Why the University of South Carolina Believes Well-Rounded Humans Always Make the Best Dancers

Next spring, Mia Sanderson will graduate from University of South Carolina’s Betsy Blackmon Dance Program with two degrees, completing four years of dance and advertising curriculums that now position her for several career options: Will it be professional company life or marketing for a dance organization? Maybe even musical theater, she says.  “I’ve definitely become a better […]

a white corset dress with a floral wreath across the chest, tall pink shoes that resemble pointe shoes

What Real Dancers Think of Balletcore

Balletcore is also a subject of passionate debate among dancers. Many cringe at simplistic representations of the tools of their trade and, especially, at the use of models who appear to lack any ballet experience. Others think it’s a harmless or even potentially beneficial sign of admiration and respect for their art form.

a female dancer laughing while standing by flowers

How Joffrey Ballet Company Artist Amanda Assucena is Dancing With Abandon

From her first audition with The Joffrey Ballet, Amanda Assucena knew she was where she was meant to be. “Before the auditio­n class, I had never connected with ballet technique and free movement so much,” Assucena recalls. The Brazilian-born dancer officially joined the trainee program in 2012, was promoted to company artist the following year, and continued her meteoric rise with lead roles like the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet by the age of 19.

a man holding one hand front and one side while speaking

Remembering and Celebrating the Late Joffrey Ballet Co-Founder Gerald Arpino for What Would Have Been His 100th Birthday

Gerald Arpino would have turned 100 in January. To mark the occasion, The Gerald Arpino Foundation tapped Joffrey Ballet alumni to revive Arpino works at The Joffrey, Ballet West, San Francisco Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Oklahoma City Ballet, and Eugene Ballet, as well as at university dance programs throughout the country. Artists from those companies will convene at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre September 23 and 24 for a centennial celebration, performing an all-Arpino program.

For Yumi Kanazawa, a Small Dramatic Role Led to Deep Artistic Growth

Last fall, The Joffrey Ballet’s Yumi Kanazawa had a breakout moment as Young Jane in Cathy Marston’s Jane Eyre. “She suddenly had a dramatic role that required a lot more of her as a human being, rather than just as a dancer,” says artistic director Ashley Wheater. Kanazawa played a child dealing with the death […]

Fabrice Calmels Leaves the Joffrey Ballet After Nearly 19 Years

Joffrey Ballet dancer Fabrice Calmels announced Monday that he’ll take his final bow with the company after a performance of Nutcracker on December 29. Born in France, Calmels trained at the Paris Opéra Ballet School before moving to the United States to study at the Rock School, Boston Ballet School and School of American Ballet. […]

Looking at Ballet's Gender Gap By the Numbers

The lack of female leaders in ballet is an old conversation. But a just-launched website, called the Dance Data Project, has brought something new to the discussion: actual numbers, not just anecdotal evidence. The site has published a report on leadership pay among the 50 biggest ballet companies in the U.S, broken down by gender. […]

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