#nycb ballerina

[balanchine-ballet-master]

Mira Nadon Interview

Mira Nadon is this month's Dance magazine cover girl. Inside, the following article appears:

Above: Mira Nadon by Sabrina Santiago for the New York Times

Cover Story

The Diamond: New York City Ballet Principal Mira Nadon’s Brilliance Has Many Facets

By Amy Brandt

As Mira Nadon stepped onstage for George Balanchine’s “Diamonds” pas de deux at the Kennedy Center in June, I was struck by both her youth and her maturity. At just 23, the New York City Ballet principal was making her debut in a role typically reserved for the company’s senior ballerinas. Yet she was bringing something new and distinctive to her interpretation. Her movement was lush and dreamy; her connection with her partner, Peter Walker, warmly genuine. She was mysterious without being remote, as if searching for something beyond reach that only she could sense.

“Her debut was so uniquely her own, and yet it honored the ballet,” says NYCB associate artistic director Wendy Whelan. “You can see she has worked through this role in her body and mind so clearly.”

Nadon did come prepared: She spent years watching NYCB stars like Maria Kowroski and Sara Mearns perform “Diamonds,” her longtime dream role. “I watched a lot of old videos, too, just taking in the information and letting it go,” says Nadon. She reached out to Suzanne Farrell, the role’s originator, who talked her through the pas de deux and emphasized its simplicity and humility. And when Rebecca Krohn, a mentor and an NYCB repertory director, advised her to embrace her age, she took it to heart.  “I knew I needed to find my own way, and I realized that I have to bring youth and warmth to the role for it to feel right,” Nadon says.

Above: Nadon in Errante (formerly Tzigane). Photo by Erin Baiano for NYCB via Instagram

That intelligent focus and level-headedness have enabled Nadon to take on major roles since joining NYCB’s corps in 2018—and to handle the intense pressure that comes with them. Her extraordinary range has been on full display following her promotion to principal in 2023. She brings sophisticated, old-world glamour to Balanchine’s Apollo and Concerto Barocco, romantic lyricism to his Liebeslieder Walzer and Serenade, deadpan cool to the postmodern works of Pam Tanowitz. She can be astonishingly explosive, hurling herself through deep lunges in Alexei Ratmansky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. (“She’s got guts,” Whelan says.) 

Nadon’s offstage focus allows her to live in the moment­ onstage. Last season, when Farrell staged a revival of Balanchine’s­ 1975 Errante, she chose Nadon to dance the lead. The ballet, previously titled Tzigane, was created on Farrell, and begins with a mesmerizing five-minute solo. 

“Suzanne kept saying every show is going to be different, you’ll just feel it when you’re out there,” says Nadon. On opening night, Nadon delivered a fearless performance: sultry, wild, off-balance yet utterly in control. It was a career-defining debut that secured her reputation as one of NYCB’s most exciting, distinctive artists.

An Early Standout

Nadon is now the rare NYCB dancer to have performed leads in all three sections of Jewels. Her first breakout role, at age 18, was the “Tall Girl” soloist in “Rubies.” In 2023, she performed Violette Verdy’s part in “Emeralds,” an opportunity that surprised her, but perhaps shouldn’t have. “When I was a student I saw myself as more of a lyrical dancer,” says Nadon. “So ‘Emeralds’ kind of harkened back to that.” In fact, she first learned her “Emeralds” solo in a variations class at her home studio. Born in Boston, Nadon grew up in Montclair, California, alongside her twin brother, Benjamin (“truly the most uncoordinated person,” she jokes). Her mother, originally from India, was a lawyer; her father is a college professor. Around age 6, Nadon started training at the nearby Inland Pacific Ballet Academy. Led by Victoria Koenig and Jill Voznik, the studio has a regional company attached, giving Nadon ample opportunities to perform and grow comfortable onstage.

