Into its 31th edition, the annual festival is held in Dehradun and spans 15 days.
Sridevi Nrithyalaya’s new work explores the nine modes of bhakti through dance
Choreographed by Sheela Unnikrishnan, the production was based on Veda Vyasa’s Shiva Mahapuranam.
The Royal Ballet School Announces New Teaching Pathways with RAD and ISTD
The Royal Ballet School’s Diploma of Dance Teaching (DDT) students will now be able to access the School’s Affiliate Programme and gain accredited teacher status with leading international dance education, training, and examination boards—The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) and the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD). “These new partnerships reflect our belief that outstanding teaching belongs in every studio, and we’re proud to support our graduates in shaping the future of dance wherever they teach and whoever they inspire,” Karen Berry, head of teacher training at The Royal Ballet School, said in a recent press release. Students who […]
“Bottom of the Pyramid”: Nia Sioux, in Her Own Words
Eight years after her seven-season run on the hit reality show “Dance Moms” ended, Nia Sioux is ready to share her side of the story. The 24-year-old dancer, singer, and actress is releasing her memoir, Bottom of the Pyramid: A Memoir of Persevering, Dancing for Myself, and Starring in My Own Life (Harper Horizon), on November 4. Chronicling her life both on and off camera during “Dance Moms,” the book reveals the show’s often toxic inner workings with unflinching honesty. One of six debut cast members, Sioux was consistently placed at the bottom of a weekly “pyramid” ranking the dancers’ […]
Letter From the Editor: Passion Meets Purpose
The countdown to our end-of-year performances has officially begun! We’ve shared valuable resources on everything from managing rehearsals to staying healthy and keeping nerves in check, over the last few months. This month, we’re focusing on that one committed group in our communities, our parent volunteers, who work side by side with us to make everything possible. You’ll find out how other studio leaders are navigating the ins and outs of working with their parent volunteers, so you too can make the most of their incredibly resourceful partnership in your own school. Later this month, you’ll hear from National Dance […]
How Rachel Leigh Dolan Uses Music to Get Her Students in the Right Mindset for Class
As a musical-theater teacher, Rachel Leigh Dolan feels a certain obligation to honor the music she’s using in class. After all, it’s right in the name of the genre, she points out. “I take that label seriously,” she says. “There’s never a time when music isn’t intentional.” That means that a song is always her starting point for any combo or bigger piece of choreography. But the deliberate hand-picking of tracks really begins with the warm-up playlist that she uses for all of her classes at Steps on Broadway and Pace University. As a long-time yoga teacher, Dolan designed it […]
How to Cultivate a Gender-Inclusive Ballet Studio Environment
The ballet studio has historically had rigid gender-normative standards. But making it a space where artists of all genders feel affirmed and respected in their identities will only enrich the art form. “I think to have an interesting future for ballet requires developing creative humans that can play,” says educator and Ballez founder Katy Pyle. “Can we all imagine a future where we have the most talented dancers onstage and not just the dancers that fit into the archetypes that have been prescribed from history?” There are concrete steps the people at the front of the room can take to make […]
Kavyaa Kannan exuded confidence while portraying the myriad emotions of the lovelorn heroine
Kavyaa chose the timeless ragamalika varnam composed by Dandayudapani Pillai to convey the angst of the Virahotkanditha nayika.
Meet Noel Alexander, who is behind the viral choreography of Masala Coffee band’s ‘Kaantha’ track
Mumbai-based Noel Alexander, who has his roots in Kerala, is overwhelmed by the response for the video
Trisha Brown: Taking Postmodernism to New Heights
As a member of the ground-breaking dance collective Judson Dance Theater in the 1960s, Trisha Brown carved out a reputation as a highly innovative choreographer. Over six decades, she created a diverse body of more than 100 works, using a process-oriented approach and rule-based structures. Born in Aberdeen, Washington, Brown studied ballet, tap, jazz and acrobatics as a child. After receiving a dance degree from Mills College in 1958, she taught at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. In 1960, she attended pioneering dance artist Anna Halprin’s summer workshop near San Francisco. She was inspired by Halprin’s use of structured improvisation. […]