What It's Like to Choreograph a Dance-Only Episode on HBO

Ever wondered what happens in those seedy chain motels attached to airports? In the new HBO anthology series Room 104 Room 104 , created by Mark and Jay Duplass, it’s everything from the funny and eccentric to the creepy and absurd. With no connecting story for its characters, each episode takes place in one motel […]

"Flesh and Bone" Will Bring the Drama

There’s another preview of the Starz drama “Flesh and Bone” circulating that gives us a better idea of what to expect come its premiere on November 8. It looks to be all drama, as we probably should have expected from creator Moira Walley-Beckett, who previously worked on “Breaking Bad.” Sex, drugs, eating disorders, hot tempers—they’re […]

Beyond Perfect: A Manifesto

Dancer Sarah Hay long struggled with the image of an ideal ballet body. Now, as the star of the upcoming TV series “Flesh and Bone,” her body is about to become one of the most recognizable in ballet. Here she explains why it’s time for the dance world to give up its narrow definition of […]

Inside DM

The weirdest “diet advice” I ever heard in a dance studio was to eat Kleenex. According to a certain 17-year-old, tissues were supposed to fill up your stomach without calories. I never tried the trick (thank goodness). But it comes to mind whenever I think about the desperately complicated relationships dancers have with their bodies. […]

Making Peace with My Body

Six dancers on their body-image struggles     I’m too fat. My thighs aren’t muscular enough. My thighs are too muscular. I hate myself. I’ll never be a dancer. Why can’t I have her body?    If you have negative thoughts about yourself racing through your head, you’re not alone. But you aren’t accomplishing anything […]