Hope Boykin, a petite, curvy Black woman with a shaved head, gives the camera a mischievous, close-mouthed smile. Her palms are pressed together with her fingertips resting against her lips; her elbows are propped on her knees as she leans forward where she sits, arches popping against the floor. She wars white trousers and a denim button-down with the sleeves rolled to her elbows.

First As a Performer and Now As a Choreographer, Hope Boykin Has Nurtured Her Unique Voice

Watching Hope Boykin dance is like watching a musical score come to life: Her speed, her clarity, and her innate understanding of music have captivated audiences for more than three decades. But that outwardly spectacular performer has always nurtured her inner voice, too. In her post-performance life, Boykin has begun to share that voice through choreography, spoken word, and writing.

a male choreographer wearing a green shirt watching dancers in a studio

Dwight Rhoden Brings Contemporary Ballet and Professional Connections to Chapman University

“I just kind of fell in love with the program,” says Rhoden,­ who has a long history teaching and choreographing in higher ed settings, including at New York University, The Juilliard School, University of California Irvine, Skidmore College, and the University of Mississippi. At Chapman, he says, there was “a great vibe in the studio and in the program and the people.”

Complexions Presents “Black is Beautiful”

In response to a national reckoning with racial injustice, Complexions Contemporary Ballet makes a powerful contribution to the conversation with its film “Black is Beautiful.” The company’s artistic directors Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson choreographed movement to a spoken word piece by poets Terrell Lewis, Aicha Therese, Mr. Reed and Poetess Jess. An introduction prefacing […]

2020–21 Season Preview: The In-the-Works Shows We're Looking Forward to Most

With how rapidly the performance landscape has shifted—and continues to shift—as the world grapples with COVID-19, looking ahead can feel fraught. Many artists, organizations and presenters remain in holding patterns. Nevertheless, we wanted to celebrate the projects that have been announced that excite us, even if their details (in particular, their planned performance dates) are […]

The Story of How Ballet Legs Got Higher, and Higher, and Higher

Just before retiring in 2015, Sylvie Guillem appeared on “HARDtalk with Zeinab Badawi,” the BBC’s hard-hitting interview program. Badawi told Guillem, “Clement Crisp of the Financial Times, 14 years ago, described your dancing as vulgar.” Guillem responded, “Yeah, well, he said that. But at the same time, when they asked Margot Fonteyn what she thought […]

SF Ballet’s “Boundless” Symposium Explores How Ballet is Evolving

The first week of San Francisco Ballet’s Unbound: A Festival of New Works was all about new ballets, with 12 world premieres by the likes of Justin Peck, Dwight Rhoden and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. The second weekend provided time to reflect, as artists and influencers gathered for “Boundless: A Symposium on Ballet’s Future.” Dance Magazine […]

Ballet Unbound: SFB's 17-Day Festival Asks Where the Art Form is Headed

The ballet world will converge on San Francisco this month for San Francisco Ballet’s Unbound: A Festival of New Works, a 17-day event featuring 12 world premieres, a symposium, original dance films and pop-up events. “Ballet is going through changes,” says artistic director Helgi Tomasson. “I thought, What would it be like to bring all […]

American National Ballet Fires Almost Half Its Dancers Only a Few Weeks Into The Season

The messages started coming in Monday evening. A concerned teacher was worried about several dancers she knew at American National Ballet—did we know what was going on? Later that night, more information started emerging on social media—and it was clear something was up at the Charleston, South Carolina–based company. We’ve been interested in ANB since […]

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