Ballet.co Magazine
For August 2007

Previous Ballet.co magazine - July 2007
Next Ballet.co magazine - September 2007

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Quick Links for this magazine
Interviews, Features, In the Galleries, Reviews, Postings Reviews, External Reviews, Photographic Copyright and Credits

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Interviews and Features




Bolshoi in London
See our special area to the left for all our coverage including, interviews, news, features, photographs and videos



Robert Barnett
Barnet danced with the Ballet Russes and NYCB, went on to direct Atlanta Ballet and has just set Balanchine's Allegro Brillante on his old company - which is where Pamela Gaye caught up with him.


Denis Caro
Renee Renouf spoke with the Paris Opera Ballet regisseur earlier this year...


The Video Dictionary
of Classical Ballet
Anjuli Bai reviews a recently released DVD


So, You Want to Learn to Dance?
Another in the series from Anjuli Bai:
You Don’t Have to Hear the Music to Dance...

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In the Galleries

Currently our Images Gallery contains approximately 3350 images.

John Ross Photographs
Albums added in 07/2007 ...


Bolshoi Ballet - Le Corsaire
London, Coliseum



Ballet Boyz Gala
London, Royal Festival Hall

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Diaries and weblogs


Jarkko Lehmus weblog...
the Scottish Ballet dancer who tells it like no other...
'4500 Miles Of Folklore'
Jarkko on holiday "I confess to being suckered into being dubious about the French. I've been to Paris a couple of times and they all seem arrogant and aloof with a whiff of superiority complex and xenophobia"... (weblog home)

Daniel Jones weblog...
'Swan Lake on a Lake]'... a dancers perspective on the Versailles performances - There was sun, there was rain...   (Weblog Home)

Tiit Helimets and Molly Smolen


Tiit on DonQ: "Now this was an interesting one . I was so happy to be able to have shot at it! I had seen it done a lot and there were a lot of different versions available. But I felt like kid in a supermarket in the candy aisle in front of a 100 different chocolate bars and being told, 'Pick one quick, we have no time, quick!'"     (Weblog Home)



Madame Galina weblog...
Galina is injured (by a box of Cuppa Soup)...
(Weblog Home)

Weblog writers
Ballet Central
Carole Edrich

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Reviews
Ballet.co reviews entered between 01/07/2007 and 31/07/2007 are included here...

USA Reviews

Royal Ballet

'Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake' bill: Lewis Whittington

"It seemed like all of the words that brought Tybalt alive in Shakespeare were transposed in Gartside's physical performance. The visceral power he achieves in a nuanced and underplayed death scene, that can so often be over acted and under-danced."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


New York City Ballet

'Stars and Stripes' bill: Eric Taub

"It sometimes seems a bit too kitschy when the audience claps along with the ballet's delicious finale to "The Stars and Stripes Forever," but it's good to remember Balanchine's fondness for creative vulgarity, as well as his pride in his adopted country. I'll just add this happy chance to see America once again through his eyes to the long list of things for which I'll be forever in his debt."


Suzanne Farrell Ballet

'Mozartiana, Divertimento Brillante' bill: Oksana Khadarina

" Mozartiana: "The choreography is characterized by crystalline purity and tenderness of movements, so the dance imagery, visually exquisite and emotionally moving, transcends the music."


American Ballet Theatre

'Sleeping Beauty': Anjuli Bai

"With all the color, the theatricality of this production, the lavish costuming as well as the dancing, I think the audience that fist saw this ballet at its birth in January 1890 on the stage of the Mariinsky in St. Petersburg, would have loved it."


Shen Wei Dance Arts

'Rite of Spring, Folding' bill: Rachel Straus

"In Rite, Shen takes bodily precision to lofty heights. This is mesmerizing. The fact that it's not unique is beside the point."


Mark Foehringer Dance Project-SF

'Concerto Grosso, Bitter Fruit' bill: Renee Renouf

"Before a modest audience, Foehringer's Dance Project provided eight dancers with two dances, divergent in style, non-stop in inventive and energetic demands."


