Where Are Today's Dynamite Ballerina Roles?

“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 Gender Equality Debate Continues: Ratmansky Responds

Last week we wrote about how choreographer Alexei Ratmansky set off a Facebook firestorm with a post proclaiming that “there is no such thing as equality in ballet” when it comes to gender roles. Coming from one of today’s foremost choreographers in ballet, his words unsurprisingly drew hundreds of heated reactions. And maybe that was […]