By Rosie Gaynor
The December issue of Pointe magazine includes an article on Oregon Ballet Theater’s fabulous Grace Shibley (by me). I’m not sure how OBT was able to wing it, but the full article appears on their website. Here’s the OBT link for those of you who don’t subscribe to Pointe.
I gotta say: OBT has a disproportionately large number of good dancers. That’s a little too simplistic, of course…is it the dancers’ innate qualities or their past training or their current work or the ethos of the company or something else or a combination of many factors? It doesn’t seem to matter, however, when you’re watching them do their thing.
FYI—The same issue of Pointe includes PNB folks: notes on Jonathan Porretta and Louise Nadeau in the 2009 stand-out performances list, quotes by Peter Boal, more quotes by Seth Orza, and a pix of Carla Körbes and Seth Orza in Carousel.
If you’re a serious dance student consider getting (or maybe sharing? It’s not super-pricey: $16.95…) a subscription to Pointe. In addition to the inspiration you’ll get from reading about other dancers’ experience, there are some good articles about health. Which, from what I can see, is a crucial aspect of a dancer’s life: the healthier you are, the longer you can stay onstage. These articles are short and specific and seem to be written by knowledgeable folks who also understand that the dance world is…hm…a little different from the rest of the world. In this month’s issue, for example, is an article that talks about the frustrations of growth spurts and lists some exercises to do when you’re experiencing one.
