Ian Macmillan

Links – Tuesday 29 May, 2018 Review – Boston Ballet, La Sylphide, Boston: Marcia B Siegel, Arts Fuse Reviews – Queensland Ballet, Carmen (Acosta), The Firebird (Scarlett), Brisbane: Deborah Jones, FollowSpot Denise Richardson, Dance Australia Reviews – Rambert, Life is a Dream (Brandstrup), London: David Mead, SeeingDance Jeffery Taylor, Express (Baldwin??) Review – Humanhood, Universe, ZERO, London: David Mead, SeeingDance Film – Creating Pas de Deux, Robert Lepage & Guillaume Côté: Murray Whyte, Toronto Star Feature – My years as a ‘fat’ ballerina: Olivia Campbell, Guardian News – Australian Ballet, 2017 Annual Report … helped by Alice: Linda Morris, Sydney Morning Herald Michael Bailey, Australian Financial Review And for the first time …. A review on a Twitter thread: - Royal Ballet, Swan Lake (Scarlett), London: Thomas Ryalls, Twitter NB: Some US sites still blocked on GDPR grounds.

Deborah Jones has a review in The Australian, that normally works on a Premium basis. I could read it via a Google page but not from here. So, for anyone who can get it: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/stage/carmen-the-firebird-an-afternoon-of-stunning-contrasts/news-story/af4e673b83412504a8871741aa2471db She did not care for Acosta's Carmen!

Links – Monday 28 May, 2018 Review – New York City Ballet, Coppélia, New York: Mary Cargill, Danceviewtimes Review – New York City Ballet, Robbins 100 Festival, New York: Rachel Stone, Fjord Review Feature – My week with swans: David Jays, Arts Journal/Performance Monkey Review – Australian Ballet, The Merry Widow, Canberra: Michelle Potter, Canberra Times News – New Brisbane QPAC theatre for Queensland Ballet (and others) by 2022: Staff AAP, New Daily Reviews – Spoleto Festival 2018, Charleston: - Lourdes Lopez & dancers, Jerome Robbins Tribute Program: Stephanie Hunt, Charleston City Paper - Miami City Ballet, Walpurgisnacht, Carousel pdd, Concerto DSCH, Heatscape: Stephanie Hunt, Charleston City Paper Review – Boston Ballet, La Sylphide, Divertissements, Boston: Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Globe Preview – Hong Kong Ballet, Christopher Wheeldon & Rush: Richard James Havis, SCMP Review – Stopgap Dance Company, The Seafarers, Great Yarmouth: Sanjoy Roy, Guardian Diary – London, This Week: Staff, Londondance Review – Ballet Central, Mixed Bill, Bath: David Mead, SeeingDance NB: Like John, I’ve found some US sites still blocked on GDPR grounds.

Alison - yes, it was the tree structure that I had in mind and, using it, this reply would have sat nicely under your question!

I feel quite nostalgic for the reply formatting back on ballet.co - great to see it again.

Northern Ballet has just released a tweet on 2019 plans - these include a new piece on Queen Victoria, to be choreographed by Cathy Marston. https://twitter.com/northernballet/status/999561155369750528

With over 230 responses on this thread in just 7 days, a pause for recollection might be in order - there's a touch of Python, never mind Horse, developing.

In a Tweet earlier today, Bruce Marriott (DanceTabs) said he'd seen the preview and gave advice in pretty much these terms: "Read all you can about it .... and then read it all again." The two comments above suggest he may well be right in that.

After some years of trawling for our daily Links section, you pick up a thing or two - one of these being that newspaper critics will usually be writing with a words limit to fit a day's edition. For example, I picked up that Judith Mackrell had only 500 words for one of her most recent pieces whereas, when she does her occasional Guardian online blog pieces, I doubt there's any limit of that kind. And it may be that it will be these that she will continue to contribute. Elsewhere, Dance coverage in the Evening Standard has visibly shrunk in the past year, I'd say. And whilst I've seen no announcement, it does very much look as if Clement Crisp has retired at the FT, with Louise Levene taking over. And for Links overall, we have a fair number of online 'journals' that have emerged in the past 5 years or so, sources that did not exist when we were doing Links back on ballet.co, for example. In general, these permit writers to expand in a way that newspapers apparently cannot, or will not. The internet is changing things, and not just on our local High Streets.

