dance

Remember that scene from Dirty Dancing when Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey practice their lifts in a lake? Turns out they weren't the only ones in the water; choreographer Kenny Ortega was right there beside them.

Arts

You Might Not Know Kenny Ortega, But You Probably Know His Choreography

3:10pm July 23, 2015

by Elizabeth Blair

Ortega is one of the most sought after choreographers in showbiz. He has worked with everyone from Michael Jackson to Zac Efron and is responsible for some of Hollywood's most memorable dance scenes.

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Books
Arts

Misty Copeland Seeks To Inspire Other African-American Dancers

9:19am July 01, 2015

Misty Copeland is the American Ballet Theater's first female African-American principal dancer. She discusses her book, Firebird. (This piece initially aired on Sept. 9, 2014 on Morning Edition).

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Arts

Misty Copeland Becomes First Black Principal Dancer At American Ballet Theatre

7:14pm June 30, 2015

by Mandalit DelBarco

Misty Copeland has been promoted to top dancer at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre in New York. She is the first African-American female principal dancer in the company's history.

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Misty Copeland (center) performed in the Washington Ballet production of Swan Lake in April.

Still She Rises: Misty Copeland Makes History With American Ballet Theatre

3:01pm June 30, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Misty Copeland didn't begin ballet until she took a free class at a Boys & Girls Club. Today she became the first black female principal dancer with the premiere U.S. dance company.

Inna Brayer (center) with students, Alex Volynsky (left) and Simone Lempert (right) at her dance studio in Brooklyn, New York.

Why Russian-American Jews Are Ballroom Dance Leaders

2:54pm June 18, 2015

by Alexandra Starr

As ABC's Dancing with the Stars celebrates its 10th anniversary, we explain why Russian Jewish immigrants and their descendants have stepped to the front of this country's ballroom dance scene.

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National

Dirty Dancing In The Early 1900s

12:38pm June 11, 2015

by Linton Weeks

Scandalous swirls like the Bunny Hug, Turkey Trot and Grizzly Bear may have even rattled President-elect Woodrow Wilson.

Arts

American Ballet Theater Turns 75

11:23am May 16, 2015

by Kim Kokich

Over the ABT's three-quarters of a century, the company has stuck to its mission of presenting classics like Swan Lake along with works of contemporary choreographers.

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"This is my art. I strive for authenticity, even if it comes in a shape that we might not usually expect" — Hetain Patel

How Can First Impressions Mislead Us?

1:24pm April 20, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Artist Hetain Patel toys with race, identity, language and accent — and challenges us to think beyond surface appearances.

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Misty Copeland (left) and Brooklyn Mack play Odette/Odile and Prince Siegfried in this year's Washington Ballet production of Swan Lake. It is the first time that two black dancers star in Swan Lake in a major American production.

Who Gets To Dance In 'Swan Lake'? The Answer Is Changing

2:34pm April 13, 2015

by Elizabeth Blair

For the first time, two black dancers will star in a major American production of Swan Lake. NPR's Elizabeth Blair peeks behind the curtain to see why it has been so hard for ballet to diversify.

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Chinese women holding toy guns dance to a revolutionary song during their daily exercises at a square outside a shopping mall in Beijing. The Chinese government is beginning to regulate public square-dancing, after the practice drew complaints about noise

World News

Do-Si-Don't: China To Regulate Outdoor Square-Dancing

12:50am March 25, 2015

by Sam Sanders

Older women in China are known to gather in public spaces and dance, but reports say the practice has gotten too loud and the neighbors are complaining.