Edgar Degas, the famous french impressionist, painted ballerinas throughout his entire life. But he didn’t paint dancers only performing on stage, he painted their everyday lives. Degas painted the ballet dancer’s daily classes and rehearsals. He took the spectator behind the scenes to discover the magical world of classical ballet.
It’s not often that an art show makes visitors stand up straighter. But Degas’s Dancers at the Barre: Point and Counterpoint — an exhibition at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. — has that effect. Ballet dancers in gauzy skirts stretch and bend and twist on oil and pastel canvases in the museum’s galleries, which showcase more than 30 works by Edgar Degas. The Dailiness Of Dance: Edgar Degas rarely depicted dancers performing — he opted to capture the everyday moments of the ballerinas, such as in his 1885-1891 work Ballet Rehearsal.
Images of Degas Ballerinas
Degas drew the dancers in studios, in rehearsal halls, and backstage in dressing rooms. Ballet dancers learn these stretches as young children and repeat them hundreds of times each day, until their dancing days end at age 35 or 40. Eliza Rathbone, the curator of the exhibit, draws parallels between a dancer’s repetitions and the works of Degas. Over his lifetime, Degas created 1,500 paintings, pastels and drawings of dancers — more than any other artist. Degas’ art emerged from these privileged, private moments. In fact, he rarely showed ballerinas in performance. Instead, they stretch at barres, pull up a stocking, or bend to adjust a satin toe shoe ribbon. In their pretty tutus and sashes, they are in the process of making art — that’s the subject of Degas’ obsession. http://www.npr.org/2011/11/03/141905600/degas-dancers-behind-the-scenes-at-the-barre
Drew Jacoby and Rubinald Pronk Excerpt Reel

Jacoby & Pronk, No Longer Together, Yet Still Stunning [Video]

The powerful duo, though no longer together, has left a mark in the contemporary ballet world. Their performance below is a testament to their technical prowess and artistry. Drew Jacoby and Rubinald Pronk joined their talents in 2007 to create Jacoby and Pronk. But who are these dancers and how did...

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Great Reviews for San Francisco Ballet’s Cinderella [Video]

San Francisco Ballet got great reviews from ballet critic Allan Ulrich. Yesterday SFB danced Christopher Wheeldon’s version of Cinderella. Great Reviews for San Francisco Ballet’s Cinderella What transfixes you about setting of the Charles Perrault tale (a co-production with the Dutch National Ballet) is the fluid, often dazzling theatricality that captivates even before...

Misty Copeland a la seconde on the floor

Misty Copeland in Dallas for Book Signing

Misty Copeland, soloist with American Ballet Theatre and author of “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina” will be signing books and talking about her journey to becoming one of America’s greatest classical ballerinas.  In 2007, she made history by becoming the third African American female soloist at the American Ballet Theatre, and...

Dress worn by Alicia Alonso of The Cuban National Ballet for Carmen by Bizet. Choreography by Alberto Alonso.

Carmen: Love Triangle and Murder [Full Ballet]

With spectacular shots taken from above the dancers, this production of Carmen (Suite) by the Bolshoi Ballet is a must see! Carmen: Love Triangle and Murder Carmen Suite is a one-act ballet created in 1967 by Cuban choreographer Alberto Alonso, on music written by Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin. The music, taken from the...

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Alexei Ratmansky’s Romeo and Juliet [Videos]

What does it take to put on a huge production like Romeo and Juliet? It’s an “old” ballet with a new vision, the fresh vision of world renown choreographer Alexei Ratmansky. It takes gutsy risks and 1.7 million dollars! Karen Kain, artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada was...

Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella

Valentine’s Day at the Ballet [Cinderella Trailer]

What a better way to spend Valentine’s Day than at the ballet! Christopher Wheeldon’s magical production of Cinderella is back. Critics and fans of all ages have thrilled to this wildly imaginative, funny, and romantic production. Read more at San Francisco Ballet. Valentine’s Day at the Ballet If you happen to be...

Anna Pavlova in "Dumb Girl of Portici," 1916

Anna Pavlova [Slide Show]

The Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, whose delicacy and grace mesmerized audiences and inspired a generation of dancers and choreographers, entered the Imperial Ballet School at the Mariinsky Theater in 1891, at the age of ten. She trained at the school for eight years and in 1899 joined the Imperial Ballet....

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"Ballet was never just a set of physical exercises or positions.
It was always a set of beliefs,
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to the 'merveilleux'.
It was a way of life. And it is today a connection to the past,
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