I think that link was one of 'mine' and I admit to having scanned through that vital point! There's been nothing else on such a visit that I can recall, but might we presume that the venue would be Sadler's Wells? Possibly a mix of two bills? Including the 'keepers' from the recent Unbound 2018 season? (With one in particular, from a personal viewpoint?) All questions, with no answers just yet.

Djaamila, May I say welcome to the Forum and, yes, you've posted in just the right area. I'm sure you won't want for advice and I won't pretend that I know how to get around the perceived problems that you describe. However, can I suggest that you google two names - Misty Copeland and Michaela DePrince. They're well known to many on here and, for a bit of inspiration and confidence, you should find lots in their stories that might help you. And, for what it's worth, my wife's grand-daughter, about a year older than you, has made a fairly successful crossover in the other direction, from strict ballet classes to street dance - it can be done. Oh, and also have a look for the small UK professional company called Ballet Black who are currently touring a tremendous double-bill of very different pieces.

Janet, the feeling's mutual and our meeting at last added just a little extra to what was, as you say, a very special performance tonight. I had seen Jane in Richmond on its first, limited run some two years ago and was delighted to renew acquaintance. As audiences in San Francisco have just seen with her Snowblind, Cathy Marston has continued to develop the gift for narrative dance with detailed characterisation and powerful pas-de-deux that I first saw demonstrated in one of the ROH studios some 15 years ago. And in Northern Ballet's dancers she has found able and confident interpreters. A most satisfying evening, and my appreciation goes to all concerned. But her Witch Hunt (Hexenhatz) from her final season with her Bern company, and brought to the Linbury, retains its very special place in my heart.

Did I see a mention of "nifty hydraulics" hefting Odette into place for a vision? Way back in touring days, theatre unknown, the dancer designated as the 'vision' climbed up into place, started pleading to the Prince being seduced by Odile, when whatever she was standing on gave way and she collapsed out of sight. Probably not "nifty hydraulics" that night, and possibly something akin to a wobbly tabletop.

There is , and it's called (B)old since it's featuring Artists over age 65. http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/festivals-series/bold

Right - in an attempt to keep things under control as excitement mounts, I've started a thread in Performances Seen Etc. Discussion of the new production there, please.

OK folks, a thread for discussion of what you've all been waiting for.

Dave, as ever, thanks a bunch - but we know she looks good in almost anything! I marked the opening last night by watching the DVD of the original run at home once again. I note that the supporting ladies are as before, and the DVD shows Katie Deacon to be a nimble dancer. The Baritone has changed and I'm delighted to see that Julien Van Mellaerts, who sang as Onegin with us in Cambridge Phil's staged production in December, has reappeared here. The significant change is that Zenaida's brother has taken over from Carlos Acosta in the several male roles - and I've just seen that Jenny Gilbert (Arts Desk) expresses a degree of unease at the pairing of siblings in the various relationships portrayed. I'd tend to trust Zenaida's artistic judgement in this but will be interested to hear what others have to say. https://www.theartsdesk.com/dance/elizabeth-barbican-review-royal-romance-under-scrutiny And on watching once again last night, I found myself wondering once again if there might not be an acting career still available to Mme Yanowsky? Yes, she has an accent, but that need not be a bar to someone who has such an imposing presence on stage. Those eyes! I've now seen that other reviews have started to appear - I'll leave the links to tomorrow's list - but I'm surprised to see that the piece is being played on the main Barbican stage as I'd have thought it best suited in scale to a more intimate studio ambience.

