May 2005
Country Dancing?
A symposium for artists, promoters and policy makers which looks at dance practice outside of cities takes place this week in Illminster,Somerset from 25 – 27 May. It is believed to be the first of its ki… Continue Reading
Physics is everything
- Rambert’s Director Mark Baldwin should know – he’s been studying quantum physics for his latest work for the company. Constant Speed premieres at Sadler’s Wells this week -and was commi… Continue Reading
Happy Birthday Robert Cohan
At the end of a gala evening celebrating his life and work – and marking his 80th birthday, Robert Cohan was presented with the National Dance Awards special committee prize in recognition of his lifetime&… Continue Reading
Billy Elliott the Musical
The best British musical ever? Critical and audience opinion is unanimously ecstatic… ‘A sub-Broadway sentimentality can easily slip and slither into musicals, transforming them into escape-hatches … Continue Reading
Lea Anderson
- choreographer and founder of the Cholmondeleys & the Featherstonehaughs talks the life changing moment she was hit by a car. “As I ran, the car followed, gaining speed. It didn’t look like some… Continue Reading
Raissa Struchkova
- the Bolshoi ballerina, died earlier this monthat the age of 79. ‘To London audiences, she became a special favourite, even before they got to see her as a Bolshoi artist.’ Read obituaries in the Gu… Continue Reading
Victor Silvester
- pioneered ballroom dance on TV, his son Christopher writes: ‘His Television Dancing Club, which started in 1948, made a profound impression on early television viewers. The programme contained a short da… Continue Reading
Just for Show
Lloyd Newson, talks about his latest work with DV8… “A lot of dance is just glorified modelling. It’s no more than showing off. If you were looking for adjectives for dance, you’d think &… Continue Reading
Lee Hall - on why he wrote Billy Elliott
“The piece is about the loss of community, identity and a collective politics which inspired generations of people and which was wiped out almost overnight for ideological reasons. But in the bravery, sens… Continue Reading
Hip hop horror
Breakin Convention – an international festival of hip hop dance theatre opens at Sadler’s Wells this weekend – with a horror theme for Friday 13th. Is there a link between hip hop and horror fi… Continue Reading
DV8 cancel opening of new show
DV8 Physical Theatre had to cancel the UK premiere of Just for Show at Brighton Festival due to the serious illness of one of the company’s dancers, Mikel Aristegui. Just for Show was one of the opening p… Continue Reading
Breakin Convention - again
Sadler’s Wells is preparing for a second hip hop festival this weekend. “To do Breakin’ Convention again says a lot about the creativity of hip-hop culture and the knowledge and diversity of th… Continue Reading
Rambert, Union and Kylie
- all part of the working life of choreographer Rafael Bonachela. As Union Dance premiere his latest new work at the Queen ELizabeth Hall this week, he explains his work for Miss Minogue to dance critic Ismene B… Continue Reading
Billy Elliot - the Musical
Directory Stephen Daldry talks about turning the film into a stage musical, in which all the players express themselves through dance. _“Basically, we went round and watched a lot of Northumbrian people da… Continue Reading
The Place Choreodrome 2005
Former resident artists Jonathan Burrows, Carol Brown and Colin Poole are returning to The Place along with 34 other contemporary dance artists chosen to take part in Choreodrome, The Place’s biennial Summ… Continue Reading