JMcN

Here's a link to what British film magazine Empire thinks of Black Swan: http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=136504

Northern Ballet are posting a short diary every day about the Company's visit to Beijing: http://northernballet.com/index.php?q=node/1113

One can only assume that Lynn Seymour has either not been nominated or, perhaps, has turned down an honour.

The honours are confusing this side of the Pond too!! No he won't be a knight. Wayne's award is for "services to dance". Award recipients usually receive their awards from the Queen at Buckingham Palace. These ceremonies are not open to the public and are held at various times during the year. These days, individuals are nominated for the honours. If the nomination is successful, then the individual is notified in advance and could, in theory, turn down the award. They are prestigious and a recognition of the individual's efforts in their nominated field but they do not have any other value. Here is the official government website about honours: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/UKgovernment/Honoursawardsandmedals/TheUKHonourssystem/index.htm

Choreographer Wayne McGregor has been awarded the CBE in the New Years Honours List. Congratulations on his award. Here is the list in full: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/honours-list/8231975/New-Year-Honours-List-2011-in-full.html

I think it's all to easy for critics to be critical in rude and negative ways. When things, including individual dancers, are not good then surely there can be a positive way to point out the issues. Speaking to a dancer some years ago she told a friend and I that the first time she saw her name in a review the comment about her was "X should have been strangled at birth". How offensive and hurtful is that and it surely cannot be a critique.

NB Artistic Director David Nixon and Claude-Michel Schonberg (composer of Les Miserables and NB's wonderful Wuthering Heights) are collaborating on a brand new ballet - CLEOPATRA. The world premiere will be on 26th February 2011 at the Grand Theatre in Leeds and then the company will be touring the production throughout the UK. There's lots of information on NB's website: http://northernballet.com/index.php?q=cleopatra It all sounds very exciting!

Off topic - sorry - but other real dance films are the flamenco films of Carlos Saura such as Blood Wedding, Carmen and A Love Bewitched. I would also add Strictly Ballroom - the paso doble at the climax of the film is IMHO one of the best filmed dance sequences I have seen and I always find it incredibly moving. The BBC cleverly borrowed the naming standard for Strictly Come Dancing (known as Dancing with the Stars in the rest of the world) - Come Dancing was the name of the original ballroom dancing show that aired in the UK for many years. I hope that Black Swan (unlike Mao's Last Dancer) makes it to a cinema near me so I can see what all the fuss is about!

I haven't watched it in great detail yet but it seems to have been very well filmed. David Bintley introduces each act and there is some backstage and rehearsal footage included too. It was lovely to recognise some good chums in the audience too. I'm going to ask for their autographs next time I see them! It is currently available to watch on the BBC I-player too.

BRB's splendid new production of Cinderella (by David Bintley) was filmed by the BBC and is being shown on BBC2 on Christmas Day at 1455. The cast is lead by Elisha Willis and Iain MacKay. David Bintley has used Prokofiev's music and followed the traditional structure used by Ashton. I particularly like the way Bintley has shown that the Prince finds love in a loveless court and that Cinderella finds love amidst her tragedy. The wicked step-sisters are danced by ladies. There is glorious choreography, glorious dancing, tragedy and comedy. The designs, by John McFarlane are spectacular. This production is touring to the Lowry and Plymouth in January. There is lots of information about the production on the Company website: http://brb.org.uk/

NB have been to China (including Hong Kong and Macao) four or five times over the last 10 years and also to Bangkok. This year they were in Hong Kong in the summer with Peter Pan and in Bangkok in September with Christmas Carol. It would be even better for their British-based fans if they could tour Europe. In the past, I have enjoyed trips to see them in Istanbul and Thessaloniki. In Istanbul they played in an outdoor ampthitheatre that was supposed to hold 4000; there were never less than 5000 in the audience each evening and it was the hottest ticket in town! I would love our American readers to be able to enjoy the Company too. Keiko Amemori and Kenneth Tindall received great acclaim at the Miami International Festival Gala a couple of years ago when they performed the duet from David Nixon's Madam Butterfly. When the company moved home in October they also dropped the "Theatre" off the name (I don' know how to change the forum name) but the ideals remain the same.

