In the August 1953 issue of Dance Magazine, photographer Bob Willoughby documented the young dancers of Eva Lorraine’s First Children’s Ballet of California preparing for a performance—including this 7-year-old star in the making.
A new generation of competition-kids-turned-ballet-dancers is making its mark. Madison Brown and Brady Farrar, both dancers with American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, have roots in not only dance competitions but competitive TV shows:
There’s flying through the ranks, and then there’s American Ballet Theatre’s SunMi Park, who skyrocketed from apprentice to soloist all within the span of a year.
Christopher Wheeldon’s latest work is a retelling of Mexican author Laura Esquivel’s magical-realist novel Like Water for Chocolate, portraying the intense, doomed love between Pedro and Tita, a young woman who pours her unrequited emotions into her cooking.
Lane’s approach to cooking is closely paired with her interest in nutrition. Since leaving ABT she’s had the chance to turn that passion into a profession. In addition to guesting with companies worldwide, during the pandemic Lane received her nutrition health coach certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and now works regularly with other dancers.
ABT’s Incubator program, now in its fifth year, brings a cohort of young choreographers to the company’s studios for a two-week residency each January that includes studio time, a cast of two to three dancers from ABT’s corps and apprentice ranks, choreographic coaching—and complete artistic freedom to create a 5- to 10-minute work. And for the first time, the 2023 Incubator culminated in a live performance that took place on January 13 at Pace University.
Misty Copeland is entering a new era. She plans to return to the stage with American Ballet Theatre for the first time in nearly four years this fall, after a pandemic-induced performance hiatus and the birth of her son Jackson last spring. She’s been plenty busy throughout her time offstage.
Performing well in auditions is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one, so cultivating a healthy mindset going in can make all the difference.