Along with tango and Bollywood, belly dancing is one genre that has snared a lot of dance newcomers. And while this art has long interested Americans, many dancers are investigating the beginnings of belly dancing in an attempt to revive this art in a more original form.

The best way to practice dance is to dance. The next best way to practice dance: watch.

Without the real promotion of arts in college, will society replenish the shrinking, “graying audience?”

Though the first French audiences to attend Stravinsky’s “Le Sacre du Printemps” essentially revolted against its wild passion, during this past week, theatergoers in Paris demonstrated a century of evolution in art, audience, and appreciation for diversity, in Australia, in France, and throughout the dance world, as they responded to “Rites.”

A performance by three modern dancers opened Jean Paul Gaultier’s ready-to-wear summer show on Tuesday evening in Paris. The dancers’ costumes did not resemble any of the pieces in Gaultier’s show. But the dancers’ movement illustrated the inspiration behind this designer’s summer line.

What is “contemporary ballet?” What is “contemporary?”

If you don’t really know how to answer those questions, hopefully this post can help you. (And if you are absolutely sure that you can define “contemporary ballet,” then maybe this post will confuse you a little.)
Click on the title of this post to read.

With the company’s work billed as “a comedy ballet of weighty elegance and adorable humour,” the Evgenii Panfilov Russian State Ballet, or the “Big Ballet,” offers classical art from non-traditional performers. 16 dancers make up the Big Ballet, and each one weighs over 200 pounds.

Although it’s a little random, this is a fun post, and it does have something to do with dance!

An article from the German “Spiegel Online” recently featured an invention that cuts energy costs and reduces consumption through the power of dance. And on September 2, dancers in Holland will begin powering the world’s first Sustainable Dance Club.

Click the title of this post to read more…

“Becoming Through Dance” is sociologist Helene Lawson’s study that asks, “why do adults begin taking dance?” Lawson herself began dance as an adult beginner, and she wanted to know why. Through this study, she tries to answer that question.

Click on the title of this post to read an interesting look at the benefits of dance for adult beginners.

Filmmaker David Kinsella’s “A Beautiful Tragedy,” a documentary that opens the doors of the Perm State Ballet School, is now available in all DVD formats.

On Kinsella’s YouTube Channel, you’ll find clips of the film. There, you’ll also find plenty of comments on each clip. It’s these comments that interest me today.

To read more about why I think the comments on “A Beautiful Tragedy” could be important, click on the title of this post.

Even if ballet has little presence in your city, you can still find its influence everywhere.
More specifically, you can find it in the leggings, wraps, and flats worn by fashion-conscious women in cities around the world.

Is this love of ballet-inspired fashion rooted in something more lasting than fad and designer decree?

Click on the title of this post to read more about ballet dancewear’s lasting impact on mainstream fashion.

What is the greatest challenge facing you as a dancer?

“Gravity”, Jeanne Robinson might say. This former dancer and teacher—now a writer and choreographer—has explored the idea of weightless dance for decades. And she is one of the few people who have actually performed in the zero-gravity environment high above ordinary stages.

Click on the title of this post to read about Jeanne Robinson and “The Stardance Experience.”

Though ballet isn’t an Olympic sport, there are several Olympic events that ballet dancers can naturally appreciate for the skill, strength, and even artistry of the athletes.

One of these events is the sport that was originally known as “water ballet.”

For over a decade, dancers, choreographers, and teachers Álvaro Restrepo and Marie-France Delieuvin have brought life and possibility to young Colombians through the art of contemporary dance.

“The Body College” (“El Colegio del Cuerpo”) is the result of Restrepo’s and Delieuvin’s efforts. The school, a contemporary dance academy, serves the poverty-stricken north Caribbean coast of Colombia and, in particular, the city of Cartagena. The Body College’s mission: to teach Colombians a new “ethics of the body” that may help them gain self-respect and overcome violence.

Click on the title of this post to read more about “The Body College” and contemporary dance in Colombia.

Does dancing make you feel happier? Can it beat depression?

If you’re a trained dancer, you probably get an emotional boost from dancing. If you’re feeling sad or depressed, dance class or rehearsal might be your escape. This effect comes, partly, because you’re practicing something you love, something that you do well.

But, can dance help non-dancers beat depression? This question is being answered through several experiments, one scientific and the other not so formal.

Click on the title of this post to read more.

Yo-el Cassell doesn’t hear in the same way you or I or most other people do. He hears with his hands.

Cassell, a dancer and the artistic director of YC Movement Theater, was born with a hearing impairment that has turned out to be a blessing in many ways. In fact, if it hadn’t been for his hearing impairment, he may never have learned the art of dance and movement.

Click on the title of this post to read more about Cassell, and to find out how you can see him present a new work on August 20, 2008 at The Depot Theatre in Westport, New York.

Do you know the history of hip-hop dance? Before you try learning, or teaching, hip-hop, make sure you learn about the culture that created this evolving dance form.

This is the first in a continuing series of posts on hip-hop dance. Click on the title of this post to read about Hip-Hop Dance History

Movement is a medium through which you communicate emotion, stories, and abstract ideas. And now, you can use dance to communicate with people, even if they can’t see your performance.

Yes: dance now powers your cell phone!

Click on the title of this post to read the entire article.

Do people begin dancing spontaneously, breaking into song throughout the day? Is musical theatre unrealistic? Maybe not.

Click on the title of this post to read comments on a recent NPR story entitled “Finding Your Inner Broadway.”