Christmas Special 2023,BBC,Guy LevyChristmas Special 2023,The Christmas celebrities and professional dancers,BBC,Guy Levy
Actor Jamie Borthwick has been crowned the winner of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, alongside his professional partner Nancy Xu. The Christmas champions wowed the judges and the studio audience with their Quickstep before lifting the glistening Strictly Silver Star trophy.
Claudia Winkleman & Tess Daly,BBC,Guy LevyChristmas Special 2023,Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke,BBC,Guy Levy
This year, six brand new celebrities took to the floor for a festive edition of Strictly Come Dancing to celebrate the magic of Christmas. The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas line-up included, Sally Nugent and Graziano Di Prima, Dan Snow and Nadiya Bychkova, Danny Cipriani and Jowita Przystał, Tillie Amartey and Neil Jones, Jamie Borthwick and Nancy Xu, and Keisha Buchanan and Gorka Márquez.
Christmas Special 2023,Neil Jones, Tillie Amartey,BBC,Guy Levy
Hosted by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, and keeping an eagle eye on every festive footstep are the judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke, and Head Judge, Shirley Ballas.
Christmas Special 2023,Anton Du Beke, Shirley Ballas ,BBC,Guy LevyGraziano Di Prima, Sally Nugent,BBC,Guy LevyChristmas Special 2023,Nadiya Bychkova, Dan Snow,BBC,Guy Levy
The Christmas special started with a sensational group routine to a festive medley of It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, featuring the celebrities and their professional partners. Each couple then took to the dance floor to perform their individual seasonal routines.
Christmas Special 2023,Giovanni Pernice, Luba Mushtuk, Sam Ryder, Lauren Oakley, Kai Widdrington,BBC,Guy Levy
Dan Snow and Nadiya dancing the Jive to All I want for Christmas . The judges scored him Craig 7, Motsi 7, Shirley 7, Anton 9 total of 30
Nadiya Bychkova & Dan Snow,BBC,Guy Levy
Keisha and Gorka dancing the Viennese Waltz to Snowman. The judges scored them Craig 8, Motsi 8, Shirley 8, Anton 9 total of 33.
Danny and Jowita dancing the Cha-Cha to Celebration. The judges scored them Craig 9, Motsi 9, Shirley 9, Anton 10 total of 37
Christmas Special 2023,Danny Cipriani, Jowita Przystal,BBC,Guy Levy
Tillie and Neil dancing the Jive to Underneath the Tree. The judges scored them Craig 9, Motsi 10, Shirley 10 , Anton 10 total of 39.
Sally and Graziano dancing the Foxtrot to Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas. The judges scored them Craig 9, Motsi 9, Shirley 10, Anton 10 total of 38.
Graziano Di Prima & Sally Nugent,BBC,Guy LevyGraziano Di Prima & Sally Nugent,BBC,Guy LevyGraziano Di Prima & Sally Nugent,BBC,Guy Levy
Jamie and Nancy dancing the Quick Step to Merry Christmas Everyone. The judges scored them Craig 10, Motsi 10, Shirley 10, Anton 10 total of 40.
Once all couples had danced, the studio audience voted for their favourite and their votes were combined with the judges’ scores to decide the winner. Tess and Claudia announced Jamie Borthwick and Nancy Xu as the Christmas champions before presenting them with the sought-after Strictly Silver Star trophy.
The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special 2023 Couples,BBC,Guy Levy
The final sprinkling of glitter was a special musical performance from pop-sensation Sam Ryder, he performed his new single You’re Christmas To Me, accompanied by professional dancers Giovanni Pernice, Lauren Oakley, Kai Widdrington and Luba Mushtuk.
Claudia Winkleman, Tess Daly, Jamie Borthwick, Nancy XuBBC,Guy Levy
To close the show in true Strictly style, the couples and judges all graced the ballroom once more for a Christmas cracker of a performance to What Christmas Means to Me.
Anton du Beke said of Jamie’s performance, “You were a surprise and a delight. Magnificent!”
Craig Revel Horwood said, “Jamie you sleighed me darling, you were Fab-U-Lous!”
Motsi Mabuse said, “The surprise of the evening and a perfect end.”
Shirley Ballas said, “If I could jump over this bar and quickstep around the room I would do it with you! I don’t have a paddle high enough for you.”
Jamie Borthwick said: “This is great, it’s been a wonderful experience, but we’re all winners here. This show is magic.”
Jamie Borthwick, Nancy Xu,BBC,Guy Levy
Jamie Borthwick is best-known for portraying the role of Jay Brown in EastEnders. Since his first appearance in 2014, Jamie has been involved in some of the show’s most gripping storylines and most recently won Best Actor at the Inside Soap Awards for his involvement in the award-winning ‘Loving and Losing Lola’ storyline which saw on-screen wife Lola (played by Danielle Harold) die of a terminal brain tumour.
Viral in Nigeria, ballet in the UK and Calvin Royal
Dubbed Nigeria's viral ballet dancer, 13-year-old Anthony Madu's life has changed beyond recognition over the last three years after his dance moves and internet fame catapulted him from his modest home in Lagos to one of the UK's most prestigious ballet schools.
It was his dance teacher who filmed the young boy in June 2020 as he practised pirouettes barefoot in the rain.
Afterwards, he uploaded the video to social media where it caught the eye of Hollywood actress Viola Davis who shared it to her huge following on Twitter, now known as X - and the clip amassed 16 million views.
It led to Anthony being offered a scholarship at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at the American Ballet Theatre. However, Covid-19 restrictions at the time meant the training had to take place online.
It was then that Anthony was given a chance to study at Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham - which had seemed to him an unattainable dream.
"So when I got the scholarship, I was surprised but really happy," the teenager, who has now been at Elmhurst for just over a year, tells the BBC.
Sitting in one of the school's practice studios, he shyly admits it has not been an easy transition.
"For the first year, it felt really, really hard trying to adjust to like the weather compared to Nigeria and also missing home as well," he says.
However he has how settled down and enjoys the strictures of his new dance regime.
"I video call my mum every day and hang out with my friends. Here, we do more classical ballet. It has to be precise, like having the arms right."
Anthony grew up in a community with no dance schools, let alone classical ballet schools. Without the chance for formal training, he taught himself through watching videos and copying moves that fascinated him.
It was a hobby that surprised his family.
"When he was five years, I saw him dancing. I thought: 'What is wrong with you?'" Ifeoma Madu, Anthony's mother, who still lives in Lagos, tells the BBC.
"People were telling me that this type of dance is not for boys. But it's what he loves doing, so I let him go for it," she says.
As Anthony's interest developed, his family moved to a different neighbourhood of the city so he could attend the Lagos Leap Dance Academy.
"The day the video went viral, I wasn't meant to go for class that day. I was just doing the dance and then my dance teacher decided to film it," he remembers.
"When I came for a practice the next day, he told me that it's got over thousands of views."
But most aspiring ballet dancers across Africa do not have Anthony's luck or opportunities.
Mike Wamaya, a ballet teacher in Kibera - Africa's largest informal urban settlement - in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, is impressed by Anthony's story.
"It is very rare to see young boys getting scholarships from Africa to go outside to dance," the 48-year-old, who has more than 250 children taking his classes, tells the BBC.
"Over the years, ballet has been linked to only the elite community and now slowly we are breaking it."
Mike Wamaya has more than 250 children signed up to his ballet classes in Nairobi's vast Kibera neighbourhood
Mr Wamaya admits too that many young boys on the continent do not pursue ballet because of the social stigma associated with it.
"People are very homophobic and as a male dancer you are called gay. Because of the tights, showing our muscles," he says.
"This built a lot of resilience in us. We got teased a lot but I'm very happy that my students used the teasing to prove those people wrong."
Despite the challenges, the dance coach encourages gifted students like Anthony to keep focused and keep dancing.
"Take care of your mental health and your mental well-being because it's so competitive," he advises.
"But at the end of the day, it's not about what people see. It's about what you use dance for what is important."
Siphesihle November, a South African dancer who has made it internationally, agrees about the image problem ballet has in Africa.
From South Africa's Western Cape province, his talent was also spotted young. A Canadian couple in South Africa were so impressed when they saw him perform aged 11 that they initially sponsored his trip to Canada where he got a scholarship to the National Ballet of Canada.
Now a principal dancer there, the 24-year-old believes social media is helping to promote classical ballet in Africa.
"In my township and surrounding areas, it's become more popular. But there's a long way to go bridging the gap between those small schools and international schools," he tells the BBC.
Anthony has already inspired other young people in Nigeria and the rest of Africa to pursue their dancing ambitions.
His journey is also to be shown to a much wider audience as Disney is making a documentary about it. Called Madu, it is currently in post-production and will be seen at film festivals in cinemas around the world when released.