Above: Nadon in Emeralds, with Davide Riccardo. Photo: Erin Baiano for NYCB via Instagram

After getting her first taste of Balanchine’s choreography at IPBA, she attended the School of American Ballet’s summer course at age 13, and at 14 she joined SAB’s year-round program. Her even-temperedness and independence allowed her to adjust easily—and thrive: At 16, she danced the lead in Scotch Symphony at SAB’s annual workshop, and her onstage charisma caught NYCB leadership’s attention. She joined NYCB as an apprentice five months later, in November 2017.

Whelan, who was appointed associate director in 2019, remembers hearing buzz about the coltish teenager’s potential. “She was very young and had all these things to work on,” Whelan says. “But I started to see beyond her unfinishedness. I could see her work ethic kicking in. And she could jump and turn, and be a poet.”

Nadon made her “Rubies” debut in 2019, less than a year after joining the corps. In January 2020, she performed Balanchine’s Monumentum pro Gesualdo and Movements for Piano and Orchestra. Krohn noticed how easily Nadon took on the ballet’s essence. 

“Movements is very angular and off-center,” Krohn says. “You can teach someone the steps, but they also need a certain kind of instinct that isn’t really teachable. Right off the bat I saw that she had that. I realized I was working with someone who’s going to be really special.”

A Whirlwind Rise

In the fall of 2021, when NYCB emerged from its COVID-19 shutdown, Nadon was more than ready to resume her pre-pandemic momentum. A few months later, artistic director Jonathan Stafford promoted her to soloist, showcasing her rising talent in the “Black Swan Pas de Deux.”

Her career paused briefly after the company’s 2022 spring season, when she underwent surgery to remove an extra bone in her ankle. “I’d never really dealt with an injury like that before, and then having to refind your body,” says Nadon. Though she was back onstage by the fall, it was a full year and a half before her ankle felt normal again. “I think that’s one reason why everything in my dancing feels like it’s coming together now—my foot finally feels better,” she says.

Above: Nadon and Peter Walker in Liebeslieder Walzer. Photo: Erin Baiano for NYCB via Dance magazine

At the end of the 2023 winter season, Nadon was promoted again, making her the first Asian American female principal in NYCB’s 75-year history. She’s proud to carry that title, though she’s quick to say she’s never faced negative repercussions for being Asian American. “Most people assume I’m white,” she says. “But having people reach out to me and say it’s meant a lot to them is an honor, and I’m happy that I can be a part of some representation in the company. Hopefully there’s more to come.”

From Studio to Stage

Nadon spends a lot of time thinking about a ballet before a performance. But onstage she tunes in to her intuition, her senses, and the orchestra. “There’s just something different that happens when I’m in front of an audience,” she says. “I’m able to feel their energy and connect into the music in a different way.”

Walker, a frequent partner, admits he was initially thrown by her onstage spontaneity. “I’m very analytical and really value preparation,” Walker says. “And Mira is such a natural performer.”

But the connection they shared in “Diamonds,” Walker says, was a culmination of the effort and communication they’ve put into their partnership. “I feel it’s my job to make sure that we focus on certain things in preparation that can allow her to do whatever she wants within the approach that we’ve built.” Dancing with an artist of Nadon’s caliber, he says, feels momentous: “She’s inspired me to be better.”

Above: Nadon in Rubies. Photo: Erin Baiano for NYCB

A Generational Shift

Nadon’s intense schedule leaves little time for much else. She’s taking a break from her coursework at Fordham University, where she is studying math and economics. An avid reader, she’s started a book club, and enjoys cooking and baking, hosting small dinner parties, and bringing fresh batches of cookies into work to share with her colleagues.

She leans on a close, core group of friends who keep her grounded, and says a generational shift in the company has made it feel less hierarchical. “A lot of times when someone is propelled forward so quickly, you can easily get isolated from your peers,” says Krohn. “But she’s maintained healthy relationships around her. She’s not putting herself on this untouchable pedestal.”

Nadon danced in her first international gala this year, and she hopes to one day tackle ballets like Mozartiana and Swan Lake. But she also simply wants to keep developing as an artist. 

“I’m aware that I’ve gotten promoted very young, so a lot of these roles I’ll be doing for a long time,” Nadon says. “I don’t want to start phoning it in, or for it to get dull or boring—I want to continue to keep all these ballets alive.” 

