Tag Archives: ballet

“Ballet taught me to stay close to style and tone. Literature taught me to be concerned about the moral life.” — Joan Acocella

Posted on April 13, 2025 by sheila

Joan Acocella, longtime dance critic for The New Yorker, and regular contributor to the New York Review of Books died in 2024 at the age of 78, and I did not mark her passing. It’s her birthday today. Acocella brought … Continue reading →

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“A pas de deux is a dialogue of love. How can there be conversation if one partner is dumb?” — Rudolf Nureyev

Posted on March 17, 2025 by sheila

Joan Acocella, dance critic for The New Yorker: Almost everyone who describes Nureyev eventually compares him to an animal. They bore you to death with this, but it was true. Rudolf Nureyev’s solo debut on American TV, 1963 All quotes … Continue reading →

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“I am not descended from flesh. I am God.”: It’s Vaslav Nijinsky’s Birthday

Posted on March 12, 2025 by sheila

From Tennessee Williams’ semi-autobiographical last play, Something Cloudy, Something Clear: CLARE. [to Kip] I’m about to deliver a lecture to him on making concessions in art. KIP. For or against? CLARE. I think any kind of artist — a painter … Continue reading →

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Photo of the Day: Above the fray

Posted on February 27, 2021 by sheila

This is one of my faves of all the photos I’ve taken. This is a dance studio a couple blocks south of Port Authority on 8th Avenue. A place that gets (or used to get) crazy foot traffic. Total human … Continue reading →

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2020 Books Read

Posted on December 30, 2020 by sheila

What a year, huh. What a dumpster-fire year. I read a lot, mostly in the mornings, and it helped create rituals for the days, which often seemed endlessly the same, interchangeable. I read a lot of long and challenging books … Continue reading →

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Stuff I’ve Been Reading

Posted on August 5, 2020 by sheila

2020 has been heavy, ain’t it. “This shit’s about to get heavy” (I worked so long on that Eminem piece, his lyrics are still buzzing through me). When things get heavy, escapes are great, momentary respites are important. I have … Continue reading →

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Review: Girl (2019)

Posted on March 15, 2019 by sheila

My review of the Belgian film Girl – about a trans female ballerina – is now up at Rogerebert.com. It premiers on Netflix today. I cannot recommend it.

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August 2018 Viewing Diary

Posted on September 2, 2018 by sheila

Ballerina (2009; d. Bertrand Normand) I tripped over this documentary on FilmStruck (I love dance documentaries), and it’s really really good. Not only do you get to know a bunch of different dancers, but it’s a portrait of what ballet … Continue reading →

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Review: Polina (2017)

Posted on August 25, 2017 by sheila

I love dance movies so I was very happy to get to see and review Polina, about a Russian ballet dancer who then moves out into other forms of dance, searching for a style of her own. My review is … Continue reading →

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Two Beautiful Ones: Prince and Misty Copeland

Posted on April 26, 2016 by sheila

This has been making the rounds but it’s so beautiful I wanted to share it, just in case people haven’t seen it. Imagine what this means. Ballet is not a mainstream pursuit. People are gigantic stars in the ballet world … Continue reading →

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