"Anthony's journey is a beautiful one, full of courage, growth and acceptance," Disney's Marjon Javadi said last year.
Pride in his success is not limited to his mother, who says Anthony wants to become a professional dancer when he grows up.
His ambitions have also caught the attention of Calvin Royal III - the third African-American ballet dancer to rise to the rank of principal with the American Ballet Theatre - and Anthony's inspiration.
"I can't tell you how proud I am of you," Royal tells the BBC in a specially recorded message to the young dancer. "Keep going. Keep soaring."
Life in Birmingham is also broadening Antony's horizons, as there is more on offer academically at Elmhurst.
"When I was in Nigeria, I didn't do things like art. But now I love drawing. And learning other dances too. Aside from ballet, contemporary is my favourite," he says.
Though he admits his mother is less impressed by his changing accent, which now has an English lilt.
And as he absorbs Royal's words - his advice to other aspiring dancers is similar: do not lose your tenacity.
"There might be struggles along the way but remember it's just temporary and it will be worth it in the end."
Sofia Boutella knows what it’s like to lose a home.
Born and raised in Algeria, Boutella was 10 when she and her family fled to Paris after Algeria descended into civil war.
Now 41, she drew on that formative experience for Zack Snyder’s sci-fi epic “Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire” as Kora, a mysterious woman who has been uprooted from her former life and must create a new one in a village on a distant moon. Like Kora, Boutella understands what such a journey takes from you and what it gives in return.
“There is something that happens when you remove yourself from your country of origin that is very powerful,” Boutella said. “I don’t feel a sense of belonging to a territory. But at the same time, I feel such a strong sense of being part of this earth and a connection to it as a whole.”
Before turning to acting, Boutella danced — attending ballet class in Algiers when she was a girl and, finding a semblance of stability when she continued with ballet as well as jazz, contemporary and hip-hop in France. She also tried rhythmic gymnastics and spent a year on her new country’s national team.
When she was 19, she became a dancer for a Nike Women’s campaign, crisscrossing the globe, and soon landed a gig as a stage dancer for Madonna, a life-changing experience that opened the door for work with Rihanna and Usher.
“I was a tomboy when she met me,” Boutella said of Madonna. “She gave me my first pair of heels.”
During breaks from touring, Boutella pursued her dream of becoming a theater actor, studying under the influential Elizabeth Kemp in Paris and later at the Stella Adler academy in Los Angeles.
But her breakout moment as an actor involved intense action: playing Gazelle, Samuel L. Jackson’s lethal henchman with blades for feet, in the 2014 original “Kingsman: The Secret Service.” That performance led to other action roles, including the titular character of “The Mummy” (2017) and Charlize Theron’s fellow spy in “Atomic Blonde” (2017).
Then along came “Rebel Moon,” which begins streaming Thursday on Netflix. When Boutella received a callback to play Kora, she was both thrilled and anxious. “I was terrified at first because I just wanted to do well and I was intimidated in an inspiring way to be directed by Zack Snyder,” she said.
During a recent video interview from a hotel in Los Angeles, Boutella discussed life in Algeria, the connection between dancing and acting and what drew her to Kora. Here are edited excerpts from the conversation.
What was it like to grow up during a civil war?
I think for a child it’s not something you realize really, especially if you haven’t known life any differently. We had a curfew, and we would hear bombs exploding here and there. It was something that I was just, in a weird way, used to. I think it was a different experience for my mother. My dad already lived in France and was traveling a lot. My parents separated when I was 4. But during those 10 years, I would go visit him in France here and there. Once I started going to France I started to see that life is different elsewhere. But when you’re so young, your perception is a bit warped.
That must have been a huge transition to move to France at 10 years old.
The aspect I could not have anticipated was the culture shock and how quickly I had to adapt. I remember going to school for the first time and not being able to speak because the amount of information that was thrown at me constantly was so overwhelming.
The one place I found refuge, where I found commonality with when I was in Algeria, was art and when I started dancing again in France, because I felt that there were no differences. We all spoke the same language and we all had the same culture in a way that felt comfortable and felt like home.
But outside of that, it was a different experience. Going to school in Algeria, we all wore blouses, so every social class was the same. But in France we were all judged by the way we looked and how cool we were, and I definitely was not cool.
What did you particularly enjoy about dancing?
It’s basically a whole other form of communication and it’s a different language. What I loved was the ability to just let so much of what I felt out. It was a refuge for me. I felt safe. And I just felt alive when I danced. I still do.
Do you still dance now?
I will always dance. Let’s put it that way. I dance for people around me. For my friends for free. Not for a job. I would love to do a dance musical. I don’t know if I will go on tour again as a dancer. I think those years are behind a bit right now.
You’ve take on roles in a lot of action movies. Is there something about action movies that you love?
It’s just how it happened. When I stopped dancing, I didn’t think, “OK, I’m going to be an action person.” My love for cinema is really pure and for theater. I didn’t think at all that I would do action. When I booked “Kingsman,” I hadn’t done any martial arts or fight training in my life. But my dance training gave me the ability to learn another physical form, like martial arts. So I use the same principles of discipline and using your body, learning choreography by observation.
What drew you to “Rebel Moon”?
It’s my first leading role. For the longest time I told my team I didn’t want to play a lead. It was from a place of feeling deeply that I got so lucky to be able to be on set with incredible actors. Starting with “Kingsman,” Sam Jackson mentored me through that experience in a tremendous way. And he still is very present in my life. After that I got the chance to work with Zach Quinto and Chris Pine [in “Star Trek Beyond”], who elevated me so much, and then Tom Cruise, who taught me tremendously [on “The Mummy”], then Charlize in “Atomic Blonde." The only way to keep learning is to have a mentor, and I don’t know if it’s because of my dance background, but I enjoy the state of being an apprentice.
Around the time I booked “Rebel Moon,” I remember telling my team, I think I’m ready. You could always see that Zack had such strong women that had their own voices in his films. And I love that for this project he was able to make his protagonist a woman, and not only a woman who is a badass, but he gave Kora a true dilemma to overcome, true emotions that are very, very deep and complicated.
Christmas Special 2023,Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke,BBC,Guy Levy
Strictly Judge Craig Revel-Horwood
What are you most looking forward to for the new Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special this year?
Well, I love the festivity of it all. I love the decorations. I love the fact that we have Christmas costumes, it gets you right in the mood and it’s lovely to sit down and watch it at home.
What did you love about last years’ Christmas Special?
Everything in the above answer really, the festivity and the decorations!
What is your favourite Christmas song to dance too?
Oh my own Christmas single of course! ‘It’s Christmas, Merry Christmas.’
Who is the naughtiest judge/professional/presenter in the Strictly family?
The naughtiest, oh I’d definitely say Anton Du Beke!
Who is the nicest judge/professional/presenter in the Strictly family?
Craig Revel-Horwood is the nicest…by far!
How do you decorate your home at Christmas?
I have a beautiful tree and I put all the gifts underneath it traditionally. And then just a few objects around the house, but nothing major.
What has been your favourite Christmas outfit you’ve worn over the years?
Oh, the snowflake on the Christmas Special. I was a spinning snowflake.
If you could have one Christmas wish, what would it be?
To win the lottery! [laughs], no my wish would be to live a long and happy life.
When do you put your Christmas tree up?
In December.
Quick fire round
Sprouts or Pigs in Blanket? Pigs in Blanket
Real Tree or Fake Tree? Fake Tree
Christmas Stocking or Christmas Sack? Christmas Sack
Rudolph or Prancer? Rudolph
White lights or Colourful Lights? White lights
Dinner at Home or Dinner Out? Dinner at Home
Turkey or Goose? Turkey
Sparkles or Sequins? Sparkles
Miracle on 34th Street or Elf? Elf
Mariah Carey or Michael Buble? Mariah Carey
Santa’s Elves or Santa’s Little Helpers? Santa’s Elves
Christmas Snow or Christmas Sunshine? Both, I like Christmas in Australia because I was born in Australia, so that’s that sunshine!
Anton Du Beke
What are you most looking forward to for the new Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special this year?
I can’t wait to see who’s on it! I have to tell you, the Christmas special is my favourite show of the series. But then I love Christmas, so it’s perfect for me.
What did you love about last years’ Christmas Special?
I enjoyed Larry Lamb’s American smooth with Nadiya! That was a perfect bit of Christmas right there.
What is your favourite Christmas song to dance too?
Either It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas, or It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
Who is the naughtiest judge/professional/presenter in the Strictly family?
Craig is definitely the naughtiest!
Who is the nicest judge/professional/presenter in the Strictly family?
I’m the nicest!
How do you decorate your home at Christmas? An abundance of trees!
We like to have a few, well, I do anyway. I love Christmas trees. Different trees in different rooms have different themes and colours.
What has been your favourite Christmas outfit you’ve worn over the years?
