Ballet.co Magazine
For July 2007

Previous Ballet.co magazine - June 2007
Next Ballet.co magazine - August 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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Features and Interviews


Farewell Darcey Bussell...
Sort of......
Jeffery Taylor reflects on the end of an era.



Who is the next Darcey Bussell?
Jeffery Taylor talks to the schools about some stars in the making



Edward Watson
Royal Ballet
Edward was a guest of the Ballet Association back in April 2006 - a full report for posterity has just emerged......


Working With Legends
like...
Luigi and Liza Minnelli
Francis James Roach on the side of dance that supports spectacular shows and spectacular people....



Waldorf Tango Tea Dance
Carole Edrich does tango at a rather famous London hotel



Rojo Tango at the Faena Hotel
Carole Edrich does tango at a rather famous Buenos Aires hotel


Bejart and Modernism
Renee Renouf reviews some reissued 30 year old thoughts on Bejart by Pamela Gay-White


Paul Szilard
Under My Wings - My Life as an Impresario... Renee Renouf reviews a 5 year old book


Divine Dancer:
A Biography of Ruth St. Denis
Renee Renouf reviews a 26 year old book by Suzanne Sheldon


So, You Want to Learn to Dance?
Another in the series from Anjuli Bai:
The Other Half – Tony...

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In the Galleries

Currently our Images Gallery contains approximately 3200 images.

John Ross Photographs
Albums added in 06/07 ...


Royal Ballet: Checkmate Triple Bill
Checkmate, Symphonic Variations, Song of the Earth
London, Covent Garden



English National Ballet
Swan Lake
London, Royal Albert Hall



Cloud Gate Dance Theatrel
Wild Cursive
London, Sadler's Wells


Dave Morgan's
Royal Ballet Curtain Call Pictures


Royal Ballet
2007-2007 Season
London, Covent Garden

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Diaries and weblogs


Jarkko Lehmus weblog...
the Scottish Ballet dancer who tells it like no other...
'A Bucket Full Of Shite, A Fan And A Welcome Holiday'
Jarkko on being the Equity rep (tricky) and turning 25 again for the sixth time... (weblog home)


Madame Galina weblog...
Arthritis, being polite and thoughts on Margaret Hookham and Darcey Bussell...
(Weblog Home)



Carole Edrich Weblog...
Eclectic as ever and all right for some - tea at the Waldorf... (Weblog home)


Ballet Central weblog
Each year we follow some final-year Central School of Ballet students through their final training, UK tour and hunt for jobs. They are just about to finish and 2 of our 3 students have jobs...... (Weblog Home)

Other Weblog Writers
Tiit Helimets and Molly Smolen
Daniel Jones

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Reviews
Ballet.co reviews entered between 01/06/2007 and 30/06/2007 are included here...

USA Reviews

American Ballet Theatre

'The Sleeping Beauty': Eric Taub

"I'm daunted by the task of describing the monumental awfulness of this production. It's so utterly wrong-headed, so happily ignorant of The Sleeping Beauty's deeper meaning, and filled so copiously with staggeringly bad artistic choices that I scarcely know where to begin."

'The Sleeping Beauty': Rachel Straus

"All these pyrotechnics might have thrilled youngsters, but I didn't see any of them in the house. In general, the Met tickets are too expensive and this under three-hour version is still too long for kids..."

'Manon': Ellen Gaintner

"...I could just keeping talking about Ferri, and her interpretation of the character, and the fluidity of her dancing, and those absolutely undeniably voluptuously arched feet."


New York City Ballet

'Union Jack' bill: Paul Arrowsmith

"Four years since I last saw NYCB and good to see them looking on much crisper form than a few years ago. Of course the style is more interesting below the waist but despite a few stiff torsos in Serenade, the precision and ensemble of the company was strong."


Suzanne Farrell Ballet

'Scotch Symphony' bill: Oksana Khadarina

"One of the “lost” ballets is Concierto de Mozart, an enchanting dance inspired by Amadeus's Violin Concerto No. 5 and originally created for Argentina's Ballet of the Teatro Colon in 1942. The Adagio from this ballet, a lyrical pas de deux, epitomizes Balanchine's words: Dance is music made visible."

'Scotch Symphony' bill: Eric Taub

"As with most of her stagings of Balanchine, Farrell's Scotch is a treat. I don't want to dive into the whole can of worms about whether her company dances Balanchine "better" than City Ballet...."


Shanghai Ballet

'The Butterfly Lovers': Renee Renouf

"The audience, principally Chinese, clearly had been recruited through Chinese language media, because the English language press was quite bereft of announcements. The result was a sizeable, but not full auditorium, a pity for this beautifully presented,well-disciplined troupe of dancers..."


