Ballet.co Magazine
For June 2008

Previous Ballet.co magazine - May 2007
Next Ballet.co magazine - July 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 and Features



Daria Klimentova
The much loved mother, photographer, masterclass director and Senior Principal dancer with English National Ballet talks to Simonette Dixon



Jonathan Goddard
The National Dance Awards Best Male Dancer of 2007 talks to Richard Amey about not being so anonymous these days...


Laura Knight
at the Theatre
Ian Palmer on a must see exhibition of works by Laura Knight who captured one of the most fertile periods in ballet - the Ballets Russes


'Gaite Parisienne' DVD
Staring Frederic Franklin and Alexandra Danilova
Graham Watts... "...it’s a great testament to the human condition. The 37-minute full length film of ‘Gaîté Parisienne’ is the product of one extraordinary man’s lifetime labour of love; and another man’s determination to fulfil his wish that his work be seen by everyone"


Rudolf Nureyev
and Erik Bruhn on DVD
Two legendary performers from the 20th Century available on DVD - Graham Watts reviews a "Remarkable DVD"



Francesca Filpi
RB First Artist
Francesca was a guest of the Ballet Association back in November 2007 - we are catching up with a report released in December 2007...


Leanne Cope
and Paul Kay
of the Royal Ballet

The two Royal Ballet dancers were guests of the Ballet Association back in August 2007 - we are catching up with a report released in October 2007...

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In the Galleries

Currently our Images Gallery contains approximately 4450 images.



English National Ballet
Swan Into Spring: Manon pdd,
Trois Gnossiennes and Etudes
On Tour
and as photographed by Daria Klimentova



Ballet Boyz
Broken Fall
London, Sadler's Wells



Royal Ballet
Dances at a Gathering and The Dream
London, Sadler's Wells



Royal Ballet
New Works
London, Linbury Studio Theatre



Rambert Dance Company
Carnival of the Animals
London, Sadler's Wells



Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui,
Anthony Gormley & Shaolin Monks
Sutra
London, Sadler's Wells



San Francisco Ballet
New Works Festival 2008
San Francisco, War Memorial Opera House

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Diaries and weblogs


Jarkko Lehmus weblog...
the Scottish Ballet dancer who tells it like no other...
'A Sledgehammer In the Splits'
Words of reflection on lots of things this month: "Let's start with a few wise words of hindsight: the past year has been a particularly stressful one due to my compulsive an escapist nature ...I've been rubbish at work and trampled on some amazing people to the extent that some of them don't even talk to me anymore. It hasn't been big nor clever. All I can do is to apologise, learn from my mistakes and hope that time heals the damage I've done." (weblog home)


Dane Hurst weblog...
the Phoenix Dance Theatre dancer and recent National Dance Award winner is our latest webloger...
'Money, Madness & Happiness': "This is the Stage. A place where reality does not exist and troubles become a thing of the past, even if only for a moment. ...Money cannot buy such pleasures. I might not be able to buy a house or afford a ticket home or even lend a few quid but let me tell you, the poorest of men can have the richest of rewards within. Sharing that with a few people is priceless." (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...
Rym Kechacha is back from injury as the Ballet Central caravan reaches an overnight stay in Chipping Norton....(Weblog Home)

Weblog writers
Helene Cooper
Carole Edrich
Madame Galina
Daniel Jones

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Reviews
Ballet.co reviews entered between 01/05/2008 and 31/05/2008 are included here...

Danish Reviews

Royal Danish Ballet

'Onegin - Greve's farewell': Jane Simpson

"The Royal Danish Ballet's last performance this season of John Cranko's Onegin ended with a standing ovation, tears, flowers and a shower of gold. It was principal dancer Kenneth Greve's farewell, his last appearance as a dancer before he moves to a new phase of his career as Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Finland. It would be easy to let the excitement and emotion overshadow the rest of the evening, but the fine performance by the whole company deserves to be remembered for..."

'Hot Hot Hot - Duato/Wheeldon/Naharin': Jane Simpson

"Fortunately, Wheeldon's new piece more than made up for the shortcomings of the rest of the evening. It's set to Gavin Bryars' second String Quartet, The Wanderers, and shares its title, and a factual description would make it sound like a straightforward, if slightly unusually structured, plotless ballet: solo, pas de deux, trio, two more pas de deux, finale for the whole cast. Even at that level it would be a beautiful and engrossing work, but the performance I saw was much more..."