When I danced with Ann Widdecombe on the Christmas special we were dressed in frocks, … that was my favourite!
If you could have one Christmas wish, what would it be?
Peace on Earth! Tell Father Christmas I already have a bike, so I’d like peace now.
When do you put your Christmas tree up?
Normally the first week of December, but it’s a timing thing because by the time you get to Christmas it’s literally just twigs in a bucket isn’t it? Although,the needles fall less now, but once upon a time, if you brushed past it, it would just shed all over you! So, first week of December as long as we can get one the needles don’t fall off of!
Quick fire round
Sprouts or Pigs in Blankets? Sprouts.
Real Tree or Fake Tree? Real!
Christmas Stocking or Christmas Sack? Stocking.
Rudolph or Prancer? Prancer.
White lights or Colourful Lights? Depends on the room!
Dinner at Home or Dinner Out? Dinner at home.
Turkey or Goose? Turkey.
Sparkles or Sequins? Sparkles.
Miracle on 34th Street or Elf? Miracle on 34th Street.
Mariah Carey or Michael Buble? Michael Buble.
Santa’s Elves or Santa’s Little Helpers? Elves.
Christmas Snow or Christmas Sunshine? Snow.
Strictly Head Judge Shirley Ballas
What are you most looking forward to for the new Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special this year?
The Christmas show is always so uplifting, and I think it’s beautiful we give millions of families something to enjoy on Christmas Day. I am most looking forward to getting in the Christmas spirit with my fellow judges, seeing a brand new cast take to the floor and listening to some fabulous Christmas songs – there’s some great Christmas tunes out there to dance to!
What did you love about last years’ Christmas Special?
I loved how exciting and heart-warming the show was. Having six brand new celebrities dance in our ballroom was a real Christmas treat. I’ll remember George Webster & Amy Dowdens’s Charleston forever and I thought Alexandra Mardell & Kai Widdrington’s Quickstep was just overwhelmingly joyous. And, of course, having my dear friend Bruno sing in the ballroom was remarkable!
What is your favourite Christmas song to dance too?
Rocking Around the Christmas Tree is a song that always gets me up dancing.
Who is the naughtiest judge/professional/presenter in the Strictly family?
Well, I think I’d have to say Anton Du Beke is the naughtiest judge. I’ve known Anton for over 35 years and he really is the nicest gentleman, but he is forever playing pranks backstage and on tour. He’s a mischief maker!
Who is the nicest judge/professional/presenter in the Strictly family?
They are all so nice… but I’d definitely love a little Motsi Mabuse in my Christmas stocking – she is a Christmas queen and even Craig really is a beautiful soul. He is always the first to send me flowers on my birthday.
How do you decorate your home at Christmas?
At Christmas, I like my house to feel warm and cosy. I love to have multiple trees – one in the lounge, one in the dining room and one at the bottomof the stairs. My stairs are decorated with beautiful green garlands and I have two golden reindeers and a big nutcracker that make an appearance. My mother also has tons of beautiful decorations that she digs out the attic and sprinkles around the house.
What has been your favourite Christmas outfit you’ve worn over the years?
I remember going as the Fairy Godmother for my second Christmas special in 2018. That was fun.
If you could have one Christmas wish, what would it be?
Good health and happiness for all my family and friends.
When do you put your Christmas tree up?
As soon as I can! This year I put it up in the middle of November. I like to get it up and then I can try to relax and enjoy the Christmas period with friends and family
Quick fire round
Sprouts or Pigs in Blanket? Sprouts
Real Tree or Fake Tree? Fake Tree
Christmas Stocking or Christmas Sack? Christmas Sack
Rudolph or Prancer? Rudolph
White lights or Colourful Lights? White lights
Dinner at Home or Dinner Out? Dinner at Home
Turkey or Goose? Turkey
Sparkles or Sequins Sequins
Miracle on 34th Street or Elf? Miracle on 34th Street
Mariah Carey or Michael Buble? Michael Buble
Santa’s Elves or Santa’s Little Helpers? Santa’s Little Helpers
Christmas Snow or Christmas Sunshine? Christmas Snow
Motsi Mabuse
What are you most looking forward to for the new Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special this year?
It’s always beautiful for the Christmas special because it really puts you in that Christmas spirit. And the last dance for the main show has happened so it’s more relaxed and it’s all about the Christmas period and having fun, so that’s what I’m looking for. I always cry on the Christmas show because it’s family time.
What did you love about last years’ Christmas Special?
The way they turned that studio into a Christmas magical paradise is incredible and for every number. It just felt like we’d been whisked away somewhere else, that’s what I love, the creativity behind it.
What is your favourite Christmas song to dance too?
All I Want For Christmas Is You, and I have a new one that I really love, love, love – it’s from Sia and I absolutely love it.
Who is the naughtiest judge/professional/presenter in the Strictly family?
Yes, let me think…I would say Anton is naughty!
Who is the nicest judge/professional/presenter in the Strictly family?
Everyone!
How do you decorate your home at Christmas?
We go all the way, Christmas tree everything, it’s the only holiday we actually decorate. We rarely do Easter, we’ll just go on an Easter egg hunt. But we go all out on Christmas – it is the one we don’t save on is Christmas.
What has been your favourite Christmas outfit you’ve worn over the years?
They’re always red, right? I’m going to say last year!
If you could have one Christmas wish, what would it be?
I would wish for world peace.
When do you put your Christmas tree up? We’re probably going put it up on the 30th of November, because we’ll be together and it’ll be a family day, we’ll put it up and it’ll be lovely.
Quick fire round
Sprouts or Pigs in Blanket? Pigs in blankets. Oooh Sprouts!
Real Tree or Fake Tree? Real tree.
Christmas Stocking or Christmas Sack? Stocking
Rudolph or Prancer? Rudolph
White lights or Colourful Lights? White lights
Dinner at Home or Dinner Out? Dinner at home
Turkey or Goose? Goose
Sparkles or Sequins? Always sparkles
Miracle on 34th Street or Elf? Miracle on 34th Street
Mariah Carey or Michael Buble? Oh wow that’s tough, Mariah Carey though.
Santa’s Elves or Santa’s Little Helpers? Elves!
Christmas Snow or Christmas Sunshine? Oh, that’s really hard. I’m going to go for Christmas snow. As much as I’ve spent most of my Christmases in the sun, I think the atmosphere comes with snow, I mean real snow not the Christmases we’ve been having the dry, awkward cold weather!
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Christmas Day at 4.40pm
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After a global search, Alberta Ballet has found its next artistic director, an Italian choreographer with world experience in both classical and contemporary ballet.
Coming from Australia where he co-founded the Sydney Choreographic Centre, Francesco Ventriglia will arrive in early January in time for rehearsals of Alberta Ballet’s March and May performances — Hansel and Gretel, followed by Der Wolf and The Rite of Spring.
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“I am thrilled and deeply honoured to join Alberta Ballet as the next artistic director. Having come to know this company, I eagerly anticipate collaborating with its remarkably talented artists. I am grateful for this opportunity to bring to fruition some incredible dreams alongside the company, where we can honour the past while crafting an extraordinary future together.”
Ventriglia got his start as a dancer at La Scala in Milan, before creating a diverse repertoire for the Ballet School of La Scala, his own company Heliopolis and other freelance works. He has had works performed internationally by companies such as Arena di Verona, Bolshoi Theatre, the Mariinsky Ballet, Grande Théâtre du Genève, Royal New Zealand Ballet, the National Ballet of Uruguay and at the Venice Biennale.
Francesco Ventriglia is Alberta Ballet’s new artistic director. Courtesy, Damiano Mongellical
He was artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet from 2014 to 2017, and it was there that he created a newly staged, longer version of his work Wizard of Oz. The production toured New Zealand and was seen by more than 38,000 people in its first season. Well received by audiences and critics alike, the production is regarded as one of the most successful productions created for the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
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Ventriglia is well-known in the dance world as an advocate for ballet and Italian dance, and has a foot in both modern and classical styles.
In New Zealand, he created a new full-length ballet, Romeo and Juliet; Midsummer Night’s Dream; Jago; Immemoria, a work for 40 dancers to music by Shostakovich; and Sed lux permanent – Transit umbra, to music by Schoenberg, for the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève.
But he also embraces contemporary works. His own Heliopolis Company made its debut at the Venice Biennale in 2007, with a new piece, Il Mare in Catena (The Sea in Chains), an investigation of eroticism and physical disability, which was nominated for the Golden Lion. The following year he created a new work, Normale, which explored the concept of love and mental health.
“Francesco brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, and Albertans can look forward to a new chapter with more of Alberta Ballet’s high-quality, inspirational programming,” said Alberta Ballet board chair Heather Rae.
