July 2008
Feature: Big Dance 2008 round up
London’s Big Dance week in pictures. Scroll over the images for captions. *More to come in next few days & if you have any you’d like to add to the display,” email them to us”:* … Continue Reading
Feature: Montpellier Danse Festival 2008
*The annual two week Montpellier Danse Festival has become a key part of the European dance scene since its first season in 1981. Over the years it has hosted a diverse array of artists and this year was no exc… Continue Reading
News: National Ballet of China comes West
Madam Zhao Ruheng has been director of the National Ballet of China since 1994 – and a member of the company since it was formed in 1959. In advance of her company’s performances of Swan Lake and Rai… Continue Reading
News: ACE funding report published
Following the massive dissent surrounding last February’s funding announcements and decisions, Arts Council England’s new Chief Executive Alan Davey commissioned a report by Baroness Genista McIntosh… Continue Reading
The Wizard of Oz at Royal Opera House
‘Jude Kelly’s revival of this version, originally adapted by John Kane for the RSC in 1988, offers high-energy dance routines, hordes of singing children, echoey amplification and performances that never stray far from their counterparts in Victor Fleming&…
The Wizard of Oz at Royal Festival Hall
‘..Still, the pacing is lively, the intermittent dance routines are appealing and the cast give it full value. Brooke’s Dorothy lacks Judy Garland’s wide-eyed responsiveness but she handles both the songs and Toto with twinkling aplomb. Adam Cooper bri…
The Wizard of Oz at Royal Festival Hall
‘When oiled, Adam Cooper’s Tin Man dances a witty horn-pipe of liberation and Gary Wilmot is endearing as the Lion. The orchestra brings real punch to the droll perkiness of the score and sumptuousness to its melancholy.’ Paul Taylor
National Ballet of China in Swan Lake at Royal Opera House
‘Looking at this first appearance in our national ballet house, we have to recall that ballet in China is the fruit of 60 years of aspiration and endeavour (and those years terribly scarred by the decade of the Cultural Revolution). As with so much from China…
National Ballet of China in Swan Lake at Royal Opera House
‘At key moments Makarova stays close to the 19th-century text, but she does too much distracting tinkering in the ordering of dances, and her attempts to add dramatic realism are more about fussy props than orchestrating the larger rhythms of the action.’
National Ballet of China in Swan Lake at Royal Opera House
‘Above all, though, this is a ballet that tells us a lot about a company, and what it tells us about China’s national company is that its classical style is extremely pretty. The dancers are incredibly neat and precise of technique, and wonderfully respect…
National Ballet of China in Swan Lake at Royal Opera House
28 July 2008 The secret of Swan Lake lies in the contrast between Odette and Odile – the white swan and her sorceress imposter – which is reflected in the so-called White and Black Acts. Few ballerinas are capable of mastering both pure and fiery extremes of …
Mikhailovsky ballet in Giselle & Mixed Bill at Sadler's Wells
‘Many will disagree but for my tuppence National Ballet of China lacks the emotional connection that converts ballet from a pretty thing into a serious one.’
Mikhailovsky ballet in Giselle & Mixed Bill at London Coliseum
‘Between a well-drilled Giselle and a glittering mixed bill it was possible to appreciate a company of far greater depth and subtlety than the opening Spartacus would suggest.’
Mikhailovsky ballet in Giselle & Mixed Bill at London Coliseum
‘History lesson or overstuffed novelty bag? The Mikhailovsky Company’s mixed bill veered between both as eight highlights from the Russian repertory were crammed into an exhausting, fascinating and occasionally preposterous three hours.’
News: In-I
Juliette Binoche talks about her dance collaboration with Akram Khan, which opens at the National Theatre on 6 September. Read more in the Observer, 27 July 08 Continue Reading