Maria Tallchief was a member of the Osage nation who happened to become the first major American ballet dancer. Her story is read by Ashley Thursby, a dancer with The Louisville Ballet. The Dancing Plague of 1518 began when Frau Troffea stepped out of her home and started dancing. For months, hundred of people danced along with her - for no discernible reaso ... Show More
May 31
Lost Woods and Found Amendments
The story of the Lost 40 - an old growth forest in Minnesota that got lost for nearly a century thanks to a surveying error. We're talking lumberjacks, old growth trees, and silly mistakes. Also, the 27th Amendment which was brought back from the dustbin of history thanks to a co ... Show More
32m 58s
Sep 2020
Misty Copeland, principal dancer, American Ballet Theatre: "I want to diversify [ballet]. I want people to see and know that a Black girl can be a ballerina in a mainstream White company.”
Misty Copeland is the most famous ballet dancer in the world. Which means that throughout her career, she's had to consistently break down barriers. For background: Misty made history when she became the first Black female principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. And no ... Show More
37m 13s
Jan 2019
Behind the Scenes: Marianela Nunez at Covent Garden
As she prepares to perform two roles in a new production of the classic "White ballet", La Bayadere, the Royal Ballet's charismatic Argentinian-born principal dancer, Marianela Nunez shares her life behind the scenes. Marianela Nunez is considered one of the greatest ballerinas i ... Show More
28m 56s
Jan 2024
Russian ballerina defects to the west
In 1970, Natalia Makarova became the first female ballet star to defect to the West from Russia.The dancer claimed asylum during a UK tour, nine years after another Russian dancer, Rudolf Nureyev, had defected.Natalia later joined the American Ballet Theatre in New York. She woul ... Show More
9m 12s