Ventriglia replaces Christopher Anderson, who parted ways with the company after only one year as artistic director. He had been with Alberta Ballet in various roles since 2015 and assumed the title for the 2022-23 season after a three-year transition from longtime artistic director Jean Grand-Maitre, who had helmed the ballet for 20 years.
The pressure was on. India Bradley, making her debut as Dewdrop in “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker,” exited the stage after her first entrance and knew that something had to shift. The spotlight was brighter than she had imagined. She couldn’t see a thing.
“I was like, get it together,” Bradley, 25, said in an interview at Lincoln Center. “Open your eyes. Open your shoulders. And don’t do weird stuff. I swear it was Mr. Mitchell. It felt like Mr. Mitchell was screaming at me.”
Arthur Mitchell, the first Black principal of New York City Ballet who went on to be a founder of Dance Theater of Harlem, was in her head — and that was a good thing. Bradley was a first, too: the first Black Dewdrop, and she had four more entrances to go. Dewdrop, who leads the Waltz of the Flowers, has five entrances altogether — short bursts of ravishing, effervescent dancing, with turns and jumps that appear and disappear as quickly as a dew falling from a petal.
Bradley, a member of City Ballet’s corps de ballet, got it together for her debut on Dec. 10. “I was like, you cannot go back out here and be a wreck,” she said. “This is a very important performance, unfortunately.” That is, she clarified, “I wish it weren’t such a big deal. It’s a blessing that this is happening, and this is going to feel so good for the girls who do it after me with 50 percent less pressure. But for me, this feels like a lot.”
She got control of her nerves and was triumphant. (She is scheduled to reprise the role on Saturday and Tuesday.) But Bradley wasn’t the only Black dancer to get a shot at Dewdrop. As part of City Ballet’s 75th anniversary season, Alexandra Hutchinson, a member of Dance Theater of Harlem, performed the role twice as a guest artist last week.
While Bradley was coached by the repertory director Christine Redpath, Hutchinson, 28, learned the role from Kyra Nichols, a former City Ballet principal who staged the Balanchine ballet “Pas de Dix” at Dance Theater this summer.
“I feel like she’s the golden standard,” Hutchinson said of Nichols.
Wendy Whelan, City Ballet’s associate artistic director, had been talking about guests with Jonathan Stafford, the company’s artistic director, and she had a vision: To honor Mitchell and the tie between the companies, they needed to have a woman from Dance Theater lead “The Nutcracker” in this anniversary year. Whelan said, “He was like, ‘Yeah. Let’s do it!’”
Robert Garland, Dance Theater’s artistic director, who chose Hutchinson said, “The thing Mr. Mitchell said was, ‘Robert, there’s a moment when words will not work anymore,’” he said. “‘You have to see it.’”
Hopefully, another first, a Black Sugarplum Fairy, will follow in the not so distant future. For now, these fresh Dewdrops — filling the theater with cheering crowds — gave “The Nutcracker” a jolt of energy and, most important, sparkling dancing: Bradley was like a sleek sprite cutting through a field of flowers; Hutchinson was all warmth and verve.
“There is studying,” Hutchinson said, “and there’s paying homage and knowing your history and knowing who’s done it before you and wanting to do the Balanchine technique correctly and all that. But then there’s also, What am I bringing to it?”
Both are excited to have expanded the idea of what a Dewdrop can be. “Like the Dewdrop should be pink,” Bradley said. “Really? A Dewdrop is a drop of dew. So can’t anyone do it?”
Earlier this week, they met to speak of their shared, history-making experience. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
What was the mental challenge of being the first Black dancer to dance Dewdrop at City Ballet — but also being in such a featured role?
INDIA BRADLEY My mind never stopped racing. It was racing so much that I had to stick to thinking about only a handful of things. One thought that I forced myself to push forward was “dance well.” People kept saying, “Just have fun.” I stopped saying that to myself because there was so much of a different pressure than the other girls that debut Dewdrop at New York City Ballet. There’s so much weight to carry.
ALEXANDRA HUTCHINSON I try to treat every time like I’ve been here before. Yes, it’s a bigger stage and a broader opportunity. I was just thinking about every moment, one step at a time. I’m not going to think about the next entrance. And then when I get there, I’ll deal with it. It’s so much to carry.
I love what you said about the “fun” part …
BRADLEY Just have fun! And hearing it from a white girl, it was just like — it wasn’t their fault at all. They are trying to tell you what is best for them to hear. It’s your friends. It comes from love. And so I just accepted it, and I would go, Mmm hmm. But I was like, this isn’t fun. It was fun when I did it, when I checked off all the boxes. But I wouldn’t use the word fun for all this pressure.
HUTCHINSON Exactly. I think that savoring every moment helped me one step at a time. Like feeling my fingertips. Shoulders back and keep that perfume, leave a scent behind you.
Did you hear Mr. Michell's voice, too?
Hutchinson Yeah. Just imagine the pressure he had.
What did Kyra Nichols emphasize to you?
HUTCHINSON The tempo that she danced it at was insane. It was so fast. When I watched the video, the port de bras — the way that she moved her arms — was something that stuck with me. And the precision of her legs. Those contrasting energies pushed me.
And, India, how was it working with Christine Redpath?
BRADLEY Christine has the most peaceful long-gray-haired wise energy to her. At our first few rehearsals, she was like: “You are already capable of all these steps. The technique is there, the steps you can do.” She kept calling it a process and was like, “Throughout this process, we’re never, ever going to freak out, talk down to ourselves, doubt ourselves — any of the unnecessary things.”
Wow.
BRADLEY She was like, we’re just stripping away things that you no longer need and adding things that could make you look like a wiser dancer.
Alexandra, what advice did you get?
HUTCHINSON One of my friends actually told me to picture myself in the wings — what would that feel like, what would the lights feel like? And to see that in the studio. I swear that was one of the best things that helped me.
What did it feel like after your performances?
HUTCHINSON I cried when I came offstage after the second one. It was freeing to have that second try at it and to not think about the pressure this time — to know what it felt like with the lights and that warmth, which I felt was like a hug the second time.
BRADLEY I’m going to take that from you. I’ve only had one show so far, so all I’ve experienced is the frightening one.
HUTCHINSON We work so hard to get to this point in our life where we’re doing roles that we’ve dreamed of. And I don’t want to look back and think I let the pressure or the stress dim the time that I want to enjoy. It’s so crazy all the blood and sweat and tears that we put into it. And then it’s like six minutes? (Laughs).
BRADLEY I know. I’m always so upset afterward when I’m like, Did I even have a good time? Somebody told me that I came offstage after the third entrance and I was just like this: thumbs up in the air. I don’t even remember doing that. Before I was even done, I was like, I made it!
Dewdrop is a coveted role around here. How welcome did you feel?
HUTCHINSON I was nervous coming because there’s so many people in this company. My company is very small. There’s only 17 of us right now. So it was a big change. People would come up to me during class saying how excited they were about me being here. I felt very welcome. It was good vibes all around.
India, do we believe it?
BRADLEY Yeah! I think City Ballet is a different place than it [used to be]. You know, I don’t think you would have had the same experience [20 years ago] to be honest. I don’t think I would have had the same experience.
Right because neither of you would have danced Dewdrop at all.
HUTCHINSON Even backstage, there was so much love. People held my hands and were like, “I want you to do well, I’m rooting for you.” Getting that from the dancers was something that I was not expecting and really helped me because they’re right beside you. You’re sharing the stage, you’re sharing the space and giving yourself. Having them being on my side was just like all the energy I needed.
Queensland Ballet has announced Leanne Benjamin AM OBE as its new Artistic Director.
Named Australian of the Year in the UK 2023, this is a homecoming for Ms Benjamin, a Queenslander who has been a vibrant voice in ballet, vocational development, advocacy, and governance on the world stage for many years.
Ms Benjamin will be the sixth Artistic Director to take the helm at Queensland Ballet and the first female to assume the role. In a natural balance to her international accomplishments, she started life in Rockhampton, so Queensland runs through her, strong and vibrant.
Queensland Ballet Chair, Brett Clark:
“This exciting appointment has been made following an extensive global recruitment search, which attracted unprecedented interest from candidates all around the world. The selection committee comprised of Board Directors, internal leadership, and external sector experts from Australia and abroad, including Director of The Royal Ballet, Kevin O’Hare CBE. Throughout the process, Leanne stood out with an innate currency of our artform, an uncanny alignment with our strategic cornerstones which have been developed significantly throughout Li’s tenure, and a visceral passion for Queensland.
“As Vice Chair of the Board of Governors for the Royal Ballet Companies, Leanne has been influential in key sector developments relevant to The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and the Royal Ballet School which translate across to us as we consider our cornerstones of Artistic, Academy and Community. This is indeed a unique qualification in our incoming Artistic Director, overlaying extensive on-stage experience working with ballet lighthouses such as Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev, Kenneth MacMillan, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Darcey Bussell and Carlos Acosta. She’s a formidable force, only retiring from the stage at the age of 49, as The Royal Ballet’s longest-serving ballerina.
