August 25, 2012 
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After a long day in the studios with the dancers of North Carolina Dance Theatre, Sasha Janes just wants to go home, crack open a beer and have his face painted like a butterfly.
The NCDT associate artistic director and choreographer’s 3½-year-old daughter Jaidyn would paint her parents’ faces everyday if they’d let her.
Face painting, trips to the park and riding around with three kids on one bike are now as much a part of Janes’ life as ballet classes and rehearsals.
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August 23, 2012 0 Comments
Though many came before her, Martha Graham is credited as the mother of modern dance.
Graham’s staggering influence has made her perhaps the most significant dancer in the 20th century, and Chautauqua Dance Circle’s co-founding president Bonnie Crosby trained at her school of contemporary dance in the 1960s.
With that in mind, Crosby wanted to share the film “Martha Graham: A Dancer’s World” at the final CDC program at 3:30 p.m. today in the Hall of Christ.
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August 16, 2012 0 Comments
Returning to the subject of his Week Two lecture for the Chautauqua Dance Circle, Chautauquan Steve Crosby will again share stories of award-winning choreographer Jerome Robbins, otherwise known as the “demon master of ballet and Broadway,” at 3:30 p.m. today in the Hall of Christ.
The American choreographer of shows including On the Town, West Side Story, The King and I and Fiddler on the Roof was infamously disliked by many of the dancers he worked with, said Crosby, who also serves as CDC treasurer.
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August 11, 2012 0 Comments
Chautauqua School of Dance students will show that they can do more than ballet at the season’s final Student Gala.
The performance at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the Amphitheater will be a culmination of the students’ summer work.
Apprentice, Festival and Workshop II dancers will show their versatility, performing everything from a George Balanchine work to hip-hop.
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August 11, 2012 0 Comments
When Sasha Janes couldn’t think of a title for his new ballet, he did what any stumped choreographer would do: He left it up to a bunch of 5-year-olds.
The North Carolina Dance Theatre associate artistic director put the naming of his new work into the tiny hands of a Children’s School class of 5-year-olds. As a father of three young children, Janes was excited to involve kids in his production.
“They have great imaginations,” he said.
The quirky, comedic ballet, danced to a jubilant score by Haydn, is part of NCDT’s performance with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor Grant Cooper at 8:15 p.m. Saturday in the Amphitheater.
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August 11, 2012 0 Comments
Click here for an interactive timeline of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux’s 30-year dance through Chautauqua. Timeline by Rabab Al-Sharif.
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August 10, 2012 0 Comments
Dancers in the Chautauqua School of Dance get the opportunity to take a leap in choreographers’ ballet slippers.
Apprentice and festival dancers are accustomed to dancing in others’ pieces, but the Choreographic Workshop gives the students an opportunity to create their own works.
Students interested in creating a piece for the workshop went through a selection process with dance faculty. The faculty chose 12 pieces to be shown at the free public 4 p.m. Choreographic Performance today in Carnahan-Jackson Dance Studio.
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August 9, 2012 0 Comments
One came to George Balanchine a teenager and was transformed into a star of the New York City Ballet. The other came to Balanchine a star of the Paris Opera Ballet.
Both will forever work tirelessly to keep Balanchine’s legacy alive.
Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride will tell Chautauquans about their lives with Balanchine — as they refer to the American ballet master with respect and admiration.
The Chautauqua Dance Circle will host the lecture from the two Balanchine dancers at 3:30 p.m. today in the Hall of Christ.
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Chautauqua Institution is a community on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York state that comes alive each summer with a unique mix of fine and performing arts, lectures, interfaith worship and programs, and recreational activities. Over the course of nine weeks, more than 170,000 visitors will participate in programs, classes and community events for all ages—all within the beautiful setting of a historic lakeside village. Learn more →
