Previous Ballet.co magazine - Jul-Aug 2004

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Sir Frederick Ashton

We mark the Centenary Celebrations with a new and evolving section of our site and a special forum to discuss the life and work of the great choreographer.

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Interviews and Features

Deborah Macmillan... Jeffery Taylor talks with Deborah MacMillan, doughty and plain-speaking widow of Sir Kenneth MacMillan, painter and cake provider...

Leslie Edwards, ‘In Good Company’...
Alex Martin, the former Sadler's Wells Ballet dancer, reviews Leslie Edwards' book on his 'Sixty Years with the Royal Ballet'



So, You Want to Learn to Dance?
Another in the series from Anjuli Bai:
Assessing the Physical Space...

Ballet.co End of Season Poll
Season 2003-2004
Vote here
See the results here
and you could win a CD

‘Carmen Flamenco’ Ballet Teatro Espanol DVD reviewed by Ballet.co reader and contributor Janet McNulty

 

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San Francisco Ballet in London...

San Francisco Ballet's London Performances



Introduction to San Francisco Ballet... Paul Parish, the Californian dance writer, gives a heads up on SFB as the company returns to London for a short, but influential, season at Sadler's Wells

An Off Stage San Francisco Ballet Trio... Renee Renouf on the Philippines connections of Alan Takata-Villareal, Jonathan Mangosing and Jennifer French...

Ballet.co SFB Reviews... by our West Coast corespondent, Renee Renouf, and others

All SFB Reviews... links to the hundreds of SFB reviews we know about

SFB Gallery...
the company as they see themselves. More pictures to come (from John Ross) while they visit London...
SFB in London Prog 1 (12 pictures)
SFB in London Prog 2 (17 Pictures)
SFB in London Prog 3 (15 Pictures)

SFB's 2004-2005 Season Roster... Renee Renouf with the latest details on an ever-changing company

When San Francisco Ballet visited London in 1999 Renee Renouf did some pages about the dancers and the history of what is the oldest company in the USA...

SFB Principals
SFB Soloists and Corps
SFB History



TalkSFB... discuss the company and its performances in our Forums

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Diaries and weblogs

Daria Klimentova
Masterclass Diary... Daria and some very well-known dancer friends, like Tamara Rojo, Mark Baldwin and Otto Bubenicek, gave a series of masterclasses in Prague this summer. Follow her diary and see the photo gallery of what happened over the two weeks.



Neophilia Weblog... a new company built around fun, emotion, music and audience entertainment. Chart their progress and wish them well as we kick off a new Ballet.co Weblog. (weblog home)

Jatkko Lehmus weblog...
No dancer is built like Jarkko or writes like Jarkko - see what the fuss is about as he prepares for the new Scottish Ballet season (weblog home)


Daniel Jones weblog home

Ballet Central weblog home

Note that Weblogs are updated in real time and may be added to during the life of the magazine

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London Season
Bolshoi Ballet

19 July - 7 August
Royal Opera House

Our coverage in the last Magazine... interviews and much more in the run-up to the visit

All Bolshoi Reviews... links to the hundreds of Bolshoi reviews we know about

BolshoiTalk Forum... over 500 postings in the last few weeks from lots of different people and perspectives...

Bolshoi Galleries... including history, publicity and dress reheasal shots from John Ross

Bolshoi ‘Pharaoh's Daughter’ DVD reviewed at breakneck speed by Ballet.co reader and contributor Eugene Merrett


Ballet.co Bolshoi Ballet in London reviews...

'Don Quixote': Jeffery Taylor

"But it is Alexandrova's night. Even with surprising wobbles in the final show case duet, she..."



'Don Quixote': Graham Watts

"The opening of the final scene of the Second Act was a tableau of such aesthetic beauty as to..."



'Don Quixote': Bruce Marriott

"In a happy night what brought me most joy was the never-ending succession of strong soloists...."



'Swan Lake': Lynette Halewood

"If you want a big, expansively danced production of Swan Lake, with consistently high standards..."



'Swan Lake': Graham Watts

"Svetlana Zakharova was absolutely wonderful in both halves of the Odette/Odile role: she was..."



'Romeo and Juliet': Kevin Ng

"It was a pleasure to see this innovative Bolshoi production by Declan Donnellan despite the..."



'Romeo and Juliet' bill: Jeffery Taylor

"R&J: "...the sooner this misconceived mess goes back to Moscow – and stays there – the..."



'Romeo and Juliet': Graham Watts

"So much flak has been hurled at this poor ballet that I feel compelled to leap to its..."



'Romeo and Juliet': Lynette Halewood

"The dancers did a great job with the material they had, such as it was, and set about it with..."



'Romeo and Juliet': Philip Bichard

"Perhaps Donnellan's next venture will be in architecture or nuclear physics perhaps - some..."



