Ballet.co Magazine
For February 2008

Previous Ballet.co magazine - January 2007
Next Ballet.co magazine - March 2008

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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



Natalia Osipova
Bolshoi Ballet
The Bolshoi's youngest star ballerina talks, in depth, to Mikhail Smondyrev about preparing for Giselle and about all the incredible coaching and advice she received. Having wowed London audiences last summer Osipova is also a nomination in the 2007 UK National Dance Awards for Best Female Dancer...


Christopher Hampson
Choreographer
Simonetta Dixon catches up with the globe trotting choreographer recently back from seeing his new Cinderella tour China


Sally Marie
Dancer, Choreographer
& Company Director
Recently nominated for a Spotlight Award in the National Dance Awards, Sally Marie talks to Graham Watts about how she has snuck into our consciousness - it's not been a straightforward tale...

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Ballet Association
Royal Ballet reports
Three old interviews have only just been cleared for publication - as ever though they are full of interest and great detail...




Tamara Rojo
interviewed March 2007




Mara Galeazzi
interviewed November 2007

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Diaries and weblogs


Jarkko Lehmus weblog...
the Scottish Ballet dancer who tells it like no other...
New Years, New Tricks and Jarkko is reflecting - "In my view clear well thought-out information, supportive and trust building attitude, inspiring ways of motivating your employees, keeping them intellectually challenged and making each person feel that they are cared for and understood are the cornerstones of effective management. If any of you readers disagree with me or are willing to contribute to my continuing education especially from the viewpoint of managing a dance company, please do not hesitate to contact me..." (weblog home)


Madame Galina weblog...
Galina Goes Shopping... it starts like so: 'I told Thomas Whitehead that the plot for my next play involved euthanasia...'  (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. This years blogers are Brenda Lee Grech, Rym Kechacha and Tom Conlan...
This month reflections on Christmas, working with Christopher Hampson and being a poster girl.......(Weblog Home)


Helene Cooper Blog...
Helene Cooper is studying for an MA in Choreography at the Laban in London. "I'm curating a Dance on film Night at the Roxy Bar and Screen in Borough High Street - more information to follow. 23 01 08: Dance on Film night."   (Weblog Home)

Weblog writers
Carole Edrich
Tiit Helimets and Molly Smolen
Daniel Jones

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Features

Ballet.co 2007 Poll of the Year...


Results Jane Simpson draws conclusions from a mixed set of entries

The entries: Exactly what you said and the way you said it


Answers to the
2007 Quiz of the Year
Jane Simpson reveals all...



Swanning around
St Petersburg
A trip to the great Russian city? Graham Watts reveals all you need to know about dance and where to see it...



‘The Worlds of Lincoln Kirstein’
Renee Renouf rummages through the contents and all the names in Martin Duberman's biography of a great man



Barbara Milberg:
‘In Balanchine’s Company’
'This is a book making you want to be friends with the author' says Renee Renouf



UK National Dance Awards
Graham Watts on who won what at the years annual gathering of the great and good in British dance and ballet


UK National Dance Awards
Jeffery Taylor on the NDA Awards and why dance needs more backing from government...

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In the Galleries

Currently our Images Gallery contains over 3800 images.


2007 UK National Dance Awards
London, Covent Garden



Royal Ballet - Sylvia
London, Covent Garden

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Reviews
Ballet.co reviews entered between 01/01/2008 and 31/01/2008 are included here...

USA Reviews

New York City Ballet

'Jewels': Eric Taub

"So, give me a great ballerina, and I'm spellbound for Diamonds, even more so if accompanied by a corps that's to the grand manner born. Emeralds' spell is always intoxicating, while poor Rubies, with its brash and sexy convolutions, comes up third. Or it can, as it did Saturday night, outshone at either end."

'Jewels': Eric Taub

"Last Friday, Mearns made a highly anticipated debut in Diamonds, partnered by Jonathan Stafford, who was also debuting as Mearns' cavalier. For both, it was a brilliant beginning. I'd often wondered just why Martins promoted Stafford to principal so quickly, after many years in the corps, and less than one as a soloist. On his own, Stafford's a decent but not spectacular dancer. After the adagio, I didn't wonder anymore."

'Balanchine's World' Bill: Eric Taub

"Well, that's the trip around a part of Balanchine's world of sublime purity, dazzling bravura, exotic sex and tragic fantasy. Not too shabby, and that's not even getting into Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky."

