Misty Copeland Speaks About Being a Black Ballerina [Video MashUp]

by Romy Macias, Senior Editor | Mar 25, 2015 | Ballet Dancers, Ballet Media, Video Interviews

Acclaimed ballerina Misty Copeland joins Diane [Rehm] to talk about her remarkable career and how she is challenging physical stereotypes that she says keeps ballet stuck in the past. Video courtesy of The Diane Rehm channel on YouTube. “It took me a while to understand that I was alone.” – Misty Copeland “I think that it was the way my mother raised me, it wasn’t something that I was aware that I was going to be viewed by the world as a black woman. She made that very clear to me and my siblings even though we are bi-racial. I never really felt like I was the only black one, not even in my ballet class from a young age. But once I became a professional it actually was brought to my attention by an adult. And that’s when I stepped back and thought: “Wow, this is a little bit strange, to be the only black woman in a company of eighty dancers.” And for a decade I was. I just went through times where I felt extremely alone. I was going through puberty and you join a company when your 17 years old. And you really wanto to feel accepted and you want to connect with people.” Misty Copeland Speaks About Being a Black Ballerina If you prefer to listen to the interview, click here. Or click on the video below for the full interview. In this interview Misty talks about her childhood. “I was born in Kansas City, Missouri and moved to the Los Angeles area in California when I was 2 years old. My mother raised us 6...

iPad App Puts You In The Choreographer’s Seat. See How! [Video]

by Romy Macias, Senior Editor | Jun 25, 2014 | Ballet Media

The divide between a perfomer and the audience is blurred in the new iPad application that puts users in control of the choreography. Passe Par Tout (Passe-Partout) is the third app from 2wice Arts Foundation that offers a new way to experience dance. iPad App Puts You In The Choreographer’s Seat. See How! What this app is doing that is different from the others is that it’s letting the viewer have a little bit more insight into what it takes to create choreography. As you work with these layers, you start to see unison and symmetry and repetition — I was hoping that we would be able to visualize some very core concepts that exist in choreography by letting the viewer interact with them.” Article from The New York Times here. iPad App Puts You In The Choreographer’s Seat. See How! Video courtesy of The New York Times. Choreography by Justin Peck, Principal with New York City Ballet. iPad App Puts You In The Choreographer’s Seat. See How! The 2wice Arts Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports the visual and performing arts. The Foundation, which began in 1989, has its headquarters in the legendary New York City Center. The work of the Foundation is to publish digital and print projects that focus on the intersection of photography, dance, design, performance, fashion, art and architecture. http://www.2wice.org/ You can get this app at iTunes...

If You Think Ballet Is Only For Thin Girls? Think Again! [Video]

by Romy Macias, Senior Editor | Jun 19, 2014 | Ballet Dancers, Ballet Media

  If You Think Ballet Is Only For Thin Girls? Think Again! Big Ballet Confronts Body Stereotypes When you think of ballet dancers, you immediately imagine strong, yet very thin bodies. Well, think again. Former Royal Ballet dancer, Wayne Sleep has come up with a new reality show. “Oh, no, not another one,” you’re thinking. Sleep knows, first hand, what ballet dancers go through with body their type and image. He struggled, not with his weight, but with his height. Not many ballet companies were willing to hire a 5’2 male dancer. Likewise, aspiring ballerinas need a certain body type and weight to advance their careers. A otherwise good female dancer can lose her chance at her dream of dancing if she doesn’t fit the mold. Sleep decided to give these dancers that chance; he created “Big Ballet”. While the concept of “Big Ballet” seems ripe for humiliating its stars (as reality shows often do), the show insists its intent is to change the perception that ballet dancers must be thin to be beautiful. In fact, most of the participants (who range widely in age) have prior dance training, but quit in discouragement after being told they were too heavy. For them, the opportunity to perform gives them a chance to finally fulfill a lifelong dream. Full article at Pointe Magazine. If You Think Ballet Is Only For Thin Girls? Think Again! Wayne Sleep shares: At only 5’2″, Sleep is famous for being the shortest male dancer ever admitted into the Royal Ballet School. Had he not left his audition for the school early and missed his final physical examination, he would...

