Ian Macmillan

Links – Wednesday 26 September, 2018 Remembering Arthur Mitchell: - Allegra Kent and an Agon PDD in Moscow: Allegra Kent, NY Times Preview – Cathy Marston/Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Montreal: Jim Burke, Montreal Gazette (+ Dada Masilo, Giselle) Interviews: - Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker: Roslyn Sulcas, NY Times - Carlos Acosta: Siobhan Murphy, DanceTabs Review – Australian Ballet, Spartacus (Jervies), Melbourne: Irina Kuzminsky, Dance Australia News – Australian Ballet & Queensland Ballet, 2019 Programmes: - Deborah Jones, FollowSpot - Valerie Lawson, dancelines dancelines/2 - Tamara Medojevic, Vogue Australia Reviews – Akram Khan Company, XENOS, Leicester: David Mead, SeeingDance Sally Jack, BTG Review – The Trocks, Programme B, London: Vera Liber, BTG Review - Rosie Kay Dance Company, MK Ultra, Birmingham: David Mead, SeeingDance Feature – Marc Brew and AXIS Dance Company: Marc Brew, Miami Herald Review – Brisbane Festival 2018, Denise Richardson, Dance Australia - Joel Bray, Biladurang - Dancenorth, Dust (Page & Haines) Review – MoveMe Festival, 2018, Week 2, Perth: Margaret Mercer, Dance Australia - STRUT Dance, #thatwomanjulia, Love/Less - The Farm, Cockfight Review – Trajal Harrell & Others, Caen Amour, Boston: Marcia B. Siegel, Arts Fuse Review – Carlyn Hudson & Others, “Some Are Silver” Mixed Bill, Portland: Elizabeth Whelan, Oregon Artswatch Review – QL2 Dance, Strong and Brave, Canberra: Michelle Potter, .... on dancing

This appointment may be of some interest: https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/news/royal-academy-of-dance-appoints-gerard-charles-as-new-artistic-director

Links – Tuesday 25 September, 2018 Review – Smuin Contemporary Ballet, Dance Series 01, Walnut Creek; Heather Desaulniers, Dancetabs Review – Lyon Dance Biennial, Various Contemporary Works: Roslyn Sulcas, NY Times Review – Shobana Jeyasingh Company, Contagion, Winchester: Donald Hutera, The Times Review – DANCEworks’ Tenth Anniversary, Santa Barbara: Penelope Ford, Fjord Review News – Australian Ballet, a new Resident Choreographer and the 2019 Season: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald News – Could you be New York City Ballet’s next Artistic Director? Staff, Hunt Scanlon Media Review – Barrowland Ballet, Playful Tiger, Glasgow: Mary Brennan, Herald Film Preview – The Nutcracker and The Four Realms: Yohana Desta, Vanity Fair Unattributed, WhatCulture Review – Ben Wright/Dancers, The Point of Echoes, London: Josephine Balfour-Oatts, Exeunt Sorry, for some reason I can’t establish working links to the Guardian this morning. Users can try to access these articles directly: Feature – Has English National Ballet become too predictable? : David Jays, https://www.theguardian.com/stage/shortcuts/2018/sep/24/english-national-ballet-laurretta-summerscales-swan-lake-nutcracker Feature – The triumph and tragedy of Rudolf Nureyev: Sarah Crompton, https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/sep/25/rudolph-nureyev-ballet-triumph-tragedy

Mr Macaulay replying on Twitter to an open question as to who might replace him: https://twitter.com/AMacaulayNYT/status/1043858735414870017 Interesting.

His successor? Probably female? Scherr? Sulcas? Kourlas? Harss?

In parenthesis: https://twitter.com/MadisonKeesler/status/1042650593511129089

Well, something seems to be happening: https://twitter.com/Muchilland/status/1043110624207810560

There was, of course, the proposal some ten years ago now that the Royal Ballet establish a second base in Manchester but that fizzled out. (There was nothing there about a touring brief, as I recall.) I'd agree that BRB has now very much its own identity and, if I'm not mistaken, what was then the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet was invited by Birmingham City Council to settle down there, with an offer of facilities in the City as part of the deal. How correct I am on that, I can't say offhand, but I'd say we could be certain of a very adverse reaction in Birmingham were anything to happen that would lessen the current identification with the City. And might not there be technicalities over the Royal Charter? Etc etc etc.

