Ballet.co Magazine
For November 2009

Previous Ballet.co magazine - October 2009
Next Ballet.co magazine - Dec 2009 / Jan 2010

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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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Reviews
Ballet.co reviews entered between 01/10/2009 and 31/10/2009 are included here...

Danish Reviews

Royal Danish Ballet

'Robbins bill: Dances at a Gathering, West Side Story Suite': Jane Simpson

"I had great expectations of a Danish Dances. After all, the qualities the ballet needs - vivid personalities, delight in dancing, humour, a strong community spirit, a feeling for the drama underlying the steps - are a near-perfect match for what are supposed to be the company's strengths. But neither of the two performances I saw... lived up to my hopes..."

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USA Reviews

Boston Ballet

'Giselle': Alan Helms

"Lorna Feijoo as Giselle was the best I've ever seen her. She was muted but just as nuanced as Cornejo in the beginning, and her mad scene was exemplary, showing moment by moment a heartbroken girl actually in the process of losing her mind. When she fell dead at the end, no other outcome seemed possible."

'Giselle': Carla DeFord

"Kuranaga clearly benefited enormously from working with Gielgud; her mad scene was a revelation."


Bill T Jones

'Fondly Do We Hope ... Fervently Do We Pray': Renee Renouf

"Fondly Do We Hope ....Fervently Do We Pray, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company cast of eleven and four supporting musicians and composers found its audience ready to relish. They did, and justly so."


City Center's Fall for Dance Festival:


Diana Vishneva

'Fall For Dance 2009: The Dying Swan': Eric Taub

"After her post-curtain resurrection, she treated them to a world-class example of the Ballerina Curtain Call, taken in glorious, swanny character. Acknowledging the musicians, her arms drifted leisurely towards them; you wanted to dab at your misty eyes. For better or worse, she delivered the Great Russian Ballerina Experience."


Australian Ballet

'Fall For Dance 2009: Le Spectre de la Rose': Eric Taub

"The "handed-down" Spectre, still performed by ABT (for now, I suppose) is more interesting and dramatic than Isabel Fokine's."


Sang Jijia

'Fall For Dance 2009: Snow': Eric Taub

"I mean, when I'm on my haunches in the snow, the first thing I think of doing is slide my arm behind my knee and wave my leg about. Doesn't everybody?"


Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

'Fall For Dance 2009: Revelations': Eric Taub

"Performed about a million times a year, Revelations is a well-oiled applause machine, but the Ailey dancers keep it remarkably fresh."


Pilobolus Dance Theater

'Redline' bill: Oksana Khadarina

"In Darkness and Light, Pilobolus evolves and reinvents itself, moving into the new territory, inventing a totally different visual vocabulary. As such, this 25-minute piece was an absorbing and invigorating alternative to the usual Pilobolus' offerings."


Richard Alston

'Movements From Petrushka' bill: Oksana Khadarina

"This musically diverse and overall exciting program was warmly received by the audience. Let's hope we won't wait for long to see this wonderful dance group again."


Washington Ballet

'Don Quixote': Oksana Khadarina

"On opening night, guest star Viengsay Valdés – prima ballerina of Ballet Nacional de Cuba – set the exuberant tone for the performance as her Kitri inspired the whole cast. ...It is impossible not to admire her stage presence. The ballerina's technical prowess is world-class."


Ballet San Jose

'Coppelia': Renee Renouf

"...with Meng Lu, Ballet San Jose's new principal male dancer in the role of Franz. While yet to be seen alternate, Maykel Solas is definitely no slouch, Lu's height and build kindles the eye the minute he strides on stage... Alexandra Meijer provided a graceful Swanhilda..."


Smuin Ballet

'Soon These Two Worlds' bill: Renee Renouf

"It (Soon These Two Worlds) is Seiwart's strongest choreography to date, a definite benchmark."


Oakland Ballet

'Jewels of the Bay': Renee Renouf

"Oakland Ballet may well continue temporarily with only sporadic performances, utilizing dancers under contract to other companies, area ensembles lending talent not bound by their own rehearsals and performances. Oakland clearly benefitted; the dancers provided a performance skill level not enjoyed since Joral Schmalle and Michael Lowe acted as interim artistic directors. I could live with that..."


Atlanta Ballet

'The Magic Flute': Pamela Gaye

"Mark Godden's The Magic Flute shone as Atlanta Ballet's full-length season opener fraught with whimsical and amorous interludes coupled with a mixture of stellar solo performances by dancers Christian Clark, Christine Winkler, Joshua Reynolds, and others."