“Leanne is an international speaker, international judge and comes with outstanding global connections that will build on Li’s legacy and all those who have gone before him, to take Queensland Ballet into the next chapter. She is also sought after across the world as she has been muse to some of the most inspired choreographers of our artform. She was with Queensland Ballet in 2019 as part of the staging team here as the Company presented MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet for the second time. To have Kenneth MacMillan’s muse here in person is very inspirational for our dancers and artistic team,” Mr Clark concluded.
In 2005, Ms Benjamin received an OBE in recognition for her services to dance. In 2015, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia and in 2014, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Performing Arts from Central Queensland University. In 2019, Leanne was the recipient of the inaugural Agent-General Queensland Day Award.
Director of The Royal Ballet, Kevin O’Hare was on the selection committee.
“I am thrilled for Leanne embarking on this next exciting venture and seeing her life coming full circle back to her roots in Queensland. Leanne has been an extraordinary force of the British ballet scene, lauded first as a ballerina and then as a coach and passionate advocate for dance. During all these phases of her career, I have hugely admired her artistry and work ethic and have loved working with her. Her roles on stage serve as a history lesson in the ballets that define The Royal Ballet, from the great 19th-century classics like Giselle and The Sleeping Beauty, to Frederick Ashton works such as The Dream and the dramatic masterpieces by Kenneth MacMillan including Manon and Mayerling, through to ballets created with today’s leading choreographers Wayne McGregor and Christopher Wheeldon. Most recently, Leanne’s gift to The Royal Ballet has been coaching our current generation of dancers in some of these roles; how wonderful that she now takes this flair and generosity to Queensland Ballet. And how special that she can build on the fantastic legacy of Li Cunxin whom both she and I so greatly admire. We wish Leanne and all the dancers and staff at Queensland Ballet a vibrant future,” Mr O’Hare said.
Leanne will be working alongside longstanding Queensland Ballet Executive Director, Dilshani Weerasinghe. It’ll be a reunion for the pair, who worked together at the Royal Opera House, and home to The Royal Ballet, for eight years.
“I remember landing at the Royal Opera House and meeting Leanne, a fellow Antipodean, who had been there for a few years by then. I’ll never forget her interpretation of Manon but equally, she was very present in all the diverse endeavour that surrounds performance, including donor and community engagement. She was ever generous despite a demanding schedule. Time has passed and we have both gone on to have families and wider careers and I’m looking forward to exploring our working chemistry and rhythm. What excites me is that Leanne has also informed her experience with a currency that comes from her wider roles. Her heart sits with our artform, our artists, and with Queensland. She has a vibrant, breath-taking vision across ballet pathways, ballet traditions, and ballet fresh thinking. It’s an exciting time ahead for the Queensland Ballet, and for me personally,” she said.
Ms Benjamin is thrilled with the appointment.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be returning home to Queensland – as Queensland Ballet’s sixth Artistic Director. It’s an incredible honour.
“Ballet has been part of my life since I was a three-year old in Rockhampton. If you had told that wide-eyed girl that she would go on to have a vibrant career as a ballerina for 30 years, 20 of which would be as a Principal with The Royal Ballet and then return home as Artistic Director to a world-class company in Queensland, I’m not sure she would have believed it.
“I have worked with the most inspirational dancers, choreographers and creatives in the ballet world, and the most beautiful part of my story now, is that I will be coming back to Queensland, where it all began,” she said.
She paid tribute to outgoing Artistic Director, Li Cunxin AO who is leaving Queensland Ballet on Wednesday 20 December 2023 after 11 years at the helm.
“Li, Mary and I have been friends for many years, and I want to pay tribute to what Li has built at Queensland Ballet. He has transformed the company, on and off the stage, with truly world-class facilities and an exceptional training Academy which further deepens its impact in our sector and community. I loved my time with Queensland Ballet in 2019, coaching MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet, and cannot wait to strengthen my connection with the dancers and the wider teams.
“It’s an absolute honour to take on this prestigious role, and to be able to return to Queensland. I love Australia, and throughout all my travels it has always remained home.
Mr Li welcomed the announcement and suggested that Queenslanders will be excited about the appointment.
“Leanne brings an extensive experience on and off the stage, and I’m thrilled that I’m handing on my artistic guardianship to her. The last 11 years have been an absolute privilege and there is always a niggle around preserving one’s legacy. Leanne’s experience across stage, student pathways, and her passion for our Queensland community is going to stand Queensland Ballet in great stead as we move forward. I know you’ll all welcome her with the same generosity and support you showed me when I first arrived all those years ago. Queensland Ballet is in inspired hands,” he said.
Leanne will commence in her role early next year.
“I’m mostly excited about meeting and working with the people who make up Queensland Ballet. I am impatient to meet our dancers, our artistic team, our students all those behind the scenes whose talents make everything possible, our audiences and all those supporters and believers without whom dancing just stands still. Ballet is a beautiful coming together of all these contributors and to be a part of this, as an artistic guardian, is a privilege.”
In 2019, Lauren Lovette seemed to have it all—she was a star principal at New York City Ballet and was Vail Dance Festival’s artist in residence. But inside, she was ill at ease. “I never really enjoyed performing,” says Lovette, now 32. Intrigued by choreography, she had created her first piece, For Clara, three years earlier for NYCB’s 2016 Fall Fashion Gala. The experience was a baptism by fire—the piece was critically panned—but Lovette was undeterred and kept choreographing for the company and garnered commissions from ABT Studio Company, the Ashley Bouder Project, and Vail Dance Festival. She retired from NYCB in 2021 to pursue her passion for choreography, and in 2022 she was named resident choreographer for the Paul Taylor Dance Company. She also founded a nonprofit, Lauren Lovette Studio, and recently started performing again—and enjoying it in an entirely new way. As she revealed in this interview, Lovette’s career pivot was as personal as it was professional.
Photo by Christopher Duggan, Courtesy Vail Dance Festival.
How does performing feel now?
Performing has always been my most challenging point. I didn’t live for the show—I lived for class, for rehearsal, being in new choreography, teaching. My “why” is so much more clear now. I don’t want the authenticity of my art to be muddied by anything ego-driven. I asked for that from the universe. Robbie Fairchild and I danced together in Vail this summer—I ended up flat on my butt in our first La Sonnambula performance, and I was trying to figure out why it happened. And what I came down to was: This is exactly what I asked for—humility!
You now feel like you can make art that is yours.
That’s it. I love choreography more than almost anything. Choreography can seem like you’re placing people in certain positions, and you put it to music and it’s great. But it’s even greater than that, because you’re working with live human beings, and they have will of their own, and things they want to say. They surprise you all the time.
What made you feel confident about retiring from NYCB?
During the pandemic, I had time to take a harder look at my life. A lot of the decisions I was making were based on fear or pride. I didn’t know where money would come from, I didn’t have a job, there wasn’t a single person in my life that thought leaving was a good idea. But it could all disappear tomorrow, and I could still stand in myself and say, “I did what was right for me.” I would tell any artist, “I hope that when it comes to your art, you always take a job because it feels true, not because you will take anything you can get.”
You knew people at the highest levels in the dance world, which was an advantage. What else did it take to make this massive change?
I had to rebuild myself emotionally—I went through a big breakup around the same time. Next, it was building a website, reaching out to people I wanted to collaborate with, making connections with people. City Ballet had so many resources, so, you’re right, I had a foundation to build off. But my barometer for everything was: Does this feel true?
How did the Taylor job come about?
[PTDC artistic director] Michael Novak saw Not Our Fate, a piece with a male duet I made for City Ballet, and contacted me. I was terribly nervous to work on my first Taylor commission, Pentimento, but I loved it from the first day. Afterward I went into Michael’s office and said, “I really want to make something else for your company.” I wasn’t met with unkindness, but I wasn’t met with eagerness. I thought, I’m never going to make anything else for this company. Then after I left City Ballet, I got the call.
Lovette teaching a class at Vail Dance Festival. Photo by Chris Kendig, Courtesy Vail Dance Festival.
How do you manage running a freelance business?
I don’t come from the most financially stable upbringing, and I don’t have the education a lot of other people have. So since day one as a ballerina, I was taking every job I could to build savings; I was already doing contract negotiations and emails. The new skills were learning about nonprofits, how to produce shows, marketing. I also have a business partner, Lauren King, who was a soloist at City Ballet. I don’t want anyone to think that I’m doing this alone, because I’m not. Taylor pays for my life. The nonprofit is very small, and neither of us gets a salary.
You have a world premiere, Echo, and a New York premiere, Dreamachine, with Taylor this November.
