Latest
From the studio floor
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Romeo and Juliet Before You Go — Three Different Versions, and How to Tell Which One You’re Seeing
The same Prokofiev score, three famous stagings, and they are not the same ballet. Here’s how MacMillan, Cranko and Lavrovsky differ, and…
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Ballet Company Ranks, Explained: Corps de Ballet, Soloist, Principal, and What “Prima Ballerina” Really Means
What do corps de ballet, soloist, and principal mean? A guide to ballet company ranks in the US, London, and Paris, and…
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Where to Watch Ballet in Seoul — 5 Venues Compared, and Which Seats to Buy in Each
The Seoul Arts Center is the obvious answer and not always the right one. Here’s how the five main venues differ, what…
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Types of Tutus, Explained: Romantic, Pancake, Platter, Bell, and Balanchine’s Powder Puff
What are the different types of tutus? A clear guide to the Romantic tutu and the four classical styles, plus how many…
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Coppélia Before You Go — The Doll, the Comedy, and the Best Ballet to Bring a Child To
A girl pretends to be a mechanical doll to save her fiancé from a mad inventor. It’s funny on purpose, it’s under…
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The 5 Ballet Positions, Explained: Feet, Arms, and Why Turnout Starts at the Hips
What are the five ballet positions? A clear guide to first through fifth for the feet, how the arms differ by school,…
Where to start
Four shelves
Ballet Lessons
Classes, levels, repertoire, and what three years of it actually taught me.
The Leotard Closet
Leotards, skirts and shoes — sized, worn, and honestly reviewed.
Korean Ballet Brands
Labels you probably can’t find in English anywhere else.
Stage & Seats
Performances I’ve seen, and where to sit so you can actually see the feet.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t learn.
There was simply nowhere that would take me.
I’m SODA. I write about adult ballet from Seoul — the classes, the leotards, the Korean brands nobody has reviewed in English, and the slow business of giving yourself permission.