New York City is blessed with some of America’s leading ballet companies and dance theaters, and the Balanchine connection to European ballet where the dance began.
The City’s leading dance theaters include the David H. Koch Theater and the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, New York City Center and The Joyce Theater. New York City Center brings productions from London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre, the world’s top international dance theater. The Joyce Theater also produces. Both City Center and The Joyce have long worked to develop dance in Cuba.
New York’s leading ballet school’s are City Ballet’s School of American Ballet, and ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School.
The Youth America Grand Prix is an international ballet scholarship audition that brings thousands of young artists to dance in New York City. It’s our favorite ballet show because the audience knows the repertoire and is not shy about cheering on their favorites.
New York is the city that never stops dancing. The Joyce Theater produces a Ballet Festival in summer and a lot of dance moves out of the City. NYC Ballet produces summer programs upstate in Saratoga Springs. The Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival is in Becket, Massachusetts.
The godfather of all this is Mr. B, George Balanchine, the father of ballet in America and New York City Ballet’s founding choreographer. Balanchine trained in Russia’s Imperial Ballet School and was a dancer and choreographer for Ballets Russes (1909-1929), the Russian company that popularized ballet in the modern era.
Dance Theatre of Harlem Premieres Geoffrey Holder’s Trinidadian Ballet “Dougla” Online
ONLINE Through August 2, 2020 PREMIERE Sat, July 25 at 8pm TALKS & WORKSHOPS Wed-Sat, July 22-25, 2020 DTH SOCIAL CHANNELS
NYC Ballet’s “George Balanchine The Nutcracker” is Cancelled for 2020
November 27, 2020 – Jan 3, 2021 DAVID H. KOCH THEATER Lincoln Center, NYC
Continue Reading NYC Ballet’s “George Balanchine The Nutcracker” is Cancelled for 2020
Haiti Alive
Friday, November 15, 2019 PURCHASE COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Purchase, New York ~ Discover the rich textures of Haitian music and dance in the jazz and classical arts at.'(T)HERE: A Global Festival of Art, Culture and Ideas – Haiti’ -¡New York Latin Culture Sponsor!
American Ballet Theatre Fall 2019 Season ~ Herman Cornejo 20 Years!
October 16-27, 2019 LINCOLN CENTER ~ In a season of masters, jazz, romantics and families; Principal Herman Cornejo (Argentina) celebrates his 20th Anniversary with ABT on a starry, starry night at the David H. Koch Theater
Continue Reading American Ballet Theatre Fall 2019 Season ~ Herman Cornejo 20 Years!
Fall for Dance Festival 2019
October 1-13, 2019 MIDTOWN, NYC ~ Four world-class companies / choreographers / dancers a night for just $15 is the best deal in dance at New York City Center
Dance Theatre of Harlem Sunday Matinée
Sunday, November 10, 2019 HARLEM, NYC ~ The DTH School, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and Evidence bring ballet to the community at the Dance Theatre of Harlem studios
Balanchine’s ‘Jewels’ is the first full-length abstract ballet
September 17-21, 2019 LINCOLN CENTER ~ NYC Ballet opens its 2019-20 season with the first full-length abstract ballet. Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds were never so lovely at the David H. Koch Theater.
Continue Reading Balanchine’s ‘Jewels’ is the first full-length abstract ballet
Ballet Festivals in NYC
Youth America Grand Prix 2020 screens 2019 Final Round on Facebook Live
Friday, April 17, 2020 at 7pm ET Saturday, April 18, 2020 at 7am ET FACEBOOK LIVE – World’s largest ballet scholarship screens its 2019 Final Round of 85 amazing dancers on Facebook Live.
Continue Reading Youth America Grand Prix 2020 screens 2019 Final Round on Facebook Live
World Ballet Day 2019
Wed, October 23, 2019 The world’s leading ballet companies take you behind the scenes to see a day in the life of a professional ballet dancer on Facebook Live
Ballet Companies in NYC
NYC’s legendary ballet companies include New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Each stands out in its own way.
NYC Ballet
There is no ballet company like New York City Ballet. It blended…
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre is “America’s National Ballet Company” and a leader in…
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Dance Theatre of Harlem is one of New York’s legendary ballet companies.…
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is the African-American dance company that popularized…
We mention Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) here even though it is a modern dance company. AAADT’s dancers, technique, choreography and productions are so strong that Ailey is part of NYC’s big three dance companies with NYC Ballet and ABT.
Ballet Schools in NYC
Ballet schools don’t just teach dance. They teach self-discipline, working together and a self-confidence that students carry with them throughout their lives.
Ballet Hispánico
A New York Latin Culture Magazine Sponsor. Thank you! Ballet Hispánico is…
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Dance Theatre of Harlem is one of New York’s legendary ballet companies.…
Is Ballet Latin?
Like all things Latin, that depends on your own definition. Using the term “Latin” in reference to the Americas is a French construct that was adopted by South American politicians when France was the world leader, and then adopted by the United Nations in the 1950s.
Ballet is a fifteenth-century Italian court dance brought to France by Italian Queen of France and later Queen Mother Catherine de’ Medici (from the Italian banking family of Florence). In France, ballet developed in the royal court of King Louis XIV. The “Sun King” loved to party.
The dance almost died when the French Revolution shut down the royal court in 1789, but was preserved in the Russian and Danish royal courts.
In the modern era, ballet was popularized by Ballets Russes (1909-1929) out of Paris. One of its choreographers, George Balanchine “Mr. B,” is the father of ballet in the United States, and the founding choreographer of New York City Ballet.
Ballet training starts early and is expensive, so it’s long been a sport for rich kids. We tend to lack the technique that years of training produces. Balanchine loved the skinny waif body type. We’ve long been told that we don’t have the right bodies for ballet.
Lourdes Lopez at New York City Ballet and Misty Copeland at American Ballet Theatre broke the mold. So did Carlos Acosta, Julio Bocca and Arthur Mitchell. We dance with the best. Don’t let anybody tell you that ballet isn’t for Latins.