Keshet Chaim Dance Company

'Israeli folk dance': Anjuli Bai

"On its face professional folk dance is a contradiction in terms, but not when staged and commercially sold. Then it crosses the line and it is a line that this company, while enjoyable, must address."


Russian Reviews

Mariinsky Ballet

'Mariinsky Festival': Kevin Ng

"This year's Mariinsky Festival was laudable for the consistently excellent performances by the whole Kirov troupe, and its own stars complemented by the visiting guest stars. It is reassuring to see that the Kirov is currently on such top form."


German Reviews

Bolshoi Ballet

'Giselle': Kevin Ng

"Merkuriev is actually a better classical dancer than he seems to take himself for..."


French Reviews

Paris Opera Ballet

'La Fille Mal Gardee': Naoko S

"To sum it up - it's a très très chic Fille; the 2nd cast in particular, they decidedly had an unmistakable urban air and perfumery sophistication (well they didn't look an inch like a peasant couple!)..."


Mexican Reviews

Royal Ballet

'Swan Lake extracts' bill: Jose Luis Becerra

"After all this balletic banquette the whole company, with no less than 8 principals (amazing for 1 evening =)) recevied standing ovation from a very emotioned audience... brilliant, a truly wonderful evening. Thank you Royal Ballet."


UK Reviews

Royal Ballet

Darcey Bussell and Belinda Hatley's last night: Margaret Willis

"...as she stood taking a 'normal' curtain call at the conclusion of her final performance as a Principal of the Royal Ballet, the Queen of Composure lost it! Drained from the emotion of MacMillan's 'The Song of the Earth'- her own choice for the finale of a glittering career- and overwhelmed by the rapturous reception, Darcey Bussell covered her face with her hands trying to stop the tears from falling."

'Checkmate' bill: Lynette Halewood

" Checkmate: "I had always thought that ideally a Black Queen should be a little taller than Nunez, but if she doesn't have killer legs she certainly has a killer attitude, glamorously malevolent and deliberate from head to perfectly placed toe."

'Checkmate' bill: Marike van Aerde

" Song: "Gary Avis is an expressive and ever reliable partner, while Carlos Acosta roams the stage with powerful intensity. Their pas de trois leaves a lasting impression - but it is Bussell's solo in the final song that really shows the heart of the piece. It is a wonderful finale for this inspiring ballerina's equally wonderful career."

'Checkmate' bill: Leonid

"I think most of the MacMillan repertoire is generally poorly performed by the Royal Ballet Company of today (with the exception of certain principals) which beggars the question why is it performed so often?"

'Romeo and Juliet masterclass': Mandy Kent

"A member of the audience asked Mara afterwards whether it hurts to have to flop about and crash to the floor as if dead. Mara answered that in rehearsal you could be careful but in performance you often did get minor bumps and bruises from this scene."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


English National Ballet

'Swan Lake': Ian Palmer

"...Vogel's Siegfried who with his singing line and soaring leap cuts cleanly into its inner-drama. He galvanizes the huge space of the Albert Hall with a scandalously large grand jete, without ever sacrificing its lightness ... Here is the greatest of artists."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


Birmingham Royal Ballet

'The Four Seasons' bill: Janet McNulty

"Saturday night was a very special occasion. It was Robert Parker's final performance on the Birmingham stage. David Bintley came on stage before the start of the performance and made a short but moving speach to mark the occasion."

'Coppelia': Norman Reynolds

"The star of the afternoon was Carol-Anne Millar as Swanilda. She had a constantly smiling sunny disposition (except when annoyed by Franz or fearful of Coppelius) and a fine rapport with the audience as well as marvellous dancing."

'Coppelia': Paul N

"Overall, a wonderful performance of a great work, and I'm so pleased I saw it."

'Dynamic Dance': Terry Amos

"Everyone I spoke to enjoyed Ebony Concerto choreographed by Samara Downs to the jazz influenced music of the same name. The two aspects I particularly liked were the use she made of the big stage, seeming to fill the space with her six dancers, and the way she employed a palette of movements, particularly of the arms..."

'Dynamic Dance': Janet McNulty

"I do hope that these choreographic projects continue. Well done to everyone who participated."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


Ballet Rakatan

'Havana Rakatan': Jeffery Taylor

"...Rakatan is awash with a thrillingly genuine passion, the performers are individuals, not clones and the chemistry between the sexes is more fun than is good for the audience's blood pressure."


Phoenix Dance Theatre

'Los Picadores' bill: Graham Watts

"...less is usually more and this would be good advice in terms of De Frutos programming his own work in future."