Echo is my first all-men’s piece for Taylor—the men are beautiful and elegant and strong. The other piece, Dreamachine, is bizarre and fun! It has four movements: In “Da Vinci’s Wings,” a choreographer is making a piece that keeps falling apart. The cartoonist Rube Goldberg inspired the second movement; we use a lot of props, and it’s silly. In the third movement, I wanted the dancers to float, so they’re wearing Heelys and slippery socks. The last movement is inspired by Spock from “Star Trek.”
What are your future plans?
I have three ideas for Taylor, but I can’t talk about them yet! At Taylor, there are no rules. There’s no box I have to fit inside of. It’s so fun to ask the question every day, What is dance?
Swanhilda is immediately established at the start of the ballet as a life-giving force — she enthusiastically flings open her curtains and waters her plants — but Franz is clearly a slightly dim, if adorable, klutz. Ratmansky gives him more dancing than is usual in traditional versions, and Andrijashenko, a polished technician with a beautiful expansive jump, does a fine and funny job of conveying both irrepressible exuberance and a poor-me-I-am-just-a-man sulkiness.
Ratmansky’s narrative proceeds with more clarity and logic than most “Coppelias” with Swanhilda, Franz and their friends integrated into the village dances and dramatic action. (The actor and writer Guillaume Gallienne is credited as dramaturg. Bravo.) Manni’s Swanhilda is under no illusions about her handsome swain, whom she clearly loves, and she makes it enjoyably obvious that he is in her very bad books. Supported in arabesque at the end of a pas de deux, she pushes him away and balances alone, before running off, leaving Franz stomping with frustration.
The villagers’s ensemble dances, notably a mazurka and a czardas, are earthy and convincing as folk dance, the women throwing themselves sideways into the mens’s arms, hands tucked behind heads, the group performing vigorous stamping jumps without undue prettiness.
Dr. Coppelius (Christian Fagetti) is not the doddering fool of many versions, but bad-tempered and obsessively focused on his mechanical creations. In Act 2, Kaplan makes the interior of his house an atmospheric mad-scientist lair. Huge drawings of skeletons are suspended from high ceilings; disjointed, near-naked dolls line the sides. When the women set them in motion, the dolls move with jerky, convincing limitation. And a special word here for Ludovica di Pasquale as Coppelia, for whom Ratmansky has invented a brilliant, staccato mime sequence that goes far beyond the usual perfunctory puppet-like gestures.
In this act and elsewhere, Ratmansky uses mime and gesture, but more often integrates it into the dance, so that the steps themselves seem to tell the story. Sometimes, as when Coppelius laughs with glee as Coppelia (Manni brilliant as the disguised Swanhilda) seems to come to life, the movement seems a pure embodiment of the music.
How are you feeling about being a part of this year’s Strictly Christmas special? What made you want to take part?
Sally: It was all about timing, I’ve always been too scared to even think about Strictly, and it’s always been one of those things where lots of people who do my job do it and I’ve always run in the other direction. But you know what, I just thought it was time to do something joyful and fun and happy, and escape from the real world for a little bit, and go into this bubble of glitter, and sequins and happiness and giddiness.
I just loved the idea of doing Christmas because it felt like everybody is going to be happy, there’s no pressure, it doesn’t feel like it’s a competition to me. It feels like it’s a chance to have a laugh, and spread a little joy on my favourite day. It’s one of my favourite shows to watch on Christmas day anyway, so to be in it is incredible.
I will watch it with my family and facetime Graziano when we watch it!
Graziano: I’m going to be at home in Italy with my family, so we’re going to watch it all together and call Sally.
What are you most looking forward to?
Sally: I am looking forward to getting out on stage with Grazino and just enjoying it in that moment, and having fun, and letting go of any worries and cares of the outside world. It’s about being in that world and magical moment of the dance. Whatever happens, happens, I know it has to be perfect but in lots of ways, it doesn’t really have to be perfect.
Graziano: it will be perfect in our way.
Sally: Exactly, whatever we do is perfect because it will be a little moment of magic away from all the madness of real-life and we’re going to enjoy it.
Have you got any previous dancing experience?
Sally: No. I’m not a stage school kid, I’m not trained in any way, so to even be on the stage is a win for me. Graziano has been dancing for 21 years and I’ve been dancing for 2 weeks, so he’s needed to give me a lot of advice.
Do you think you’re naturally a good dancer?
Sally: No, definitely not. Not a natural dancer at all. Graziano had to teach me to take steps forward, and take steps backward, and it took a long time for me to even just walk in a straight line.
Tell us about your partner…
Sally: It’s been a treat, I mean what treat, to learn to Foxtrot at Christmas with Graziano! It’s a Christmas present to myself.
Graziano: You’ve been incredible, for the first time in my job, I’ve found a person who has made me realise how lucky I am to do this job and be dancing. Its more than just the dance, it’s the friendship first and it’s been something that audiences can just enjoy, and the dance and the beauty of Christmas.
Sally: It’s not something I ever imagined I would do. I was always far too scared and too shy. That moment when we walk out, yes it’s scary but even just standing out there, even before we dance a step it’s a win.
Graziano: I love how she sections the dance, how she thinks through the dance, so we’ve found the best way to make the dance easy to learn for her. But I did say, no more thinking and just enjoy it!
Sally: No more thinking is the best advice, because my life and my job is all about thinking.
How are you finding training?
Sally: Training has been like nothing I have ever done before in my life, it’s been completely out of my comfort zone, it feels like I have won a raffle to dance with Graziano Di Prima at Christmas. I sometimes think I need to not look like a competition winner.
Graziano: Sally has learnt the steps and the structure, but for me I think for the first time just how much Strictly can change people’s lives. Sally came into rehearsal she would learn the steps, learn the structure of training, but I have learnt how her brain works, so it’s been really interesting and beautiful to break it down for her. I think I take for granted how quick professional dancers pick things up, but Sally has been incredible and she will never stop dancing. Never! I say ‘take 10 minutes’ and she says ‘no I want to go through the steps’. She’s been incredible.
Talk us through your outfit…
Sally: We don’t know! But our song is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, the Ella Fitzgerald version, which is very beautiful and classic.
Graziano: and elegant
Sally: It’s like a scene from an old black and white film that you watch on a rainy day, then all of a sudden there is a dance scene.
Which judge are you hoping to impress the most?
Sally: Definitely Shirley, I love Shirley. She’s a Wirral girl and so am I. I’ve always liked the way she gives constructive criticism and she’s really kind and fair, so if Shirley thinks I’ve done ok then I’m happy.
Do you think you will be taking home the top prize this year?
Sally: No, my prize is being here!
What is the best present you have ever received?
Sally: I got a typewriter when I was seven, because I wanted to be a journalist, and it was with that typewriter I wrote my Christmas list for the following year, and I asked for a rabbit, I’ve actually still got that Christmas list, and I didn’t get a rabbit and I was devastated.
What do you love most about Christmas?
Graziano: For me it is family and having a nice meal together and having a laugh. It’s the goal at the end of every year, because I obviously don’t live with my family, I’m here in the UK, so I can just go home to Italy and we can all spend time together. But I do put on five kilos in one week!
Sally: I love Christmas eve, Christmas eve is my favourite day of the year! I like the bit before the getting ready for the big day, I like doing all the food the night before. I love cooking, I am obsessed with roast potatoes. I just love that moment when you shut the door and all the work is done and you’re just waiting for it to be Christmas day. That’s my favourite moment.
Will you be making a New Year resolution?
Sally: I don’t really make resolutions, but I am looking forward to the new year and a sunny holiday! I’m going to get away, get on a beach and get some sunshine and recharge – that’s my New Years resolution – do that!
The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special will air on Christmas Day at 4.40pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
MeganTheeStallion’s single “Savage” is quickly becoming a part of the soundtrack to social distancing.
That’s thanks to Keara Wilson, the 19-year-old creator of the viral “Savage” challenge. For the past month, the native of Mansfield, Ohio, had been creating and posting original choreography to different songs.
She first posted her dance on TikTok on March 10. She posted a second video of herself doing the dance the following day with the caption “day 2 doing my dance till it goes viral.”
And shortly after, it did. It gained so much traction that the “Suga” rapper herself shared Wilson’s video on Instagram on March 15.
Wilson said she was in shock when she saw Megan’s post, and she still is.
“I was like OK, this is wild. I was in disbelief the whole day. I didn’t know what to say, I was in tears. It was just a dream come true,” she told HuffPost. “I’m still speechless now. This has been an accomplishment for me. This is crazy. And it’s MY dance. That’s what makes it crazy.”
Wilson, who danced competitively for 10 years and cheered for four, said it took her about an hour or two to create the choreography for the challenge. She changed the ending a few times to see which version was the best. The result is a hype, energetic dance with Wilson’s personality etched into its DNA.
