Tuesday, July 23

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The National Ballet of Canada gets a "rebrand."

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Seeking to merge classical and modern/future-embracing aesthetics, The National Ballet of Canada sought its hometown studio’s creative and technical talents to develop a brand identity that would herald a more creative, inclusive, and bolder organization. “We were tasked to create something that would invite more people in,” BMD Chief Creative Officer Laura Stein recalls. “We created a new wordmark that acts as an invitational narrative. This helps to position them differently — more open, more creative.”

 

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A review of American Ballet Theatre in "Romeo and Juliet" by Leigh Witchel for dancelog.nyc.

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As Juliet, Catherine Hurlin never forgot to give a performance as well as live it in Romeo and Juliet. Her Romeo at American Ballet Theatre, Calvin Royal III, certainly lived the part, but had more hiccups performing it.

 

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Seoul Metropolitan Ballet makes its debut.

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"In Korea, dance has been divided distinctly into ballet, traditional Korean dance and contemporary dance. I am so glad that the contemporary ballet company was founded in these circumstances," said Joo [Jae-man]. The 52-year-old choreographer is a ballet master and artist-in-residence at Complexions Contemporary Ballet in New York City.

 

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Philadelphia Ballet offers classes for adults.

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Somani came as an Absolute Beginner, a new class offered by the Philadelphia Ballet designed for adults who have never taken ballet before. The class is taught by the Ballet’s executive director, Shelly Power, who – while not a beginner – had hung up her pointe shoes years ago to pursue arts administration.

“Oh goodness gracious, I’m telling my age,” she said. “Many years. Decades.”

 

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Ballet West says it has the largest ballet education program in the nation.

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During the 2023-24 season, Ballet West showed presentations to over 60,000 students. Of those viewers, 18,000 were in-person attendees to Student In-Theatre presentations of Dracula, The Firebird, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Beauty and the Beast. 

An additional 43,000 students were able to view the presentations virtually. 

 

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The Martha Graham troupe returns to Aspen.

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“They haven’t been in Aspen for decades for many reasons,” said Jean-Philippe Malaty, executive director of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet (ASFB), which is bringing the company to the area. “We’re thrilled they agreed to come to Aspen, which is a small theater for them. On the heel of the gala, we are bringing the oldest dance company to Aspen. We like that diversity and that contrast because that’s what a well-balanced season should be.”

 

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The trial of Ashley Benefield commences.

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In 2020, after a rocky four-year marriage, Doug and Ashley Benefield had an argument in Ashley’s mother’s Lakewood Ranch home. It ended when Doug was shot and killed. Benefield is using Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law as her defense.

Backstory.

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On an unseasonably hot day in the fall of 2017, four dozen dancers descended on the small city of Charleston, South Carolina. Seasoned soloists from major companies as well as students fresh out of dance school, they were lucky members of the newly formed American National Ballet. Their new jobs, they believed, represented not only the fulfillment of their own dreams, but a revolution in the field of ballet.

 

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 A local TV news story on Oklahoma City Ballet's summer intensive.

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The program is done all over the country, however, for many dancers Oklahoma City is a top destination.

“Sometimes they find that it’s really like a professional environment which is what they are aspiring to,” said Nye.

“Over the two sessions, one hundred and seventy-two students between the ages of 11 and 22 call the Oklahoma City home, students like Poppie from New Zealand.