Ian Macmillan

Links – Wednesday 9 January, 2019 Reviews – English National Ballet, Swan Lake (Deane), London: Louise Levene, Financial Times Stefan Kyriazis, Daily Express Feature – Royal Danish Ballet’s American Leading Ladies: Chava Lansky, Pointe Magazine Feature – Aileen Passloff, one of the ‘old gang’ who reinvented dance: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Review – Reggie Wilson’s Fist & Heel Performance Group, … they stood shaking while others began to shout, New York: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Review – Japan Society, Contemporary Dance Festival, New York: Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times Preview – American Ballet Theatre, Harlequinade, Costa Mesa: Eric Althoff, LA Times Preview – Resolution 2019, Annual new choreography showcase, London: Staff, Londondance Exhibition – Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, Worcester: Staff, SeeingDance

Links – Tuesday 8 January, 2019 Reviews – English National Ballet, Swan Lake (Deane), London: Debra Craine, The Times Emma Byrne, Evening Standard Joy Sable, Jewish Chronicle Anna Winter, The Stage Tatiana Rathelot, Bachtrack Preview – Miami City Ballet, Dances at a Gathering, Brahms/Handel, Miami: Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald Feature – How ballet legs went ever higher: Emma Sandall, Dance Magazine Review - Caleb Teicher Company, More Forever, New York: Brian Seibert, NY Times - Interview: Kosta Karakashyan, Fjord Review Review – Sarasota Ballet, Gala Performance, Sarasota: Carrie Seidman, Herald-Tribune Review – Dance at The Odyssey: Shade Théret, Maybe, Los Angeles: Laura Bleiberg, LA Times News – New Chairman of Governors at Elmhurst Ballet School: Staff, BWW UK Regional Feature – TV Dance Shows: Lyndsey Winship, Guardian Who knew? - The Portable Ballet Barre Market, 2017 - 25: Dave Hilbert, RIS Report

We will not be doing Links on this show - but be assured that a bit of googling will show that various publications have picked up on the negative response to this Royal Ballet claim.

Caught just the last 15 minutes on coming home - much as feared from the trailers - and it seemed cut short. No idea why some of each performance was behind a screen/curtain. Generally, very noisy.

Looks like you'd need an expensively and expansively equipped shed for this little task. I doubt that I'll bother!

From page 3 of today's Times: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/british-dancers-outnumber-all-other-groups-at-the-moulin-rouge-mrkfnxcvw?shareToken=f56c689a286f4b04000f733fbd9b1edf

Floss: I would certainly endorse any plan for the RB to stage Les Noces once again - a ritualistic piece of great force, and the origin of my admiration of Mme Yanowsky some 18 years ago. I have often seen it described as being expensive to put on but I'm never sure quite why. The ROH employs a fulltime chorus, does it not? And are 4 pianists any more expensive than the House orchestra? As to Les Rendezvous, is this the costuming you have in mind?

I hope I'm not alone here in being able to remember her from the time both she and Alma Cogan replaced Joy Nichols to join Jimmy Edwards and Dick Bentley on the top Light Programme radio show of the early 50s, "Take it from here," on which The Glums became a favourite weekly feature. A class act over very many years.

Links – Friday 28 December, 2018 Obituary: Elaine McDonald, Ballerina with Scottish Ballet: Kelly Apter, Scotsman Review – Paris Opera Ballet, The Lady of the Camellias, Paris: Marisa Hayes, Culture Vulture Previews – 2019: Best ballet and contemporary shows: UK: Debra Craine, The Times (Scroll down) London: Zoe Paskett, Evening Standard BBC Dance coverage: Staff, Seeing Dance Essay – The Nutcracker, our new Father Christmas?: Jeffery Taylor, Express Feature – Solomon Dumas, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Diary – New York This Week: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Awards: - Alicia Alonso appointed Star of the Century: Staff, Prensa Latina - Jean Grand-Maitre, AD Alberta Ballet, appointed to Order of Canada: Staff, CBC News Speaking in Dance – Long Zou of The Trocks: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Gallery – Dirty Dancing, the messiest stage shows: Guardian

