Center for Ballet and the Arts

Center for Ballet and the Arts is an international research institute located at New York University, founded by Jennifer Homans in 2014, with the goal of advancing the art of ballet and its related fields through interdisciplinary research and collaboration with institutions such as the Juilliard School, American Ballet Theatre, and the New York City Ballet. The center's establishment was supported by Toni Morrison, Twyla Tharp, and Robert Gottlieb, among others. It has also partnered with organizations like the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the School of American Ballet to promote the development of ballet and its related arts.

● History

The Center for Ballet and the Arts was established in 2014, with Jennifer Homans as its founding director, and has since become a leading institution in the field of ballet research, with collaborations with institutions such as the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, and the Museum of Modern Art. The center's history is closely tied to that of New York University, where it is located, and has also been influenced by the work of Martha Graham, George Balanchine, and other notable figures in the world of ballet. The center has also worked with organizations like the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Dance Foundation to support its research and programming initiatives.

● Mission and Programs

The mission of the Center for Ballet and the Arts is to advance the art of ballet through research, collaboration, and education, with programs such as the Ballet and the Brain initiative, which explores the cognitive and neural basis of ballet, in partnership with institutions like the Columbia University Medical Center and the Stanford University School of Medicine. The center also offers fellowships and residencies to artists and scholars, such as Misty Copeland, Sylvie Guillem, and Akram Khan, and has partnered with organizations like the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Paul Taylor Dance Company to support the development of new ballets and dance works. Additionally, the center has collaborated with institutions like the Yale University School of Drama and the California Institute of the Arts to support the development of new ballets and dance works.

● Faculty and Fellows

The faculty and fellows of the Center for Ballet and the Arts include a diverse range of artists and scholars, such as Wendy Whelan, Edward Villella, and Susan Jaffe, who have worked with institutions like the Royal Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, and the Bolshoi Ballet. The center's faculty and fellows have also included notable figures like Trisha Brown, Merce Cunningham, and Pina Bausch, and have partnered with organizations like the Dance/USA and the National Dance Education Organization to support the development of ballet and dance education. The center has also collaborated with institutions like the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Michigan to support the development of new ballets and dance works.

● Research and Collaborations

The Center for Ballet and the Arts has undertaken a range of research initiatives, including the Ballet and Neuroscience project, which explores the neural basis of ballet, in partnership with institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley. The center has also collaborated with organizations like the Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art to support the development of new ballets and dance works, and has worked with institutions like the Harvard University and the University of Oxford to support the development of ballet and dance scholarship. Additionally, the center has partnered with organizations like the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Humanities to support its research and programming initiatives.

● Notable Events and Performances

The Center for Ballet and the Arts has hosted a range of notable events and performances, including the Ballet and the Brain conference, which featured speakers like Olafur Eliasson and Charles Hazelwood, and has partnered with institutions like the Lincoln Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music to support the development of new ballets and dance works. The center has also collaborated with organizations like the San Francisco Ballet and the Pacific Northwest Ballet to support the development of new ballets and dance works, and has worked with institutions like the University of Cambridge and the University of Chicago to support the development of ballet and dance scholarship. The center's events and performances have also featured notable figures like Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Gelsey Kirkland, and have been supported by organizations like the Ford Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.