Links – Thursday 17 May, 2018 Reviews – Northern Ballet, Jane Eyre (Marston), London: Zoë Anderson, Independent Charlotte Kasner, SeeingDance Selina Begum, The Upcoming Feature – How Jerome Robbins shaped Ballet and Broadway: Deborah Jowitt, Playbill Feature – Isabella Boylston, Principal, American Ballet Theatre: Charles Isherwood, NY Observer Interview – Melissa Hamilton, First soloist, Royal Ballet: Jann Parry, DanceTabs Feature – Kim Brandstrup, making Life Is A Dream for Rambert: Debra Craine, The Times Feature – New York City Center: 75th Anniversary Plans: Joshua Barone, NY Times Review – Pennsylvania Ballet, Jewels, Philadelphia: Barney Serchuk, BWW Reviews – Matthew Bourne/New Adventures, Cinderella, Sheffield: Ruth Jepson, Reviews Hub Velda Harris, BTG Review – Sydney Dance Company, ab[Intra], Sydney: James Banham, The F Review – Flamenco Viva Carlota Santana, Mujeres Valientes, New York: Brian Seibert, NY Times Feature – Beyond Firebird, Stravinsky changed the rules: Chris Gray, Houston Chronicle Feature – Why the pregnant pause? Women in performing arts face baby barriers: Erica Eisen, Guardian To end, some pieces with a certain connection: Review – Vamos, A Brave Face, Doncaster: Janet Jepson, Reviews Hub A Preview, and more – Colin: Theresa Vargas, Washington Post Moving Beyond the Battlefield: John Schneider, Shepherd Express

So, something special happening tonight? I know its the 75th Anniversary of Op Chastise, better known as the Dams Raid ..... but something else perhaps? Just remembered, Zen is opening again at the Barbican as Elizabeth I .... I knew there was something special

Zoë Anderson was there for the Indy: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/jane-eyre-northern-ballet-review-sadlers-wells-cathy-marston-charlotte-bronte-a8353966.html Anyone else?

So who was at the opening night at Sadler's Wells?

Links – Wednesday 16 May, 2018 Review – Royal Danish Ballet, The Queen of Spades (Scarlett), Copenhagen: Bruce Marriott, DanceTabs Feature – Alexei Ratmansky’s Firebird for American Ballet Theatre – and comparators: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Feature – ABT’s Windfall for Women Choreographers: Janice Berman, SF Classical Voice Opinion – Tap “used as a sparkly outfit, and as a symbol of Broadway’s past”: Brian Seibert, NY Times Review – Boston Ballet, The Sleeping Beauty, Boston: Marcia B Siegel, Arts Fuse Review – Julie Cunningham & Company, Crave, London: Sara Veale, DanceTabs Review – Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, Formosa, London: Gerald Dowler, Classical Source Review – Pennsylvania Ballet, Jewels, Philadelphia: Eri Yoneda, Phindie Reviews – Sydney Dance Company, ab[Intra], Sydney: Jill Sykes, Sydney Morning Herald Martin Portus, Daily Review News – Watch Sleeping Beauty with a conference call commentary, San Jose: Sal Pizarro, Mercury News

You can always trust California to come up with something new: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/05/15/watch-sleeping-beauty-with-a-ballet-expert-in-your-ear/

Pretty much the same good news here: https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2018/stolen-costumes-from-central-ballet-recovered/

Links – Tuesday 15 May, 2018 Review – San Francisco Ballet, Unbound 2018 Series, San Francisco: Jenny Gilbert, Arts Desk Review – Boston Ballet, The Sleeping Beauty (Petipa/Ashton), Boston: Jenifer Sarver, Bachtrack Review – Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, Formosa, London: Graham Watts, Bachtrack Preview – Australian Ballet, Verve – a contemporary triple bill, Melbourne: Staff, BWW Sydney Review – Pennsylvania Ballet, Jewels, Philadelphia: Hilary Stroh, Bachtrack Reviews – Julie Cunningham & Company, Crave, London: Zoë Anderson, Independent Maggie Foyer, SeeingDance Anna Winter, The Stage Vera Liber, BTG Maria Iu, Exeunt Preview – West Australia Ballet, La Sylphide, Perth: Unattributed, West Australian Preview – Ballet Hispánico, Línea Recta, Con Brazos Abiertos, 3. Catorce Dieciséis, Portland: Heather Wisner, Oregon Artswatch Preview – Sydney Dance Company, ab{Intra}, Sydney: Neha Kale, Sydney Morning Herald News – National Ballet of Cuba taking Giselle to Saratoga: Staff, Chronogram Report - Not for the easily-shocked, a Rite with a very muddy difference: - Florence Peake & Dancers, RITE: on this pliant body we slip our WOW! Bexhill-on-Sea: Louisa Buck, The Art Newspaper Self-explanatory: NY Times