Ian Macmillan

The Stage is reporting that Arts Council England has met with ENB: https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2018/arts-council-intervenes-claims-hostile-environment-english-national-ballet/ In a nutshell, each appears happy with the other.

Links – Wednesday 31 January, 2018 Feature – George Balanchine’s Square Dance: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times News – Paris Opera & Opera Ballet 2018-19 Season: Roslyn Sulcas, NY Times Reviews – New York City Ballet, New York: - Apollo, Mozartiana, Cortège Hongrois: Mary Cargill, Danceviewtimes - Divertimento No 15, Four Temperaments, Chaconne: Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, Bachtrack Interview – Arcell Cabuag & Ronald K. Brown, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Gia Kourlas, NY Times News – SFB’s Yuan Yuan Tan to receive civic award: Leah Garchik, SF Chronicle Diary – New York, This Week: Martha Sherman, dancelog.nyc Theatre Previews – Mikhail Baryshnikov, Brodsky/Baryshnikov, Chicago: Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune (+ Diary items) Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times Review – Michael Clark Company, to a simple rock’n’roll ,,, song, Sydney: Jill Sykes, The Age - Michael Clark Feature: Jane Albert, Broadsheet Sydney Video – Peter DiMuro, Boston Museum Choreographer-in-residence: Staff, Boston Herald News – Kiwis in Antactica – a new slant on ice dance? Dionne Christian, NZ Herald And the week’s big news – BBC drops Brendan from Strictly 2018: Nadia Khomani, Guardian (and elsewhere)

The Arts Council is said to have shown an interest: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/english-national-ballet-must-investigate-abuse-claims-5d86zx8vn?shareToken=5251eb63809acb118ee29f2adbc25ca4 Nothing new in the report otherwise that I can see.

Links – Tuesday 30 January, 2018 Reviews – San Francisco Ballet, The Sleeping Beauty, San Francisco: Claudia Bauer, DanceTabs Rita Felciano, Danceviewtimes Review – Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, Bella Figura, Aleatorio, Saint-Quentin en Yvelines: Laura Cappelle, Financial Times Feature – Mark Morris Dance Group: Nancy G. Heller, Philadelphia Inquirer Review – Gauthier Dance, Nijinsky, Berlin: Katja Vaghi, Bachtrack Review – LA Dance Project, Murder Ballades, Second Quartet, Hearts & Arrows, Stanford: Janice Berman, SF Classical Voice News – Petronio Residency names its first choreographers: Joshua Barone, NY Times Review – Malpaso Dance Company, Indomitable Waltz, Ocaso, Face the Torrent, New York: Joel Benjamin, TheaterScene News – Arts Council asks ENB about recent allegations: David Sanderson, Boer Deng, The Times Resolution 2018, London, 23 January: Maggie Foyer, Seeing Dance - Lydia Touliatou, Assemblies - Yanaëlle Thiran, Swapping Shadows - Hinged Dance Co, Flowers in December

Links – Monday 29 January, 2018 Review – New York City Ballet, Balanchine 1 & 2, 21st Century Choreographers, New York: Marina Harss, DanceTabs Review – Kristin Damrow & Company, EAMES, San Francisco: Heather Desaulniers, DanceTabs Interview – Danielle Rowe, Choreographer: Toba Singer, Culture Vulture Diary – Los Angeles, This Week: Matt Cooper, LA Times Review – Kei Takei’s Moving Earth Orient Sphere, Light, Part 44, New York: Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal/DanceBeat Resolution 2018: Carmel Smith & Emma Boxall, The Place - Watts Dance, Lather. Rinse. Repeat. - Grov Productions, Her past in their present now - Duwayne Taylor, It’s Time to Speak News – Ailey II back in New York in March: Olivia Clement, Playbill Arts

MAB: Thank you. I infer, therefore, that you were not an ENB employee.

MAB: Purely for clarification as this thread progresses, was the order you signed pertinent to the ENB matter in question here, or was it entirely unrelated?

