A group of dancers onstage, wearing white. One wearing a giant head with a chef's hat. He places a hand on a dancer lying on the floor.

How to Avoid Costume-Related Injuries

Creative costumes are like moving sculptures, seamlessly blending with sets and lighting to help dancers and choreographers bring another world to life onstage. But they can bring challenges, too. Physical therapist Giovanna Salerno, PT, DPT, OCS, says that she’s worked with several patients whose ailments can be traced to costumes. “You’re having to perform and […]

A colorful collage of 25 images featuring the artists on Dance Magazine's 2025 "25 to Watch" list.

Introducing Our 2025 “25 to Watch”

Where is the dance field headed next? The dancers, choreographers, directors, and companies on our annual “25 to Watch” list offer heartening, imaginative, exciting possible answers to that question. Whether or not you’re already familiar with these up-and-comers, our editors and contributors from across the dance world predict that we’ll be hearing a lot more from these artists on the verge of a breakout in 2025 and beyond.

A spread of pages from the December 1994 issue of Dance Magazine. The right page is mostly taken up by an image of Paloma Herrera, wearing a pink classical tutu, holding a bouquet and smiling. Her partner and members of the corps de ballet look on from upstage. The headline of the story is, "Paloma Herrera, Younger than Springtime: Paloma Herrera at age 18 is American Ballet Theatre's budding superstar."

TBT: Paloma Herrera at 18 Was “A Prodigy At Work”

In the December 1994 issue of Dance Magazine, John Gruen wrote of an 18-year-old American Ballet Theatre soloist named Paloma Herrera, “Here was a prodigy at work.” He was referring to her performances of Balanchine’s demanding Theme and Variations that spring; to have been in the audience, he wrote, “was to be in the presence of a near miracle.”

a male dancer holding the hand of a female dancer lying on the floor with another female dancer moving behind him

James Ady on Finding Magic in Teaching Adult Ballet Students

I now work with some of the smartest, hardest-working, and most inspiring people I’ve ever known. Every Sunday morning at 9 am—which, as a former professional, is very early to be taking a ballet class—40 to 50 adult dancers come into Westside Ballet and start their pliés with me. Our median age is somewhere in the late 50s, and I have students from ages 14 to 85!

a female dancer standing in 4th position while holding the hand of a male dancer performing a developpe second with his downstage leg

Shifting the Comp Kid Stigma

The “comp kid” image has come a long way. Once viewed as over-the-top performers who prioritize tricks and trophies, competition dancers now fill the ranks of top colleges, conservatories, and companies around the globe. Competition studios are training dancers who aren’t just ready to win—they’re ready to work professionally. And the dance world is now making space for them to thrive.

Three dancers in rehearsal-wear move through their hips in a way evocative of salsa dancing as they face forward.

10 Must-See Shows Hitting Stages This April

The spring performance season is moving full steam ahead with literary-inspired ballets, a queer reimagining of Carmen, and premieres drawing from everything from the upcoming solar eclipse to contemporary American politics. Here’s what’s grabbing our attention.

a female dancer wearing a long white tutu performing in first arabesque on stage

American Ballet Theatre’s Virginia Lensi Shares Her Allergy-Friendly Oat Pancakes

When Virginia Lensi first moved to the U.S. from Milan, she fell hard for one element of American culture: brunch. “It was my first time realizing that people here actually have pancakes on Sunday,” says the American Ballet Theatre corps dancer. “I had brunch once, and I loved it. I always wanted to keep pancakes as a tradition on Sundays with my friends or my boyfriend.”

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