Civic Media News Aggregation: Arts and Entertainment

An Unlikely Ballerina: The Rise of Misty Copeland
By Rivka Galchen for The New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/22/unlikely-ballerina

Misty Copeland portraying Odette in the ABC's production of Swan Lake

Chronicles Misty Copeland's rise to principal ballerina. Copeland is the American Ballet Company's first African American principal dancer in its 75 year history. The profile covers Copeland's career, which started when she began to take ballet classes at 13 years old thanks to a dance team coach who helped her find the resources to do so. Copeland's story is one of triumph under adversity because she isn't a traditional ballet dancer. She started dancing at an age that is considered too old to become a professional, she didn't have the financial means to train, and has a larger body type than other ballerinas.



Jess Curtis' Gravity: 15 Years of Boundary-Pushing Dance
By Claudia Bauer for The San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfchronicle.com/performance/article/Jess-Curtis-Gravity-15-years-of-6674031.php

A performance of Gravity's prior show "Under the Radar"

This article focuses on Jeff Curtis' dance company Gravity. Gravity is unique because it is made up of untrained dancers, some of which have disabilities which would make it impossible for them to dance anywhere else. His newest work, "Intercontinental Collaborations #6" is about destroying preconceived notions and creating new ones based on merit. His work is experimental and doesn't fit within the confines of conventional dance.




“Intercontinental Collaborations #6” is being performed on: 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Dec. 11-12; 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. Gray Area Art + Technology, 2665 Mission St., S.F.


Dance Top 10 for 2015: Women Had an Outsized Role On This Year's List
By Laura Molzahn for The Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/dance/ct-best-dance-2015-ae-1213-20151210-column.html

Song of the Jasmine, one of the pieces featured in this article

According to this article women have been the leaders of the dance field this year. More and more women choreographed ballets, directed them, and became principal dancers this year than ever before. This article then shows 2015's top 10 best women led dance pieces from around the world.