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[dirac]

Ivan Vasiliev is interviewed by Roslyn Sulcas in The New York Times.

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Mr. Ratmansky, who was looking for a partner for Ms. Osipova, whom he had hired two years earlier, engaged Mr. Vasiliev in the face of strong opposition from the artistic staff at the Bolshoi. Like Ms. Osipova, he said, Mr. Vasiliev was not considered classical enough to dance the great 19th-century ballet roles.

“The same things were said about the greatest dancers in the past (Cecchetti, Legnani, Messerer, Lepeshinskaya),” he wrote, “so I knew I was right in hiring them. Their young talents, sheer physicality and charisma more than compensated for the lack of refined lines or good manners.”

[dirac]

Kansas City Ballet seeks to raise money for pointe shoes.

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Every year the Kansas City Ballet supplies their 28-member dance company with 60 pointe shoes. Ron Friedman, the chief development officer, said that can add up. "Sixty pairs times $75 times the number of dancers. It's no small feat to keep them on their toes," he said.

That's why the Kansas City Ballet is holding a Keep Our Dancers on Their Toes campaign. The goal is to raise $100,000, their annual shoe budget, to make sure that dancers like Coats can completely focus on their dancing.

[dirac]

A story on the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami. Audio and text.

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But what makes this company different is that it’s a holding station for dancers who defect from Cuba, a place where they can stay in shape and get help finding permanent jobs.

Pedro Pablo Pena, himself a Cuban dancer who defected in the 80s, founded the company five years ago.

[dirac]

The latest installment in Sara Mearns' video blog for The Huffington Post, "Barre None."

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It seems I have been inspired to write from a very unexpected situation which, up until now, has caused me unbelievable happiness but also grief. It also made me dig so deep into my soul and question what makes me truly happy. What inspires me to wake up everyday and go to the theater, which lately has also been a struggle emotionally and mentally. It's true that everyone, particularly artists, go through phases of un-inspiration (Is that a word? If not, you get my point.) and self-doubt about their craft or talent. I'm apparently in that phase right now and treading just above the water line so I don't drown. All dramatics aside, I need to find that sense of beauty again......

[dirac]

NPR offers  "The Cocktail Party Guide to Igor Stravinsky."

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Well, the Rite of Spring anniversary is indeed upon us. And lest you get caught again not knowing your neo-nationalism from your neoclassicism, here are a few musical crib notes about the composer of The Rite and his surprisingly multifaceted career.

[dirac]

Ballet Arizona photo gallery.

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Just like all professional athletes, prepping and warming up is just as important as the game, or in this instance, the ballet itself. The dancers from Ballet Arizona are no exception. Checkout the "behind the scenes" images of Topia at the Desert Botanical Garden.

[dirac]

A review of the Eifman Ballet in "Rodin" by Paula Citron in The Globe and Mail.

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On more than one occasion, the audience applauded an Eifman special effect, for example, the clever crafting of six dancers to look like a mound of clay which Rodin moulds into one of his most famous statues, The Burghers of Calais. It a stunning trompe l’oeil.

The dancing is exquisite. The company is filled with supple dancers, with the leads being particularly talented. The amazing Andreyeva can wind her body around like a pretzel. Her mad scenes are riveting for her twists and turns.

[dirac]

Nevada Ballet Theatre is robbed, among other problems.

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But stolen sculptures aren’t NBT’s only woes. It closed a portion of its building last summer due to water issues. Three of its seven academy studios are out of commission.

Initially, NBT was alerted to the problem when damage was noticed in one of the storage closets. The wall was discolored, but no water was visible. The studios’ damage was hidden because the walls were covered with mirrors, and the floors are elevated.

[dirac]

A review of American Ballet Theatre by Robert Johnson in The Star-Ledger.

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With its emphasis on structure, Morris’ work points toward the end of the program, the magnificent cathedral of George Balanchine’s "Symphony in C." But first comes the centerpiece—a revival of Frederick Ashton’s "A Month in the Country" and a holiday from pure dance.

[dirac]

A review of American Ballet Theatre in 'Onegin' by Carol Pardo for danceviewtimes.

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David Hallberg has long been the epitome of a danseur noble. But earlier in his career, he was gorgeous to look at from the neck down and bland from the neck up. But time, work, curiosity and, I’d bet, working with Alexei Ratmansky on "On the Dnieper" and "Firebird" have awakened the actor in the prince. His transformation from the bored man about town who surveys Madame Larina’s ballroom as if asking "What am I doing here?" to the desperately contrite lover, his eyes riveted on Tatania, is entirely believable. However, the big act one adagio, in which Tatiana dreams conjures up an idealized Onegin who adores her as she does him, did not come off. The duet is full of nasty and difficult lifts that must soar beyond technique to be expressive; the labor and mechanics were too much in evidence.....