“Ballet,” said George Balanchine, “is woman.” Throughout his long choreographic career, he placed the ballerina at the center of the action, and all eyes were on her. There are numerous examples, from Mozartiana to Theme and Variations, Square Dance and Chaconne. In this sense, Balanchine was carrying on the tradition of Marius Petipa and other […]

The way you start your morning can set the tone for the rest of the day. Establishing a productive and mindful morning routine can leave you feeling relaxed, grounded, and ready to take on the day ahead, no matter how busy. We asked five professional dancers to share what they like to do each morning […]

In the 1970s, the Soviet government withdrew Boris Eifman’s passport and declared his work pornographic. Today, he has funding from the Russian government for a state-of-the-art school and a company that travels the globe for several months each year. Last year alone, Eifman Ballet presented six different programs on the Bolshoi’s historic stage. What He […]

When Arthur Mitchell set out to prove that African Americans could excel in ballet, there were many skeptics. He not only created a world-class ballet company—Dance Theatre of Harlem—but he launched a discussion about race and ballet that we are still engaged in. Who was Arthur Mitchell and how did he get the chutzpah to […]

“My whole mission in life is to keep Balanchine’s work alive,” says former New York City Ballet dancer Karin von Aroldingen in Frances Mason’s I Remember Balanchine, a collection of interviews by George Balanchine’s friends and colleagues. Her words feel especially potent now—and never more true. On Friday, January 5, news came to light that […]

As any good bunhead would tell you, for me, Nutcracker is a yearly tradition as old as leaving cookies out for Santa Claus. But this year, I got to experience it with fresh eyes by taking both my 35-year-old fiancé and my 5-year-old nephew for their first times. I didn’t plan on being a Nutcracker […]

This Saturday night, New York City Ballet principal Rebecca Krohn is performing for the last time, in Balanchine’s Stravinsky Violin Concerto. After 19 years at the company, she’s transitioning into a ballet master role. As she told Playbill, she’s incredibly grateful for the coaching she’s received during her career, and now she wants to give […]

In the October 1957 issue of Dance Magazine, we received the latest updates on New York City Ballet dancer Tanaquil Le Clercq’s health nearly a year after her polio diagnosis. Le Clercq, who at the time was George Balanchine’s wife and muse, had become immobile from the waist down and was taken to a rehabilitation […]