Links – Sunday 28 January, 2018 Reviews – Royal Ballet, Giselle, London: David Dougill, Sunday Times Luke Jennings, Observer Reviews – San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco - Sleeping Beauty: Toba Singer, Culture Vulture - Gala Performance: Toba Singer, Culture Vulture Review – Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, The Taming of the Shrew, Monte Carlo: Graham Watts, DanceTabs Interview – Delia Matthews, Birmingham Royal Ballet: Julia Dixon, To The Pointe News – Allegations within English National Ballet: Boer Deng, David Sanderson: The Times (and elsewhere) News – Latest developments at Royal New Zealand Ballet: Ruby MacAndrew, Dominion Post Review – LA Dance Project, Closer, Hearts & Arrows, Sarabande, San Francisco: David E. Moreno, Culture Vulture Review – Chunky Move, Accumulation, Melbourne: Gracia Haby, Fjord Review Review – Scottish Dance Theatre & Stellar Quines, The Lover, Edinburgh: Stephanie Green, Reviews Hub Interview – Michael Clark: Richard Jinman, The Age Preview – Colette Sadler/Scottish Dance Theatre, RITUALIA/TuTuMucky, Dundee & Edinburgh: Kelly Apter, The List Resolution 2018: Siobhan Murphy & Daisy Moorcroft, The Place - Malcolm Sutherland, Lost for Words - Elisabeth Schilling, SIXFOLD - Edit Domoszlai, Angels Review – Sarasota Ballet, Little Waltzes, Troy Game, Airs, Sarasota: Carrie Seidman, Herald-Tribune Review – Sarasota Contemporary Dance, Quad Bill, Sarasota: Carrie Seidman, Herald-Tribune Review – Grupo Corpo, Suite Branca, Danca Sinfonica, Boston: Karen Campbell, Boston Globe

I think you'll find that Darcey is presenting a 30 min show at 10pm on BBC 2 tonight - and it will have an Ice Dance component around Le Patin Libre. Plus some street dance.

I that we'd done this to death last week but, if the link shown no longer works, here you are: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/marianela-nunez-the-best-ballerina-in-britain-and-thats-official-klxbdtwqk?shareToken=07d1c0256184876073c3e3e32e7e787f

A post has been deleted at the originator's request.

At the risk of sounding peeved, that Nunez feature was In Links this morning!

There seems to have been a change of heart at the ROH over curtain call photos. I seem to recall, back in ballet.co time, that curtain pics taken by Dave Morgan had to be deleted? Or have I got that wrong, Dave?

Capybara: I trust you've seen it by now? It's the 'Share Token,' provided by the paper, that lets you through on a case by case basis.

I imagine some may like the second picture here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/news-in-pictures-62thgbxrq?shareToken=0384f21ce91dc1cbb3c5923be337ee7d .... and the last one?!

Links – Wednesday 17 January, 2018 Feature – Alexei Ratmansky’s Romeo and Juliet at the Bolshoi: Marina Harss, NY Times Interview – Maria Alexandrova and Vladislav Lantratov: Power Couple at The Bolshoi: Catherine Pawlick, Vaganova Today Feature – The dancer wears Prada – couture from the catwalk to ballet and beyond: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Gallery – English National Ballet, Le Jeune Homme et La Mort, London: Foteini Christofilopoulou, DanceTabs Review – American Realness, Various Companies, New York: Brian Seibert, NY Times Opinion/News – The Serebrennikov Case: A Theatre of the Absurd: Yury Saprykin, Moscow Times Oleg Matsnev, NY Times Review – Ballett Zürich, Speak for Yourself, Emergence, Zurich: Sarah Batschelet, Bachtrack Preview – Olivier Wevers & Whim W’Him, Configurate Triple Bill, Seattle: Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times Review – RoseAnneSpradlin, X, New York: Deborah Jowitt, DanceBeat Biography – “Trailblazer – The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson,” Leda Schubert: Olivia B Waxman, TIME

Links – Tuesday 16 January, 2018 Review – English National Ballet, Song of the Earth, La Sylphide, London: Gerald Dowler, Classical Source Review – American Dance Platform, Various Companies, New York: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Review – Suresnes Cités Dance 2018: Laura Cappelle, Financial Times - David Drouard, (S)acre - François Lamargot, Reflets - Sonia Duchesne, La partie immergée de l’iceberg Diary – New York, This Week: Martha Sherman & Leigh Witchel, dancelog.nyc Interview – Justin Peck at San Francisco Ballet: Allan Ulrich, SF Chronicle Review – Miami City Ballet, Robbins Centennial Quad Bill, Miami: Sean Erwin, Danceviewtimes Review – Chang Ting-ting/TTC Dance, Dance Round Table, Taipei: David Mead, SeeingDance Review – Lil Buck & Jon Boogz, Love Heals All Wounds, Portland: Elizabeth Whelan, Oregon Artswatch Resolution 2018, The Place, London: Friday 12 January: Mathieu Geffré, ACT; Kendall Farrell, Submerged; Lucy Palmer, The Left Hand Path Zoë Anderson, Independent

MB: I'm unclear as to what precisely should be read into your concluding remark. Whether in ballet or opera, if the picture be not painted, what is left? Some virtuosic extracts for Galas perhaps, but hardly a masterpiece?

