Friday, June 25

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The Clive and Valerie Barnes Foundation announces the recipients of its annual Innovation Awards.

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The Clive Barnes Dance Innovation Award will be presented to Anthony Huxley for his work in Justin Peck’s Solo. A principal dancer with New York City Ballet, he joined the company as a member of the corps de ballet in July 2007, was promoted to soloist in July 2011, and to principal dancer in June 2015. Huxley is a 2006 recipient of the Mae L. Wien Award and also received the 2010-11 Janice Levin Award.

 

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The late Princess Diana's ballet instructor is interviewed in a new documentary.

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In the early 1980s she was hired as a private ballet tutor to Diana, Princes of Wales.

She says Diana first approached her for lessons in 1981 when she was an instructor at the English National Ballet.

 

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Nashville Ballet photo gallery.

Related.

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During the 2020 pandemic season, the Nashville Ballet as an organization executed an entirely new kind of pivot. One that nobody had trained for, but one eerily similar to the dance move the company dancers have performed thousands of times. The ballet was able to move in a different direction while keeping one foot grounded in their mission to create, perform, teach and promote dance as an inspiring element of the community.

 

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Ballet Philippines prepares for its 52nd season.

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Through its revamped website, called BP OnStream, Ballet Philippines' previous season was not short of accomplishments. It was able to deliver 52 masterclasses from legendary superstars of the ballet world with over 1,600 virtual attendees. Meanwhile, a total of 365 company classes were conducted with almost 7,000 attendees. Out of this, 31 original video productions were made, as well as carrying the K12 Kalusugan exercise breaks for students and teachers. Through Batang BP's educational and entertaining materials, the esteemed ballet company was able to reach out to the younger audience. 

 

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Q&A with Carl Davis.

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Watching the restored print of Buster Keaton’s Steamboat Bill, Jr. with your score is a little like following a seamless full-length ballet.

Yes - the relationship between film and ballet is striking, and I find myself composing more and more ballet scores now, something which the film work has made me much better at. Though in ballet, you have to give the dancers more time; with film you have cuts. Though both are narratives, both genres have stories. I ask myself what is the film about – a romance, a war film, a comedy? If it’s based on something, I do my research. The first important question has to be ‘”is there a budget’? Can I use lots of players? With an epic like Ben Hur or The Thief of Baghdad (pictured, above left), you can’t cheat. But with a comedy, you don’t need 80 players – it can work with just a piano. I prefer having an ensemble though.

 

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Olga Moiseyeva has died at age 92.

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She was one of the lastlinks to the Vaganova Method that conditioned so many Soviet ballerinas.

 

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How Nashville Ballet hung on during the pandemic.

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During the 2020 pandemic season, the Nashville Ballet as an organization executed an entirely new kind of pivot. One that nobody had trained for, but one eerily similar to the dance move the company dancers have performed thousands of times. The ballet was able to move in a different direction while keeping one foot grounded in their mission to create, perform, teach and promote dance as an inspiring element of the community.

 

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Kevin Irving leaves Oregon Ballet Theatre, involuntarily.

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“I was informed on Wednesday of this week that the board has decided to go a different direction in the AD role and that my resignation was required by [the end of the day]. This was an unexpected development. Having lost the confidence of the board, and given the alternatives available to me, my only choice was to accede to their request that I resign – albeit with a heavy heart.”