It’s not often that I see a ballet step that I have not seen before, but that was the case when American Ballet Theatre’s Elisabeth Beyer posted an Instagram video from World Ballet Day in November 2023. In the brief clip, she showed off some remarkable fouettés with a variant I have never seen before. Take a look at my YouTube video and I provide details on what makes Elisabeth’s turns so remarkable. I’ve watched Elisabeth since she was 14 years old as a student at Ellison Ballet performing in semi-annual showcases, and followed her career since she joined the American Ballet Theatre Studio C ..read more

Check out my latest YouTube video on pointe shoes. This video series provides an overview of pointe shoes from the perspective of an elite professional dancer. This video provides commentary from American Ballet Theatre’s Christine Shevchenko on topics ranging from brands, sizing, usage, preparation, and pain management. These specialized shoes were originally designed to allow dancers to appear weightless, with an ethereal quality in Romantic era supernatural, otherworldly roles as Sylphs, Willys, nimfs, and Fairies that permeate Giselle, Swan Lake, and La sil-feed. Since Marie Taglioni ..read more

I have a new YouTube video on Roberto Bolle. Roberto is one of the most famous dancers in the world, with widespread name recognition outside the dance world, particularly in his home country of Italy, where he headlined popular television specials, and presented dance works in non-standard venues like the Rome Colosseum. Roberto has performed with many major ballet companies globally, and on many noteworthy occasions, such as the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics, Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee, the reopening of the Royal Opera House after renovation, and full-length performance ..read more

  Check out my latest YouTube video focusing on the grand assemblé en tournant. It is my favorite ballet step, more informally known as a double assemble, a notable step found in numerous male variations. The step can be a highlight of a variation when done well as the dancer slices through the air. As a dancer many years ago, I struggled with the step, often off kilter in the air, stumbling on landing. Given my less than successful experience with the step, I really tune in when I see guys excel with it on stage. This video provides a description of the double assemble with top-notch ex ..read more

Check out my latest YouTube video on Fouettés. A fouetté is a ballet term referencing a whipping movement. Grant (Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet) lists 19 fouetté variants, but the most popular and attention grabbing is called a fouetté rond de jambe en tournant. This is a dramatic and iconic step for females, featured in Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Flames of Paris variations. For better or for worse, some ballet fans view the step as the ultimate testing ground of any ballerina. In this video, I provide some of my favorite clips demonstrating breathtaking athleticism and tec ..read more

Check out my latest YouTube video on the Bluebird variation performed by François Alu of the Paris Opera Ballet. The Bluebird pas de deux from The Sleeping Beauty is one ballet’s most famous and iconic dances. Although most dance fans are familiar with the segment, the derivation and background of the work are less well known. In this video, I give some historical background for the work, and show one of the best Bluebird variations I have seen, from Paris Opera Ballet’s François Alu. His dancing stands out with great clarity and purpose of movement, making it a preeminent example of this wor ..read more

Twisting and turning skills are vital in many athletic and artistic endeavors. Figure skaters, gymnasts, and ballet dancers typically have a preferred side of turning (or directional turning preference) on the ground and jumps. Some prefer to turn clockwise (CW) while others turn counterclockwise (CCW). This video looks at the turning tendencies of athletes and ballet dancers. The turning propensities differ widely depending on the activity. I review some academic research on turning preferences in humans with some surprising results. Innate biological factors can explain some turning preferen ..read more

In an American Ballet Theatre Spring Season filled with old iconic warhorses that ballet fans have committed to memory, Alexei Ratmansky’s Of Love and Rage is a refreshing contrast. The work, which debuted at Segerstrom Center in March 2020 and was postponed several years due to COVID lockdowns, opened Monday at the Metropolitan Opera House. It is a grand, sweeping, multifaceted production that was definitely worth the wait. Of Love and Rage is inspired by a Greek prose epic Callirhoe by Chariton written around the first century AD, thought to be the oldest surviving novel. Getting to the thea ..read more

American Ballet Theatre opened its Spring Season with Don Quixote at the Metropolitan Opera House Monday after a three-year absence due to COVID-19 (with a one-month delayed start due to the ridiculous extension of the Met Opera season, resulting in a shortened ABT season from the traditional eight weeks to five weeks). Much has changed since I was last at the Met in July 2019, mostly bad, resulting from a terrible epidemic that took the lives of millions globally. Add national political strife and the result is one of the most turbulent three-year periods in U.S. history. Don Quixote is a sil ..read more

Check out my latest YouTube video on Daniil Simkin. American Ballet Theatre performed Don Quixote at the Kennedy Center in March 2022. As I noted in my last video on Aran Bell, I value the immediacy social media provides on what is going on in the ballet world as dancers post videos from the wings of performances or videos from rehearsal. Daniil Simkin posted this video on Instagram from the March 31st performance with Isabella Boylston. The short clip is noteworthy as it contains one of the best turn in second sequences I have seen, displaying a superior level of technique and athleticism. In ..read more