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Spanish Reviews

Julio Bocca

'Julio Bocca Gala of Stars': Carmela

"So in general, there was a mixed opinion about this gala – some found it absolutely fulfilling, but there were quite a lot of implications that it was a little boring... (but) Tamara Rojo and Marianela Nunez got glowing reviews from every reporter..."

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Swiss Reviews

Bern Ballet

'Juliet and Romeo (Julia und Romeo)': Bob Kimber

"This was an evening of Cathy (Marston) at a new level of excellence with a Company dancing at their very best."

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Hong Kong Reviews

Hong Kong Ballet

'Romeo and Juliet': Kevin Ng

"The surprise of the first cast was the outstanding performance of Huang Zhen as Romeo. Huang, the newest principal dancer in the company, has improved tremendously in his acting. He was full of passion and emotional intensity, and his classical dancing was superb as usual."


City Contemporary Dance Company

'As if to Nothing': Natasha Rogai

"Sang is known for his distinctive style of movement and it was interesting to see CCDC's dancers stretched – literally and figuratively – by his choreography."

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UK Reviews

Royal Ballet

'Mayerling': Lynette Halewood

"It was greeted at the close with cheers and very generous applause. The leading trio looked overwhelmingly pleased to come out for yet another curtain call and seemed thrilled with the reception. How many of those who had never attended before will be back I wonder, and what will they be looking to see ? Many left clutching flyers for Sleeping Beauty. Not quite the same amount of sex and guns in that. But a livelier audience might be a fun thing."

'Mayerling': Jeffery Taylor

"But while Mara Galeazzi as Mary Vetsera nearly stole the show with her natural conviction, exuberance and authoritative technique, the evening belonged to Watson as Rudolf, one of the most challenging male roles ever created."

'Mayerling': Simonetta Dixon

"It was lovely to see Sarah Lamb back onstage as Larisch. I really missed her last season... She strikes just the right balance in this role, between the warmth and love she truly has for Rudolf, and the cold, calculating, bitter ex-mistress..."

'Mayerling': Carmela

"Watson's Mayerling reminded me of his performance in The Lesson - too much, too soon - and as a result we cannot feel proper sympathy for the character. ...However, there are still many amazing things about Watson's performance, particularly the partnering and his rapport with Mara Galeazzi, who gave one of the great performances of her life..."

'Mayerling': Carmela

"So, all in all I thought it was a very commendable triple debut - Pennefather, with more confidence will be a very good Rudolf, I think, everything is there. Melissa Hamilton did a very good showing in her first full length leading role and Marianela Nunez gave a performance as Larisch that was hard to believe could be a debut..."

'The Sleeping Beauty': Jane Simpson

"It's tough for any Aurora, anyway, to have to share a stage with Nunez: her Lilac Fairy - warm, radiant, and totally involved - fills the theatre, and she at least shows us what Sleeping Beauty can be."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


Mark Morris Dance Group

'Programme One': Charlotte Kasner

"Mark Morris provides a jolly, if unchallenging, evening of entertainment in this initial programme. By far the best thing is his commitment to live music, and by far the best thing of this evening was the choice of the rather neglected Charles Ives to open the programme."

'Programme Two':
Jane Simpson

"Finally, Grand Duo, which we seem to see so often that it's becoming the MMDG's answer to Revelations. It's a sort of vegetarian Rite of Spring, most famous for the explosive score by Lou Harris..."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


Morphoses - The Wheeldon Company

'Commedia' bill: Bruce Marriott

"Youthful, athletic, jazzy at times - all good - but it seemed rather to ignore the music - which is pretty difficult with something as monumentally bonkers as Bolero."

'Rhapsody Fantaisie' bill: Bruce Marriott

"I liked Rhapsody Fantaisie and while Wheeldon is trying new movement things, which I applaud, it was however the old movements that impressed me more.... in Continuum"

'Rhapsody Fantaisie' bill: Diandri

"I opted for the saturday night programme & must admit to leaving the theatre feeling a little bit frustrated. ...Is Wheeldon trying to attract new audiences to dance or drive them away?"


Birmingham Royal Ballet

'Cyrano': Ian Palmer

"David Bintley's 2007 Cyrano has returned to Birmingham Royal Ballet's repertory and it is a work that has grown in authority with age. It has also gained in my estimation. At its premiere run, I confess to having found it pithy and old fashioned, but this (as I now see) is to deny the intelligence with which Bintley has conceived it."

