So what is contemporary dancing and how did it come about? Let’s explore this misunderstood dance form a little more. Contemporary dance is a genre that’s tricky to define but thrilling to experience. It breaks the mold set by classical ballet and even modern dance, blending a variety of styles and techniques. You’ll see elements … Read more
Let’s take a look at the life of Walter Gore and Street Games which was his best-known pieces of choreography. So who was Walter Gore? He was the choreographer of Street Games which was a one-act Ballet. Walter Gore was also one of the first male dancers to make a reputation at Marie Rambert’s Ballet … Read more
Andrée Howard was born in 1910. She was a pupil of Marie Rambert and also studied with the great Russian teachers in Paris; she spent a short time in the de Basil company and danced in early performances of Massine’s Les Presages and made her first attempt at choreography in 1933. Returning to London and … Read more
Shadowplay ballet is a one-act ballet that was choreographed by Tudor and first performed on the 25th of January 1967 at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. The music was by Charles Koechlin (Les Bandar-Log and La Course de Printemps). The scenery and costumes were designed by Michael Annals. What Was Shadowplay Ballet All … Read more
Ekon av Trumpeter or Echoes of Trumpets is a one-act ballet that was first performed by the Royal Swedish Ballet at the Royal Theatre in Stockholm on the 28th of September 1963. It was later revived for the London Festival Ballet at the London Coliseum on the 27th of April 1973. The entire ballet is … Read more
Let’s look at cupped hands for modern dancing, and why we use them in this genre of dancing. “The cupped hand is a reflection of the torso,” says Blakeley White-McGuire, principal dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company. “When I’m working with the movement as a deepening of the center, that reflects in the hand.” There … Read more
The Coppelia Ballet story has changed over the years and was first performed in the Paris Opera on the 25th of May 1870. This ballet comes out of the Romantic Ballet Era. The choreography was done by Arthur St Leon (1821 – 1870). The exquisite music was composed by French composer Léo Delibes. The first Swanhilda … Read more
Jardin Aux Lilas (The Lilac Garden) is a one-act ballet that was choreographed by Anthony Tudor. The music was done by Chausson and the scenery and costumes by Hugh Stevenson. It was choreographed to a composition by Ernest Chausson entitled Poème, Op. 25 written in 1896. The Ballet Jardin Aux Lilas was first performed by Ballet Rambert at the … Read more
You are probably wondering who Antony Tudor is, and why is there an article about him on this website for dancers. He was a major creative figure who exerted decisive influence on both sides of the Atlantic when it came to his choreographic skills, but sadly, very few of his ballets are still staged today. … Read more
Five Brahms Waltzes is probably a ballet that you have never heard of. Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan. This piece was choreographed by Frederick Ashton and the music was by Brahms. The Waltzes used were Op. 39, Nos. 1, 2, 8, 10, 12, and 15 with the first one played as … Read more