My Jaw Dropped When I Heard ‘Expert’ Call Bowe Bergdahl A Narcissistic Ballet Dancer! [Video]

by Romy Macias, Senior Editor | Jun 4, 2014 | Ballet Media

The hosts of Fox & Friends and Fox News psychiatric consultant Keith Ablow set a land-speed record Wednesday morning when, during a segment ostensibly psychoanalyzing freed Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, they traced the soldier’s participation in a ballet to President Barack Obama’s essential un-Americanness in two minutes flat. That they did it while admitting that they knew next to nothing about Bergdahl is what makes it art. My Jaw Dropped When I Heard ‘Expert’ Call Bowe Bergdahl A Narcissistic Ballet Dancer! “The fact that he was a dancer and a lifter — not a weightlifter, but I guess he would lift the ballerina — what does that mean?” Brian Kilmeade asked, with an assist from fellow host Steve Doocy. “Supposedly he was recruited by these girls to have that role,” Ablow replied. “I think front and center on any stage is this guy’s M.O.: unless it doesn’t feed him narcissistically — you can’t give him a job unless you’re going to tell him you’re the star and we’re going to keep you at a throttle of twelve out of ten.” “Well, he definitely wanted out of Afghanistan and maybe it’s his way of closing GTMO regardless of the consequences,” Doocy said. “He wants out of America, my friend,” Ablow said. “Trust me.” Ablow prefaced the entire exchange by conceding he had not evaluated Bergdahl or his parents “formally,” which is TV-psychospeak for “at all.” So is he implying that ballet dancers are narcissistic? That they don’t know how to adhere to the rules of an institution? Dr. Ablow has never seen a ballet company at work. He has no...

Celebrate Maya Angelou’s Life: Author, Poet, Teacher, Activist, Human Being [Videos]

by Romy Macias, Senior Editor | May 28, 2014 | Ballet Media

Maya Angelou, writer, dancer, actress and educator, quietly passed away today. We honor her life as her spirit lives on. Celebrate Maya Angelou’s Life: Author, Poet, Teacher, Activist, Human Being Video via CNN YouTube channel. Legendary author and poet Maya Angelou has died at the age of 86. More from CNN at http://www.cnn.com/ Celebrate Maya Angelou’s Life: Author, Poet, Teacher, Activist, Human Being Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Ann Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American author and poet. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning more than fifty years. She received dozens of awards and over thirty honorary doctoral degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of seventeen, and brought her international recognition and acclaim. Read her biography at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou Video from ABCNews. Celebrate Maya Angelou’s Life: Author, Poet, Teacher, Activist, Human Being “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive, and to do it with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” – Maya Angelou Comment below what from Dr. Angelou’s life touched you. Perhaps one of her poems, or books? You might have watched her on Oprah Winfrey’s TV show. Honor her life today and share this post. Thank...

If This “Ballet” Commercial Doesn’t Upset You, Then I Don’t Know What Will! [Video]

by Romy Macias, Senior Editor | May 21, 2014 | Ballet Media, Editor's Choice

  If This “Ballet” Commercial Doesn’t Upset You, Then I Don’t Know What Will! Before you jump to watch the video below, read the short text below and picture in your mind what the person saying this would look like: “I don’t even think about it at this point. I just express myself and I let myself go. I don’t think about what I’m gonna do, I just do it. I’ve been dancing since I was three. My mother put me into it. And ever since I’ve loved it. It’s so useful, because now I understand my body, I understand how it moves and I also know how to express myself in a manner that people can see. It definitely gave me discipline. You learn to take direction, especially for ballet because it’s so structural. But, eventually you just get comfortable with something. The more you feel it, the more it transcends and the more you see it in a performance. It’s not just about yourself, it’s about the people you’re dancing with or the audience you’re connecting to. No matter how good the person is, if you connect with someone while you’re looking at them, it’s because they’re showing their emotions when they’re dancing. They’re not just dancing. You have to feel it, you have to want to do it. That’s why it’s a passion for me, because I really want to do it, It inspires me to move. I can’t imagine my life without it.” Free People Clothing came out with a commercial advertising their dancing line. Now watch the video below and see what YOU think and...