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Indiana Woodward and Aaron Sanz in Serenade.

[swanlake1998]

maria tallchief photographed in balanchine’s scotch symphony by courtesy of okhistory

[tikitania]

Nutcracker Season!

Nutcracker season can elicit an array of feelings. Some love it, some hate it. I was falling into the indifferent category. I don't live in a major city, so the month long onslaught of ballet school-civic rep level productions has me a bit bummed out…and ready to tune it all out. AND THEN…I stumbled upon this very interesting panel discussion lead by ballet critic, Alastair McCauley, comparing the original Lev Ivanov Sugarplum PDD to the Balanchine version, getting into the nitty gritty of the score and the choreographic language that can be found in both versions, pointing out the various ways in which Balanchine quoted Ivanov. This is so interesting and only available online until Dec. 17, so hurry and watch it while you can. Who knew about the original version of the Sugar Plum sliding across the stage on point on a hidden stage tracking device?! If you do anything, watch this first video with the panel talk and demonstrations. The videos I included after that are just if you want to get obsessive like I did to dig deeper. Panelists: Suki Schorer, Wendy Whelan, Sara Mearns, Jonathan Stafford. (Watching Suki coach is worth watching!) NYCB Dancers: Chun Wai Chan, Ashley Hod (Balanchine version) & Anthony Huxley, Emma Von Enck (Ivanov Version)

MacCauley mentions the Fonteyn version a few times during this talk, so I found it for you. The tempo is certainly much faster, and it really makes you appreciate Fonteyn's speed! But I actually prefer the slower tempo, which allows the music to really soar. But I also wondered if it was the audio quality of this historic recording is simply too compressed and tinny to do it justice.

The Mariinsky dances the Vasily Vaionen version of the Nutcracker, and I wanted to see how it compared to the Ivanov version. I really love the Mariinsky version. It's a departure from Ivanov, but still very classical and regal. PPD below with Baby Shakirova.

BONUS: If you want to watch the full Mariinsky Nutcracker, here's a 1994 recording with Larissa Lezhnina and Victor Baranov. And for some real fun going down the rabbit hole, this is an amazing Soviet black and white recording of the PDD with the late Svetlana Efremova (SHE IS AMAZING!) and Sergei Vikulov. Notice that the extra four cavaliers are not in this one, so the choreography is adjusted. I have a thing for soviet era black-and-white ballet films. Not to be overlooked, the Grigorivich version at the Bolshoi is worth mentioning. There are a few things that stood out to me. Its religiosity, for one. The PDD essentially starts with Masha and her prince praying together as if at a mass. And then, towards the end, are the huge lifts that end with an upside down ballerina (not my favorite pose…)

Interestingly, ABT's version by Ratmansky also incorporates the same big lift, but transitions into a spin. You can see it here, and it's a much smoother transition. Ignore the weird speed manipulation in this video. It can give you motion sickness.

AND….I found this POB version. The Nureyev choreography is horrible and Tsikaridze knows it. He can barely hold back his own laughter as how bad this performance is. When I watched this, my first thought is that Nureyev must have been a misogynist because the Sugar Plum/Clara choreography is so god awful that it seems like he's trying to humiliate ballerinas. Poor Myriam Ould-Braham, she does her best to dignify the choreography with her impeccable technique, but there is no saving this. Another thing that bothers me is that the couple are hardly dancing together, it's like a bad ballet class where they dance side to side. I hope this version soon disappears forever. Watch at your own risk. It made my blood boil.

Okay, that's it for a while. I may go see the Houston Ballet's Nutcracker if I have time. But I will mostly be focused on taking time off with the family, puttering in the garden, and catching up on my ever-expanding to-do list. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season!

[tallgreenlady]

My mother’s greatest bugbear is the way the NYT talks about New York City Ballet (and to a lesser extent American Ballet Theatre) as if they’re the only ballet companies in America, never mind NYC.

[balletomaneblog]

Hi there! Do you have to share some ballet documentaries? I've been really wanting to watch some, but I don't know where to begin.

