Growing up with a father who’s a swim coach at Ohio Wesleyan University, Emma Hawes was in the water almost from the time she was born. From ages 6 to 12, she swam competitively. “I would have two swim practices a day during season, then go to ballet class,” says Hawes, who’s now a first […]

In the six years since taking over as artistic director at English National Ballet, Tamara Rojo, 44, has been lauded for revitalizing the company. She has presented classics danced with gusto alongside contemporary commissions, including a radical reworking of Giselle by contemporary/kathak choreographer Akram Khan, setting the story in a community of migrant factory workers. […]

Fans of the sublime English National Ballet first artist Precious Adams were probably excited to see her image splashed across the company’s website in a promotional image for an upcoming production of Swan Lake. But those who took a closer look were met with a disappointing reality: Adams, who is the only black woman in […]

We might have gotten a little bit carried away with this year’s “Season Preview”—but with the 2018–19 season packing so many buzzy shows, how could we not? Here are over two dozen tours, premieres and revivals that have us drooling. A Night of Natalia Osipova—With David Hallberg David Hallberg and Natalia Osipova have a rare, […]

Back in January, Chase Johnsey grabbed headlines when he resigned from Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, where his performances had garnered critical acclaim for over a decade, alleging a culture of harassment and discrimination. (An independent investigation launched by the company did not substantiate any legal claims.) Johnsey, who identifies as genderqueer, later told […]

The March 1958 issue of Dance Magazine included coverage of the previous year’s Dance Magazine Awards, one of which went to Dame Alicia Markova. Markova danced the title role in the first British production of Giselle. Photo by Walter E. Owens, Courtesy DM Archives The British ballerina began her career with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes and […]

British ballet fans have been in a tizzy over Tamara Rojo lately. Last month, a number of current and former English National Ballet dancers made anonymous claims of mismanagement to The Times, blaming Rojo for the fact that a third of the company’s dancers have left over the past two years. The blog Ballet Position […]

For demanding, vulnerable performances, the mental warm-up and wind-down is unique to each artist. Three dancers share how they get in the zone, and come back to normal life afterward: Erina Takahashi, English National Ballet Principal On performance days, Erina Takahashi (here in Akram Khan’s Giselle) doesn’t think about her character until she’s putting on […]