At first glance, slender women twirling gracefully in tutus to music appears so effortless but it is actually a grand symphony of sweat and hard work. The ballet world is simultaneously imbued with magic and art but it is also associated with the pressure to perform and clichés. One of these is that dancers are all anorexic, which Maria Baranova, prima ballerina of the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich, says is a stereotype. Being thin is more a consequence of training, she says. Ballet is a compe
He is the first black person to achieve the exalted status of an "etoile" dancer at the Paris Opera, but that is only a small indication of what makes Guillaume Diop one of the most exciting ballet talents…