I love when the classic newspaper dance critics describe hip-hop.  They’re called “dance critics” but that really means “mainly a ballet critic” because ballets are frequent, funded, old, organized, and scheduled in advance.  They play well with newspapers.
It’s more difficult to pin down hip-hop.  Where does it happen?  Who is the teacher and who is [...]

About a month ago, the National Ballet held a contest called “Release Your Inner Critic.”  I won!  My review of Innovations can be read here.
Thanks to Adrienne for picking the perfect prize: Swan Lake, framed and matted.  A month later, I’m still debating on the right wall.

This month, Toronto ballet goers were treated to a world premiere, lectures by experts, a ballet competition and a 2-week classical finale.  A highlight of this lineup was Clement Crisp’s lecture on the dire state of ballet companies, worldwide.  A shortage of classical choreographers combined with timid company management has led to repetitive repertoires and [...]

Before every performance at the Four Seasons Center, the National Ballet of Canada hosts a short lecture on the ballet about to be shown.  Sometimes the speaker is a historian, sometimes a costume designer or, if you’re lucky, a dancer from the company.   The idea is brilliant.  At once, new comers are put at [...]

With any classical ballet company, the full-length, narrative ballets always provide the predictable framework for a season. We know that in a given year, it’s fair to expect Giselle or La Sylphide, The Nutcracker at Christmas and some version of Swan Lake. In recent years contemporary works have interspersed the classics and have, as Karen [...]