Baba Swaantjies

Ballerinas standing on a window sill at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet in New York City, New York - 1937.

(📷 Alfred Eisenstaedt/LIFE Picture Collection)

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ABT Studio Company heads west this week ✈️ Don’t miss the next generation of ABT talent near you this month - learn more at: https://www.abt.org/training/dancer-training/abt-studio-company/#performances Performances will include selections from the following repertoire: New works by Amy Hall Garner, Jamar Roberts, ABT Principal Dancer James Whiteside, and ABT Studio Company dancer Brady Farrar; excerpts from Alexei Ratmansky’s THE SEASONS and Twyla Tharp’s BRIEF FLING; and highlights from THE SLEEPING BEAUTY, DIANA AND ACTEON, SWAN LAKE, DON QUIXOTE, and more! PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE Chico, California Thursday, March 14 at 7:30pm Laxson Auditorium, California State University-Chico BUY TICKETS: https://www.chicoperformances.com/artists/2023-2024/american-ballet-theatre.php Spokane, Washington Saturday, March 16 at 7:30pm First Interstate Center for the Arts BUY TICKETS: https://firstinterstatecenter.org/event/american-ballet-theatre/ Modesto, California Tuesday, March 19 at 7:00pm Gallo Center for the Arts BUY TICKETS: https://tickets.galloarts.org/9375/9376 Livermore, California Friday, March 22 at 8:00pm Bankhead Theater, presented by Livermore Valley Arts BUY TICKETS: https://livermorearts.org/events/american-ballet-theatre-studio-company/ Wickenburg, Arizona Sunday, March 24 at 7:30pm Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts BUY TICKETS: https://dewpac.org/events/american-ballet-theatre-studio-company/ Santa Fe, New Mexico Thursday, March 28 at 7:30pm Lensic Performing Arts Center BUY TICKETS: https://lensic.org/events/abtsc/ Provo, Utah Saturday, March 30 at 7:30pm Dance Performance Theatre, Richards Building, Brigham Young University SOLD OUT Bozeman, Montana Friday, April 19 at 7:00pm Willson Auditorium, presented by Montana Ballet Company BUY TICKETS: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/tix/5346/event/1334471 Thousand Oaks, California Sunday, April 21 at 7:00pm Bank of America Performing Arts Center, presented by Thousand Oaks Arts BUY TICKETS: https://bapacthousandoaks.com/show-details/american-ballet-theatre-studio-company New York, New York May 1-5 The Joyce Theater BUY TICKETS: https://www.joyce.org/performances/american-ballet-theatre-studio-company 📷: YeonSeo Choi in the ROSE ADAGIO from THE SLEEPING BEAUTY.

Plié is EVERYTHING!

In the most complex combinations, I call out to my students, "The most important thing you can show me is an excellent demi-plié in 5th (or 1st, or 4th) position." If you can do that–heels down, legs (not just your feet) rotated to your full turnout, weight properly distributed on your feet, no rolling in on the feet, no bouncing in and out of it, you are already doing everything else in the combination better. Your plié is fundamental to all of your classical movement, as it sets you up to do everything well. Master your plié; the rest will come!

Dancer: Bella Brown
Photo: Scott Serio