“In my dancing, I do a lot of facial expressions, and I think that’s why I get a lot of attention,” she told HuffPost. “I’m hitting every beat with a different facial expression or, like, making a different face or something that goes with it.”
Since March 11, Wilson’s video has been watched about 4.1 million times on TikTok and has nearly 4 million views on Megan Thee Stallion’s Instagram. Social media users have flooded TikTok and Instagram with hundreds of thousands of videos putting their own creative spin on the challenge.
The rapper has posted several compilations of the dance on her Instagram, including the moves of celebrities like Marsai Martin, Ryan Destiny, Normani, Keke Palmer and, of course, her own.
The “Savage” challenge has provided a great escape for those stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wilson said many of her followers have expressed gratitude for her creating a source of levity.
“I actually have had a lot of people tell me, ‘Thank you so much for making up this dance, we needed this, this is perfect for this time,’” she said. “I’ve gotten comments like, when people don’t tag me when they do the dance, other people would be like, ‘You should tag the creator’ and stuff. It’s great. I have so much support from my fans.”
Wilson also said the attention has been just as helpful for her. She planned on enlisting in the Air Force before the pandemic struck, but those plans have been put on pause for now. In the meantime, she’s been spending time with her sister in Texas, making TikTok videos and focusing on her passion, choreography.
Over the weekend, “Savage” hit No. 1 on the iTunes Hip-Hop/Rap chart. A big part of that success is thanks to Wilson’s TikTok video. She said that it’s a blessing to be able to contribute to someone else’s art. Though she hasn’t met Megan yet, she’s hoping that will change soon. She has a message ready for her if she ever gets the chance:
“I would like to thank [Megan] for posting me and I would love to be in her next music video and to teach her my dance face to face,” Wilson said. “I just want to meet her.”
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Not long ago, Akira Armstrong was invited to appear on a new reality dance competition. She was thrilled.
The founder and chief executive officer of Pretty Big Movement, a New York City-based company for plus-size dancers, Armstrong had been a vocal proponent of body diversity in dance. Now, a major media platform was recognizing that larger bodies had a place in this art form.
Then Armstrong visited the show’s costume department. “There was nothing in my size,” she said. “And they knew they hired a plus-size choreographer. They had my clothing size ahead of time. They picked me.”
Even those outside the dance world are familiar with the stereotype of the rail-thin dancer. Over the past several decades, many companies, organizations and casting teams have consistently sought out artists with extremely slender bodies, for aesthetic and artistic reasons.
The trend toward thinner and thinner dancers has raised both equity and health concerns. In addition to limiting opportunities for larger performers, size-related pressures can significantly affect dance practitioners’ well-being. Studies have shown that dancers are three times more likely than nondancers to develop eating disorders.
But when bodies are art, what qualifies as body discrimination?
That question can be thorny in a legal context, and dancers have repeatedly brought discrimination cases to court. Last month, two former Richmond Ballet dancers filed lawsuits claiming the company, based in Virginia, had required them to maintain a “dangerously unhealthy weight.” A recent high-profile lawsuit brought by a group of Lizzo’s former dancers suggests that even outwardly body-inclusive environments can harbor body shaming.
On Nov. 26, a law banning discrimination based on weight or height took effect in New York City, a major dance capital. In theory, it will be a useful legal tool for all job seekers — and particularly powerful for artists. But in practice, it is likely to have symbolic rather than functional consequences for dancers.
Shaun Abreu, the New York City councilman who sponsored the bill, said that its aims are simple: “As this applies to dancers, the basic question is, can you dance? And if the answer is yes, no matter your size, you should have a fair shot at becoming a dancer.”
The roots of dance’s preoccupation with weight are deep and twisty. In ballet, they go back through the Romantic era, when women portrayed ethereal sylphs and fairies in gossamer tulle. As technique became increasingly refined, softness or roundness was seen as interfering with the creation of sleek, harmonious lines.
Many blame George Balanchine, the founding choreographer of New York City Ballet, for ballet’s enduring cult of thinness. For him, Jennifer Homans writes in “Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century”: “Fat or too much flesh was an obstruction. It got in the way of seeing.”
In the commercial realms of Broadway and the entertainment industry, the issue dovetails with more mainstream fatphobia. Musicals and movies tend to feature impossibly lean and toned bodies, especially if those bodies are moving. The ideal of aesthetic uniformity, as in the famous kick line of the Radio City Rockettes, has also been used to justify height and weight requirements.
Greta Gleissner, a former professional dancer whose bulimia spiraled out of control when she was a Rockette in the late 1990s and early 2000s, now frequently works with dancers as a psychotherapist specializing in eating disorders. “As you walk in the door of most dance classes, you’re already less than human,” she said. “You are a body.”
The body is subject to constant evaluation by teachers, choreographers and directors. Though some attributes are beyond dancers’ control — the shape of feet, the length of limbs — weight is often seen as fixable, creating conditions for eating disorders to develop.
“When I was dancing, I constantly felt less-than,” Gleissner said. “But there was one thing I could change: I could be thinner.”
Just as conventional diet culture has been rebranded as wellness, dance has developed its own camouflaging vernacular. That language tends to emphasize self-care and athletic fitness — which can be insidious because professional dancers are elite athletes.
“I’ve heard it said every possible way,” said Kathryn Morgan, a former soloist with New York City Ballet and Miami City Ballet. “‘You’re not in shape.’ ‘We’re worried about your health.’ ‘You don’t take pride in your body.’ ‘I need you to improve your lines.’ It’s all these little code words, but everybody knows: They’re talking about weight.”
The optimistic read on New York City’s law banning weight and height discrimination is that it will prompt noticeable change in dance, particularly its approach to hiring. In an emailed statement, Candace Thompson-Zachery, the director of programming and justice initiatives at the advocacy organization Dance/NYC, expressed hope that it would transform audition and casting processes.
“Dancers will have a tool in their pocket to challenge casting decisions,” Thompson-Zachery wrote, “and producers and directors will have to develop rubrics that ensure talent is the most prioritized factor for casting.”
Legally speaking, however, there may be hurdles. The law includes an exemption for when height or weight may interfere with the essential requirements of a job. But what are “essential requirements” in the highly subjective world of dance?
Arguments that dancers need to be smaller because of the art’s physical demands are persistent, though often untrue. “You hear things like, ‘Ballet dancers have to be thin the way basketball players have to be tall, because physics,’” Morgan said. That way of thinking, she added, ignores the many other variables at play. For example, a larger dancer who is strong and has a good center — the ability to support and balance one’s own body — can sometimes be easier to partner.
Discrimination cases are generally difficult to argue in court. “You need a smoking gun,” said Khiara M. Bridges, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and a former professional dancer. The array of aesthetic judgments involved in dance casting and hiring scenarios can make them especially difficult to parse.
“The dancer alleging, ‘You’re not hiring me because I’m too big’ — it’s hard not to imagine an artistic director coming back with, ‘No, it’s because your technique wasn’t strong enough,’ or ‘No, it’s because I didn’t like the way you approached the character,’” Bridges said.
Michigan, Washington State, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco passed laws banning size discrimination in recent years, though no tidal wave of dance-world reform has followed. Still, Bridges believes that the growing legal momentum — New Jersey and Massachusetts are considering similar measures — is at least spurring meaningful conversations in the dance community.
“I think the discursive effect of the law is going to be impactful, if not the practical effect of getting different bodies onstage,” she said.
And true change does already seem to be underway, catalyzed by a new generation of dance leaders, size-positivity movements and a broader push for equity in the arts that grew out of the pandemic.
Even New York City’s largest dance institutions have made progress. New York City Ballet faced body-shaming allegations as recently as last year, but it has reconsidered its approach to weight questions under the artistic leadership of Jonathan Stafford and Wendy Whelan, whose tenure began in 2019. Protocols now promote sensitivity and confidentiality during conversations about body issues; a press representative for the company added that most of those conversations are now conducted by the wellness team, rather than artistic staff.
Ryan Donovan, an assistant professor of theater studies at Duke University and the author of “Broadway Bodies: A Critical History of Conformity,” has been encouraged by developments in Broadway theaters, too. “If you go to a Broadway show today, you are more likely to see a diverse array of bodies — bodies that match the diverse kinds of bodies in the audience,” he said. The Rockettes, which declined to comment, loosened height requirements for dancers slightly last year.
Educational spaces, where most dancers encounter oppressive body standards for the first time, are also evolving, with some dance schools now employing wellness staff. Armstrong’s company, Pretty Big Movement, leads training workshops regularly at Ailey Extension and elsewhere, creating welcoming spaces for dancers of any size. Gleissner said that teachers who once might have turned a blind eye to students’ eating now reach out to her with concerns, extending an ethos of care beyond the classroom.
