Sofiane Sylve dances with glorious virtuosity. Her musical phrases are sweeping, her pirouettes extravagant, and her leaps exultant. She looks like she could jump over a rainbow. Sylve has a clear affinity for Balanchine’s choreography, but her background is European. She was born in France and studied at the Académie de Danse in Nice. After […]
Company class. Torsos plunge to the floor and arch back into the horizontal. With intense concentration and unwavering attention, about 30 dancers from 15 countries work at a level of expertise one would expect to see in a major coastal city or in Europe. Perfect placement, open port de bras, expansive sweeps of the legs, […]
The pale sun streaming onto San Francisco Ballet’s company class bathes Lily Rogers delicate blond beauty with a translucent sheen. With her slender frame, finely tapered limbs and oval face dominated by huge green eyes, the 5’ 7” corps dancer resembles a Pre-Raphaelite beauty. That is until she cuts a coupé with the precision of […]
While tutu chic may be in vogue now—French designer Christian Lacroix’s latest made-to-measure gowns sport ostrich-trimmed hems and sparkly puffball skirts of organza and tulle—the archetypal ballerina costume wages war in the contemporary dance world with anther fashion contender, the skirt. Indeed, “to bare (the leg) or not to bare,” that is the question. […]
“You might as well be grabbing two bananas,” says Jock Soto to a male student during a partnering class at School of American Ballet. “You should use your thumb and two fingers,” he explains, demonstrating how he gently holds the wrists of a young woman as he promenades her 360 degrees in a perfectly balanced […]
Few ballets have proved so tempting to choreographers—or so challenging. The plot of Swan Lake turns on a rite of passage: Prince Siegfried, reaching the age of 21, must choose a bride. The task of choreographing and performing Swan Lake is also a rite of passage. For companies, artistic directors, and principal dancers, […]
It was a fairy tale moment, a life-imitates-art moment, a moment for ballet fans to remember. After the Pennsylvania Ballet’s June 11, 2005 performance of Romeo and Juliet, Julie Diana and Zachary Hench, playing the ballet’s lovers, came out for their bow. With just the two of them onstage, Hench knelt on one knee, offered […]
The Boston Ballet made its annual foray into contemporary dance with “New Visions,” a program that showcased a world premiere by Finnish-born Jorma Elo, the company’s resident choreographer, and let the dancers loose on some cool moves for a weekend. Elo’s Brake The Eyes with music by Mozart and a sound score by Nancy Enverink […]
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