Ballet.co September 2006 Magazine

Ballet.co at the Edinburgh Festival...

Suzanne Farrell Ballet and National Ballet of Canada

'Don Quixote': Ian Palmer

"...we are obliged to conclude that this Don Quixote should be allowed to rest in peace."

Grupo de Rua de Niteroi

'H2' bill: Ian Palmer

" H2: "...struck me as his most refreshing, challenging and ultimately most satisfying work presented in Edinburgh."

Scottish Ballet

'Agon' bill: Ian Palmer

"Scotland is lucky to have them."

Alarmel Valli and Madhavi Mudgal

'Samanvaya': Ian Palmer

"Two stars fell from the heavens and landed in Edinburgh on Monday night. Their names are Alarmel Valli and Madhavi Mudgal. Both dressed in saris of exquisite texture and colour, they appear like jewels worn by the Maharajas and Nawabs of centuries past."

Nederlands Dance Theatre

'Silent Screen' bill: Bruce Marriott

"Lightfoot and Leon can make me laugh but when they get serious the heavy theatrical props get in the way and I'm lost in a general fog of extraneous 'stuff'. It would be nice to see them strip right back and just communicate using bodies on a stage."

Liss Fain Dance

'The Line Between Day and Night' bill: Graham Watts

"...mature professionalism, fliud movement and poetic musicality of an excellent little company which stands neatly at the apex of contemporary and classical dance."

'The Unknown Land': Ian Palmer

"I was fascinated by Fain's approach to the score (which was Ligeti's Piano Concerto), the way she can at times follow the complex rhythmical patternings..."

Michael Popper

'Unbounded': Ian Palmer

"Popper's sinuous body is exposed to various and multi-angled light, revealing lithe movement and extraordinary muscularity, yet cloaking it with a sense of hidden danger, of unstoppable power."

Iskander Dance Company

'El Saqiyeh': Ian Palmer

"It was the sense of freedom which ran through Iskander Dance Company's beautiful El Saqiyeh, which translates as "the Waterwheel"..."

Curve Foundation

'Beyond Prejudice': Ian Palmer

"By far the most classical of the works presented, it takes the vocabulary, the five positions, and uses them as a spring board into ballet subversion, of street style, of tango..."

Karl Jay-Lewin

'It's About Time': Ian Palmer

"Words could not do justice to the inutterable tedium of this piece..."

American Repertory Ensemble

'Dialogues 2006': Graham Watts

"I am just so glad that I happened to be in the right place at the right time to catch this new company's world-debut performance. I can be sure that it will be planning, not serendipity, that will renew the acquaintance."

Cie Didier Theron

'En Forme': Ian Palmer

"...decidedly limited and un-sophisticated dance vocabulary."

Siyaya

'Thatha': Ian Palmer

"But it's all rather the same and it's all rather saccharine. I couldn't help longing for something a bit more serious, something a little bit tragic."

Burklyn Youth Ballet

'Aladdin': Ian Palmer

"There is no greater cure for a hang-over than ballet. I discovered this half way through Burklyn Youth Ballet's lovely performance of Aladdin, which (aided by strong coffee and a couple of paracetemol) I attended at the un-godly hour of ten-thirty on a Sunday morning."

Ningyo Circus

'The Crime of Miss Debuko Ohyama': Ian Palmer

"The Crime of Miss Debuko Ohyama is that it was ever put on at all and that unwitting members of the public should be expected to pay money to see it. Awful."

Mosaico Flamenco

'Alba Flamenca': Ian Palmer

"Of the two dancers, once possesses that rare and remarkable Andalucian spirit. She has an incredibly regal, southern face, over which she charts a whole kaleidoscope of human emotions. She seems to see the flamenco as driven from the floor, as a great heat rising upwards to burn her heart."

Choreographers Showcase

'33rd International Choreographers' Showcase': Graham Watts

"...so long as you can put up with the inevitable duds, it provides a great opportunity to experience the raw power of movement across a variety of dance forms, up very close and personal..."

Danny Tan

'33rd International Choreographers' Showcase: Providence': Graham Watts

"Top of the tree was 'Providence', an innovative and enjoyable solo ... with an emphasis on Chinese movement and music."

Christopher Hutching

'33rd International Choreographers' Showcase: Morning': Graham Watts

"Very much in the MacMillan genre (and certainly not out of place in a 'Romeo & Juliet' narrative context), the duet effectively utilized the large space and was studded with strong lifts and holds..."