Hubbard Street Dance

'Baker's Dozen' bill: Rachel Straus

"Their ensemble work rivaled the synchronicity of a Quartz watch. Their vitality and mechanical intensity would have made Richard Simmons proud. But after two and a half hours, I felt dizzy. I needed a sports drink and a cool down."


Media City Ballet Company

'Men of the Ballets Russes': Renee Renouf

"The five honorees shared the curtain call with the dancers and received pyramid like dustables before the reception where the wine flowed freely, the hors d'eouvres arrived like molasses in January and the honorees signed autographs."


Choreographers and Friends

'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' bill: Renee Renouf

"Clearly Gibbs loves to stage these early summer essays on top of his professional responsibilities. He can be counted on bringing a light touch and a perspective refreshingly mild, soft shoe classicism, if you will, that's lots of fun to watch. I hope this late June event continues another two decades."


Dholrhythmns Dance Troupe

'Stern Grove Festival: Indian dance pieces': Renee Renouf

"...It was the bhangra proper; the prior women's dance was neither an authentic Gidda or a bonafide bhangra. The men bore poles with jingling attachments. Too brief, they provided a bonafide testosterone rush and enthusiastic response."


French Reviews

Paris Opera Ballet

'La Fille Mal Gardee': Sheila Cross

"...the dancer who best captured Lise's qualities was Froustey, like Heymann currently just a sujet. She was mischievous and teasing, single minded and scheming, tender and loving. Her dancing was musical and joyous, with a lovely jump and the ability to hold the balances that punctuate the big pas de deux."

'La Fille Mal Gardee': Celine Tan

"The experience was surreal. A peasant setting, storybook-like painted backdrops, curtains and sets, framed in heavily ornamented gold cornices, it was like watching a moving painting in an antique frame (like one of those portraits in Harry Potter's Hogswart)."

'La Fille Mal Gardee': Paul Arrowsmith

"In Paris, Ashton's Fille came up very well on the whole, despite a few smudges. The company danced with verve and obvious enjoyment. It was a delight to hear the spontaneous reaction of the audience to Ashton's cleverness, discovering the work anew."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


Ballet Nacional de Cuba

'Giselle': Janet McNulty

"The company earned a great ovation at the end of both the performances we saw, and they really deserved it."


German Reviews

Hamburg Ballet

'Nijinsky': Norman Reynolds

"...not a biography, not even a documentary, but rather an impression, perhaps a biography of the soul."


Italian Reviews

Alessandra Ferri and Roberto Bolle

'Alessandra Ferri and Roberto Bolle Gala': Susy

Manon: "The lifts and throws were superb and at the first one, so high and daring, the audience gasped and applauded. The triumph ended only because the lights were turned on and the dancers stopped coming out to bow."


Hong Kong Reviews

National Ballet of China

'The Red Detachment of Women, Le corsaire' bill: Natasha Rogai

"The company looked infinitely more at home in their second programme, the grand old Communist warhorse 'The Red Detachment of Women.'"


Hong Kong Dance Company

'Qingming Riverside': Natasha Rogai

"The idea is excellent, and the multitude of vignettes included in the painting lend themselves easily to choreographic interpretation. Several scenes succeeded in bringing the painting vividly to life..."


Japanese Reviews

K Ballet

'Le Corsaire': Satoko Kamatani

"This is 7th full length ballet directed by Kumakawa. There are few productions of full length "Le Corsaire" now in the world. So, this was very challenging work not only for Kumakwa but also especially for a conductor of Kazuo Fukuda, K Ballet dancers and staff, and very happy collaboration with Ms. Yolanda Sonnabend and Mr. Leslie Travers again."


UK Reviews

Birmingham Royal Ballet

'The Four Seasons' bill: Ian Palmer

Robert Parker farewell in Pineapple Poll: "As Belaye he showed us the epitome of his artistry, presenting us not caricature, but character stuffed with breathing, buoyant life. Everything is danced and played with the utmost integrity, and even unto the very last he was a company man. He leaves a hole, which BRB may never fill in. But we shall enjoy watching them try."

'Coppelia': Ian Palmer

"The speed of Sakuma's batterie is brilliantissimo (a good five minutes was shaved off the performance), and she has a diamond-like quality to her dance and an easy play between her upper and lower body. Cia Cao is a marvel of bravura razzle-dazzle, entirely charming."


