In 1994, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., visited the choreographer Bill T. Jones in Minneapolis, as Jones prepared for a performance of his latest work, “Still/Here.” Jones has spent decades challenging the boundaries of race and sex in the dance world. Gates was fascinated by Jones’s background, and intrigued by his use of narrative in the configuration and movement of his dancers. Dance can be an expression of joy, but it’s also an exhibition of rigorous athleticism and passionate storytelling. This week, we’re bringing you a selection of pieces about the world of dancers, movement, and choreography. In “The Soloist,” Joan Acocella profiles the choreographer and ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov. In a piece from 1927, Janet Flanner considers the heyday of the bohemian dancer Isadora Duncan. In “An Unlikely Ballerina,” Rivka Galchen reports on the rise of Misty Copeland, the first African-American principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. In “Dancing in the City,” Alma Guillermoprieto recalls her early years dancing in Manhattan. Calvin Tomkins examines the revolutionary work of the choreographer Merce Cunningham, and, in “The Absolute Frontier,” Angelica Gibbs chronicles the extraordinary life and career of the modern-dance choreographer Martha Graham. John Updike reflects on the work of the Hollywood actor and tap dancer Gene Kelly, and Jonah Weiner visits Storyboard P, whose innovative street dancing has wowed the public. Finally, in “King Tap,” John Lahr profiles the tap-dance prodigy Savion Glover. We hope that you enjoy these reflections on the exhilarating realm of dance.
“The Soloist”
At fifty, Mikhail Baryshnikov reflects on how ballet saved him.
“The Body Politic”
Bill T. Jones has spent decades challenging the boundaries of sex and race in America, on and off the stage.
“Dancing in the City”
A time when only one thing mattered.
“Isadora”
The American dancer, who told Boston that it was tasteless and dull and the Bolsheviks that they were bourgeois, returns to the stage.
“An Unlikely Ballerina“
The rise of Misty Copeland.
“An Appetite for Motion”
Merce Cunningham’s signature grace.
“The Absolute Frontier”
Martha Graham’s mode of dance.
“Gotta Dance!”
Gene Kelly became all things to the movie musical in its last great era, but he’s best remembered as the guy who danced alone.
“The Impossible Body”
Storyboard P, the Basquiat of street dancing.
“King Tap”
Savion Glover moves a tradition into the future.