Savion Glover

'Live for London': Graham Watts

"...you need to love the rambling spontaneity of freestyle jazz to appreciate this concert and I felt that it needed variation. Glover has another show called 'Classical Savion' where he taps to the accompaniment of a classical string quartet and mixing some such diversity into this rare visit to London would have greatly enhanced the show for all but the most hardened tap-nuts."


Klaus Obermaier

'Rites': Graham Watts

"This incredible technology was, however, given meaning and substance through the even more astonishing range of movement capability by one human dancer. The virtual reality and the orchestral sounds were superb, but I was often tempted to bypass the sunglasses, seduced into watching the delightful, human reality of Julia Mach dancing alone at the side of the stage."

'Rites': Carole Edrich

"This engaging exploration of boundaries is well worth the experience and resulted in the longest ovation I can remember for years."

'Rites': John Mallinson

"...the problem was one of failure of imagination – what to do with these clever techniques to produce more than the occasional muted "Wow!" There Obermaier scored poorly and failed to illuminate the score: in consequence the piece seemed a nerdish extravaganza, a technological blind alley. Better luck next time, or perhaps not."



Northern Ballet Theatre

'The Three Musketeers': Charlotte Kasner

"It seems astonishing that this great company is not being praised to the rafters with features in all the nationals and arts supplements. Wake up and smell the coffee folks."


Cloud Gate Dance Theatre

'Wild Cursive': Charlotte Kasner

"The overall effect was of an exhausting but exhilarating meditation, at once calm and burstingly energetic. If anything, it was a little repetitive in places and just a bit too long. Such concentration of performance takes it out of the audience too..."

'Wild Cursive': Celine Tan

"'Exciting,' 'Entertaining', will not be the words one would use to describe Wild Cursive. In fact, 'Beautiful' and 'Organic' were the words that came to my mind."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


Jyrki Karttunen

'Human Imitations': John Mallinson

"John Ashford, theatre director of The Place said ... 'It's five guys, it's very, very physical and it's like nothing you've ever seen before.' That seems as good a summary as any. Future projects of Karttunen's should not be let escape."


Tanja Liedtke

'Construct': Ian Palmer

"It is the uniqueness of her expression that I found so enduring here, the freshness of her vocabulary and the clarity with which it was presented. Here is a talent that needs to be nurtured..."


Les Ballets C de la B

'Import Export': Graham Watts

"But most of it made sense and the work had an undoubted visual and aural appeal albeit one that was perhaps ten minutes' too long."


English National Opera and Kim Brandstrup

'Death in Venice': Charlotte Kasner

"...this new production made the fortuitous decision to ask Kim Brandstrup to choreograph for the childrens' roles. ... Benjamin Paul Griffiths, a student at ENB, gives a technically assured performance with just the right edge of (probably natural) callow youthfulness. He has a promising line and strong back and shows every chance of developing into a real stage presence."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


Aletta Collins and Opera North

'Les Noces, Dido and Aeneas' bill: Ian Palmer

"It is a mark of a choreographer's genius that even when another refashions their work, the indelible signature of the originator remains so clearly stamped upon it..."


Motionhouse Dance Theatre

'Driven': Ian Palmer

"Driven is the title of this new dance-theatre piece from Motionhouse. “To Distraction” might very well be its subtitle. In this eighty-minutes of full-throttle, hard-paced antics about living life in the fast lane, I found little to hold my attention."

'Driven': Janet McNulty

"Last night was the first time I had seen Motionhouse and I must say how much I enjoyed the performance."


Images of Dance

'Dances from Don Quixote' bill: Trog Woolley

"The second piece on offer is The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, choreographed by Matthew Hart. This is a truly inspired work, full of comedy and a little romance."

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Postings Reviews section
Royal Ballet 'Song of the Earth, Symphonic Variations' bill: Simonetta Dixon
Royal Ballet 'Checkmate' bill: Jenny Taylor
Royal Ballet 'Song of the Earth': DaveM
Royal Ballet 'Song of the Earth': Leonid
Royal Ballet 'Swan Lake': Tony Newcombe
Royal Ballet 'Swan Lake via big screen relay': Trog
Birmingham Royal Ballet 'Coppelia': Janet McNulty
Birmingham Royal Ballet 'The Four Seasons' bill: Paul N
English National Ballet 'Swan Lake': Jenny Taylor
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre 'Wild Cursive': Lynette Halewood
English National Opera and Kim Brandstrup 'Death in Venice': Mark Steadman

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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 June to 30 June (last update of this page) we have 332 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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