VBA students are rehearsing The Nutcracker for Christmas days performances at the Mariinsky Theatre. Tickets are available. Video by Ilya Kuznetsov. October 2015

Since it's YAGP season here, I want to emphasize the importance of acquiring basic technique skills. While watching dancers perform at YAGP, you can see them do multiple pirouettes, yet they lack the technique to close to a simple fifth position. The beau...