Dance Matters: News of Note

Comings and Goings:

Nikolai Tsiskaridze
, whose Bolshoi contract wasn’t renewed after the acid attack on Bolshoi artistic director Sergei Filin, was appointed director of the Vaganova Ballet Academy, the school of the Mariinsky Ballet. § Former New York City Ballet principal Charles Askegard has joined Minnesota Dance Theatre as associate artistic director. § Jonah Bokaer has become choreographer in residence at Georgia Institute of Technology, where he will collaborate with digital and interactive media students for two years.

Awards:

In a mission to support Chicago performing arts, the MacArthur Foundation has given four Windy City dance organizations grants ranging from $20,000–$47,000: Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Clinard Dance Theatre, Deeply Rooted Productions and Same Planet Different World. Awards were granted to help form international collaborations. § The MacArthur Foundation also announced its 2013 fellows, Abraham.In.Motion artistic director Kyle Abraham and American Ballet Theatre artist in residence Alexei Ratmansky. Each will receive $625,000 over five years. § The Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation has given the Joffrey Ballet a $500,000 challenge grant to produce full-length story ballets. Joffrey must raise an additional $1 million to complete the fund.

Photos from top: Charles Askegard, Courtesy Ballet Next; Deepy Rooted Productions, by Ken Carl, Courtesy Deeply Rooted Productions.