Thursday, July 25

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Opening statements are made in the Ashley Benefield murder case.

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Their Charleston-based dance company, the American National Ballet, captured headlines as it materialized before imploding due to lack of funding. Doug Benefield, who was well established in Charleston and had a history of questionable entrepreneurial pursuits, one day disappeared from the ballet company, just as his wife did weeks earlier.

 

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Ballet Vero Beach holds a fundraiser.

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Its importance, as proceeds go toward the nonprofit’s educational and community engagement initiatives, became even more critical after Gov. Ron DeSantis, with one sweep of the pen, vetoed all state grants to Florida arts organizations, including the $38,000 grant to BVB that had been approved by the legislature.

 

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American Ballet Theatre works with Alo Yoga on its new line of activewear.

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Called “Ballet Pink,” Alo’s collection features 40 new styles and accessories in a diverse range of performance wear, loungewear and fashion-forward pieces all inspired by traditional ballet attire while pushing the boundaries in the brand’s popular style.

 

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The Vail Dance Festival kicks off this weekend.

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The following work, “When Love,” features Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Alexandra Hutchinson and Michah Bullard, set to music by Philip Glass.

“Dance Theatre of Harlem is such a phenomenal company with such fantastic technicians,” Puleio said.

American Ballet Theatre’s principles Catherine Hurlin and Aran Bell take the stage next with “Le Corsaire” (Act 3 Pas De Deux).

 

[dirac]

A discussion of the changing culture of ballet in the context of charges of misbehavior on the set of Strictly Come Dancing by David Jays in The Times.

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None of the Strictly allegations concern sex (though they do centre on high-handed behaviour from male professionals towards female celebrity partners). Dance is an art of body on body and some ballet companies now follow film and theatre in hiring intimacy co-ordinators for highly charged stories. Scottish Ballet tasked co-ordinators with establishing boundaries and “no-touch” zones on The Scandal at Mayerling and A Streetcar Named Desire, both of which feature sexual assault. “I do my best work when I’m comfortable and feel safe,” confirmed the company dancer Evan Loudon.

 

[dirac]

Gabriela Hearst includes costumes from San Francisco Ballet's "Carmen" in her new collection.

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The production was part of “Dos Mujeres,” the company’s inaugural double bill of works by Latina choreographers. “Dos Mujeres” represents a collaboration of Latina and Hispanic female artistic forces, led by Tamara Rojo, the Madrid-raised director of the San Francisco Ballet. Rojo has been pivotal in bringing more women’s stories and storytellers to the dance stage.

Related.

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One highlight of the collection is the Carmen dress, showcasing the craftsmanship involved in making these pieces. Its knitted ribs are fitted in the upper body and flare out dramatically in the skirt and sleeve cuff. When standing still, the ribs collapse into a columnar shape, but in motion, the true fluidity of the dress appears.

 

[dirac]

Philip Glass objects to the use of his music by the Sevastopol Opera and Ballet Theater in an open letter.

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Sevastopol Opera and Ballet Theater, a recently opened venue in Crimea designed by the avant-garde Austrian architectural firm Coop Himmelb(l)au, has been promoting two performances of the ballet Wuthering Heights next week set to the music of legendary minimalist composer Philip Glass. Glass is not happy about it. In an open letter posted on his social media accounts, Glass says he has not given the ballet company permission to use his music, and he strongly urges them not to proceed with any such production.