Morgan believes that an increased focus on mental health will be key to combating body ideals that she says will persist even if external pressures fade. “I was dancing my best and feeling my best, not at my lowest weight,” she said, “but when I was in the best place mentally — when I was happy.”
Some see dance’s inability to make room for diverse bodies as, ultimately, a creative failure. Armstrong remembers talking to a dance colleague, one of Beyoncé’s choreographers, when she was feeling discouraged after a string of unsuccessful auditions. “He said to me, ‘They just don’t have any vision,’” adding an obscenity for emphasis, she recalled. In an art form about bodies, she said, a variety of shapes should offer possibilities, not problems.
Others look forward to the day when a dancer’s size is no longer the story.
“The hope is that maybe at some point you will be able to go to a performance and see a dancer who is not teeny-tiny, and it will be unremarkable,” Bridges said. “Because in dance, the real question is artistry; the real question is skill. And one’s body has a wildly imperfect relationship to the building of those things.”
Not long ago, Akira Armstrong was invited to appear on a new reality dance competition. She was thrilled.
The founder and chief executive officer of Pretty Big Movement, a New York City-based company for plus-size dancers, Armstrong had been a vocal proponent of body diversity in dance. Now, a major media platform was recognizing that larger bodies had a place in this art form.
Then Armstrong visited the show’s costume department. “There was nothing in my size,” she said. “And they knew they hired a plus-size choreographer. They had my clothing size ahead of time. They picked me.”
Even those outside the dance world are familiar with the stereotype of the rail-thin dancer. Over the past several decades, many companies, organizations and casting teams have consistently sought out artists with extremely slender bodies, for aesthetic and artistic reasons.
The trend toward thinner and thinner dancers has raised both equity and health concerns. In addition to limiting opportunities for larger performers, size-related pressures can significantly affect dance practitioners’ well-being. Studies have shown that dancers are three times more likely than nondancers to develop eating disorders.
But when bodies are art, what qualifies as body discrimination?
That question can be thorny in a legal context, and dancers have repeatedly brought discrimination cases to court. Last month, two former Richmond Ballet dancers filed lawsuits claiming the company, based in Virginia, had required them to maintain a “dangerously unhealthy weight.” A recent high-profile lawsuit brought by a group of Lizzo’s former dancers suggests that even outwardly body-inclusive environments can harbor body shaming.
On Nov. 26, a law banning discrimination based on weight or height took effect in New York City, a major dance capital. In theory, it will be a useful legal tool for all job seekers — and particularly powerful for artists. But in practice, it is likely to have symbolic rather than functional consequences for dancers.
Shaun Abreu, the New York City councilman who sponsored the bill, said that its aims are simple: “As this applies to dancers, the basic question is, can you dance? And if the answer is yes, no matter your size, you should have a fair shot at becoming a dancer.”
The roots of dance’s preoccupation with weight are deep and twisty. In ballet, they go back through the Romantic era, when women portrayed ethereal sylphs and fairies in gossamer tulle. As technique became increasingly refined, softness or roundness was seen as interfering with the creation of sleek, harmonious lines.
Many blame George Balanchine, the founding choreographer of New York City Ballet, for ballet’s enduring cult of thinness. For him, Jennifer Homans writes in “Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century”: “Fat or too much flesh was an obstruction. It got in the way of seeing.”
In the commercial realms of Broadway and the entertainment industry, the issue dovetails with more mainstream fatphobia. Musicals and movies tend to feature impossibly lean and toned bodies, especially if those bodies are moving. The ideal of aesthetic uniformity, as in the famous kick line of the Radio City Rockettes, has also been used to justify height and weight requirements.
Greta Gleissner, a former professional dancer whose bulimia spiraled out of control when she was a Rockette in the late 1990s and early 2000s, now frequently works with dancers as a psychotherapist specializing in eating disorders. “As you walk in the door of most dance classes, you’re already less than human,” she said. “You are a body.”
The body is subject to constant evaluation by teachers, choreographers and directors. Though some attributes are beyond dancers’ control — the shape of feet, the length of limbs — weight is often seen as fixable, creating conditions for eating disorders to develop.
“When I was dancing, I constantly felt less-than,” Gleissner said. “But there was one thing I could change: I could be thinner.”
Just as conventional diet culture has been rebranded as wellness, dance has developed its own camouflaging vernacular. That language tends to emphasize self-care and athletic fitness — which can be insidious because professional dancers are elite athletes.
“I’ve heard it said every possible way,” said Kathryn Morgan, a former soloist with New York City Ballet and Miami City Ballet. “‘You’re not in shape.’ ‘We’re worried about your health.’ ‘You don’t take pride in your body.’ ‘I need you to improve your lines.’ It’s all these little code words, but everybody knows: They’re talking about weight.”
The optimistic read on New York City’s law banning weight and height discrimination is that it will prompt noticeable change in dance, particularly its approach to hiring. In an emailed statement, Candace Thompson-Zachery, the director of programming and justice initiatives at the advocacy organization Dance/NYC, expressed hope that it would transform audition and casting processes.
“Dancers will have a tool in their pocket to challenge casting decisions,” Thompson-Zachery wrote, “and producers and directors will have to develop rubrics that ensure talent is the most prioritized factor for casting.”
Legally speaking, however, there may be hurdles. The law includes an exemption for when height or weight may interfere with the essential requirements of a job. But what are “essential requirements” in the highly subjective world of dance?
Arguments that dancers need to be smaller because of the art’s physical demands are persistent, though often untrue. “You hear things like, ‘Ballet dancers have to be thin the way basketball players have to be tall, because physics,’” Morgan said. That way of thinking, she added, ignores the many other variables at play. For example, a larger dancer who is strong and has a good center — the ability to support and balance one’s own body — can sometimes be easier to partner.
Discrimination cases are generally difficult to argue in court. “You need a smoking gun,” said Khiara M. Bridges, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and a former professional dancer. The array of aesthetic judgments involved in dance casting and hiring scenarios can make them especially difficult to parse.
“The dancer alleging, ‘You’re not hiring me because I’m too big’ — it’s hard not to imagine an artistic director coming back with, ‘No, it’s because your technique wasn’t strong enough,’ or ‘No, it’s because I didn’t like the way you approached the character,’” Bridges said.
Michigan, Washington State, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco passed laws banning size discrimination in recent years, though no tidal wave of dance-world reform has followed. Still, Bridges believes that the growing legal momentum — New Jersey and Massachusetts are considering similar measures — is at least spurring meaningful conversations in the dance community.
“I think the discursive effect of the law is going to be impactful, if not the practical effect of getting different bodies onstage,” she said.
And true change does already seem to be underway, catalyzed by a new generation of dance leaders, size-positivity movements and a broader push for equity in the arts that grew out of the pandemic.
Even New York City’s largest dance institutions have made progress. New York City Ballet faced body-shaming allegations as recently as last year, but it has reconsidered its approach to weight questions under the artistic leadership of Jonathan Stafford and Wendy Whelan, whose tenure began in 2019. Protocols now promote sensitivity and confidentiality during conversations about body issues; a press representative for the company added that most of those conversations are now conducted by the wellness team, rather than artistic staff.
Ryan Donovan, an assistant professor of theater studies at Duke University and the author of “Broadway Bodies: A Critical History of Conformity,” has been encouraged by developments in Broadway theaters, too. “If you go to a Broadway show today, you are more likely to see a diverse array of bodies — bodies that match the diverse kinds of bodies in the audience,” he said. The Rockettes, which declined to comment, loosened height requirements for dancers slightly last year.
Educational spaces, where most dancers encounter oppressive body standards for the first time, are also evolving, with some dance schools now employing wellness staff. Armstrong’s company, Pretty Big Movement, leads training workshops regularly at the Ailey School and elsewhere, creating welcoming spaces for dancers of any size. Gleissner said that teachers who once might have turned a blind eye to students’ eating now reach out to her with concerns, extending an ethos of care beyond the classroom.
Morgan believes that an increased focus on mental health will be key to combating body ideals that she says will persist even if external pressures fade. “I was dancing my best and feeling my best, not at my lowest weight,” she said, “but when I was in the best place mentally — when I was happy.”
Some see dance’s inability to make room for diverse bodies as, ultimately, a creative failure. Armstrong remembers talking to a dance colleague, one of Beyoncé’s choreographers, when she was feeling discouraged after a string of unsuccessful auditions. “He said to me, ‘They just don’t have any vision,’” adding an obscenity for emphasis, she recalled. In an art form about bodies, she said, a variety of shapes should offer possibilities, not problems.
Others look forward to the day when a dancer’s size is no longer the story.
“The hope is that maybe at some point you will be able to go to a performance and see a dancer who is not teeny-tiny, and it will be unremarkable,” Bridges said. “Because in dance, the real question is artistry; the real question is skill. And one’s body has a wildly imperfect relationship to the building of those things.”
