6 replies to this topic

[dirac]

A review of Ballet Revolución by Summer Tothill in The Sydney Morning Herald.

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Last year a friend saw Danza Contemporanea de Cuba with me and remarked that when dancers lampoon their traditions it comes off too absurdly farcical for his comfort. Is it wrong, then, that I love it when dancers send up dance? Or when any tradition satires its antecedents, fully aware of the credit due to the classics?

The introductory number in Ballet Revolución is a tongue-in-cheek tableau of the traditional ballet scene, giving us a taste of the technical proficiency we're about to witness while illustrating the conventions this troupe will challenge.

[dirac]

Sanjoy Roy's step-by-step series in The Guardian continues with the National Ballet of China.

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Initially, the repertory was built on the Russian model (Swan Lake was their inaugural production). When relations between China and the USSR broke down in 1960, Gusev (like many other Soviet artists) returned to Russia; but a number of Russia-trained dancers also returned to China, fortifying the influence of the Soviet ballet style. In 1964, British ballerina Beryl Grey was the first westerner to work with the company, staging Les Sylphides. But increasingly, Chinese social and national themes came to the fore, most famously in the agitprop Red Detachment of Women (1964), which was made at the suggestion of the Chinese premier Zhou Enlai.

[dirac]

English National Ballet will present its Nutcracker and 'Strictly Gershwin' over the holiday season.

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It marks the English National Ballet’s tenth production of The Nutcracker since it performed its first full length Nutcracker at the Stoll Theatre in its founding year 1950. English National Ballet has performed the Tchaikovsky ballet every single Christmas since then.

It's followed, from 4 to 15 January 2012, by Strictly Gershwin, which promises a “sparkling and spectacular finale to Christmas at the Coliseum”. The full Company of 68 dancers and guests will “tap, twirl, jeté and glide their way through a series of Gershwin classics”, performed by an on-stage jazz orchestra.

[dirac]

A review of 'The Ballet Ruse' at the Edinburgh Festival.

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The Ballet Ruse is an examination of the early lives of two ballerinas who went through the classical ballet mill and only just survived. The tedium, the commitment, the necessary drive, the focus on perfection is examined in some depth and in the early stages of the piece is ladled with wit, humour and laughter.

Muirne Bloomer and Emma O'Kane created and star in this piece and they have a keen eye for the funny and ridiculous and classical ballet is a rich source of the absurd....

[dirac]

An examination of the high rate of dancer turnover at Los Angeles Ballet by Laura Bleiberg in LA Weekly.

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In interviews, directors with six similarly sized companies characterized the turnover at LAB as high, although many add that the rate is unsurprising for a young company. But LAB is getting older, and high turnover is unhealthy in the long term. "It's good to have a solid block of dancers who have been there for a while. They understand your way of working," says Gerard Charles, artistic director of BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio.

So why is this turnover happening? Some dancers left for economic reasons. They could not afford to live in Los Angeles without a second job, and LAB's June-to-November layoff made it challenging to stay in tip-top shape, some say.

[dirac]

San Diego City Ballet offers free performances.

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City Ballet of San Diego recognizes this and brings free dance to the people tonight and tomorrow. You'll see selections from Tchaikovsky's "Serenade for Strings," the Pas de Deux from "Romeo & Juliet" and Minkus' "Paquita."

[dirac]

The West Australian Ballet will perform 'The Taming of the Shrew.'

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Shakespeare’s classic tale was first interpreted by choreographer John Cranko for the Stuttgart Ballet in 1969, with lavish sets and costumes, virtuoso dancing and vivid characterisation.

The West Australian Ballet premiered the work in 2008, showcasing the great romantic comedy which conveys Shakespeare’s wit and sharp understanding of human character.