that holds the rights and maintains the authenticity to Bob Fosse’s work, that much […]
It’s that time of year again! Dancers everywhere are pregaming for 4th of July festivities by wearing their best red-white-and-blue dance gear, and planning where their team will meet up to watch their city’s long-anticipated (and potentially illegal) firework show. It’s flat-out patriotic! To keep up with the celebration (and to solidify yourself as your […]
For the past four decades, few names in dance have stirred up as much reaction as American choreographer Mark Morris. Unique for his outsize persona, superb musicality and taking on themes related to gender and sexuality, Morris is one of the most prolific and lauded choreographers of his generation. At his Brooklyn-based dance center, the […]