Perhaps Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov were summoning their inner Freud when they choreographed the counterparts of Odette and Odile in the 1895 revival of Swan Lake.  The black and white swans are eerily reminiscent of a dancer’s inner struggle with black-and-white thinking. This likeness became even more apparent after the release of the psychological thriller, Black Swan, which overdramatizes the undoing of a young ballerina in the role of Odette/Odile. And yet the film does echo a certain reality of psychological duress experienced by black-and-white thinking.  After speaking with danc ..read more

If you thought you’d never use geometry again after high school, you were wrong.  In fact, geometry is an integral part of a ballerina’s life as she aims to perfect sharp edges and angles with her movements.  It’s these lines and shapes that make up some of the artistry in movement and performance. Patterns are created with both a singular dancer and a group. In 2017, Masahiko Sato + EUPHRATES, a group of Japanese artists, researchers, and designers, aimed to create of piece of art that highlighted the geometric lines and shapes of a dancer. They traced the dancer’s motions using an a ..read more

Along with unrelenting acne and more body hair, skipping breakfast seems to come with the territory of being a teenager.  When I was in high school, the thought of putting anything into my system at the ungodly hour of 6am while I raced to catch the bus was absolutely sickening to me.  But a new studyreveals that teens who eat breakfast – specifically with mom and dad at the table – are more likely to have a positive body image.  Could morning meals be the key to a more positive self-image for young dancers? Why is Breakfast Important? Even with the cliché, “Breakfast is the mos ..read more

For dancers, “exploring space” is about experimenting with the body’s capacity to move: through air, on the ground, and even in water.  To someone like Elon Musk, Founder and CEO of SpaceX, space exploration takes on a completely different meaning.  But what if the “space” that dancers explored with their bodies was the same space that Mr. Musk is interested in?  Mars.  With all this news of space and Mars, the artist in me wondered what would it be like to dance on Mars. So I turned to geologist and planetary scientist, Adeene Denton, to explore these musings.  Ballerina Tur ..read more

As far as I know, there aren’t any outdoor studios where dancers can plié and pas-de-basque under the sun. (So if you’re looking to start you own studio, definitely look into something like this). That means that dancers spend almost their entire day inside. So it’s no surprise that dancers, specifically adolescent dancers, have been found to be severely deficient in vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin. Vitamin D is an important vitamin that helps our bodies process other nutrients like calcium, which is needed for bone health and growth. Adolescents especially need vitamin D because they ar ..read more

Along with avoiding white leotards and feeling extra exhausted, there are other ways your period could be affecting your life as a dancer.  Recent studies have suggested that the fluctuation of female sex hormones – estrogen and progesterone – during a woman’s menstrual cycle can affect her balance. And this can result in an increased risk of injury. But before we dive into why this happens, we need to understand what’s going on with our hormones during our period.  How the Menstrual Cycle Works Most menstrual cycles last around 28 days starting with your period known as the menses ..read more

As dancers, we’re often expected to be the essence of grace and coordination. But I can’t count the amount of times I spent on the floor after a rather graceless and uncoordinated fall.  Most dancers turn to rosin in order to prevent perilous slippage. But if your studio has marley floors you should stay away from rosin.  What is Rosin? The main point of using rosin is to create more friction between the shoe and the floor. An increase in friction means dancers are less likely to slip and fall. The rosin that dancers use comes from a syrupy cedar and pine plant residue calle ..read more

You’re standing in the middle of the studio trying to choreograph to the music that is currently playing so loudly that the neighboring store can hear it. You’re hoping the volume will inspire some movement out of you.  Only problem is… …you’ve got nothing.  Total writer’s block – er, choreographer’s block.  We’ve all been here. And it can be so frustrating and defeating; you feel like you’ve been leached of all your creativity. But before you put your head through the mirror in frustration try this simple creativity-boosting effect – turn the lights down. Researchers, Anna S ..read more

Nao, a humanoid robot from French robotics company, SoftBank Robotics, brings a whole new meaning to “doing the robot” on the dancefloor.  The first version of Nao was created in 2008 and was designed to appear human-like in both structure and function. Nao stands roughly two feet high and weighs about 12lbs. Nao is able to walk and talk via complicated programming networks.  Currently, now has been assisting humans in both education and healthcare. Nao is a teaching assistant that helps to educate and entertain children in the classroom. The robot has been especially helpful for teachin ..read more

Perhaps some of the most important elements of any ballet are the pointe shoes worn by the dancers. From the principal dancers to the corps, every pointe shoe is important for bringing a dance to life on stage.  In fact, NYCB even has a secret “pointe shoe room” that houses a shelf of shoes for every dancer in the company (each pair in the dancer’s exact size). Fortunately for these dancers, NYCB covers the cost of their shoes. But most of us are not as lucky. Anyone who has ever shelled out for a pair of Grishkos understands the expense of being a ballerina. On average, pointe shoes ..read more