It must be at least 10 years ago now - we set off to drive to the ROH and got locked into an enormous gridlock encompassing the M11 and M25. Once in, there was no way out. We duly crept towards town and, as it was a 4-part bill that night, decided to see what might be salvaged from the evening. When we finally reached the ROH, the third ballet Monotone had just begun. The front-of-house staff were most understanding and found a box that was empty that we could use till moving to our seats for the final work. We were escorted to the box and crept in - to find a chap there already, clearly unknown to the staff. As the ballet finished, this fellow rounded on us "How dare we etc etc, especially it being Monotone." We explained our situation and, in the ensuing conversation, my wife (most unusually) felt compelled to mention that she had been a member of the Company, whereupon the tone changed completely. The attack on our crass interruption (when he shouldn't have been there) turned to fawning. We went off to find our seats, fortunately they had not been commandeered in our absence and, whilst our exceedingly late arrival must have seemed a little strange to others roundabout, nobody chose to ask about it. (I probably put on a bit of huffing and puffing and muttering "At last etc etc.") And then, as we left, we bumped into the chap again on the stairs to the foyer, when there was further fawning. An interesting evening!

An interesting slant on Grade 7? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5268707/Britains-oldest-ballet-dancer-passes-elite-exam-aged-80.html

Links – Monday 15 January, 2018 Reviews – English National Ballet, Song of the Earth, La Sylphide, London: Jeffery Taylor, Sunday Express Erin Whitcroft, Bachtrack Diary – Los Angeles, This Week: Matt Cooper, LA Times Interview – Rachel Beaujean, Associate AD, Dutch National Ballet: Maggie Foyer, SeeingDance Review – Compagnie Hervé Koubi, Les Nuits Barbares …, Boston: Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Globe Documentary – The Movement, Australian contemporary dance-makers: Deborah Jones, FollowSpot Resolution 2018, The Place, London: Friday 12 January: Mathieu Geffré, ACT; Kendall Farrell, Submerged; Lucy Palmer, The Left Hand Path Graham Watts & Chloe Fordham, The Place John O’Dwyer, Seen and Heard Saturday 13 January: Katy Higgins, Episodic 86; Barnaby Booth, Loyal Prophets to an Indifferent God: ella&co, #nofilter Savannah Saunders & Daisy Moorcroft, The Place

Links – Sunday 14 January, 2018 Reviews – English National Ballet, Song of the Earth, La Sylphide, London: Sara Veale, DanceTabs David Dougill, Sunday Times Interview – NBC’s Guillaume Côté on dancing Neumeier’s Nijinsky: Lynn Saxberg, Ottawa Citizen Reviews – International Mime Festival, Fauna, London: Clare Brennan, Observer Anna Winter, The Stage Interview/Preview – Travis Wall/Shaping Sound, After the Curtain, Edmonton/Calgary: Stephan Bonfield, Montreal Gazette Review – Cirque du Soleil, Ovo, London: Luke Jennings, Observer

Links – Saturday 13 January, 2018 Review – English National Ballet, La Sylphide, Song of the Earth, London: Howard Loxton, BTG Photo Feature – Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Royal Ballet: Staff, What'sOnStage News – Royal New Zealand Ballet: Leavers & Joiners (at last): Valerie Lawson, Dancelines Review – An American Dance Platform, Opening Night, New York: Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times Diaries: - New York, This Week: Gia Kourlas, NY Times - Around Oregon: Jamuna Chiarini, Oregon Artswatch Reviews – Shanghai Dance Theatre, Soaring Wings, Boston & New York: Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Globe Joel Benjamin, TheaterScene Review – Ryan McNamara & Others, Battleground, New York: Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times Review – Charles Atlas/Rashaun Mitchell/Silas Reiner, Tesseract, New York: Leigh Witchel, dancelog.nyc Preview – San Francisco Movement Arts Festival: Leslie Katz, SF Examiner Review – Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Mixed Bill, Los Angeles: Laura Bleiberg, LA Times

The tartan extravaganza is not a personal favourite, I must say - but as a Scot, born and raised, with strong West Highland connections, I've never come across anyone called, or known as, 'Gurn.' With apologies for a somewhat tangential question, other than in Sylphide, has anyone?

Scroll one down past the leopard, and see for yourself: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/news-in-pictures-cjqxjb2wg?shareToken=4bc855ba99480e4a8013b4db628c0ae1