Ballet music—one man’s evolution The older I get, the smarter, wiser and more talented Verdi becomes. Funny how it works that way. When I was about 15, Verdi was basically a purveyor of corny tunes accompanied by oompah-pah. How had he managed to compose that masterly requiem, amid those silly operas? These days, I stand 
By Joel Lobenthal Béatrice Massin is a specialist in Baroque dance. She was co-choreographer of Lully’s Atys when the opera was presented by Les Arts Florissants at the Brooklyn Academy of Music last fall. She has choreographed for several films and directs her own dance troupe, Compagnie Fêtes Galantes, and school, the Atelier Baroque. She 
by VALERIE GLADSTONE Jason Samuels Smith electrifies the stage with the grace and fierceness of a cat. The heir of Gregory Hines, he pushes the boundaries of tap, with a sure grasp of its history and potential. Only 31, Smith has already won numerous awards, including the 2009 Dance Magazine Award, an Emmy for a television 
