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In this continuation of the popular Ballet 360° lecture series, dance critic Alexandra Tomalonis uses video of well-known ballets to take us beyond the steps and into the fine craft of making a ballet.

Session II: Exotic Dreams

Ballet is ephemeral; steps and magical effects disappear or change into something else before our eyes. It's the perfect place for moonlit forests or exotic lands and the people or creatures that live there. Ballets like Scheherazade and La Bayadère transport us to places we cannot visit in real life, but can freely explore in our minds. How can dreams come to life on stage?

Note: Mariinsky Ballet and American Ballet Theatre do not participate in this session.

Alexandra Tomalonis has been a dance critic for nearly 30 years, writing frequently for the Washington Post, Dance Magazine, and other publications. She is the editor of DanceView magazine, and its online review supplement, danceviewtimes.com. Ms. Tomalonis is Director of Academics at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C., where she teaches ballet history, art history, and aesthetics.