Ana Nery Fragoso’s guiding philosophy is collaboration. Whether she’s teaching elementary school children, leading professional-development workshops for educators, or mentoring future teachers as director of the Arnhold Graduate Dance Education Program at Hunter College in New York City “building community and cooperation is a constant in my pedagogy,” she says. Fragoso’s passion for education was […]
After eight years captivating audiences in the Netherlands at The Dutch National Ballet, Michaela DePrince is now bringing her magnetism to Boston Ballet as a second soloist. But she’s got even bigger plans than simply blessing American audiences with her soaring jumps, expansive lines and pristine technique. As a survivor of the 1991–2002 Sierra Leone […]
There is perhaps no one else Skylar Brandt has disappointed more than her childhood piano teacher. “I knew by the age of 8 that I wanted to be a ballerina, but my parents insisted on having me try other activities, including piano,” she explains. “With my sense of musicality at a young age, my teacher […]
Cuban dynamo Joan Boada was a leading star of San Francisco Ballet (SF Ballet), where he performed as a principal dancer for 17 years. During that time, he lent his power, charisma and refinement in works by Helgi Tomasson, George Balanchine, Yuri Possokhov and Christopher Wheeldon, to name a few. Having graduated from the renowned […]
In a spacious upstairs room in his San Francisco home, ballet teacher Christopher Lam gently holds on to an ironing board as he pliés, tendus and dégagés in his socks on the wood floor. He is leading students in a virtual ballet class on Zoom in light of the San Francisco Bay Area’s shelter-in-place order […]
Teaching artist Kelby Brown prefers simple piano accompaniment with long sustaining chords. He finds this helps dancers to concentrate and fill in the space with the steps. “I need fewer notes, less music,” he says. It’s an approach he learned from his teachers at the School of American Ballet, like Stanley Williams, and from his […]
Q: After attending a summer program at a prestigious ballet school, my daughter has been invited to stay for the year-round program. She is interested, of course, but I’m not so sure. How can I be objective about this? A: An invitation to attend a top-tier academy is undoubtedly a great compliment to your daughter’s […]
American Ballet Theatre principal dancer James Whiteside is doing his best to adjust to life at home during the coronavirus outbreak. Watch below for his insights, and see who among the ballet world’s best is teaching online, including DT’s January cover star and director of The Juilliard School’s Dance Division, Alicia Graf Mack (minute 1:07). […]
Susan Pilarre has been closely tied to the School of American Ballet for nearly her entire life. From her first class there at age 11 through her 16-year career with its affiliated company, New York City Ballet, Pilarre learned directly from the great choreographer George Balanchine, absorbing the details of his unique style. Sensing her […]
Q: I have a 15-year-old student who has problems keeping her heel fully on the ground during a demi-plié. How can I help her? A: Her problem is tightness in the calf muscle. Start by having her roll her foot on a tennis ball or pinkie ball. This will wake up her feet so she […]