Ballet
Maybe you’re trying to figure out where you’ve seen that soloist before, deciding to subscribe to a company’s season or wondering what it means to have a good attitude. The sources below will help you take a deeper look at ballet. Find histories, dancer bios, and reviews from around the world; get a live experience by buying your ballet tickets online; or get in touch with ballerinas and ballet fans via a dance forum.
Expand All Guide SectionsBallet History and Research
The history of ballet began in 1661, and new ballets are being written, choreographed and performed every day. If you’re interested in tracing ballet’s progression, explore the sites below, which offer both historical information and a wealth of material for researching the modern dance scene.
Dulcinea's Insight
- For more information about a specific dancer, enter his or her name into a search engine and see if the dancer has a personal homepage.
- Ballet company Web sites often provide their own history as well as a bit of general ballet history. You can find a list of ballet companies in the Buying Dance Tickets section of this guide.
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Dancing Online
, part of a Northeastern University graduate student’s homepage, delivers this concise, readable, and comprehensive essay on ballet history. It lists all the important companies and movements since 1661, and is a good jumping-off point for further research.
The Ballet
, a privately run ballet information site, offers a complete history of ballet broken down by period. Select the era or country you’re interested in from the index on the left, or scroll through all the pages starting at the beginning. Also explore the site’s Ballet Encyclopedia, which includes entries for dancers, ballets and choreographers.
American Ballet Theatre
has a library whose mission is to capture both the 65-year history of the Theatre and important elements of ballet in general. Explore terms in the Ballet Dictionary or investigate entire ballets with the Repertory Archive, which provides information about past performances. Browse the Archive using the convenient links at the top of the page to see the list by ballet, choreographer, or composer.
The Ballerina Gallery
commemorates dozens of the world’s best ballerinas with individual photo galleries and autobiographies. The Gallery was last updated in 2002, but it’s a good source for investigating the women who have made ballet history.
Who knew?
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
includes ballet-related artwork on its “Timeline of Art History.” Trace the chronology of ballet’s appearance in fine art.
News and Reviews of Ballet
Quality ballets are performed all over the country and world, and the Internet resources can help you keep track of all of them. Below, you’ll find articles on ballet news, as well as reviews of performances and companies in both North America and Europe. We’ve included both ballet-only publications as well as general dance news sites that focus on ballet.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Many of the sources below focus on dance performances in New York City; Washington, DC; or San Francisco; however, there are highly reputable companies in many other cities both at home and abroad. Check your local paper online to search for reviews and news about performances in your area.
- Web sites of individual ballet companies often post news and reviews as it pertains to them, so if you’re interested in the latest about a particular company and/or performance, you might check the company homepage first.
- If you’d like to keep up with the ballet community at large, visit a paper from one of the big dance cities. For example, The New York Times collects dance news and reviews on one page, listed newest to oldest. Although the information may be somewhat New York-centric, the Times generally provides good national and international coverage.
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For ballet news and reviews …
ArtsJournal
is an online aggregator of arts news, articles and reviews from papers around the world, providing easy access to ballet news from San Francisco, New York, and London, among other locations
Danceviewtimes (DVT)
is an online supplement to DanceView, a quarterly dance magazine. It’s formatted as a blog and updated frequently with articles and reviews of ballets and other dance in New York, Washington, D.C., and the San Francisco Bay Area. Look for links to DVT’s writers’ blogs, and other dance blogs, on the right sidebar.
Culturekiosque
publishes arts and culture reviews and news in a variety of disciplines, including dance. Unlike ArtsJournal, Culturekiosque produces original content. This page lists international dance articles organized by date. Read up on ballet news, reviews, and reader commentary.
For ballet magazines …
Ballet-Dance
is a bi-weekly online only magazine. Read reviews covering ballet from all over the country, or explore the gallery and coverage of important ballet news and related topics. You can also read back issues from 2003 onward.
Dance
magazine reviews all types of dance and frequently prints ballet reviews. Read the currently featured review or the archived reviews, listed alphabetically by company.
Buy Ballet Tickets
Ballet’s an old art, but you can purchase your tickets using modern technology. Make your life easier by researching ballet companies and season schedules online, and then buy your tickets through the company or an online vendor.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Local papers generally list upcoming ballet schedules from touring companies performing in your area as well as those from local groups. Additionally, local arts centers, especially at universities and colleges, often host ballet performances.
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Ticketmaster
and Telecharge.com sell tickets to all major dance events. If you’re looking for discount or hard-to-get tickets you might have better luck at one of the smaller sites listed below.
For ballet companies and schedules …
VoS: Voice of the Shuttle
, a Web site of the University of California, Santa Barbara, provides a comprehensive alphabetized list of ballet companies. Use the links to check individual sites for performance schedules.
For ticket brokers …
Coast To Coast Tickets
is a small, easy-to-navigate online ticket sales company that offers alphabetized lists of dance shows and companies. Find your show, select your seats and performance, and then follow directions to purchase the tickets using the site’s secure connection.
StubHub
is an eBay company devoted entirely to the resale of tickets to concerts, plays and sporting events. Look for a list of all available performances on the “Dance / Ballet Tickets” page. Or use the search tool on the upper left of the page to find a specific performance.
Ballet Blogs and Forums
With all the hours ballerinas have to spend rehearsing , it’s surprising that any of them have the time to write about their art. But lucky for you, they do, and there are several dance blogs aimed at dancers and dance enthusiasts. You’ll find stories of interest, plus tips and resources for ballet fans.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Some of the sites listed in the “Dance News and Reviews” section also have blogs and forums.
- Many dancers and dance companies have MySpace pages for social networking. Consider making your own, or use the site’s search box to find one you’re interested in.
Dulcinea's Picks
For ballet only …
Pointe
magazine, a bimonthly publication devoted to ballet news, reviews, and features, offers a list of ballerina blogs on its Web site. Browse the blog archives here, or read the featured blog on the homepage.
For general dance blogs and forums …
Voice of Dance
is an extensive communications hub for dancers, dance fans, choreographers and critics. Find links to colleges, information on upcoming auditions, breaking news and reviews, or visit the forums.
Dancer Universe
has news and articles for ballet dancers, parents of dancers, and ballet enthusiasts. Visit “My Dance Place,” the official site blog, or read numerous other dancers’ blogs sponsored by the site, found on the homepage under “Featured Blogs & Diaries.” Also take advantage of the site’s dance directories to find information on competitions, events, performances, costume companies, and more.
Dance Magazine
, noted earlier as a valuable news and information source, also has a section devoted to blogs. Find a range of information useful to both dancers and fans.
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