Great question! There are tons of ballet documentaries and plenty are available for free on youtube and other streaming platforms. Here are just a few of my personal favorites:

The ballet documentary that got me into Russian ballet for the first time is Ballerina (2006). This film is centered around the Mariinsky Ballet and the Vaganova Academy and a bunch of really amazing dancers are interviewed in it, Somova, Obratzova, Zakharova, Vishneva, and Lopatkina!

Ballet 422 is another really interesting documentary. This one follows Justin Peck through the process of creating a new ballet for NYCB. I found watching the creative process to be really fascinating, from rehearsals with dancers to backstage making decisions about lighting and costumes.

Finally, a series on BBC was released called "Agony and Ecstasy: A Year with English National Ballet". Right now, all that's available to watch is the first episode, but it's free on youtube, and is super fascinating, following the every day realities of a ballet company including casting complications, long rehearsals, and the pressures of debuting new roles. Plus, the first episode follows Daria Klimentova just a few years before her retirement along with Vadim Muntagirov just as he's starting out his career!

[ballet-symphonie]

Do you know mary helen bowers? the ballet beautiful lady. Do you know if there’s footage of her dancing in anything?

I'm not familiar with her. A quick google search shows that shes a former NYCB dancer turned influencer who has written a book on ballet-inspired fitness and trained a decent handful of celebrity clients including Natalie Portman for her role in Black Swan. As far as footage goes, I think you'd be much better off checking her pages.

[tikitania]

Just some lovely vintage photos of Suzanne Farrell….

ballet dancer suzanne farrell for diamonds, and a midsummer night's dream ˗ˏˋ✩ˎˊ˗

[tendrflesh]

*     ◟    :    〔   margaret qualley  ,      demi-woman   +   she/they    〕   taylor ryan ,      some say you’re a  twenty - five  lost soul among the neon lights.      known for being both  perceptive  and  evasive,  one can’t help but think of  i’m your man  by mitski  when you walk by.    are you still a    empress   /     principal ballerina  at   the snake den   /  nya ballet,     even with your reputation as the the opulent?     i think we’ll be seeing more of you and  skin glittering under the moonlight, doe eyes looking up at you, ribbons flowing in the wind, diamond rings over gloved hands.   although we can’t help but think of juliet capulet (romeo & juliet), daisy buchanan (the great gatsby), ophelia (hamlet), sansa stark (game of thrones).    whenever we see you down these rainy streets. ’

BASICS

NAME: taylor isabella ryan (originally kowalski) NICKNAMES: none JOB: nyc principal ballerina, empress in the snake den BIRTHDAY: april 19th ZODIAC: aries sun SEXUALITY: pansexual  GENDER: demi-woman, she/they RELIGION: non practicing catholic THREE POSITIVE TRAITS: perceptive, inviting, demanding THREE NEGATIVE TRAITS: evasive, vain, needy ENNEAGRAM: 7w8 MYERS-BRIGGS: enfj AESTHETIC:  skin glittering under the moonlight, doe eyes looking up at you, ribbons flowing in the wind, diamond rings over gloved hands CHARACTER INSPO:  juliet capulet (romeo & juliet), daisy buchanan (the great gatsby), ophelia (hamlet), sansa stark (game of thrones) LIKES: DISLIKES:

pinterest | playlist

WANTED CONNECTIONS

serious ex (or ex fiance?)

frenemies

someone she has charmed for her own needs

a mentor of some sort

flings/fwbs

current connections

ex-husband: bash owens (they were young and dumb)

casual fling: bash owens

siblings: raven & donovan kowalski

FAST FACTS

youngest sister of donovan and raven

is the only sibling that 'made it'

was eventually adopted by a very rich family who gave taylor everything they could ever want

distances herself from her past/siblings to keep up with her 'princess' persona she adopted

though given everything, she always wanted more, is also resentful of her parents and the life they easily lead

is a bit of a romantic at heart (or as romantic as she could)

lawful evil

has her own rules she follow, at the expense of others

on the prowl for more power hence the snake den

studied art for a while

was a dancer in her youth, now principal ballerina for nycb

considers herself classy & above others because of her money

father worked in government, mother was a philanthropist though she could have whatever she wanted, taylor still resents them...

self-obsessed and joined snake den, just because she should and seems to have a vendetta against everyone

more to come...

