Boston Conservatory Launches Five-Year Collaboration With The Verdon Fosse Legacy

This fall, Boston Conservatory at Berklee joins forces with The Verdon Fosse Legacy in a five-year artistic and educational collaboration.  Founded by Nicole Fosse, daughter of dance icons Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse, The Verdon Fosse Legacy was created to preserve and share her parents’ groundbreaking work. “Educating the next generation is imperative to the continuation of this legacy,” she said in a recent press release.  Boston Conservatory’s Dance Division will host The Verdon Fosse Legacy in residency twice a year to reconstruct Fosse masterworks—once during the fall semester for the commercial dance BFA program, and again during the spring […]

GiaNina Paolantonio Is a Force in the Dance World

GiaNina Paolantonio Is a Force in the Dance World

GiaNina Paolantonio is taking the dance world by storm. The 20-year-old has performed on Broadway, toured with Mariah Carey, appeared in The Greatest Showman, and reached international fame starring in Season 8 of “Dance Moms.” This past year, she’s shifted her focus to teaching and choreographing. With regular class slots at iconic studios and an international teaching tour in full swing, Paolantonio is acquiring a reputation as an in-demand instructor. As a choreographer, she’s worked with major artists like Billie Eilish and Jessie Murph to craft viral dances using their music. Dance Spirit talked with Paolantonio about her teaching philosophy, […]

New York City–Based Ballet Teacher Kate Loh’s Journey From Performer to Open-Class Teacher

Many, but not all, of the most sought-after open-class teachers in cities like New York transition to teaching from high-profile performance and choreography careers. Their built-in fanbase fills classrooms with students who aspire to similar stages. For teachers who have a different path, though, building a teaching career in a major city can be a challenge. For Kate Loh, a popular ballet teacher at Steps on Broadway, Ballet Arts, Broadway Dance Center, and other studios, finding her footing as an open-class teacher took years, as well as some key pivots. As a teen, Loh supplemented her pre-professional training at Steps […]

“DWTS” Pro Witney Carson on Launching Her Finesse App and Dancing With Robert Irwin

“DWTS” Pro Witney Carson on Launching Her Finesse App and Dancing With Robert Irwin

“Dancing with the Stars” dancer, choreographer, and mirrorball winner Witney Carson is always on the move. Lately, she’s been working with crocodile wrangler and wildlife activist Robert Irwin on the current season of “DWTS,” and on September 30, she launched her own dance-education app, Finesse. Witney Carson. Photo courtesy Guttman Associates Public Relations. Now available on the App Store and Google Play, Finesse uses virtual dance tutorials to teach combos created by Carson and fellow “DWTS” pro dancer Ezra Sosa, “DWTS” troupe dancer Hailey Bills, Briar Nolet, and Kelly Sweeney. It also features behind-the-scenes footage from the current “DWTS” season […]

Katie Drablos on Finding Freedom Through Dance

Katie Drablos has spent 16 years as a professional dancer, choreographer, and artist in New York City. Her career is full of remarkable achievements, but beyond that, Drablos is a profoundly impactful teacher. Known for her warmth, generosity, and rare ability to make dancers feel seen, she creates safe, joyful spaces where they can flourish freely. Originally from Dallas, Texas, Drablos discovered her love of teaching at a young age. After graduating from Southern Methodist University, she auditioned for the Rockettes on a whim, booked the job, and moved to New York at 22. Since then, she has performed in […]

World Ballet Day Is Back for 2025

World Ballet Day Is Back for 2025

World Ballet Day is back! And this time, it’s raising the “barre” with a new theme. Nearly every year, the 24-hour WBD celebration includes broadcasts of classes, rehearsals, interviews, and performances from ballet companies around the globe. After taking a break in 2024, the event returns on Wednesday, November 12, with a focus on accessibility. According to a press release from The Royal Ballet, this year’s WBD is about more than making ballet available to audiences worldwide; it’s about increasing “radical accessibility” in the art form itself. “Access Becomes Art: World Ballet Day 2025” encourages ballet companies to present work that promotes accessibility through […]

At Stanford, amara tabor-smith Explores a More Expansive Vision of Dance Education

An award-winning performer, choreographer, artistic director, and educator, amara tabor-smith taught at University of California, Berkeley, for more than a decade and, since 2017, has been an artist in residence at Stanford University, designing both courses and productions. “Everything is connected,” says tabor-smith about balancing priorities as a teacher and an artist. Expanding on the common model of dance in higher education that focuses on training dancers to be performers, tabor-smith asks how teaching dance can foster future leaders, politicians, and changemakers. For me, teaching is a collabo­ration­. I love when I get questions that I don’t know how to answer and […]