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USA Reviews

San Francisco Ballet

'New Works Festival - Programs A and B': Bruce Marriott

"In America where once people just talked about NYCB and ABT as great companies, at the very top table internationally, now you have to include SFB and in many respects their dedication to the new marks them out above most world-class companies..."

'New Works Festival - Program B': Renee Renouf

"The mood (in The Ruins Proclaim The Building Was Beautiful) conveyed fin de siecle, courtesan life turned tawdry, mold on invisible walls, female dependency minus mastery of workaday skills outside the boudoir."

'New Works Festival - Program C': Renee Renouf

"(in Thread) What Jenkins provided the thirteen dancers was the challenge to employ classical training at an obvious, sustained level. While there were few technical surprises, the pace and placement of technique was satisfying, classical myth devoid of pretty little pointe work, supported attitudes, arabesques or pirouettes. Lifts and balances occurred, but lacked the usual balletic geometry."


American Ballet Theatre

'Spring Gala': Eric Taub

"The artistic high point of the gala was Nina Ananiashvili's appearance with Angel Corella in an excerpt from the second act of Giselle ...It's been a long time since I've seen Ananiashvili dance Giselle, and her return was a welcome demonstration of what separates a ballerina from a merely great dancer."

'Le Corsaire': Rachel Straus

"Faced with drowning into Le Corsaire or over-analyzing its absurdities, I opted for the former. As I left the theater my mind was a shipwreck, but my eyes sparkled—and that is nothing to demean."


New York City Ballet

'All American Fare': Rachel Straus

"It's no wonder that City Ballet performs Robbins's Ives, Songs often. The ballet has heart. ...The work, about joyfully playing as a child, becoming part of a community of couples in adulthood, and feeling solitude at life's end, requires ensemble acting. This cast, which included the fragile strength of Wendy Whelan, did just that."

'Bernstein Collaborations': Rachel Straus

"Dybbuk isn't a ballet to bring the kids, unless they are very sophisticated and a little weird. Its oddness lurks in every corner thanks in part to Patricia Zipprodt's Hassidic-meets-black lingerie costumes for the nine-member male cast..."


Merce Cunningham

'Beacon Event (2008)': Rachel Straus

"Though I prefer performances that cater to theatrical illusion, that don't subject my rear end to hard bleachers or make me walk through treacherously dark spaces to get to my seat, I admired Beacon Event for letting me experience Cunningham's dancers in close quarters. The uncomfortable intimacy gave me something valuable. I feel that I know these dancers. I know that I admire them."


Smuin Ballet

'Dancin' With Gershwin': Renee Renouf

"By far one of Michael Smuin's most successful pop ballets, Dancin' with Gershwin was the title for this medley of Gershwin hits. Costumed by Willa Kim, lit by Sara Linnie Slocum, with minimal stage sets by Rick Goodwin, Gershwin's melodies were rendered by solid star interpreters, almost shaking the stage with waves of nostalgia."


Lines Ballet with Shaolin Monks

'Long River High Sky': Renee Renouf

"Given classical en haut epaulement with bends, reaches and waist or hips as fulcrum characteristic of Alonzo King's choreography, which also eschews eye contact, contrasted with the forceful jumps, turns and flips of the Shaolin monks, it seemed filigree meeting ch'i."


City Ballet of San Diego

'Don Quixote': Anjuli Bai

"...Don Quixote was a terrific way to finish the season and makes me look forward to the next."


Company C Contemporary Ballet

'Armenia' bill: Renee Renouf

"Charles Anderson's Company C danced its B Program April 12-13 at Yerba Buena, excelling in its diverse contemporary qualities."


Cristina Moura

'like an idiot': Renee Renouf

"Once, she writhed on the floor, despair or addiction uncertain. Another sequence included striking a stone at four corners of the stage before at mid-center stage left placing the stone below her pelvis and dropping it. Moura lost me at that point..."


Kate Foley Dance Ensemble

'Angels of Suderac': Renee Renouf

"Angels of Sudjerac utilizes five dancers of highly divergent body builds to execute a ritual-like evocation of folk legend in a part of Croatia. Reinforced by gritty black and white film footage, which shows an animistic site overlain with Christian symbols, the dancers evoke possession and the extremes of body postures it induces."

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French Reviews

Paris Opera Ballet

'Balanchine/Nureyev/Forsythe bill': Azulynn

"Artifact Suite was by far the most interesting part of the evening. If Forsythe ever choreographed a masterpiece, I think this might be it; instead of just resorting to his usual tricks, he makes them part of a chilling whole..."

