Tag: ballet

NYCB Principal Taylor Stanley on Kyle Abraham's Groundbreaking New Ballet

New York City Ballet’s fall gala always promises new ballet delights. This year, the company is offering not one, but three world premieres by a diverse lineup of choreographers: Matthew Neenan, Kyle Abraham, and Gianna Reisen. At 19 years old, Reisen is the youngest choreographer to ever work with NYCB, and Abraham will be the […]

Ballet Trailblazer Arthur Mitchell Has Died

Former New York City Ballet principal dancer and Dance Theatre of Harlem founder Arthur Mitchell passed away today in a Manhattan hospital. He was 84 years old. As a leading dancer with NYCB in the 1950s and ’60s, Mitchell became indelibly associated with two roles created on him by George Balanchine: the central pas de […]

NYCB's Olivia Boisson Shares Her Pointe-Shoe Prep Routine

Watching a ballerina customize her pointe shoes will just never get old. Not only is it oddly mesmerizing to watch, but the pros always have some genius tips and hacks to offer. New York City Ballet corps member Olivia Boisson recently sat down with Insider to talk about her pointe-shoe process, and trust us, the […]

3 Pointe Shoe Myths, Debunked

Pointe shoes can transform even the simplest steps into ethereal movements of elegance and beauty as anyone who’s ever seen a ballerina bourree on pointe can attest. It’s no wonder that young dancers long for the day when they too may don a pair of pink satin shoes. But there are a ton of misconceptions—even […]

How To Master Manèges

A beautifully executed manège—a whirlwind series of steps performed in a circular pattern around the stage—can create a powerful, dramatic climax onstage. But while a manège is always impressive to watch, it isn’t always easy to perfect. Even the pros struggle with them: Boston Ballet principal Misa Kuranaga remembers one rehearsal of John Cranko’s Romeo […]

What It's Really Like to Be a Supernumerary with American Ballet Theatre

American Ballet Theatre boasts nearly 90 dancers. But when the company is mounting an elaborate story ballet at NYC’s cavernous Metropolitan Opera House, it actually needs more bodies to complete the picture onstage. Enter supernumeraries, aka “supers.” These supplementary performers are hired for non-dancing background roles (think “third courtier from the left” or “tall market […]