Tag: the royal ballet

A Ballet Swap-eroo

Big ballet news today! American Ballet Theatre just announced a transatlantic “dancer exchange.” OK, yes, when I first heard that, I started hyperventilating a little. Were any of my darling ABT people going to be, uh, “traded” to some European team? But fear not: This exchange is for a few guest performances only, giving audiences […]

ZooNation Versus The Royal Ballet: Dance Battle Edition

Pick one, if you can: Fierce hip hoppers or poised ballet dancers. There’s really no way to choose, is there? And this dance battle between Royal Ballet principal Steven McRae and ZooNation dancer Turbo doesn’t really help. Both companies perform a version of Alice in Wonderland at the Royal Opera House in London. The Royal […]

Stunning Photos Show the Raw Beauty of Dancer Bodies

Yes, we love dance for its glamour. We love the tutus and the tiaras, the sets, the pageantry. We love the stage versions of our favorite dancers, transformed by lights and makeup and the distance of the fourth wall. But we’re also all about the real people behind those stage personae—the sweaty, bruised, blistered, strong, […]

Sarah Lamb is Regal in "Portrait of a Dancer"

Christmas is now officially 364 days away, but it’s never too early to start working on those wish lists for 2016! And the chance to see Sarah Lamb, a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet, perform Wayne McGregor‘s Woolf Works is already securely at the top of mine. Even if that doesn’t happen, the dance gods have luckily gifted us with a […]

A Star-Crossed, Cross-Atlantic Lover

Lamb as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (photo by Johan Persson, courtesy Royal Opera House) It’s hard to believe that Kenneth MacMillan’s iconic Romeo and Juliet turns 50 this year: It hasn’t aged a day! In fact, the production is still danced by many ballet companies around the world. To celebrate the work’s golden anniversary, […]

Thank You, Royal Ballet, For This #Throwback Time Capsule

Way back in 1949, Sadler’s Wells Ballet (which later became The Royal) had its first North American tour. A ballerina named Margot Fonteyn was introduced to America, became an international star and changed the face of dance. Fortunately for us, there are photos and mementos from those early touring days to show us what it […]

Today in Ballet History: A Legend Was Born

Margot Fonteyn in Swan Lake (Dance Magazine Archives) On this day in 1919, a tiny Margaret Hookham was born in Reigate, England. Today, however, we know her as Dame Margot Fonteyn. Or Royal Ballet Prima Ballerina Assoluta Margot Fonteyn. Or simply one of the most timeless, most elegant, most famous ballerinas of the 20th Century. […]

Wayne McGregor's First-Ever Full-Length Ballet Premieres Tomorrow!

Attention #dancenerdz! You know Wayne McGregor? The uber-cool British contemporary ballet choreographer whose movement turns dancers into gumby superheroes? And maybe you’ve heard of Virgina Woolf, the British modernist writer who basically defined the genre and helped change the course of writing in the English language? Try to imagine those two towering artistic forces combined […]