Links – Thursday 27 December, 2018 Obituary – Sono Osato, Ballets Russes, Ballet Theater and Broadway: Richard Goldstein, NY Times Feature – NYCB’s Maries and Nutcracker Princes for 2018: Terry Trucco, Playbill Feature – Alvin Ailey Company – 6 Decades of Inspiration: Jen Peters, Playbill Feature – How I fell in love with … Dance: Belinda Lopez, Guardian News? – A Rolling Stones Ballet? Ian Mohr, Page Six

Links – Wednesday 26 December, 2018 Obituaries: - Elaine McDonald, Prima Ballerina with Scottish Ballet: Mary Brennan, Herald – Deborah Zall, Dancer & Choreographer: Marina Harss, NY Times Recollections – Paul Taylor, Arthur Mitchell and other Artists lost in 2018, Their Words: Sara Aridi & Peter Libbey, NY Times Gallery – Tristram Kenton’s best Dance & Theatre shots of 2018: Guardian Review – Sasha Waltz & Guests, Kreatur, Berlin: Katja Vaghi, Bachtrack Review – City Ballet of Boston, Urban Nutcracker, Boston: Jessica Lockhart, Arts Fuse Feature – AM Danza: Disabled Venezuelans reach new heights in Dance: Fabiola Sanchez, AP, via SF Chronicle

Oh dear! Now that we're on Page 26, I really am going to have to get into town to see what they've done at some point next year.

Sim: I'm delighted to see she's still conducting - and writing. Her "Handel in London" was published this year, and she was reading excerpts on Radio 4's 9-45 am book slot a couple of weeks ago. I first saw her conducting a performance of Haydn's Seasons at the Festival Hall some 30 years ago - what a sinuous back!!

Links – Tuesday 25 December, 2018 Report – New York City Ballet, Nutcracker Cavalier Debuts: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Review – Memorable Performances of 2018, New York: Marina Harss, DanceTabs Review – With a final essay yet to come, Alastair Macaulay’s last filing for the New York Times: - Vicky Simegiatos Dance Company, The Nutcracker, New York: NY Times Review – Miami City Ballet, The Nutcracker, Miami: Sean Erwin, Danceviewtimes Review – Natalia Osipova/Arthur Pita, The Mother, Edinburgh: Mary Brennan, Herald Feature – Tchaikovsky’s score for Swan Lake: Ivan Hewett, Telegraph

I'm breaking off whilst doing Links to insert this review of a performance of "Messiah" in Houston, conducted by the wonderful Dr Jane Glover. A 'seating dispute' broke out during, of all things, 'I know that my Redeemer liveth.' Who would perpetrate such a thing, and so late in the concert? https://www.chron.com/entertainment/arts-theater/article/Houston-Symphony-delivers-magnificent-13488699.php

The title pretty much says it all. After a limited trial, we opened to the public on 23 December 2011. All thanks to Bruce Marriott, and to ballet.co, the pioneering site that preceded us.

Two reviews of The Mother in today's Links.

Links – Monday 24 December, 2018 Review – Royal Ballet, Les Patineurs, Winter Dreams, The Concert, London: Jann Parry, DanceTabs Review – Memorable Performances of 2018, London: Lynette Halewood, DanceTabs Reviews – Natalia Osipova/Arthur Pita, The Mother, Edinburgh: Thom Dibdin, The Stage Lucy Ribchester, The List Film Review – Polina: Simran Hans, Observer Reviews– Queensland Ballet, The Nutcracker (Stevenson), Brisbane: Denise Richardson, Dance Australia Eden Bryant, Australian Stage As Alistair Macaulay retires from the New York Times, his first article from 2007: Confessions of a ‘Romeo’ Fiend: NY Times

Permit me to put in an early word for the seven dancers of Ballet Black in their touring double bill comprising Cathy Marston's The Suit, a story with drama and melancholy, and Arthur Pita's A Dream within A Midsummer Night's Dream, all sparkle and fantasy - all in all, a well-balanced evening's entertainment.

