Gregory Oliver Hines (1946–2003) spent his boyhood days at Harlem’s Apollo Theater with his brother Maurice, watching tap dancers like Chuck Green, Charles “Honi” Coles, Teddy Hale, The Nicholas Brothers, and Howard “Sandman” Sims. Between performances, the hoofers would gather in the dimly lit, costume-cluttered basement to jam on the worn-in rehearsal floor. It was […]
Wes Chapman’s role as the chair of the Department of Dance at the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) is a full-circle moment. He is an alum of the esteemed institution himself. After performing with Alabama Ballet for one season, Chapman was invited by Mikhail Baryshnikov to join American Ballet Theatre’s corps de ballet in […]
Mikhail Baryshnikov, widely hailed as one of the world’s greatest ballet dancers, has earned his place in history not just for his artistry, but for his endless curiosity. After defecting from the Soviet Union in 1974, his exhilarating performances at New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre (which he also directed from 1980–89) electrified […]
What does Mikhail Baryshnikov have to say to dancers starting their careers today? On Friday, he gave the keynote speech during the graduation ceremony for the inaugural class of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. The heart of his message: Be generous. After promising not to talk politics, he said he would go “180 […]
Martha Graham (left) “Great dancers are not great because of their technique. They are great because of their passion.” —Martha Graham “To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on Earth and it is yours for the taking” —Agnes de Mille “Art is the […]
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive Check out rare footage filmed at Jacob’s Pillow, America’s longest running dance festival, dating as far back as the 1930s. From the celebration of the male dancer in Ted Shawn’s Men Dancers to the present-day tap dance pyrotechnics of Dorrance Dance, this is a diverse collection you can rarely find in […]
Last night’s Dance Magazine Awards honored five remarkable artists: flamenco dancer Soledad Barrio, National Ballet of Canada artistic director Karen Kain, American Ballet Theatre principal Marcelo Gomes, dance archivist David Vaughan and Urban Bush Women artistic director Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. Held at The Ailey Citigroup Theater, the awards ceremony consisted of heartfelt speeches by […]