'Balanchine/Nureyev/Forsythe bill': Natasha Rogai

"Personally I enjoyed Four Temperaments most - it was danced with superb technique, elegance and precision by the whole cast, but the highlight was a stunning performance by Matthieu Ganio in the Phlegmatic section."

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Hong Kong Reviews

Hong Kong Ballet

'Watch This Space - Young Choreographers Showcase': Natasha Rogai

" Yellow: "This was an accomplished, well-structured piece, which made good use of the dancers' strengths and showed emotion as well as technique. Mangosing has a facility for creating steps and the ability to coordinate a group of dancers effectively. I look forward to seeing more from him."

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UK Reviews

Mariinsky Ballet

'Don Quixote': Ian Palmer

"What a merry, preposterous, intoxicating romp is Don Quixote. Passions flare, maracas crack, matadors bay, gypsies wail and all-the-while, Classical ballet – especially when danced by such gifted artists as Viktoria Tereshkina and Leonid Sarafanov – is joyfully honoured."

'Don Quixote, Kirov Gala': Natasha Rogai

" Don Q: "She (Tereshkina) is the real deal - a great Maryinsky ballerina, that Rolls Royce of dancers : sleek lines, perfect taste and one hell of a motor under that elegant hood. Lobukhin was a revelation - although his solos were less difficult and less brilliant than Sarafanov's they were beautifully finished and presented with panache..."

'Kirov Gala': Ian Palmer

"The evening concluded with the Shades Act from Bayadere and as ever the Mariinsky corps was hypnotic (though did I notice the music taken at quite a lick faster than I last remember?). Ekaterina Kondaurova danced Nikiya as if she had fallen in love with a foreign prince called William Forsythe (never was the absence of Lopatkina more keenly felt)..."

'Jewels': Ian Palmer

"It is only then in Diamonds that one gets the sense of the company as an organic whole and the corps is miraculous in the un-broken formations of diamonds. The two ballerinas on both nights could not have been more different, though they were both nobly partnered by the same dancer, Evgeny Ivanchenko..."

'Jewels': Paul N

"Three cheers that the Kirov should make its Birmingham Hippodrome debut with Jewels ...a superb first night."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


Royal Ballet

'Dances at a Gathering, The Dream' bill: Bruce Marriott

"To me Dances at a Gathering is like a favourite Auntie when I was young - neat, well dressed, polite, thoughtful, well intentioned and sadly really rather boring company. She perhaps didn't deserve to be called boring, but the fact was that's how I felt after about 25 minutes of restrained pleasantness - an hour plus and I was ready to climb the wall. Sorry folks - pray for my deliverance."

'Dances at a Gathering, The Dream' bill: Wulff

"For me it (Dances at a Gathering) certainly remains among my favourite ballets and a wonderful demonstration of how eloquent the language of classical ballet can still be when used by a master choreographer. While Robbins was insistent that there was no plot, and no "characters" in the ballet other than the dancers' own personalities, there is a subtle subtext of emotions and relationships in each number, even though these are not necessarily interrelated. The result is that the series of dances are no..."

'Dances at a Gathering, The Dream' bill: Paul Arrowsmith

"As a ballet this (the Dream) is still a wonderful distillation of the play – but in this performance it looked tired."

'Rushes/Serenade Bill': Jeffery Taylor

Rushes: "Though the weight of front gauzes and ridiculously dim lighting only diminishes, not to say obliterates the dancers, Brandstrup has finally found an authentic and descriptive dance language. And we all breathed a sigh of relief."

'Serenade' bill: Paul Arrowsmith

"Why does the Royal Ballet dance Balanchine? Looking at this performance of Serenade the company looked like a troupe performing in a language they do not understand. No sign of the buoyancy, pliancy and implicit drama that is Balanchine."

'Romeo and Juliet': Bruce Marriott

"Nunez and Soares acted big and the whole company seemed to take their cue and act big and bold as well. Not in any hammy, embarrassing, way but good, straightforward, committed story-telling, and it fits the work beautifully."

'New Works': Bruce Marriott

"I'd love to see more but sadly this is the only New Works planned this year, and next year will be no different. The company ought to be doing much more at the Clore and Linbury level..."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


Scottish Ballet

'Romeo and Juliet': Jeffery Taylor

"Director Ashley Page has delivered a winner. Romeo & Juliet can only enhance Scottish Ballet's soaring reputation."

