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Elena d’Amario approaches every chance to perform as though a judge on a TV show were urging her to “dance for your life.” Her movement explodes past the expanse of her skin, her face alive and passionate with every fearless battement, breathy swing and fluid undulation. So it was little surprise when the lively native […]

The San Francisco Ballet principal revamped her body philosophy after leaving France. PC Erik Tomasson, Courtesy SFB When Mathilde Froustey joined San Francisco Ballet after 12 years with the Paris Opéra Ballet, she felt like she’d stepped into an entirely new body. “In Paris, I felt a lot of pressure to be really slim and […]

In her first season as a principal at American Ballet Theatre, Stella Abrera experienced a kind of exhaustion she’d never known before. “For 14 years, I got used to gearing up to do one pas de deux or one solo, and I would usually feel fresh beforehand,” says 38-year-old Abrera, who was promoted in 2015. […]

Ballet and scoliosis might seem incompatible. But Boston Ballet principal Anaïs Chalendard, who was diagnosed with severe scoliosis at age 14, says this is a misconception: “Quality strength comes from ballet,” she argues. “The doctors were so amazed at the way ballet was such a good balance of work and freedom.” Instead of undergoing surgery […]

Bernardo Nogueira, Courtesy Só Dança The hoofer created his own tap-based workout class to get fit. Despite an exhausting weekly schedule rehearsing for upcoming performances, teaching at Broadway Dance Center, working with private students and traveling for workshops and shows, New York hoofer Aaron Tolson had a surprising realization: “As I get older, tap dancing […]

John Maniaci, Courtesy Li The modern choreographer/dancer builds extreme strength. In the final moments of her piece From Grace, Li Chiao-Ping carries three dancers across the stage. At 52 years old, this Wisconsin-based dancer/choreographer is as strong as ever. A believer in daily strength training, Li sets the bar high for both the dancers in […]

How the Bill T. Jones dancer finds balance between lengthening and strengthening Butler, here in Jones’ Duet x 2, recovers after rehearsals in savasana (corpse pose). Photo by Paul B. Goode, Courtesy BTJ/AZDC Rena Butler needs an unusual amount of strength. As a dancer with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, she says, “I know […]

The entrepreneurial dancer relies on floor barre/massage guru Marjorie Liebert. When Michele Wiles created BalletNext in 2011, she invited Mauro Bigonzetti to create a duet for her and Drew Jacoby. Bigonzetti not only gifted Wiles with his challenging contemporary work, but he also introduced her to the woman who would help her dance his ballets: […]