#ballet

#ballet

In the world of Bay Area ballet, Michael Smuin's Christmas Ballet is one of the most sought-after events (and tickets) around. Soloist Myles Thatcher challenges rigid ballet gender norms with an unparalleled exuberance, and the fluidity of this seasonal regional gem changes every season with new works by Julia Adam (Dance Director), and Amy Seiwert (Artistic Director) leading the way.

The "Nutcracker" productions include: "Nutcracker Sweets," an abridged 60-minute version of the classic ballet for children ages 3-9 and families featuring dancers from Peninsula Ballet Theatre and students from the Peninsula School of the Arts; "Hip-Hop Nutcracker," a full-length production by Peninsula Hip-Hop Productions Artistic Director Stuck Sanders with additional choreography by Alée Martinez. This two-act dance scenario overlays Tchaikovsky's score with DJ industrial beats and remixes; A full-length professional production of "The Nutcracker" by Peninsula Ballet Theatre's Artistic Director Gregory Amato.

Lovers of classical music and ballet are in luck this weekend. Peter Jaffe conducts Symphony San Jose's annual Symphonic Spooktacular, featuring selections from Stephen Schwartz's Wicked, Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll & Hyde, Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera, Alan Menken's Little Shop of Horrors and Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods and Sweeney Todd. Dress up in a costume or just enjoy the festive Halloween parade. $35-$115. Oct 25, 7:30pm; Oct 26, 2:30pm. California Theatre, 345 S 1st St, San Jose. symphonysanjose.org

At the premiere of the new short film, Following Enchantment's Line, Jock Soto, the Diné and Puerto Rican ballet dancer, could be seen gliding underneath vast blue New Mexico skies - the only time the audience saw him dance. Afterward, as the lights went up in Santa Fe's Lensic Performing Arts Center, lightning cracked the summer monsoon clouds. Hard rain echoed inside the theater, as Soto led a live rehearsal with dancers from Ballet Taos accompanied by classical music from his friend Laura Ortman.

The Bolshoi Theatre, where Shchedrin worked for many years, praised him in a statement for his priceless creative legacy. This is a huge tragedy and an irreparable loss for the entire world of art, it said. Born into a family of musicians in Moscow in 1932, Shchedrin graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. He married Plisetskaya in 1958, writing The Seagull and The Lady With the Dog, based on the works of Anton Chekhov, as well as Anna Karenina for her.

David Levene captures the dedication, strength, and skill required for a world-class ballet production in his observation of the National Ballet of Japan over three days.

In Tsarevna, the Slavic myth-inspired slasher announced Wednesday, fighting battles is literally a dance - ballet, specifically.

"I thought New York was a very important stop to amplify the voices of female choreographers and to provide them a platform," Williams said.

Pazcoguin rode the waves of extreme passion and unrelenting abuse in the ballet industry, revealing both the joys and dark realities of stagecraft.

The film may confuse audiences expecting a ballet-themed movie, but instead delivers a unique blend of martial arts and classical dance through the character Eve.

Amy Seiwert, the artistic director of Smuin Contemporary Ballet, presents a new work that adds to her impressive repertoire of 13 ballets for the company.

I always thought ballet would be a music box come to life. A dainty princess twirls in a stiff tutu while a prince solemnly assists, and the whole performance would serve up a tax-free inheritance in pointe shoes - polished, rarefied, and untouched by mortal concerns like gravity or sweat.