'Cyrano': Terry Amos

"What really makes the Cyrano so wonderful in my eyes is the interactions between the three main characters (Cyrano, Roxane and Christian). They are so thoroughly captivating that the third act, where everything falls apart for them, is so very, very sad - it moves me deeply every time I watch it."

more reviews in Postings Reviews section


Cirkus Cirkor

'Inside Out': Ian Palmer

"... not many evenings can be better spent than at Cirkus Cirkör and its life-affirming show Inside Out."


Sadler's Wells 'In the Spirit of Diaghilev':


Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui

'Spirit of Diaghilev: Faun': Ian Palmer

"Lush in its tumblings, in its intimate play, in the delicacy with which it taps into Debussy's score it seemed fascinating, vivid and strangely animal in its textures."

'Spirit of Diaghilev: Faun': Lynette Halewood

"Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's Faun was the most obvious Diaghilev reference: his faun is a fluid rubber limbed creature whose natural state is rolling on the floor."

'Spirit of Diaghilev: Faun': Jeffery Taylor

"...the remarkable James O'Hara turns into a floppy limbed young animal with the controlled technique of a great virtuoso."


Random Dance Company

'Spirit of Diaghilev: Dyad 1909': Ian Palmer

"So the off-centre muscle spasms and tic-ridden movement. So the hyper-intellectualism that encases his work (and distances me thereby)."

'Spirit of Diaghilev: Dyad 1909': Lynette Halewood

"...something isn't quite right when your attention wanders away from the dancers to idly wondering where the industrial images came from."

'Spirit of Diaghilev: Dyad 1909': Jeffery Taylor

"Wayne MacGregor telephoned in an overlong piece."


Russell Maliphant Company

'Spirit of Diaghilev: AfterLight': Ian Palmer

"Superb in his (Proietto) control, in his evocations of the perfume of Nijinsky's creations, I thought him magnificent, as too the whole work."

'Spirit of Diaghilev: AfterLight': Lynette Halewood

"The evening was worth it just for this."

'Spirit of Diaghilev: AfterLight': Jeffery Taylor

"Somehow Proietto breaths endless shades of heartbreaking emotion into an apparently repetitive dance language."


Javier de Frutos

'Spirit of Diaghilev: Eternal Damnation to Sancho and Sanchez': Ian Palmer

"Echoes of Balanchine's Apollo waft like a fart in the air and as Ravel reaches his frenzied climax, the Pope is electrocuted upon his throne."

'Spirit of Diaghilev: Eternal Damnation to Sancho and Sanchez': Lynette Halewood

"There is not very much dance in this at all though there is a hunchbacked Pope and lots of sex, not usually consensual, which becomes remarkably tedious."

'Spirit of Diaghilev: Eternal Damnation to Sancho and Sanchez': Jeffery Taylor

"...just darned silly."


Kettly Noel and Nelisiwe Xaba

'Correspondances': Libby Costello

"Black History Month definitely needed these two dynamic divas to disco dance on a table of the West - keeping real people, real women and real friends at the heart of the African future."


Cie Willi Dorner

'bodies in urban spaces': John Mallinson

"...Dance Umbrella must be congratulated for it's policy in the last couple of years of moving from the theatrical box into the outside world, which introduces all sorts of new dramatic possibilities, let alone new audiences."

'bodies in urban spaces': Ian Palmer

"Speaking to a lady whose property had just seen Dorner's performers wrapped around its front-yard bins, she remarked, “It's amazing. I never thought my home could become art”. Thus, the beauty and the power of seeing Bodies in Urban Spaces."


Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company

'Hydra': Libby Costello

"Hydra really was a merge of concepts that resulted in me leaving the theatre as is waking from a picturesque dream."


Cloud Gate Dance Theatre

'Wind Shadow': Bruce Marriott

"My problem with Wind Shadow is that while the effects stun, they do so for 1 or 2 minutes at best - "OK, got the idea - excellent - next!" kept coming to mind. But things would grind slowly on instead."

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Postings Reviews section
Royal Ballet 'Mayerling': Michael LL
Royal Ballet 'Mayerling': Anna Merrick
Royal Ballet 'Mayerling': Jenny Taylor
Royal Ballet 'Mayerling': Mijosh
Royal Ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty': Mijosh
Royal Ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty': Marie Harrison
Mark Morris Dance Group 'Visitation' bill: Gretchen Kiefer
Birmingham Royal Ballet 'Cyrano': Janet McNulty
Birmingham Royal Ballet 'Cyrano': Janet McNulty
Northern Ballet Theatre 'Wuthering Heights': Azulynn
Northern Ballet Theatre 'Wuthering Heights': Janet McNulty

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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 October to 31 October (last update of this page) we have 512 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

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