Tag: new york city

Secret Society Dance Company at the Step It Up NYC auditions with founder Traequan Middleton (left).

How a Secret Society of Dancers Is Making Their Voices Heard

When Traequan Middleton was growing up in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York, it wasn’t unusual for him to corral his friends and design intricate dances on them. “I was always the person to lead the pack,” Middleton remembers. Today, his knack for leadership hasn’t waned. In fact, he created and directs one of […]

The NYCBxSPAC Series Is the Most Beautiful Thing You'll See All Summer

This Tuesday, July 17, New York City Ballet begins its 52nd summer residency in Saratoga Springs, NY. This annual tradition sees the company’s world-class dancers bringing their signature works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Justin Peck, and others to the outdoor Saratoga Performing Arts Center (or SPAC for short). To drum up excitement for the […]

How to Follow Your NYC Dance Dreams—on a Budget

There’s a reason (or a million reasons) so many young dancers set their sights on the city that never sleeps: NYC is an artists’ haven, with opportunities to create and grow everywhere you look. But pursuing a dance career in NYC can also be downright expensive, and a steady company paycheck is basically a unicorn. […]

Five of Our Favorite Ballet Trailers

Few things are more powerful for promoting ballet performances than captivating trailers—especially in today’s visually-focused, digitally-connected world. We’ve rounded up some eye-catching ads from seasons past and present that not only make us wish we could have seen the show, but also stand alone as short films. Bucharest National Opera’s La Sylphide Magnifying the scarf […]

The Many Facets of Dancer and Choreographer Kate Harpootlian

With several Shaping Sound tours and TV credits like “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Dancing with the Stars,” and “Boardwalk Empire” to her name, you wouldn’t expect Kate Harpootlian to be refreshingly down-to-earth. But that’s exactly how she is: As soon as you start talking to the gifted dancer and choreographer, it becomes clear […]

Meet the Claras of the "Radio City Christmas Spectacular"

Think the Rockettes are the only stars of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular? Think again. Each year, a few lucky girls share the role of Clara, who appears during the Nutcracker portion of the show. Clara gets to do some real dancing, too, including solos and pas de deux. (Past Claras include Juliet Doherty and […]

Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of the Radio City Rockettes

For some it’s a holiday tradition, for others its an iconic spectacle, but no matter the reason, more than 1 million people will watch the Rockettes perform in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular each year. And though the production has been around since 1933, much of what goes on behind those velvety curtains and intricate […]