Musings on ballet, classical music, the violin, and life
Musings of a former ballet dancer who’s returned, years later, to the studio as a student.
Join my Readers’ Club to enjoy an exclusive excerpt (and new cover art!) from the forthcoming Book 4 of the Ballet Theatre Chronicles HERE! Or prefer a free e-copy of Book 1 of the Ballet Theatre Chronicles? Click HERE! This year I celebrate 10 years of blogging as The Classical Girl. It also marks 21 … Read more
Diablo Ballet closes out its 2022-23 season this weekend, May 26 and 27, with a winner: a brand-new, charming comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Choreographed by Julia Adam, it features Mendelssohn’s iconic music, and costumes designed and constructed by Christopher Dunn, with assistance from Amanda Farris. It’s a world premiere that, Diablo Ballet promises, “will … Read more
Question: what makes choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s stunning ballet, Cinderella, come so magically alive onstage? Answer: it’s everything. The scrim that gives the prologue a dreamy, cinematic feel. The four benevolent Fates who blend into the shadows. Prokofiev’s affecting music. Wheeldon’s choreography. The really, really good dancers. The tree that sprouts from Cinderella’s tears at her … Read more
90 years is a long time for a ballet company to be in operation, particularly in North America, and the San Francisco Ballet is achieving this milestone in 2023. It’s decidedly something to celebrate, as well an opportunity to offer a glimpse of what comes next for this trailblazing, world-class company. No better way, then, … Read more
The closing scene of the ballet, Swan Lake, carries a real-life poignancy that can be hard to capture in 19th-century story ballets. In the ghostly light of a full moon against a lake, lovers Siegfried and Odette clash with evil sorcerer Von Rothbart in a fight to the death, as Tchaikovsky’s dramatic music builds to … Read more