Ballet.co Magazine
January 2007

Next Ballet.co Magazine
February 2007 - go see a work in progress

Previous Ballet.co magazine - December 2006

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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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Ballet.co Looks Back on 2006


Ballet.co 2006 Poll of the Year...


Details
Vote Here
See Results Here




Reflections on 2006
Lynette Halewood with some recollections on what amused, entertained, irritated, stuck in the memory or unexpectedly faded from it...


2006 Quiz of the Year
Jane Simpson with a whole bunch of questions about ballet and dance this last year. Answers next month...

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Interviews and Features



Merrill Ashley
One of Balanchine's greatest ballerinas, was recently in Hong Kong to stage "Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux" for the Hong Kong Ballet. Kevin Ng talked to her...


Donvena Pandoursky
Ian palmer talks to a choreographer whose recently been working with the Mariinsky...


A new Studio for
Ballet Nacional de Cuba
Norman Vaughton reports on the Inauguration of the Anton Dolin Studio in Havana - a project funded by the British Friends of the company...


James Brown 1933 - 2006
James Brown was more than a singer - Lewis Whittington with an appreciation of the man and his dancing


Natalia Makarova
'A Dance Autobiography'
Renee Renouf reviews a book long out of print and yet still full of valuable insights for dancers and others

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In the Galleries

Currently our Images Gallery contains over 2700 images.

John Ross Photographs
Albums added in December...


ROH2 - William Tucket
The Wind in the Willows
London, ROH, Linbury 12/06


Royal Ballet
The Nutcracker
London, Covent Garden, 12/06

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Diaries and weblogs


Jatkko Lehmus weblog... the Scottish Ballet dancer who tells it like no other. 'Tales From The Carbon Trail: Country-Hopping and Alien Babies'
(weblog home)


Madame Galina...
Essex County Council and Afghanistan... (Weblog Home)

Other Weblog writers
Carole Edrich
Christopher Hampson
Tiit Helimets and Molly Smolen
Daniel Jones
Peter Quanz

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Reviews

USA Reviews

Boston Ballet

'The Nutcracker': Margaret Willis

"Three cheers for the Boston Ballet. Over thirty years ago I saw my first Nutcracker performed by this company and the memory has remained. It has lost none of its sparkle and enchantment and in director Mikko Nissinen's new version, it remains traditional, picture-pretty and seasonably sentimental."


San Francisco Ballet

'The Nutcracker': Renee Renouf

"...a handsomely realized staple of holiday magic."


Paul Taylor Dance Company

'Banquet of Vultures' bill: Oksana Khadarina

"As the retrospective program and his post-performance talk with the audience demonstrated, his artistic creativity is still booming, and his wit is as sharp as ever."


Oakland Ballet

'Nutcracker': Renee Renouf

"Aided by Chevron oil, may it sluice the holiday traces with longer preparation and frequent dancing."


Ronald K Brown-Evidence

'Blueprint of a Lady': Oksana Khadarina

"What makes this production so unique is that the music accompanying the dance is much more than mere soundtrack. And the dancing is not just backup performance. In Blueprint of a Lady, Freelon and Brown have created a rather remarkable, equal partnership..."

'Order My Steps' bill: Oksana Khadarina

"The most poignant part of Truth Don Die is a solo performed by the choreographer himself to Meshell Ndegeocello's song “Heaven.” At 40, Brown remains a powerful dancer."


Eva Yerbabuena

'Eva': Renee Renouf

"If you are female square and small of build with talent, there's hope if you care to master flamenco. I'm here to say there's a distinct glory seeing someone small and built for endurance as contrast to the willow wands currently classical ballet norms, whatever the height."


Washington Ballet

'The Nutcracker': Oksana Khadarina

"...a wonderful Christmas present for Washingtonians and guests of the city."


City Ballet of San Diego

'The Nutcracker': Anjuli Bai

"All in all this is a most worthwhile production. It doesn't pretend to be what it is not: a super big bash on a grand scale – but neither is it a scaled down version that's lost color or verve."


Zakir Hussain and Antonia Minnecola

'Bhava, Rapt' bill: Renee Renouf

"Minnecola interpreted a song about Lord Krishna, a favorite Kathak subject. Composed by Hussain, sung by Mahmoud, Minnecola mimed a graceful rendition of participation and joy of Brindaban's inhabitants, the boyhood home of the beloved dark god."


Russian Reviews

Bolshoi Ballet

'Balanchine programme': Kevin Ng

"What a wonderful treat this Balanchine programme is, especially with the Bolshoi dancing so gloriously in all the five ballets. New York City Ballet please take note."


Danish Reviews

Royal Danish Ballet

'Dans Mozart!': Jane Simpson

"I don't think any of them is likely to last much beyond the occasion, but they all had enough of interest at first viewing to make me happy to see the programme through again, three hours later."


Hong Kong Reviews

Roland Petit Gala

'Roland Petit Gala': Kevin Ng

"Petit's unique choreographic flair and theatricality are simply irresistible. No wonder there were two rousing encores to satisfy the excited audience that night."


City Contemporary Dance Company

'Testimony': Natasha Rogai

"A triumph, and an evening which showcases the depth and breadth of talent in the Hong Kong performing arts."


Shen Wei Dance Arts

'Rite of Spring, Near The Terrace' bill: Kevin Ng

"Far better was the second work "Near The Terrace" whose movements evoked the style of Japanese Butoh."