Sophoife: Thanks for the info on the stage - it explains a lot. I'm afraid that the audience in the cinema at Cambridge last night was also disappointing - more than 4, but only a few handfuls, and many fewer than when RB or Bolshoi performances are shown. We got a last minute programme handed out, attached. That will give you all of the named parts - loved the chap doing the Maitre d'! And was the Njegus character played by the Director, or is that just a coincidence on names?

No rush to see it again, but I rather enjoyed it - colourful, cheerful, well staged, lots of dancing from a company on which the piece clearly sits very comfortably. Also, unlike other recorded events, this came with a BFFC certificate and a note mentioning "Mild sex references," though I must have missed them. And is the Sydney Opera House stage not very wide? My wife and I both felt things looked a bit constricted at times.

A note in parenthesis - the Cathy Marston work for Ballet Black mentioned by Duck, above, will be a reprise of The Suit matched with a new work, so not Arthur Pita's Dream Within A Midsummer Night's Dream of the current pairing.

A summary: He didn't sleep much. The End.

Is the Bolshoi version also the one with stuffed parrots stuck to wrists, wobbling all over, and a risible snake leaping out of a bunch of flowers?

If I might be permitted a moment of reflection, I have often thought that the lengthy, periodic sentence, when well constructed - and here I think of the late Bernard Levin's regular articles in The Times, often on the satisfactions wrought for him by Wagner, or perhaps revealing that, once dead, the name of Kiri Te Kanawa might be found engraved upon his heart - is something of an art, one requiring much revision and polishing such that, once one reaches an end, one has carried one's readers to a clear and unambiguous conclusion. Or something of the sort. (In my early RAF Staff Training written exercises, I recall a comment that my style might be better suited to Time magazine and that I'd need to rein things in and simplify! To what extent I succeeded, I must leave to others to decide.)

Folks - go to today's Links - you now have 10 reviews of this show. (I'd been wondering when they would appear.)

Links – Saturday 15 September, 2018 Reviews – Natalia Osipova, with Partners, Pure Dance, London: Graham Watts, DanceTabs Lyndsey Winship, Guardian Louise Levene, Financial Times Zoë Anderson, Independent David Mead, SeeingDance Maryam Philpott, Reviews Hub Emma Byrne, Evening Standard Anna Winter, The Stage Vera Liber, BTG Catherine Sedgwick, The UpComing Review – The Trocks in London: Graham Watts, Bachtrack Feature – Northern Ballet Dancer, now Choreographer, Mlindi Kulashe: Chris Bond, Yorkshire Post Review – Cincinatti Ballet, Kaplan New Works Series, Cincinatti: David Lyman, Cincinatti.com New York News – Met changes will reduce ABT’s season there: Michael Cooper, NY Times Diary – Dance, Opera Theatre in New York: Michael Martin, NY Observer News – American Repertory Ballet, 2018-19 Season: Staff, BWW NJ

Links – Friday 14 September, 2018 Reviews – The Trocks, London: Louise Levene, Financial Times Debra Craine, The Times Neil Norman, The Stage - Gallery – Roy Tan, BWW UK Pick of the Season – New York: Alastair Macaulay, Gia Kourlas, Brian Seibert, Siobhan Burke, NY Times Review – Northern Ballet, The Kingdom of Back, Mamela, The Shape of Sound, Leeds: Beverley Haigh, Reviews Hub Preview – Pacific Northwest Ballet, Jerome Robbins Festival, Seattle: Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times 1 and Seattle Times 2 Preview - 3 Choreographers and their NYCB Gala Premieres: Terry Trucco, Playbill Preview – Australian Ballet, Spartacus (Luca Jervies), Melbourne: Polly Simons, Time Out Melbourne Diaries: - Washington D.C., This Fall: Doug Rule, Metro Weekly - New York, Next Week: Brian Schaefer, NY Times Review – Boy Blue, Blak, Whyte, Gray, London: Vera Liber, BTG Preview – WA Dance Makers Project, In-Lore Act II, Perth: Annelies Gartner, West Australian

More pics have has just appeared online: https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Photo-Flash-Exclusive-Look-at-All-Male-Comedy-Ballet-Co-Les-Ballets-Trockadero-de-Monte-Carlo-20180913

