To hear the screaming throngs of teenagers, you might think this was a Beatles concert in 1964. But no, it’s dance students from all over the world joining together for the Youth America Grand Prix’s gala at Lincoln Center, excited to see some of the greatest stars in dance today. Their rafter-shaking enthusiasm was heartening […]

Alvin Ailey’s Revelations is the most widely-seen piece of modern dance ever. And it’s about to reach even more people. As much as we love seeing live performance, the recent trend of showing dance on TV (and at the movies and through livestreams!) is widening accessibility in a big way. Just in the next few […]

Some dreams really do come true: This Thursday, September 8, you can be a fly on the wall in a rehearsal with choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. And you don’t even have to leave the house. From 11:30 am to 1:30 pm Central time (12:30 to 2:30 pm Eastern), Joffrey Ballet will present a live-streamed rehearsal of […]

Who here loves Christopher Wheeldon? I probably don’t even need to wait a second for everyone to raise their hands. But let me count just a few of the reasons why he’s adored by ballet and Broadway fans alike: His choreographic and directorial prowess in the Tony-winning Broadway hit An American in Paris His phenomenal ballet chops on display across […]

The dance world is well aware of Christopher Wheeldon’s prolific choreographic portfolio. But the regular world is just starting to catch up. On Sunday, “60 Minutes” profiled the An American in Paris director and choreographer. During the segment, he mostly talks about directing his first musical, what inspires his movement and how he juggles all […]

A King Re-Gendered Setterfield in Lear. Photo by Patrick Moore, courtesy NYLA. Play King Lear? Valda Setterfield has done so many other things that when she turned 79, she felt ripe for the challenge. At the request of Irish maverick choreographer John Scott, she played (and danced) the plagued king in Ireland two years ago, […]

Lin-Manuel Miranda (as Hamilton) and the ensemble. Photo by Joan Marcus, courtesy Hamilton.   On Broadway, there’s a certain excitement that comes with old shows (or not so old shows) closing. A closed show means a newly empty theater, a space for a newer, fresher, hopefully dancier show. Yesterday, I was reminded of the Broadway […]

  Ballet Hispanico in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Sombrerisimo. Photo by Paula Lobo, Courtesy Ballet Hispanico.   Anchored in the old, hungry for the new, contemporary ballet is a style that remains ambiguous. It allows the body to careen off balance and the stage relationships to shift. It’s less bent on creating masterworks, and more curious […]