In Part 1, I tracked the historical progression of ballet from its beginnings in the courts of Europe, in order to provide context for my quest to address current concerns of racism and inequality. I know why we are here from a historical perspective, but what else is currently preventing inclusion? And what steps canContinue reading “Art and Revolution (Part 2)”
Tag Archives: ballet
Art and Revolution (Part 1)
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking in the past three-plus months about my life as an artist. I’ve been reflecting a lot on my past adventures, some of which I’ve shared through stories in this blog. More, I’ve been wondering where my artistic life is going and what it will look like, due toContinue reading “Art and Revolution (Part 1)”
Balanchine’s Apollo
New York City Ballet is currently presenting a Digital Spring Season, twice a week making certain performances available to view for 72 hours: https://www.nycballet.com. So far, they’ve shown George Balanchine’s Allegro Brilliante, Justin Peck’s most recent work, Rotunda, and most recently Balanchine’s Apollo, one of my all-time favorite ballets. Created in 1928 for Serge Diaghilev’sContinue reading “Balanchine’s Apollo”
The Day I Fell In Love With Ballet
I started ballet when my Grandma Winnie, my dad’s mother, gave me a month’s worth of lessons for my sixth birthday. A dance school had opened in Cordell, where Dad had grown up and my grandmother still lived, about 15 miles south of our home in Clinton. The teacher, Carol, offered ballet, tap, and jazzContinue reading “The Day I Fell In Love With Ballet”
Be Interesting
In one of the last classes I taught in a studio before the pandemic shut everything down, I said to the pre-professional dancers in front of me “You have to be interesting.” This is a variation on a theme of mine, particularly when I teach dancers that are aiming for a professional contract. Often IContinue reading “Be Interesting”
The Show Must Go On (Finale)
Note: You’ll probably want to read Parts 1 and 2 before this one, if you haven’t already. As we head into the final chapter of Stomach Bug Nut(cracker), or, as I have recently been reminded that some called it, The Pukecracker, I’d like to apologize for the multiple installments. I’m usually not a fan ofContinue reading “The Show Must Go On (Finale)”
Penny Askew 