Tag: ballet

Step-Over Pirouette Dos and Don'ts

DO keep your body straight up and down. “Many dancers tend to pull their hips back and tip their bodies forward in step-overs, but that makes it difficult to get around,” says Nanako Yamamoto of American Repertory Ballet. DON’T leave both feet on the floor at the same time. “A well-executed lame duck goes from […]

Because There's No Such Thing As Too Much "Nutcracker"…

As December 2018 is finally winding down, you’ve probably had “Waltz of the Flowers” stuck in your head since October—at least. If just reading that sentence made you want to scream, you’re welcome to stop reading here. (And we really are sorry that it’s stuck in your head for the umpteenth time now.) We’re actually […]

This Backstage Tour of PNB's "Nutcracker" Is Total Eye Candy

If there’s one thing that’s better than witnessing The Nutcracker from the audience, it’s getting an up-close, behind-the-scenes look at everything that goes into the production. Luckily, Pacific Northwest Ballet agrees with this sentiment—the company just released an amazing video offering a peek backstage. Led by PNB dancer Elle Macy (who was preparing to dance […]

How to Master Step-Over Pirouettes

“Lame duck.” It sounds like nothing else in the classical ballet vocabulary, right? Also known as step-up turns or step-over turns—or, more technically, as piqués en dehors—these tricky pirouettes show up all over the classical ballet repertoire, perhaps most famously in Odette’s Act II variation in Swan Lake. Here’s how to keep your lame ducks […]

The Nutty History of "The Nutcracker"

The Nutcracker has become an essential part of the holiday season—not to mention a part of most dancers’ DNA. These days, the ballet is a beloved tradition, and the lifeblood of many dance companies, whose budgets depend on its reliably great ticket sales. But did you know that it was a flop when it first […]

A Few of The Top Year-Round Boarding Schools for Dance

For some high school students, the thrill of dancing away from home doesn’t end when the summer is over. In fact, those who attend residential performing arts high schools live in dorms, work with esteemed guest artists and faculty, and spend half of every school day in a dance studio—from September to May. Offering a […]