[balanchine-ballet-master]

At City Ballet, a Once-in-a-Generation Dancer Arrives

Mira Nadon, the rising New York City Ballet principal, is coming off her best season yet. And it’s only the beginning. By Gia Kourlas The New York Times May 29, 2024

Mira Nadon was 5 when she took her first ballet class. It was pre-ballet, which meant running around the studio, maybe getting a shot at fluttering like a butterfly. This was not for her.

When she found out that students began proper training at 6, Nadon laid it on the line: “I told my mom, ‘This isn’t serious,’” she said. “‘I’m just going to wait till I’m 6.’”

Even then Nadon was levelheaded and unflappable. Now, at just 23, she is a principal dancer with New York City Ballet, approaching the close of a momentous season at Lincoln Center, where her versatility, artistry and jaw-dropping abandon have made her seem like a ballerina superhero. This week, she returns to the role of Helena, the rejected young woman determined to win her lover back in George Balanchine’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” An affinity for drama is in her bones, but something else makes Nadon a rarity: humor.

Nadon, the first Asian American female principal dancer at City Ballet, is a special, once-in-a-generation kind of dancer. Nadon can flip among many sides of herself—secretive, seductive, funny, serene. And she lives on the edge, with rapid shifts from romantic elegance to ferocious force. A principal since 2023, Nadon still has raw moments, but so much is starting to click: Her feet are more precise, her partnering more secure.

This photo and the one at the top: Sabrina Santiago for The New York Times

“To watch her grow — and it’s not been very long—has been tremendous,” Wendy Whelan, the company’s associate artistic director, said. “It’s fast and big and just blossoming.”

This spring season, the close of the company’s 75th anniversary year, has been largely dedicated to newer ballets. She has danced in works by living choreographers, including Alexei Ratmansky and Pam Tanowitz, and made debuts in works by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. “The range has been astounding,” Whelan said. “She’s been able to hone in on the uniqueness of each of those voices. And she cares about what the intent is of each of those voices, so they’re not all the same. She doesn’t just go out and do great things. She actually carves out the idea.”

The most important debut was in “Errante” (1975), a Balanchine ballet originally called “Tzigane” after its score by Maurice Ravel. Suzanne Farrell, for whom the ballet was made, staged it and coached Nadon. “She’s such an intelligent woman and so dry and funny in the best way in the studio,” Nadon said. “She’s very, very demanding. She’s not just going to say ‘good job’ because you tried and you’re working hard. But I love that.”

The ballet opens with a five-minute solo for Nadon, whose smoldering use of her eyes and face, along with the smooth control of her body, showed a deep command of the stage as she wound her way along its mysterious violin solo. Farrell told her that the solo was a lonely experience. “I think she was excited for me to feel that onstage with the violinist,” Nadon said. Toward the end of the rehearsal process, Farrell told her that she shouldn’t move in a modern way but in a “very stylized older way,” Nadon said. “I think that’s also what makes it such a special world, that it’s unique and different from the way you approach another ballet.”

Above: Nadon in Errante. Photo: Erin Baiano via the NY Times

In Ratmansky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition,” Nadon was electric, fleshing out shapes while stretching bigger, deeper, longer—her arms are as fluid and expressive as her legs. And Nadon, at 5 foot 8 inches, has legs. Working with Ratmansky, who is City Ballet’s artist in residence, is sharpening her technique, she said, just as Tiler Peck did last season when Nadon danced in her ballet, “Concerto for Two Pianos.”

“He’s so funny," Nadon said of Ratmansky’s polite requests. “He’ll be like, ‘Do you think you could turn out the leg a little more?’ ‘Do you think you could hit fifth there?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I probably could.’”

This season, she performed in two of Tanowitz’s ballets: “Gustave Le Gray No. 1” and “Law of Mosaics,” which ends with Nadon dancing a solo barefoot. “She doesn’t dance at you, she draws the audience in, and that’s her power,” Tanowitz said. “It’s almost like she’s letting us in on this intimate part of herself.”