'Romeo and Juliet': Gareth K Vile

"This Romeo and Juliet does not just deal in the passion and glamour: nor does it follow slavishly in the path of MacMillan's well-loved version. It is stark, occasionally brutal but attempting to bring a gentle realism into the portrayal of the lovers. The film projections don't really work: the discovery of the corpses is posed beautifully but undermined by very strange footage of a face; the political overtones are weak and irrelevant. Yet Pastor has shown a genuine sensitivity to her..."


Sylvie Guillem and Russell Maliphant

'Push' bill: Ian Palmer

"May there be more like this, and soon."


Chunky Move

'Glow': Gareth K Vile

"In only half an hour, more coiled energy and frantic release is packed in than in two hours of most dance. The choreography could stand by itself, but interacts with the light to create a genuinely integrated spectacle."


Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui

'Myth': Charlotte Kasner

"The two hours (no interval) fly by as one is swept up into his odd little world. ...This is a work to be seen rather than described."


Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui-Shaolin Monks

'Sutra': Lynette Halewood

"The work is seventy five minutes long, without interval and maintained its interest throughout. It was very popular with the audience, perhaps a slightly thin one for Sadler's."


Rambert Dance Company

'Carnival of the Animals' bill: Jeffery Taylor

" Anatomica #3: "Whatever else Gingras is trying to say, a stage full of fellow humans of such quality is profoundly life-affirming and a good feeling to take home. Baldwin should be very proud."

'Carnival of the Animals' bill: Graham Watts

"Rarely have I seen such disparity between the elite quality of dancers and the inferiority of the work they have to perform as in the case at either end of this dreadfully poor mixed programme. That the whole was only worth the while was due to the sumptuous filling of Siobhan Davies' exciting dance artistry in her unique take on Saint-Saëns''Carnival of the Animals'."


Alina Cojocaru

'Hospices of Hope Gala': CatherineC

"I Loved this. ...I came out light of heart, smiling from ear to ear and absolutely ready to empty my purse into the nearest collection bucket - so a great success..."


Birmingham Royal Ballet

'Northern Midscale Tour': Ian Palmer

"But it was Callie Roberts (who joined the company straight from school at the start of the Season) who was outstanding in the main soloist role (of Concerto Barocco), and if there has recently been a more assured debut in such a difficult role, I have yet to see it."

'Northern Midscale Tour': Janet McNulty

"This was a terrific programme – exquisite, with plenty of contrast and well-balanced."

'Southern Midscale Tour': Gareth K Vile

"A patchy evening overall, redeemed by the good-time finale but emphasising the breadth of Birmingham Royal Ballet's range: Dante Sonata perhaps the most challenging piece, while Elite Syncopations the most fun and engaging. There is a sense of innate conservatism, dwelling on past triumphs and casting works as museum pieces - Dante Sonata would certainly benefit from an updated set of costumes..."

'Southern Midscale Tour': Janet McNulty

"I thought this was a nicely balanced triple bill that shows off the talents of BRB to perfection. Tales from the North next week!"


Sankalpam

'Bharata Natyam dance programme: Alarippu': Carole Edrich

"Despite the apparent inexperience of some of those on stage it was a pleasant, entertaining and educational evening. Whether by intention or design I'm unsure, but the performance left me wondering how seasoned professionals would perform the same pieces and I'll be looking out for more."


Ballet Central

2008 Tour bill: Bruce Marriott

"Nice one chaps and I'd encourage anybody to go and see a good professional show that lifts the spirits."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


Ballet Boyz - George Piper Dances

'Greatest Hits': Graham Watts

"Russell Maliphant's 'Broken Fall' has lost none of that edge, even without the unique attack that Sylvie Guillem brought to those early performances; the Boyz' long-term partner, Oxana Panchenko, is now firmly ensconced in her role and the familial closeness she has with Nunn and Trevitt somehow improves the never-ending ebb and flow of the long trio."

'Greatest Hits': Jeffery Taylor

"Top and tailing their dances with idiosyncratic home movies is a neat ruse to capture the popular vote but artistically there must be more than the favourites currently on show."


English National Ballet

'Swan Into Spring': Alison Penfold

"The icing on the cake for this second "act", though, was of course that old favourite the pas de deux from Le Corsaire, with Crystal Costa making her debut, partnered by Yat-Sen Chang. The pair compliment each other well physically..."


Nederlands Dance Theatre

'Silent Screen, Toss of a Dice' bill: Ian Palmer

"Also on offer was a 2005 Jiri Kylian work, Toss of a Dice, whose singular effect was one of choreographic anaesthesia..."


