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Today in Dance History: December 20

On this date in 1585: A spectacle was presented for King Phillip II of Spain. As Maurice Esses recounted in Dance and Instrumental Diferencias... "...all the associations representing the manual trades presented dances near the gates of the palace so the ladies of the court might see them. On each side of the palace a stage was constructed on which musicians played for the dancers each day... using small drums, recorders and other lowly instruments, they played together well and maintained the beat very effectively for the dancers... In short, each trade association presented something new. They danced so much that they broke down a 25-foot wall located on the bank of the river next to the palace and many people fell into the water."

On this date in 1911: Swan Lake makes its U.S. debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

On this date in 1949: John Cranko's ballet Beauty and the Beast premiered.

And on this date in 1981: Michael Bennett's Dreamgirls opens on this date on Broadway. The musical will run more than 1500 performances.

Dance Video of the Day

This Day in Dance History: December 17

December 17, 1892- The Nutcracker ballet had its premiere at the Marinski Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia. Tchaikovsky was initially not pleased with the score. "And now it is finished, Casse-Noisette is all ugliness," he wrote.

However as time went on Tchaikovsky changed his mind about The Nutcracker, which had premiered on the same day as the opera Iolanthe. "Strange that when I was composing the ballet I kept thinking that it wasn't very goof but that I would show them [the Imperial Theaters] what I can do when I began the opera. And now it seems that the ballet is good and the opera not so good."

Dance Science

Contracts Due!

It is December and the sounds Tchaikovsky waft from dance schools across the nation as they prepare their full scale productions and winter recitals. Meanwhile, at Double V Promotions, we're making our final preparations for a two month tour that begins the first week of January.

We understand that for many of our dance school friends this is the busiest time of the year. Getting a contract back for a master class that will be held three or four weeks down the line gets pushed further and further down the to do list after "repair Mouse King heads" and "send out order forms for DVDs" and "make my Christmas travel plans."

We understand how busy you are, but because we have only a very short time before we have to get on the road, and we need to know that our class schedule is completely firm before we book hotels and plan our route, we are asking that you take a moment and put that stamp on that envelope. It will get a pesky item off your to do list, and assure that Valery Lantratov will be coming to your studio.

If we sent you a contract more than two weeks ago, and we have not received it by the end of this week, we will release your dates to ensure we have enough time to fill them elsewhere before we leave. Happy Nutcrackers, and thank you for inviting us to your studio.

This Day in Dance History: December 16

December 16, 1937- A now famous dance step, "The Lambeth Walk" was introduced during the first performance of Noel Gay's "Me and My Girl" in London.



On this same date in 1977- the disco film Saturday Night Fever was released. John Travolta, who was also shooting the Welcome Back Kotter tv series during the filming, ran two miles a day and danced for three hours daily to get in shape for this film. The iconic opening sequence of Travolta’s feet strutting along the streets of Brooklyn was actually performed by the actor’s stand-in, Jeff Zinn.



On this date in 1987-Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, a program designed to help fight the threat of the AIDS virus, was launched.

And on this date in 1993- The Red Shoes, a Broadway musical based on the 1948 film of the same name, opened at the Gershwin Theatre to unanimously unfavorable reviews. It closed after only five performances.