Sarah L. Kaufman

Washington, D.C.

Dance critic covering arts and entertainment

Education: Northwestern University, MS in journalism; University of Maryland, BA in English

Sarah L. Kaufman is the Pulitzer Prize-winning dance critic of The Washington Post and is the author of "The Art of Grace: On Moving Well Through Life." She writes about the arts, entertainment and the union of art and science. She has been a Nieman Fellow at Harvard, a Princeton University McGraw Professor of Writing and Ferris Professor of Journalism, and she serves on the faculty of the National Critics Institute and mentors young writers through various programs. She was a French-American Foundation Journalism Fellow and a U.S. Senate page. Kaufman joined The Washington Post in 1994 after
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Latest from Sarah L. Kaufman

A new ballet tips ‘Evita’ Perón off her pedestal

In Ballet Hispánico’s “Doña Perón,” choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa studies the enigmatic, charismatic Argentine icon.

December 1, 2022
Ballet Hispánico performs “Doña Perón” at the Kennedy Center on Nov. 30.

Cracking open ‘The Nutcracker’s’ dark Russian past

Behind the holiday classic lies an unsavory history that may change the way you think about it.

November 25, 2022
An illustration fuses the Russian bear symbol and the character of the Prince in "The Nutcracker." (Javier Muñoz for The Washington Post)

Christmas whirls into town with Kansas City Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’

Comic toys and clever animals steal the show in this production at the Kennedy Center.

November 24, 2022
Taryn Mejia in a 2021 performance of the Kansas City Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” which runs through Nov. 27 at the Kennedy Center in Washington. (Brett Pruitt/East Market Studios)

‘Hamilton’ choreographer couldn’t find a show he liked. So he wrote one.

“I only want to write things that move," says Andy Blankenbuehler, writer-director-choreographer of off-Broadway’s “Only Gold.”

November 17, 2022
Ryan Steele and Gaby Diaz in “Only Gold,” which Andy Blankenbuehler co-wrote, directed and choreographed. “My mission statement was, I want dance to tell the story,” he says.

For dancers performing in museums, first rule is: Don’t bump into art

Resident choreographers add physical verve to the static world of art exhibitions. But carefully. Very carefully.

October 28, 2022
Christin Arthur of Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company performs “Surroundings: A Tribute to Maya Lin” at the National Portrait Gallery. Burgess is among a growing number of choreographers in residence at museums.

Mark Morris’s tribute to Burt Bacharach is what the world needs now

Nothing is as it seems with this brilliant dance journey performed at the Kennedy Center.

October 27, 2022
Nothing is as it seems in “The Look Of Love,” a tribute to Burt Bacharach and Hal David music, at the Kennedy Center. (Skye Schmidt)

Russia’s Bolshoi, Mariinsky cancel top choreographer Alexei Ratmansky

The name of the Vladimir Putin critic was removed from his ballets in the Russian companies.

October 21, 2022
American Ballet Theatre dancers rehearse with Alexei Ratmansky, an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin, in 2018. (Rosalie O’Connor)

Washington Ballet artistic director Julie Kent is stepping down

She departs next year to become one of the artistic directors of the Houston Ballet.

October 21, 2022
Julie Kent, right, with “Swan Lake” dancers practicing for production at the Kennedy Center. (Sarah Voisin/The Washington Post)

‘13 Tongues’ is not enough to tell a story but the vibe is glorious

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre captivates with the extravagant beauty of its members.

October 21, 2022
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan performs “13 Tongues” based on a famous storyteller in Taipei in the 1960s. (Liu Chen Hsiang)

Dancemaker Mark Morris’s homage to Burt Bacharach was no light lift

The choreographer has created “The Look of Love,” an homage to the 1960s-70s pop hitmaker that his company will perform at the Kennedy Center from Oct. 26-29.

October 21, 2022
Mark Morris dancers in “The Look of Love,” the choreographer's homage to Burt Bacharach.