a female dancer wearing a black leotard and ring tutu standing in tendu derriere

Meet BalletMet’s Iris R. Dávila

Iris R. Dávila didn’t plan on becoming a ballet dancer. “It was sort of a mistake!” says the second-year BalletMet artist. Growing up in Puerto Rico, she excelled in gymnastics and swimming, and took her first ballet class at age 11 because a friend was in it.

A colorful collage of the 2022 "25 to Watch" artists in the studio and in performance.

Introducing Our 2022 “25 to Watch”

What’s next? Our annual list of dancers, choreographers and companies on the verge of breaking through offers several answers to the question of where our field is headed. We’re betting we’ll be seeing—and hearing—more from these 25 artists not just this year, but for many more to come.

The 10 Biggest Dance Stories of 2018

What did our readers care about most in 2018? Judging by our top-clicked stories, topics as broad as confronting a bullying teacher, investigating how Instagram has impacted the dance world and advocating for dance as an intellectual pursuit were the biggest stories in dance this year. But our biggest hit, published just earlier this month, […]

This Dancer Defected from Cuba and Relaunched Her Career in the U.S.

When Lisset Santander bourréed onstage as Myrtha in BalletMet’s Giselle this past February, her consummate portrayal of the Queen of the Wilis was marked by steely grace and litheness. The former Cuban National Ballet dancer had defected to the U.S. at 21, and after two years with the Ohio company, she’s now closer to the […]

Do The Hustle: What it Takes to Juggle Multiple Dance Jobs

Having just returned to New York City after a couple weeks of guesting in Southeast Asia, American Ballet Theatre principal Daniil Simkin is in rehearsal for the lead role in Alexei Ratmansky’s latest creation, Whipped Cream. In between this brief rehearsal period and ABT’s Metropolitan Opera House season, Simkin will be using any days off […]

Performances Onstage this Month

  History.In.Motion NEW YORK CITY Over 150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation; 20 years ago, Nelson Mandela helped end apartheid in South Africa. New York Live Arts resident artist Kyle Abraham will premiere three works—a feat that would exhaust even the most seasoned choreographers—inspired by both momentous events. The Watershed, an evening-length […]