How many dancers can be understated and wild? It has much to do with how utterly at ease Nadon is onstage, which dates to her training at the Inland Pacific Ballet Academy in Montclair, Calif., where she had many opportunities to perform. “I think it was really beneficial growing up,” she said, “to not be scared onstage.” This was already apparent in 2017, when she danced the female lead in Balanchine’s “Scotch Symphony” at the School of American Ballet Workshop Performances, the annual year-end display of student talent. She was a fearless rush of power and delicacy that left audience members in disbelief. Recalling it now, Nadon laughed. “I didn’t think about it too much,” she said, “and just did the show and then everyone liked it, and I was like, Oh, I guess you’ve never seen me perform.”

Photo: Sabrina Santiago for The New York Times

Next month, Nadon will make her debut in “Diamonds,” the final section of “Jewels,” set to Tchaikovsky, at the Kennedy Center. “There’s something about the Tchaikovsky—the swells and the grandeur that you just feel in your soul,” she said. “I’m excited to live in that world and see how it feels.”

The part was made for Farrell, and dancing it speaks to Nadon’s future as an integral part of City Ballet. But getting to this point was far from a sure thing. Her father is a professor of government and her mother was a lawyer; neither knew much about ballet aside from the dramatic, dark side that is often shown in films.

When Nadon was accepted to the School of American Ballet, City Ballet’s training ground, she knew her parents weren’t going to want her to go, which would mean leaving home at a young age. She is grateful to Darci Kistler, a former City Ballet principal, who offered her a scholarship for the summer course and convinced her parents that it would be more than OK to let her go.

“Even getting my parents to agree to let me audition was a struggle,” Nadon said. “I was like, ‘I just want to see if I get in’ and they were like, ‘You’re not going to go, but you can audition just for yourself.’”

To Kistler, she said: “‘Oh—my parents aren’t going to let me, but thank you so much.’ And Darci said, ‘Can you go get your mom?’ I was, like, running through the hallways.”

It wasn’t a yes on the spot, but after some conversations, they agreed. “I’ll always be really grateful to her for putting in that extra effort,” Nadon said. “My parents still are, like, Thank God for Darci.”

Nadon’s path through the City Ballet ranks has been swift. She joined the corps de ballet in November 2018 and was promoted to soloist in 2022. Just a year later, she was named principal. “There was a lot of thought that went into—when you start pushing, giving the opportunities—making sure she was ready,” Whelan said. “We don’t want any dancer to fail. We don’t want to just throw them out there and say, let’s see what happens.”

But Nadon was ready—for all of it. “When I think of myself having the title of principal dancer, it does seem kind of crazy and foreign, but on the day to day, I’m just dancing my ballets and going out onstage,” she said with a cheerful shrug. “I guess I’ve tried not to overthink it too much because I think it could be very heavy and a lot of pressure.”

Nadon is self-aware. Her temperament, she realizes, is a blessing. She gets nervous for shows, but she’s never anxious. And she’s there to dance. “My favorite part of the job is just going out onstage and seeing what happens,” she said. “It’s almost like I’m surprised by what my body does. I’m finding out what’s going to happen at the same time as the audience.”

[demigodsanswer]

So, just read all of Twice Upon a Pointe this evening. And it is one of the greatest things ever. I have many many questions, but let's start with this one: why did you decide to set the "roman's" company in Miami instead of San Francisco?

I love this question! Also thank you, I'm so glad you like the fic!

It mostly has to do with George Balanchine, his style, and his repertory.

The very first spark of inspiration I had for this story back in 2019 was Tarantella. I found this video of Edward Villela doing Tarantella in 2019, and said "That's Percy Jackson. If he was a ballet dancer, that would be his ballet." And the story really started to spin out from there, with the next major piece of inspiration being The Sleeping Beauty, which is my favorite ballet (besides Alvin Ailey's Revelations).