'Balanchine's World' Bill: Rachel Straus

Bugaku: "Yes, Balachine's ballet honoring the eroticism of Japanese ritual behavior (in this case a marriage) is the finest in high art pornography, but Kowrowski's combination of blank-stared observance and luxurious, yawning-wide leg extensions made the choreography breathtakingly paradoxical."

'Dance for Joy' Bill: Eric Taub

"It's also depressing to think that after February 10th, Nikolaj Hübbe will be gone, too. Despite Balanchine's well-documented lack of interest in male dancders, New York City Ballet has always had at least one or two men who could be counted among the best in the world."

'Four by Four' bill: Eric Taub

"It's refreshing to come home from a City Ballet performance and realize I have absolutely nothing to complain about. So, snark will be at a minimum today. Sorry about that. I can't even think of anything particularly clever to say about the title. Four ballets, four choreographers. Yes indeed. Can't argue there."

'Romeo and Juliet': Eric Taub

"In other words, it's not a great ballet. It doesn't quite pull together its conceits, and it nearly founders under the weight of its clever ideas. Ideas are overrated; it's how they're realized that makes them artistically viable, or not. However, with great performances such as Saturday's, those failings hardly matter, and I'd go see this cast again in a heartbeat."

'Traditions' Bill: Eric Taub

"I suppose 'Traditions' sounds better than 'Old Chestnuts' or 'Warhorses.' These are some of the older ballets in the repertory, with Prodigal Son from 1929 and Balanchine's Diaghilev years, Square Dance from 1957, when City Ballet lived at City Center, and Robbins' The Four Seasons, a relative newcomer from 1979, and Baryshnikov's brief tenure. It's a nicely balanced program, with Square Dance's astringency, Prodigal's melodrama and The Four Season's wit and charm."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


Mariinsky Ballet

'La Bayadere': Oksana Khadarina

"On opening night, the Kirov dancers never missed a beat, rendering a wonderfully nuanced and technically flawless execution of each step: legs perfectly raised in a deep, unwavering arabesque; backs arched sublimely; and arms elevated in supreme unison. It was a fascinating show of unsurpassed beauty, seamless unity and grace."


San Francisco Ballet

'San Francisco Ballet Gala': Renee Renouf

"San Francisco Ballet's pale green Gala program with embossed diamonds led Dan Henry to quip, 'It looks like something I might have done in grade school art class. San Francisco Ballet's 75th Gala ambiance was essentially one of gravitas."

'Filling Station' bill: Renee Renouf

"Lew Christensen's Filling Station, 1938, marked the first really all- American ballet, from the iconic Lincoln Kirstein as librettist to Virgil Thomson as composer, Kirstein's brother-in-law Paul Cadmus as designer and the young, exciting Lew Christensen as choreographer and the principal character, Mac, the filling station attendant."


Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet

'Decadance': Rachel Straus

"I could take it in again, but for one caveat. I left the theater hoping for something sweet to digest. Call me decadent; I wanted a little more of the sublime. I guess I'm just another capitalist escapist. Naharin is definitely not."

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French Reviews

Bolshoi Ballet

'Le Corsaire': Naoko S

"In her (Lunkina) extremely slender and fragile-looking frame one could only wonder in amazement where all the stamina came from; on her third night (the 8th) her grand fouette en tournant in 'that' pdd may have lost a bit of sparks than on the previous evening, but overall she did deliver the goods - and so did her partner, Denis Matvienko..."

'Paris Triple Bill': Carboni1

"I was very curious to see Triple Bill for the first time and did not know what to expect. After having actually seen it I still don't know whether I like it. The male cast was a bit disappointing - no-one really stood out. On the ballerinas side Osipova was brilliant, but it was Alexandrova who was a class of her own."


Sylvain Prunenec


'About You': Graham Watts

"Although the ensemble gamely came out for three curtain calls, there was clearly little enthusiasm in the select audience's rather polite applause."

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Chinese Reviews

Mariinsky Ballet

'Jewels and Le Corsaire': Hu Xinxin

"...Viktoria was just brilliant last night when she danced Medora. She acted very good too. I guess she must like the role very much."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section

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Swiss Reviews

Bern Ballet

'Concertante' bill: Ian Macmillan

"And so to "Feuervogel/Firebird," which turned out to be a triumph of narrative art."

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UK Reviews

Royal Ballet

'Sylvia': Jane Simpson

"The whole piece, choreography apart, is balanced precariously on the knife edge between fun and foolishness and the least wobble, the least sign of doubt from the cast, could bring it crashing down on the wrong side."