UK Reviews

Royal Ballet

'The Nutcracker': Jeffery Taylor

"Last week Miyako Yoshida (Sugar Plum Fairy) and Federico Bonelli (Prince) performed the perfect finish to one of Covent Garden's most popular productions, the Christmas Nutcracker."

'The Nutcracker': Marike van Aerde

"The pas de deux of the Sugar Plum Fairy is one of the hardest in the classical repetoire, but when it is performed to perfection by the likes of Miyako Yoshida and Federico Bonelli ... it is presented as effortlessly beautiful."

'The Nutcracker': Norman Reynolds

"This First Night was something of a gala occasion, celebrating Sir Peter's recent 80th birthday."

'The Sleeping Beauty': Leonid

"Several members of the audience mooted that the general low level of technique in the company must be the result of company classes and that the sketchy mime and presentation of characters from the minor to the major roles, indicated a lack of appropriate coaching."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section

English National Ballet

'The Nutcracker': Margaret Willis

"There are plaudits for originality and interest in Hampson's choreography. He offers pristine and well-rounded shapings, clear definitions and flowing classicism for his dancers who all danced well."


Birmingham Royal Ballet

'The Nutcracker': Paul N

"All in all, an outstanding production and an inspirational all-round company performance. I'm now longing to see this again and if I have to wait until 2008, it will be difficult, but well worth it."

'The Nutcracker': Janet McNulty

"All in all, they were 2 really enjoyable performances."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section

Scottish Ballet

'Cinderella': Ian Palmer

"Watching Ashley Page's 2005 production of Cinderella ... I was struck by how much Page and his collaborator Anthony McDonald have listened and understood Prokofiev's music."


Northern Ballet Theatre

'A Christmas Carol': Ian Palmer

"...Gable ensured the direction of the action so that each heart-string would be pulled at just the right moment and this revival loses none of this understanding (who cannot feel a pang at the “death” of Tiny Tim?)."

'A Christmas Carol': Janet McNulty

"This production really brims with festive spirit and, in my opinion, is an ideal first ballet. The quality of the performance on Saturday afternoon was superb and Aunt and Niece went home to Liverpool very happy bunnies indeed."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section

Matthew Bourne

'Swan Lake': Jeffery Taylor

"The production standards are sky high ... What a shame all they have to dance is a hop, skip and a jump."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section

Darcey Bussell and Igor Zelensky

'Le jeune homme et la mort' bill: Jeffery Taylor

"What a let down the dreary dated programme proved to be."


William Tuckett

'The Wind in the Willows': Jeffery Taylor

"This little gem ... has become a Christmas classic in Covent Garden, and rightly so."

'The Wind in the Willows': John Mallinson

"There does seem to be heavy middle-class conservatism at work here but maybe it's a case of pas devant les enfants. Mostly likely my reservations were due to its being 50 years too late for me. Still, I owe it the debt of having reintroduced me to the book and for that many thanks."


Dina Husein and Anna Abalihina

'In The Place of My Dream': Charlotte Kasner

"...a tour de force of witty and thought provoking dance, performed to a very high level of technical ability. Coming at the end of Dance Umbrella, it is interesting to compare the tremendous sense of theatre imbued in Russian and other European training that is so often lacking in young dancers and choreographers that we have seen..."


St Petersburg Ballet Theatre
(Konstantin Tatchkine)

'The Nutcracker': Jeffery Taylor

"Already a world class talent, Kolesnikova improves year on year with her passion, obvious perfectionism and inimitable technique."

'The Nutcracker': Richard Amey

"...Christmas is here. We British forgive the odd pair of socks among the more exciting presents."

'Giselle': Richard Amey

"Prima ballerina Irina Kolesnikova left the stage with another big bouquet of Brighton hearts after hitting the stage for the first time in their three-item ballet presentation this Christmas."

'Sleeping Beauty': Richard Amey

"Is romance dead in St Petersburg? Or does it simply nosedive when some of the Ballet Theatre's principals set foot on stages in modern Britain? Or is it just Sussex that is the passionkiller?"

'Sleeping Beauty': Jeffery Taylor

"...Irina Kolesnikova's eponymous Aurora is well worth a ticket."


Manchester City Ballet

'Coppelia': Ian Palmer

"Though I get little sense of an École tradition amongst the Northern Ballet School's corps, I don't suppose this really matters in today's climate of ballet internationalism. More appropriate to report perhaps that there was a real feeling for the Franco-Italian style – well disciplined feet, energetic bounce."


AdHoc Dance Company

'Contemporary dance Christmas show': Ian Palmer

"A refreshing tonic to the Christmas barrage."


Stan Wont Dance

'Revelations': John Mallinson

"...Revelations is sour rather than witty, trite rather than profound. It is well staged, well performed and a disappointment."

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Postings Reviews section
Royal Ballet 'The Nutcracker': Simonetta Dixon
Royal Ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty': Wulff
Royal Ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty': Wulff
Royal Ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty': Paul Bunton
Royal Ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty': Celine Tan
Matthew Bourne 'Swan Lake': Mandy Kent
Birmingham Royal Ballet 'The Nutcracker': Janet McNulty
Northern Ballet Theatre 'A Christmas Carol': Janet McNulty
Russian Classical Ballet Theatre 'Coppelia': Norman Reynolds

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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 December to 31 December (last update of this page) we have 253 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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