Links – Thursday 13 September, 2018 Obituary – Paul Taylor: Brian Bromberger, Bay Area Reporter The Trocks are back in London: Interview – Tory Dobrin, Director: Jenny Gilbert, Arts Desk Review – Jessica Wilson, SeeingDance Gallery – Natalia Osipova, Pure Dance, London: Staff, BWW UK Preview – A new Spartacus for Australian Ballet: Stephen A. Russell, Sydney Morning Herald Preview – Pacific Northwest Ballet, Jerome Robbins Festival, Seattle: Rich Smith, The Stranger ----- and there’s to be a New York offshoot: BWW News – Australian Dance Awards, 2018: Michelle Potter, ... on dancing and The Winners Autumn/Fall Diaries: - New York: Gia Kourlas, NY Times - Vancouver: Dana Gee, Vancouver Sun Review & Diary – TBA Festival & Fall Diary, Portland: Jamuna Chiarini, Oregon Artswatch News – Los Angeles Ballet, 2018-19 Season: Staff, BWW LA Review – Boy Blue, Blak, Whyte, Gray, London: Maryam Philpott, Reviews Hub

Links – Wednesday 12 September, 2018 Review – Staatsballett Berlin, Your Passion is Pure Joy to Me, Half Life, Berlin: Katja Vaghi, Bachtrack Film Trailer – Carlos Acosta’s biopic “Yuli”: Ben Dalton, Screen Daily Review – Garrett & Moulton Productions, Stabat Mater, Mad Brass, San Francisco: Rita Felciano, Danceviewtimes Review – Queensland Ballet, Cinderella (Stevenson), Brisbane: Michelle Potter, ... on dancing Preview – Dance Umbrella, 2018, London: Zoe Paskett, Evening Standard Review – Unlimited Festival, Vogue: The Unlimited House of Krip, London: Josephine Leask, DanceTabs Exhibition Preview – Judson Dance Theater: The Work is Never Done, MoMA, New York: Siobhan Burke, NY Times Preview – Fuora Dance Project, W-Hat About?, Glasgow: Kellly Apter, The List

Links – Tuesday 11 September, 2018 On the 17th Anniversary of 11 September 2001: dancelog,nyc Remembering – Paul Taylor: Janice Berman, SF Classical Voice Review – Co.Lab Dance, Seen by Two, Almost Ritual, The Bright Motion, Sketches, New York: Marina Harss, DanceTabs Interview – Christopher Wheeldon, on filming American in Paris: Ruthie Fierberg, Playbill Review – Boston Ballet, Robbins Tribute – Genius at Play, Boston: Marcia B. Siegel, Arts Fuse Preview – Houston Ballet & Theatre Under the Stars, Oklahoma!: Nancy Wozny, Dance Magazine Reviews – Pierre Rigal, Scandale, London: Josephine Leask, DanceTabs Maggie Foyer, SeeingDance Photo Feature – Behind the scenes at Australian Ballet: Guardian Review – Dublin Fringe Festival: Matt Szczerek & Others, Fable: Saoirse Anton, Reviews Hub Preview – The Trocks on stage, and on film “Rebels on Pointe”, Edinburgh: Kelly Apter, The List Diary – In London, This Week: Staff, Londondance And there’s this: Changing the Climate: Annegret Märten, Exeunt

Links – Monday 10 September, 2018 Interview – Carlos Acosta & Acosta Danza: Sarah Crompton, Sunday Times Review – Australian Ballet, Giselle (Gielgud – Stojmenov & Hallberg), Melbourne: Valerie Lawson, dancelines Review – Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui & Shantala Shivalingappa, Play, London: Jann Parry, DanceTabs Review – Bangarra Dance Theatre, Dark Emu, Melbourne: Jordan Beth Vincent, The Age Review – West Australian Ballet, Dracula, Perth: Jessie Papain, The West Australian Review – Black Grace, Crying Men, Auckland: Raewyn Whyte, NZ Herald Diaries: - Chicago, This Fall: Kyle MacMillan, Chicago Sun-Times - OzAsia Festival, Adelaide: Staff, Dance Australia

When going through this morning's Times, as a fashion-related thing, the article did not catch my eye. However, the point having been made here, I've now looked again. There's no mention of the NYCB allegations or anything of the sort there and, in my copy, Mr Chase is NOT named but referred to as "her ex-boyfriend." However, I agree that it's a regrettable choice by whichever editor thought to include it at this time. That said, I doubt that even 1% of the readership will be aware of any current relevance.

NB that the New York Times has today published a Correction to its first report of these allegations:

Today's Times 2 supplement leads with a cover and 2-page spread on Natalia Osipova headlined ".. on the trials of being a Russian in London." She talks to Debra Craine about "cruel jibes, body image and her new show, Pure Dance," Unfortunately, and a little unusually, there's no Share Token to get behind the paywall.