So it was immediately clear to me that Percy was a Balanchine dancer, with this very quick, very American style. And so when I was thinking of a ballet company that might tempt him, I new it needed to be one with a strong Balanchine rep. While SFB does do Balanchine ballets, Miami is the other major US company that does his rep, and it was actually founded by Edward Villela, who worked closely with Balanchine and had several ballets choreographed for him, including Tarantella, Rubies, Prodigal Son, and Apollo. (I decided not to bring in real dancers as much as possible, name dropping only Edward Villela and Patrica McBride in passing for authenticity sake. I didn't want the story to get too tied up with real dancers, particularly dancers with more recent careers like Daci Kistler and Wendy Whelan, who would 100% have been huge inspirations for Annabeth). So Miami CB seemed like the perfect fit. IRL, it's also a company that takes a lot of SAB dancers, which added authenticity to Percy and Rachel getting initial offers there.

I also like playing with weather motifs and the pathetic fallacy just a little. Making it Miami meant I got to contrast the cold of January and February in New York with the warmth and humidity of Miami in March. On a symbolic level, it raises the question: is it hot because of passion, hard work, and sweat? Or is there a tension under the surface? Or is it simply just hot? (Also my only other complete multi-chapter fic is a Star Wars fic called More Light Than Heat, so this is a repeat symbolic fixation of mine).

The other less story-relevant reason was that the major source of information for NYCB has been the ballerina Kathryn Morgan and her YouTube channel (I mean, she literally has a series on her channel called Once Upon a Pointe). When I was coming up with the story in 2019 and first writing it in 2020, she was a soloist with Miami CB. So, as I was drafting the story the first time around, I made it Miami because I thought I'd get some insights into their company from her channel, and thus could write with a certain insider knowledge and authenticity like I could with NYCB. Unfortunately, she left Miami CB after being mistreated. Thankfully, she's gone on to do many wonderful things since then (she recently danced Giselle, it's beautiful, it's on youtube go watch it), but that means I never got the insights into the company.

But it is still a top five company with a strong Balanchine base, and with connections to NYCB, so when I decided to rewrite the story, I just kept it as Miami.

[tikitania]

One day I will see Jewels performed by the NYCB! On the bucket list.

Unity Phelan in Emeralds (NYCB, 2019)

[tikitania]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Carolina Cox (@carolina_cox)

Kyra Nichols and…..her mother, Sally Street! Kyra is only 11 here. Crazy. And now I want to learn more about her mom.

[dancing-for-myself]

I hate George Balanchine. yes i know how he's worshipped. but is he worshipped out of talent and recognition or did he fool everyone from the 60s on? and why do i even care about a dead director?

Ballerinas used to be stronger, thichker legs, no shame on growing your hips or your chest with puberty. You were allowed to become a woman. Until Balanchine founded NYCB and got very young girls in her teens into the power dynamic of "I give you this role and you become my muse". But what did it mean to be his muse?

It meant submission. It meant no boyfriends. It meant taking drugs with him. It meant keeping him happy until the newer and fresher muse came to take the spot. It meant being very skinny because of drugs and not being able to get out of the power dynamic because you were a kid and this was your living.

We forget how young this industry takes you and how much we need to experience before we are able to handle such dynamics. All his ex wives were formerly his dancers. When Suzanne Farrell rejected him, he dismissed her. This is a power dynamic.

Why do I care? Because thanks to the abuse done to his muses, we still want ballerinas to be undernourished, hip-less, breast-less, more child like less woman like. Because the amount of eating disorders that can be related to ballet in the present are all related to the cultural impact of Balanchine in ballet. And because there are countless girls who learn to count calories and to condition their worth and success to body image issues stemmed from the personal preference of this man.

And because I have always wanted to feel strong and powerful enough to power through all petite allegros instead of fainting countless times as a teenager taught to punish herself for going through puberty, for doing the one natural thing her body was meant to do.

[jacques-le-fataliste-23]

Edward Gorey, NYCB ballerinas → https://www.instagram.com/p/CxYf1CprbZ6/

[tikitania]

Wish there were more videos of Gelsey because the quality of her movement through space was so unique and ethereal.

Wishing a very Happy Birthday to American prima ballerina assoluta Gelsey Kirkland (December 29, 1952)