When you’re enjoying the easygoing, joke-telling manner of Robert Battle as the welcoming emcee of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, you might not realize there is a ferocious choreographer underneath all that charm. To celebrate his 10 years as artistic director, at New York City Center on Tuesday night the company presented seven works Battle’s created over the last 22 years. Each one held bold surprises—even for those of us familiar with his work. At the Dance Magazine Awards the previous night, Judith Jamison, in presenting the award to Battle, said, “I love watching Robert’s brave ..read more

Choreographer Ivan Pulinkala's latest work, "FOREST," features some unexpected performers: improvising robots. As a collaboration between Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State University (where Pulinkala is the founding chair and professor of dance), the work pairs robot musician/dancers with human partners (who happen to be KSU alums). This video shows how the work came together and shares why the collaborators hope it not only inspires new avenues for creativity, but establishes better trust of robotic platforms ..read more

In 2020, Company XIV prepared to honor the 10th season of its holiday production, Nutcracker Rouge. A libertine twist on the classic ballet, the show features bawdy, rigorous choreography danced with a glittering cocktail of carnal abandon and precision. Throughout the show—which includes opera on an aerial hoop—the cast performs onstage and among the audience. An anniversary celebration seemed inevitable. The pandemic had other plans. Instead, the company presented a virtual program tailored for film, and offered accompanying home bar kits and other gifts in an online boutique to replicate ..read more

Bijayini Satpathy was supposed to spend much of last year on her first tour as an independent artist. For 25 years, she had been a dancer and teacher at Nrityagram, a community in southern India devoted to the study and performance of Odissi. Instead of her planned solo tour, Satpathy entered a period of intensive creativity and self-discovery. She worked alone for months, further exploring a personal movement language that pushes at the edges of this exquisite classical dance she has been practicing her whole life. "The pause kept me focused and grounded, with a purpose," she says. One resu ..read more

Missed the livestream? Get access to the 2021 Dance Magazine Awards on demand here. One of my favorite things about the Dance Magazine Awards has always been the sense of worlds colliding—the way luminaries from different corners of our industry who you'd likely never see sharing a stage or a program come together for this celebration of dance's living legends. This year's edition, which combined pre-recorded and live, in-person speeches and performances, was no different. (Seeing 2021 Honoree Andy Blankenbuehler chatting with 1991 honoree Mark Morris before the ceremony was a particularly w ..read more

Choreographer Francisco Graciano grew up in San Antonio before launching his lauded career with Paul Taylor Dance Company. So when he moved to Austin in 2020, he found himself wanting to reidentify with his Texas roots. One particularly tasty way to do that was by embracing his new city's favorite dish: the breakfast taco. "This recipe represents what I'm adding to my dance palette as an Austin artist," says Graciano. "As a Mexican American, I want to make cuisine rooted in this culture." He adapted this breakfast taco from a friend's chicken taco recipe, swapping in eggs for the protein, th ..read more

Robert Farris Thompson, who was given the Outstanding Contribution to Dance Research award by the Congress on Research in Dance in 2007, died on November 29, 2021, at 88 years of age. Thompson was the Colonel John Trumbull Professor of the History of Art and, from 1978 until 2010, Master of Timothy Dwight College at Yale University. He’d been on the faculty since 1965. “Who is this man?” I thought when I first met him. It was around 1974, and I was dutifully cataloguing slides at the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives in the National Museum of African Art as a young master’s student and ne ..read more

Keeping up with college dance classes is challenging enough. But crafting your own? That's a whole new level. While most university dance programs offer independent-study courses, dancers don't always do one because they aren't quite sure what it entails. Yet the opportunity can give students a chance to dive into a topic that isn't covered in the regular curriculum. Sure you don't have room for one more credit? Find Your Topic Dancers are often most intimidated by homing in on an idea for their independent study. Here are a few tips for brainstorming a subject: Find inspiration in other cla ..read more

It was clear to anyone who saw David Alvarez in the musical Billy Elliot more than a decade ago that there was something remarkable about this teenager debuting on Broadway. Even at 14, he had a gravitas beyond his years. His dancing was both expressive and explosive—it said something about the character's inner life, and also about his talent. You left the theater wondering what was next for this extraordinary young performer. But, to the surprise of many, he didn't stay in show business, despite winning a Tony for Best Actor in a Musical, along with his two fellow Billys. Instead, he disap ..read more

Here are the latest promotions, appointments and departures, as well as notable awards and accomplishments, from the last month. Comings & Goings At Pacific Northwest Ballet, Elle Macy has been promoted to principal, Miles Pertl and Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan to soloist. At Ballet West, Jenna Rae Herrera has been promoted to principal. At Carolina Ballet, Sam Ainley has been promoted to principal, Bilal Smith and Joseph Gerhardt to soloist. At Paris Opéra Ballet, Jérémy-Loup Quer has been promoted to premier danseur, Jack Gasztowtt and Alexandre Gasse to sujet, and Guillaume Diop, Nicola di Vi ..read more