The Telegraph's access rules are added, below. The article has some Share icons but a Test has just shown that using the link then provided has no more effect than direct online access. "Premium" access is slowly restricting what's available to the Links team from unless we buy into a newspaper's subscription system - I gave up on The Australian over a year ago and have recently found the Boston Globe to be equally restrictive. (And several other US sites have also become unavailable here since the the introduction of the GDPR rules in Europe earlier this year.)

More immediately, she has Arthur Pita's The Mother in Edinburgh at the end of this week - see lengthy interview-based piece in to day's Links.

Links – Friday 14 December, 2018 Tributes – Elaine McDonald, former Scottish Ballet Principal Dancer: Brian Ferguson, Scotsman Reviews – Matthew Bourne/New Adventures, Swan Lake, London: Lyndsey Winship, Guardian Siobhan Murphy, Time Out London Emma Byrne, Evening Standard Mark Pullinger, Bachtrack Zoë Anderson, Independent Debra Craine, The Times Mark Monahan, Telegraph Louise Levene, Financial Times Anna Winter, The Stage Jessica Wilson, SeeingDance Keith Watson, Metro Film Review – Darcey Bussell remembers Sylvia from 2005: Jann Parry, DanceTabs Review – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Two 60th Anniversary Programs, New York: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times News – Sergei Polunin Programme, London Palladium, May 2019: Staff, BWW UK Book/Gallery – Darcey Bussell “Evolved”: Zoe Paskett, Evening Standard Diary – Coming up in New York: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Review – Sydney Dance Company, Pre-Professional Year Show, Sydney: Jill Sykes, SMH Review – Odissi Dance Festival, Portland: Jamuna Chiarini, Oregon Artswatch Today’s Seasonal Collection: Review – Ballett Zürich, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, Zürich: Sarah Batschelet, Bachtrack Review – Scottish Ballet, Cinderella (Hampson), Edinburgh: Thom Dibdin, The Stage Gallery – English National Ballet, The Nutcracker, London: Foteini Christofilopoulou, DanceTabs Review – San Francisco Ballet, The Nutcracker (Tomasson), San Francisco: Leslie Katz, SF Examiner

For tomorrow's Links - London Palladium, May/June 2019: https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Sergei-Polunin-Presents-A-New-Mixed-Bill-At-The-London-Palladium-20181213 Box Office open tomorrow but casting etc TBN.

Links – Thursday 13 December, 2018 Review – Ballet Nacional de España, 40th Anniversary Gala Programme, Madrid: Cristina de Lucas, Bachtrack News – Wendy Whelan, Sara Mearns amongst names for Jacob’s Pillow, 2019: Joshua Barone, NY Times Review – Catherine Galasso, Of Iron and Diamonds V3: Alone Together, San Francisco: Rita Felciano, Danceviewtimes News – NBC’s Guillaume Côté to guest with the Bolshoi: Debra Yeo, Toronto Star Review – Motionhouse Dance Theatre, Happy Hour, Knot & Others, Rugby: David Mead, SeeingDance Preview – LunarFest, The New Butterfly Lovers, Vancouver: Staff, Straight.com Today’s Seasonal Collection: Review – Royal Ballet, The Nutcracker (Wright), London: Laura Freeman, Spectator Review – Ballet West, The Nutcracker (Christensen), Washington DC: Ashley McKean, Danceviewtimes Review – Oregon Ballet Theatre, The Nutcracker, Portland: Martha Ullman West, Oregon Artswatch

Indeed, and you may find some clues in a Guardian interview in today's Links.