Tag: peter boal

What Are the Implications of Offering Free Dance Online?

From mid-March into early April, dance communities around the world experienced a seismic shift as performance seasons were cancelled, training programs were suspended and physical contact outside one’s home was mandated unsafe. As dancers, we are taught to problem solve in real-time, so it came as no surprise when streamed performances and classes began popping […]

Peter Boal's Top Tips for Pirouettes en Dedans in Arabesque

“People have so much fear associated with arabesque turns,” says Peter Boal, artistic director of Pacific Northwest Ballet. Here, he shares images and ideas to help you confidently master this advanced pirouette. “It’s a real accomplishment when you can put it all together.” Asymmetrical but balanced: “Our body is comfortable balancing with one foot centered […]

Beyond Rumors & Legends: What Jerome Robbins Was Really Like in Rehearsal

In a windowless subterranean studio under the New York State Theater, I pulled back an imaginary arrow and let it fly. “Good!” said ballet master Tommy Abbott. “I think you’re ready. Tomorrow you rehearse with Mr. Robbins.” I was slated to play Cupid in Jerome Robbins’ compilation of fairy tales called Mother Goose. It was […]

After Juggling Positions at University of Utah and Ballet Arkansas, Michael Bearden Lands in Norman, Oklahoma

“I was asked many times by other artistic directors, from Devon Carney to Peter Boal, ‘Wait a minute, you don’t live there? How is this working?’” says Michael Bearden about directing Ballet Arkansas in Little Rock. For the past four years, he has lived a double life—one part artistic director of the up-and-coming regional ballet […]