The Nutcracker offers many Americans their first glimpse of ballet, so when the dancers—particularly the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier—are top-notch, the event can be life-changing. As representatives of the professional ballet world, guest artists also inspire younger dancers to pursue their dreams. And guesting gives the artists their own perks and pleasures. “For a […]
Nicholle Rochelle dances large. At 5′ 7″ she is a willowy, feminine presence onstage, drawing audiences in with her lucscious movement quality, extended line, and confident skill. “When I first saw her in an audition for the company I was taken by her physique—she reminded me of Sylvie Guillem,” says North Carolina Dance Theatre artistic […]
As Ashley Bouder runs onto the stage and into a crisp, high pas de chat, arms held overhead in delight, there is no doubt that she is queen of that pearly underworld that is George Balanchine’s Ballo della Regina. And when, after the flirtatious little polka on pointe that opens her first solo, she suddenly […]
The first thing about Christine Shevchenko that commands your attention is her carriage. Regal yet approachable, she can tell an entire story with her expressive torso and lithe arms. But that’s just a start. The lovely Ukrainian-born (but very American) 18-year-old member of American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company possesses a sublime symmetry of technical expertise […]
New York City Ballet is overflowing with youthful energy. With an unprecedented nine new soloists this year and corps members making their mark as they step into major roles, there seems to be an onrush of new talent. So deep is NYCB’s “bench” that when injuries occur or key dancers like Jock Soto and Peter […]
A performance is like the tip of an iceberg. What we see onstage is very small compared to all the work that goes on beforehand. Many people work behind the scenes to make stage magic happen. On Broadway, the “swings” are the people who make it possible to say, under any circumstances, “The Show Will […]
Young dancers might dream of dancing Juliet to their lover’s Romeo or traipsing the world together on tour. But what happens when that fantasy becomes reality? Seven couples—some in long-term pairings and some in the early throes of passion, some who dance together and some who don’t— describe what it’s like to juggle the professional […]
Feng-Yi Sheu Taking Up the Mantle of Martha “Go at your audience with a whip,” Louis Horst used to tell Martha Graham. When the Martha Graham Dance Company came to City Center last April, its second New York season since winning back the rights to its own repertory, the whip was in one body: Fang-Yi […]
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