International Ballet Festival 2013 – Dance Open – St Petersburg
The 12th International Ballet Festival – Dance Open – was held over 4 days in St Petersburg. Margaret Willis (our Ms Expressivity) was there to report on much ballet and not a little award giving…
American Ballet Theatre – Spring Gala – New York
Symphony in C, a luminous outpouring of legs and arms, crisp geometries, bobbing rhythms, and articulate patter-like conversations for the feet, is a vivid reminder of why one goes to the ballet at all. Luminosity and classical logic, laced with wit and intelligence.
New York City Ballet – Spring Gala with Wheeldon premiere – New York
But ‘A Place for Us’ (new Wheeldon) feels like a bauble, not quite a jewel.
San Francisco Ballet – Cinderella – San Francisco
If extravagant productions are the way to bring in new audiences and fill the till then they are justified for those reasons alone. However, they don’t necessarily leave a rich legacy for future generations.
Christopher Wheeldon – Choreographer
Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon is currently at the San Francisco Ballet preparing for the American premiere of his Cinderella. He has a rehearsal in forty-five minutes so we quickly set off to discuss his latest full-length ballet and many other things…
The Royal Ballet – Draft Works, Spring 2013 – London
The most unexpectedly delightful piece for me, and one looking rounded and finished in its 10 minutes, came from Mayuri Boonham… She joined Indian and ballet traditions…
Birmingham Royal Ballet – Aladdin – London
Don’t expect big emotional highs and lows or deeply defined characters, just a clear narration of a story that everyone knows. So if we judge it on these terms how does it do?
Royal Ballet – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – London
…though I don’t believe it’s a great work of art, there’s no denying that it’s fun.
San Francisco Ballet – From Foreign Lands, Scotch Symphony, Golden Hour – San Francisco
From Foreign Lands: “This amusing, yet subtle send-up of classical ballet is rewarding in its expertly-shaped choreography, and made all the more appealing by the slight wackiness of the costumes and visual jokes.”
Book – Titian: Metamorphosis – Art, Music, Dance
About the book, complete with 6 Dave Morgan pictures from it…
Martha Graham Dance Company – “Fall and Recovery” Gala – New York
Even more than with other choreographers, the costumes and sets are essential elements of Graham’s dance imagination. Think of Martha’s stretchy sack-dress in Lamentation, or the prickly metal tree-dress by Noguchi in Cave of the Heart. They are extensions of the dancers’ bodies, and of Graham’s Jungian world-view.
Royal Ballet – Apollo, 24 Preludes, Aeternum – London
This triple bill, with two world premieres, shows how ably choreographers 85 years apart can refresh the language of classical ballet without distorting it beyond recognition.
National Ballet of Canada – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Washington
The highly-anticipated and much-talked-about production of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has finally made its way to Washington D.C. for a ten-performance run in January…
The Joffrey Ballet – Age of Innocence, After the Rain, The Green Table – San Francisco
Closing the program is Kurt Jooss’s anti-war ballet from 1932,The Green Table, one of the greatest pieces of choreography ever created and still relevant after more than 80 years.
Nancy Reynolds – George Balanchine Foundation – Director of Research
An in-depth interview with the lady who helps bring Balanchine back…
San Francisco Ballet – 80th Season Gala Opening – San Francisco
Perhaps the best pas de deux of the evening, judging by the audience reaction, is one from Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain.
2012 UK National Dance Awards – Winners Announced
The Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle announced the winners of the 13th National Dance Awards at The Place on 28th January 2013.
Troy Schumacher – Satellite Ballet & New York City Ballet – Choreographer and dancer
Dance is a difficult thing to experience outside of the theatre, but for the sustainability of the artform it has to find a way to make itself more widely available.
