I first ran into Grisha Coleman in Dayton, Ohio, some 20 years ago, when she was touring with the Urban Bush Women. Even within a company of brilliant dancers, she was a technically inimitable, radiant performer. Since her time at UBW, her cerebral, dancerly ferocity (and choreographic kick-assery) landed her a Harvard Radcliffe Institute fellowship […]

Here are the latest promotions, appointments and departures, plus notable awards and accomplishments, from the last month. Comings & Goings At American Ballet Theatre , Joo Won Ahn, Aran Bell, Skylar Brandt, Thomas Forster, Calvin Royal III and Cassandra Trenary have been promoted to principal, Gabe Stone Shayer to soloist. At Pennsylvania Ballet, Jack Thomas […]

There’s a big difference between one-size-fits-all outreach projects that exist to check a box on a grant application and work that has a lasting impact. As more dance companies incorporate engagement efforts into their seasons, they’re finding that truly purposeful projects require careful consideration of the communities they serve. Focus On Meeting Needs Taking the […]

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 […]

Unexpected collaborations, celebrations of culture, literary classics that take a turn for the tragic—it might be freezing outside, but the new season is just heating up. Here are six shows we’d happily brave the winter weather for this month. Criss-Crossing Culture Zones Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Colin Dunne. Photo by Koen Broos, Courtesy Eastman RENNES, […]

For demanding, vulnerable performances, the mental warm-up and wind-down is unique to each artist. Three dancers share how they get in the zone, and come back to normal life afterward: Erina Takahashi, English National Ballet Principal On performance days, Erina Takahashi (here in Akram Khan’s Giselle) doesn’t think about her character until she’s putting on […]

In a sheer red slip—dirt-covered and exposed—the Chosen One frantically pleads with the community encircling her, wildly dancing until she at last succumbs to an inevitable death. Part of Pina Bausch’s haunting Rite of Spring, this solo is one of the most vulnerable in dance. “When I perform this role, there is no acting, my […]

Today, black women like Okwui Okpokwasili and Nora Chipaumire are dominating the New York City downtown scene with tenacity and genius. Just this summer, Okpokwasili’s solo performance Bronx Gothic was featured in Andrew Rossi’s documentary by the same name, and Chipaumire premiered #PUNK as part of the French Institute Alliance Française’s Crossing the Line Festival. […]