Havana Rakatan

'Havana Rakatan': Graham Watts

"If you've been fortunate enough to experience the unique crumbling, sunny grandeur of Habana Vieja , sipped a Daiquiri in Hemingway's La Floridita Bar and enjoyed the spontaneous outbursts of Buena Vista Club rhythms on a gorgeous golden beach, then I guarantee that this show will bring these wonderful memories flooding back."

'Havana Rakatan': Ian Palmer

"For me, Cuban artistry is emboldened by the titanic work of Alicia Alonso and her Ballet Nacional de Cuba, by such dancers as José Manuel Carreño, Viengsay Valdes, Carlos Acosta and not, as here presented, by the ne'er-do-wells of Havana with the roving eye and wandering hand, ready to pinch the behind of the nearest Senorita, before whisking them up into a Rumba."


Richmond May Fair

'Swan Lake pdd, La Fille Mal Gardee excerpt' bill: Ann Williams

"Confidently partnered by ENB's Pedro Lapetra, Ms Kochetkova danced the Act II pas-de-deux from 'Swan Lake' to an unfortunately screechy and over-amplified recording of the Tchaikovsky music. Nevertheless she gave us a Swan Queen of such ethereal calmness and control..."


Tero Saarinen

'Next of Kin': Graham Watts

"Tero Saarinen's work is not always comfortable to watch but my limited experience (both this and his Shaker-inspired 'Borrowed Light' seen on the same stage, three years ago) suggests that he has the rare power to transport his audience into another world..."


Zoi Dimitriou

'Goddesses in Exile, Dromi' bill: Graham Watts

"In both works, the connectivity between text, music, lighting and movement had been carefully constructed and the overall pace and imagery of these works confirm that Dimitriou is capable of being in the highest echelon of conceptual dance theatre artists..."


Northern Ballet Theatre

'A Midsummer Night's Dream': Janet McNulty

"The whole company look as though they are having a ball in this work and the audience really reacted positively to this with much laughter in the funny bits and great cheers at the end. ...It should be required viewing for everyone!"

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


Independent Ballet Wales

'Romeo and Juliet': Trog Woolley

"Independent Ballet Wales once again delivered the goods and the hard working dancers entertained and thrilled the appreciative audience."


Ballet Ireland

'Wilde Extravaganza': Trog Woolley

"Once again Ballet Ireland presented a very enjoyable evenings entertainment. This tour was mostly around Ireland, with just the 5 UK dates at the end. I hope the the company bring this program back for a wider showing."


Scottish Dance Theatre

'tenderhook, DOG' bill: Janet McNulty

"The dancers in this company are all terrific and it was a very enjoyable evening. I hope I get the chance to see them again soon."


Dancing on Ice

'Dancing on Ice the Tour': Jeffery Taylor

"A successful competition is lifted en bloc from the screen and a well rehearsed mock up sold as the real thing. All sense of spontaneous rivalry, inexperienced screw ups and impromptu judge's exchanges are abandoned. But what the heck, with the incomparable Chris, 50, and Jane, 51, replacing youth with experience, a genuine pleasure in pleasing us, plus some brilliant choreography, who cares?"

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Postings Reviews section
Mariinsky Ballet (Kirov) 'Don Quixote': Paul N
Mariinsky Ballet (Kirov) 'Don Quixote': Don Q fan
Mariinsky Ballet (Kirov) 'Don Quixote': Don Q fan
Mariinsky Ballet (Kirov) 'Kirov Gala': Ursula Kelly
Mariinsky Ballet (Kirov) 'Don Quixote, Kirov Gala': Amelia
Royal Ballet 'Dances at a Gathering, The Dream' bill: Terry Amos
Royal Ballet 'Dances at a Gathering, The Dream' bill: Michael LL
Royal Ballet 'Dances at a Gathering, The Dream' bill: Amanda Steeds
Royal Ballet 'New Works': Gonetorome
Royal Ballet 'Romeo and Juliet': Simonetta Dixon
Royal Ballet 'Romeo and Juliet': Carmela
Royal Ballet 'Romeo and Juliet': Jenny Taylor
Royal Ballet 'Serenade' bill: Michael LL
Royal Ballet 'Serenade' bill: Paul Williams
Royal Ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty': Michael LL
Northern Ballet Theatre 'Romeo and Juliet': Janet McNulty
Ballet Central 'Steps to Bach' bill: Trog Woolley

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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 May to 31 May (last update of this page) we have 383 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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