Mark Morris Dance Group

'Mozart Dances': Jane Simpson

"...But much of the rest seemed underdone - under choreographed and even under danced, with some of the dancers apparently being pushed near their technical limit. Maybe the result is built into the choice of music - who can live at Mozart's level for ten minutes, let alone a whole evening?"

'Mozart Dances': Jeffery Taylor

"From the off, music and dance grated like ratchet wheels turning in opposite directions. ...Morris's response to Mozart is aeons away from anything recognisable to ordinary folk."

'Mozart Dances': Wulff

"...despite the best efforts of the dancers and the impeccable playing of the music I left the Barbican with a feeling of distinctly modified rapture."


La Scala Ballet

'The Sleeping Beauty': Wulff

"For me, the moral of this production was 'Don't mess with Petipa' ...And the dancing. At best, mostly competent, at worst mediocre and perfformed with little sense of characterisation."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


Matthew Bourne

'The Car Man': Jeffery Taylor

"...quite simply Bourne's strongest work."

'The Car Man': Graham Watts

" If I could only have one Bourne production, with one cast, this would have to be it."


Carlos Acosta

'Tocororo Suite' bill: Ian Palmer

"I think, though cannot be certain, that this is the first time Valdes and Acosta have danced together in the UK, and I trust we shall see them again in full evening works. Circus is all-well-and-good, but we should be watching an art form, not a sideshow."


English National Ballet

'Swan Lake': Jeffery Taylor

"...the company as a whole crackles with enthusiasm, commitment and the sheer love of it all. If you want an out of this world evening in one of London's most extravagantly beautiful venues, tonight is the night."


Philippe Decoufle

'Sombrero': Charlotte Kasner

"Perhaps not the subtlest envisioning of Mexico to be seen but well worth a visit."


Sweetshop Revolution

'Dulce et Decorum': Jeffery Taylor

"On the last night of The Place's Spring season friends, family and supporters gave Dulce at Decorum a standing ovation. It was the worst thing they could have done..."

'Dulce et Decorum': Graham Watts

"But for all these well-deserved plaudits, however much I loved the concept and its creators, it has to be said that 'Dulce et Decorum' works only intermittently and, by no means, completely."


Royal Ballet School

'Graduation show 2007': Lynette Halewood

" Three Dialogues: "This work seemed a fully realised and tightly crafted piece rather than just a little something for a schools performance. I hope it gets further performances at some point The costumes were simple but chic the work for the corps elegantly planned."

'Graduation show 2007': Ian Macmillan

" Poems: "...the most delightful piece of work I've seen on that stage in ages. ....were it to be acquired for the RB, the ladies of the company would surely love it."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


London Contemporary Dance School

'Graduation Performances': Graham Watts

"I may have arrived, feeling tired and lacklustre, but the physiological impact of receiving all this ebullient energy was like overdosing on several cans of 'Red Bull'."


Marilyn Jones Dance Centre

'Showtime 2007: Showtime ’77, and others': Ian Palmer

"What fun it is to watch young children dancing entirely for their own pleasure: determined, committed to give off their very best, enraptured and caught up in the spell of the music..."

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Postings Reviews section
Royal Ballet 'Swan Lake': Susanne
Paris Opera Ballet 'La Fille Mal Gardee': Janet McNulty
La Scala Ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty': Bruce Marriott
La Scala Ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty': Gonetorome
La Scala Ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty': Beryl H
La Scala Ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty': Ted
Birmingham Royal Ballet 'Coppelia' bill: Janet McNulty
Ballet Boyz - George Piper Dances 'Ballet for the People Gala': CatherineC
Amy Seiwert 'im’ij-re': Renee Renouf
Royal Ballet School 'Graduation show 2007': David Hill
Compagnie Roussat-Lubek and Dance for All 'various Rameau works': Lynette Halewood
Compagnie Roussat-Lubek and Dance for All 'various Rameau works': Robert

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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 the:
TodaysLinks page

In the period from 1 July to 31 July (last update of this page) we have 271 links for you.

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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