My name is Karmil Suliman. I was born a stateless refugee in Syria where I began my ballet studies at the age of 9 at Enana Dance Theater in Damascus. In 2021 I was awarded a scholarship to study at the National Academy of Dance in Rome, Italy, after winning the gold medal in the Ballet Beyond Borders International Ballet Competition. Since I was little, … Continue reading Karmil Ballet Fund
Founded in 2014, MindLeaps is a nonprofit organization that deploys dance to support street kids and other marginalized children in locations across Africa and the Balkans. Not only did the organization receive significant attention thanks to their partnership with ballerina Misty Copeland, but the tools they use demonstrate the way that dance can be an effective means to expand the horizons of young people who face serious financial and educational obstacles in their lives. We chatted with Executive Director Rebecca Davis and International Coordinator Eugene Dushime to learn more about the organization. Continue reading MINDLEAPS USES DANCE TO SUPPORT MARGINALIZED CHILDREN ACROSS AFRICA
Almost exactly a year ago, Ernst Meisner had agreed to be interviewed for an article to appear here on Ballet Rising to discuss a tour that the Dutch National Ballet Junior Company would take in Indonesia, but in the intervening time between arranging the interview and it actually happening, the world went into lockdown. Unbeknownst to Meisner at that time, the Junior Company’s Indonesia tour would serve as a year-long farewell to in-person international performances for the Dutch National Ballet Junior and main companies. Continue reading BRINGING THE INTERNATIONAL TO THE DUTCH NATIONAL BALLET JUNIOR COMPANY
For Nawel Skandrani, a dance leader and cutting-edge choreographer in Tunisia, the Covid-19 lockdown has brought episodes of financial uncertainty but also time to explore and to reflect. It also gave her clarity about her leadership role in strengthening the Tunisian dance community into the future. Taking time away from the stage has given her renewed energy as an advocate for dancers to the Tunisian federal government. Continue reading CHOREOGRAPHER CONFRONTS THE TUNISIAN GOVERNMENT ABOUT STEREOTYPES OF DANCERS
Students of Zama Dance School, a ballet dance school that serves South Africa’s townships, describe their experiences with ballet. Hear their experiences in their own words. Continue reading SOUTH AFRICAN BALLET STUDENTS REFLECT ON SELF-ESTEEM, DISCRIMINATION, AND HOW DANCE TAUGHT THEM TO ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS
Zama Dance School was founded in 1984 in Gugulethu, a township in South Africa, with the goal of using ballet to build confidence among young children in South Africa living under apartheid. Ballet Rising’s contributor Lindsay Alissa King recently interviewed Zama Dance School’s director Andrew Warth about what the school and its students are up to today. Continue reading BALLET BRINGS JOY AND LUNCH TO KIDS IN SOUTH AFRICA’S TOWNSHIPS
Classically trained dancer Nikhita Winkler brings traditional Namibian dance to the classroom at Nikhita Winkler Dance Theatre in Windhoek, Namibia. Continue reading “I WANT TO DO TRADITIONAL DANCE BECAUSE THAT IS OUR BALLET!”
In 2012, British-born dancer, choreographer and teacher Stephen Bimson founded the English Ballet Theatre Cambodia in Phnom Penh. A former student of the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in London, Bimson moved to Cambodia permanently in 2011. Today EBTC boasts a full staff and a growing community of students. In this interview, we talk with Bimson about why he started the school, what attracts his students to the school, and what his goals are for the future of the art form in Cambodia. Continue reading BALLET IN CAMBODIA
Choreographer Preeti Vasudevan and New York city Ballet principal dancer Amar Ramasar explore their roots through dance in India. Continue reading INDIAN LETTERS
An article by Lindsay Alissa King about the rising popularity around the world of classical ballet. Continue reading BALLET RENAISSANCE