'Spartacus': Graham Watts

"Like most of the British ballet-going public, when I want to watch the Bolshoi at its best,..."



'Spartacus': Charlotte Kasner

"Klevtsov re-interpreted the ending in a disturbing suggestion that Spartacus had given up,..."



'The Pharaoh's Daughter': Jane Simpson

"Overall, I wasn't won over. Though it was fun to watch some of the staging, and to admire the..."



'The Pharaoh's Daughter': Jeffery Taylor

"...My best bit was the castanet playing Spanish Princess leading the underwater..."



more Bolshoi reviews in Postings Reviews section

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Reviews

It's the summer and a slow period for dance so not so many reviews as normal - roll on the new season the world over...

Note that we are laying out the reviews differently this month as we try new and faster ways of compiling the index. Last updated on 15 September 2004.
UK Reviews

Royal Ballet Dancers in An Evening of British Ballet
'An Evening of British Ballet' bill: Bruce Marriott

"There were 8 pieces, all by known choreographers, ranging in date over the last 60 years,..."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section

Northern Ballet Theatre
'Dangerous Liaisons': Janet McNulty

"With each performance I noticed more and more within the production and I feel that it does..."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section

Ballet West
'The Leaves are Fading' bill: Lynette Halewood

"Lilac Garden is obviously in a different class. This is so concentrated and honed, where Leaves..."

'The Leaves are Fading' bill: BeccaKing

"...I liked and appreciated this company and hope that they come back soon, preferably without..."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section

Fondation Jean-Pierre Perrault
'Joe': Jeffery Taylor

"Joe comes to London in October, hip flasks recommended."


Les Ballets C de la B
'Wolf': John Mallinson

"Much of the music is extremely lyrical, most of the dancing is anything but. Wolf constantly..."


Neophilia
'Neophilia Summer Sampler': Bruce Marriott

"A confident and well-rehearsed start... I came away impressed and keen to see them..."


Singin in the Rain (Adam Cooper)
'Singin' in the Rain': Jeffery Taylor

"Cooper is a born performer; his place is on stage where he can grow. And he's doing..."

'Singin' in the Rain': Mandy Kent

"A little judicious pruning here and there to make it move along faster would be appreciated but..."

'Singin' in the Rain': Karen Ritchie

"Reviewing a new show during its preview run is never a fair thing to do but I hope all..."


Swansea Ballet Russe
'Don Quixote': Trog Woolley

"It was one of those rare occasions when there was pure magic in the air."


WorldWide Reviews

2004 World Ballet Star Gala
'Mixed Programme': Renee Renouf

"The supported running diagonals captured the ebullient sweep of the music and the..."


Royal Ballet Dancers' Tour to Portugal and Italy
'An Evening of British Ballet': Mandy Kent

"Lord Byron regarded Sintra as “perhaps the most delightful place in Europe”. Nestling in wooded..."

'An Evening of British Ballet' bill: Emily Benn

"...a great show of British choreography."


Kirov Ballet
'Forsythe Programme': Kevin Ng

"The Kirov's dancing in Forsythe choreography proved to be another revelation. These three..."


Universal Ballet
'Romeo and Juliet': Renee Renouf "...despite the flaws, I hope for interpretive growth, and it is a sensational production,"


Paul Taylor Dance Company
'Arden Court' bill: Rachael Jefferson-Buchanan

"All three works were consequently accessible, lovely to look at, but above all entertaining...."


Ballet Arizona
'100th Birthday Balanchine Festival': Janet Frascarelli

" ...a "jewel in the desert."

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Postings Reviews section

Royal Ballet 'Voices of Spring' bill: DaveM
Royal Ballet 'Voices of Spring' bill: Alison Penfold
Bolshoi Ballet 'Romeo and Juliet': Bruce Marriott
Bolshoi Ballet 'Romeo and Juliet': DaveM
Bolshoi Ballet 'Romeo and Juliet': JohnM
Northern Ballet Theatre 'Dangerous Liaisons': Martha
Northern Ballet Theatre 'Dangerous Liaisons': Janet McNulty
Ballet West 'The Leaves are Fading' bill: Trog
K Ballet 'Solitude' bill: Satoko Kamatani

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External Review Links

Each day Ballet.co scour the world for Review links (and news and interviews ones too) and put them in our database along with our own reviews. You can see the last few days' links on our TodaysLinks page

In this last period since the 25 July 2004 we have 350 links for you:
click here for hundreds of review links

Alternatively try searching for exactly what you are after with our:
Reviews Advanced Search page

All our links list dancer details, a full list of pieces performed and a brief quote that gives the flavour of the review. Sadly not all papers maintain their links and so we cannot absolutely guarantee any particular URL. Enjoy, and if you think we have missed a review do send us a link.

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Photographic Copyright and Credits

All photographs are copyright and cannot be taken and/or used elsewhere. Click on an image to be taken to the associated page where appropriate credits are stated.

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