'Tales of Beatrix Potter, Les Patineurs' bill: Lynette Halewood

"Yuhui Choe was the fouettee girl (Patineurs) on 5 Jan and took a lot of risks, very nearly lost it but carried on with a couple more doubles, refusing to play safe. Lovely movement of her upper body in general."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


English National Ballet

'Swan Lake': Jeffery Taylor

"Boy, does English National Ballet mean business. You can see for yourself all this week at London's Coliseum the hefty way they have with Swan Lake. They attack their mission with determination to make you fall in love with them and see an old war horse of a classical ballet through dynamic new eyes."

'Swan Lake': Charlotte Kasner

"Odile hinted at Odette but with a diamond sharp attack. Oaks' en pointe balances knocked the Rose Adagio and Don Q into a cocked hat."

'Swan Lake': Jane Simpson

"...a very pleasing double debut in the leading roles by Begona Cao and Esteban Berlanga. It was Cao's name which had originally attracted me to this performance, but over the last few days the grapevine was getting quite excited about Berlanga too: in the event, honours were about even, but Berlanga, being much less well known than his partner, was the bigger surprise."

'Swan Lake': Margaret Willis

"The two dancers (Cao and Berlanga) complemented each other well. Both are very musical and phrased their dancing with understanding and control, silkily weaving the movements together, like a pedal held down on a piano. Their performance had polish and promise."


Tango Por Dos

'Buenos Aires Tango': Carole Edrich

"When does a well-loved dance format become just a cliché? Is it due to injuries, argument, fatigue or an overused plot? Is it a result of less easily identified qualities such as spirit, feeling, passion or projection? Has the line been crossed here and was the awkwardness due to injuries, argument or first-night-nerves?"

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Sadler's Well Sampled...


Maria Pages

'Flamenco solos': Lynette Halewood

"Memo to self – you need to go and see more of this. This really left the audience energised."


Morphoses - The Wheeldon Company

'Prokofiev pas de deux': Lynette Halewood

"Kish towered over Alina Cojocaru: not an ideal match. Both of them danced well but the piece didn't make an overwhelming impression."


Ballet Boyz - George Piper Dances

'Yumba vs. Nonino': Lynette Halewood

"...a good choice as the closing item, with lots of laughs from the audience, but admiration too for the intricacies of the performance."


Jasmin Vardimon Dance Company

'Extract from 'Yesterday'': Lynette Halewood

"Hard to get the measure of the work from this extract, which included speech and political ranting, but delivered with lots of energy and commitment."


Blue Boy Entertainment

'Pied Piper extract': Lynette Halewood

"...a fairly substantial cast with opportunities for most of them to show off their moves."


Salah

'Dreams of Gluby': Lynette Halewood

"...gentle and beguiling, and just the right length to be charming..."

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St Petersburg Ballet Theatre

'Gala': Ian Palmer

"By far the most enjoyable excerpt was the little-seen duet from Harlequinade delivered with zest and wit by two of the company's brightest sparks - Olesya Levchenko and Dmitri Lysenko."

'Swan Lake': Jeffery Taylor

"A five star ballerina in a three star production is great news for ballet lovers. It means everyone can see her. Kolesnikova’s performance last Wednesday at Northampton’s Derngate Theatre with Konstantin Tachkin’s watchable, likeable and increasingly popular company, was simply extraordinary.""


Jonathan Burrows-Matteo Fargion

'Trilogy': Lynette Halewood

"These three works had originally been presented individually, and all three together are something of a marathon and require a good deal of concentration from the observer. Some of the audience didn't stay the course, which was a shame, because this was a thoughtful and intense exploration of gesture and sound."


La La La Human Steps

'Amjad': Ann Williams

"Just in from seeing the Canadian company La La La Human Steps performing 'Amjad' at Sadler's Wells, a truly exhilarating experience..."


Robert North for Birmingham Rep

'The Snowman': Ian Palmer

"Yet in spite of these wastes, the show remains as triumphant as it ever was, its childish spirit never relinquishing its potent adult themes."

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Postings Reviews section
New York City Ballet 'Jewels': Bruce Wall
Mariinsky Ballet (Kirov) 'Swan Lake': Ellen
Royal Ballet 'Sylvia': Wulff
Royal Ballet 'Sylvia': Simonetta Dixon
Royal Ballet 'Tales of Beatrix Potter, Les Patineurs' bill: Michael LL
Royal Ballet 'Tales of Beatrix Potter, Les Patineurs' bill: Ami Shah
Royal Ballet 'Les Patineurs': Mijosh

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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 January to 31 January (last update of this page) we have 372 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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