Our editors’ performance picks this month are all about taking what’s expected and turning it on its head. Life After Romeo The cast of & Juliet in rehearsal Johan Persson, Courtesy Dewynters LONDON What if, instead of reaching for a dagger after finding Romeo dead beside her, Juliet got a life? & Juliet, a new […]

Here are the latest promotions, appointments and transfers, plus notable awards and accomplishments from the last month. Comings & Goings Tigran Mkrtchyan has joined Boston Ballet as a soloist, Chisako Oga as a second soloist. At English National Ballet, Aitor Arrieta, Katja Khaniukova and Ken Saruhashi have been promoted to first soloist, Julia Conway, Daniel […]

There are more intriguing performances than one person could possibly see this month, so our editors’ picks run the gamut. The topics—Greek mythology and systemic racism, the Ballets Russes and secondary incarceration—are as varied as the styles—contemporary, bharatanatyam, aerial. The one through line: They’re bound to make you look at the world a little differently. […]

When I was approached to write on ageism in dance, I have to admit that after the initial honor of the invite, I suddenly felt old. I guess I fit the “qualifications” to write this. I’m 63. I’ve been professionally dancing and choreographing for some 40-plus years, and, in the process, have accumulated a certain […]

Points should be given to the dance world for beginning to address the issue of diversity. But have we ever taken into consideration who critiques dance—and the lack of diversity in that area of our community? Or how critics’ subconscious biases create barriers to the elevation of non-white artists?

In this moment of history, choreographers of all walks of life are addressing racism and violence through dance. But this is not a new trend. For as long as this country has struggled with racial discrimination, dance has been a way to bring community together, a way to share a message and a way to […]

Though he’s best known for his highly physical and socially engaged contemporary choreography, Donald Byrd is no novice when it comes to musical theater. The Spectrum Dance Theater artistic director received a 2006 Tony nomination for his work on The Color Purple. Now, Byrd and his dancers have teamed up with the 5th Avenue Theatre […]

Donald Byrd updates his 1991 work, The Minstrel Show.   Sparking discussion: The Minstrel Show puts race front and center. Photo by Nate Watters, Courtesy Spectrum. Donald Byrd’s Bessie Award–winning The Minstrel Show has a history of creating controversy: Past performances have even sparked shouting matches between audience members. His Spectrum Dance Theater premieres a […]