In 2018 I wrote an article about how Instagram was changing the value system of the dance world. It took to task the hyper-sexualization of the body’s facility, the fetishism of dance tricks. The article sparked an international dialogue and people weighed in, shared and reposted so much that it was the second most popular […]

Few people GET Instagram as well as Houston Ballet soloist Harper Watters—the only ballet dancer nominated in the Shorty Awards’ dance category this year. The social media maestro has built a large and dedicated following with a mix of gorgeous ballet clips, striking editorial photos, funny glimpses of his behind-the-scenes life, and (of course) his […]

“The show must go on” may be a platitude we use to get through everything from costume malfunctions to stormy moods. But when it came to overcoming a literal hurricane, Houston Ballet was buoyed by this mantra to go from devastated to dancing in a matter of weeks—with the help of Harlequin Floors, Houston Ballet’s […]

Some dancers call them “fake” ballerinas. Some resent their lack of serious stage credentials to back up their success. Some feel their accounts are deceitful, since regular people don’t know the difference between a great dancer and a great dance model. But most ballet influencers aren’t out to trick anyone. They’re simply finding a new […]

We’ve all been there: You see the craziest/most beautiful/oddest/wildest clip of a dance on Facebook and you simply have to see more. But do you actually get yourself to the theater and sit through a 90-minute performance? The consensus, at this point, typically seems to be: No. There is no clear correlation between a company’s […]

It goes against my core values to promote myself on Instagram, since the quality of my dancing matters more to me than tricks. Yet some of my favorite companies hire dancers with large followings on their IG accounts. Should I bother to audition at these places? I have strong technique, but I’m not Gumby. —Instagram […]

Choreographer Loni Landon is no stranger to the enticing power of social media. Instagram, for example, makes it very easy for Landon to connect with other artists. “I feel torn about it,” says Landon. “On one hand, I think it can be used in a really positive way. I have received so many jobs through […]

Since its founding in 1999, more than 80,000 ballet dancers have participated in Youth America Grand Prix events. While more than 450 alumni are currently dancing in companies across the world, the vast majority—tens of thousands—never turn that professional corner. And these are just the statistics from one competition. “You may have the best teacher […]