Northern Ballet are performing two of their best loved productions - Romeo and Juliet and Madam Butterfly - in Beijing between 1st and 5th January 2011. Here is the detail off their website: http://northernballet.com/index.php?q=node/1066

Northern Ballet was created, as Northern Dance Theatre, in 1969 and had its headquarters in a rough part of Manchester. After becoming more ballet orientated and changing the name to Northern Ballet Theatre, the company moved to Halifax around 1990 and then to Leeds in 1996. The headquarters in Leeds was a 1970s school building that had seen much better times and was full of leaks and drafts. For many years the company had dreamed of a new purpose built home that would hold not only the company but an Academy for young dancers. In October this year the dream was finally realised and the company moved into the purpose built Quarry Hill site in Leeds. At the same time the company was rebranded Northern Ballet. During the past week, I have had 2 opportunities to see the new home. On Thursday I attended a fund-raising event that gave us an opportunity to tour the new building. The entrance doors lead into a glass atrium that goes all the way to the top of the building. There are spectacular views out over the city of Leeds from the top floor. As well as offices and a treatment centre there are seven studios spread throughout the floor, all beautifully large, light and airy. The adjoining studios on the ground floor can be combined into one gigantic studio (the largest in Europe) or a studio theatre holding up to 230 people. There is a cafe on the ground floor, which is open to the publice. The building is shared by Northern Ballet, the Northern Ballet Academy and leading contemporary company Phoenix Dance Theatre. It is unique in the UK in that it is home to both a major ballet company and a major contemporary company. My words do not really do justice to this fantastic new centre for dance in the UK. I wish all the occupants good luck in their new home. On Thursday we were treated to Yoko Ichino rehearsing two couples and two Suzukis in Madam Butterfly. Julie Charlet and Michela Paolacci both look as though they will be really special in the role. Their Pinkertons were Kenneth Tindall (whom some of you may have seen in the role at the International Festival in Miami a couple of years ago) and John Hull. After a wonderfully informative and entertaining morning we all trouped off for lunch. On Saturday the Friends' organisation was officially relaunched. Over 200 people came to tour the building and watch excerpts from Romeo and Juliet introduced by ballet master Daniel de Andrade. Romeo and Juliet was created for the company in 1990 and still comes up as fresh as a daisy with each revival. Daniel was a noted Romeo in his day. He talked about what this ballet meant to him, its structure and the choreography. We saw various scenes being rehearsed. Again it was an informative and entertaining day. Thanks to everyone at Northern Ballet for giving us such enjoyable events as well as introducing their wonderful new home.

Here is a link to the photoblog of Javier Torres debut with Northern Ballet: http://northernballet.com/index.php?q=node/660

I know exactly what you mean!! No-one in work could believe I went to Sunderland to see six performances of Romeo and Juliet (six different casts too). Every performance is different even if it is the same dancers.

The Invitation to the Ballet exhbition opened to the general public at the Lowry yesterday. It is a celebration of the history of the Royal Ballet companies from the early life of Ninette de Valois to the present day. It is absolutely spectacular. Yesterday I spent two sessions of about 40 minutes in the exhibition and have still not done it justice. I particularly liked the first room with its de Valois memorabilia from family photographs to notes from admirers. It melds with the Diaghalev exhibition in London in that de Valois features in both. Within the chronologically laid out exhibition there are photographs and other printed memorabilia, costumes, a mock-up of Fonteyn's dressing room and some short films that I have not yet had a chance to watch. I think the exhibition really brings out what a remarkable lady de Valois was and what a huge debt the British ballet-going public owes her. Entry to the exhibition is free and it is on until 6th March. I would recommend allowing 2-3 hours for a visit and perhaps combining it with a performance. BRB are performing their new production of Cinderella there from 19-22 January. Here is a link to the mini-site: http://www.thelowry.com/event/invitation-to-the-ballet'>http://www.thelowry.com/event/invitation-to-the-ballet Here is the link to the Lowry'a main site: http://www.thelowry.com/

I went to the exhibition today and found it absolutely awesome. I just wish I had had more time. I spent over two hours in the exhibition and had to miss a couple of the films and rush the final room to get the train home to Liverpool. I believe the curators have done a wonderful job in setting the context and it is fabulous to see the costumes, particularly when there are photographs of them being worn and design sketches too. It is well laid out and logical and really brings out what a collaborative genius Diaghalev was and how far his influence still stretches. Beg, borrow or steal to get there! It's only on till January (which is criminal!).

Javier Torres, from Cuban National Ballet) has joined Northern Ballet. He made his debut yesterday afternoon at the Bradford Alhambra in David Nixon's powerful retelling of Swan Lake. It was a wonderful debut and he must have been thrilled at the very warm reception from the audience. I was interested to see how his Cuban style fitted in with NB and all I can say is that he has fitted in really well and already has a good understanding of the NB style. I'm looking forward to seeing more of his performances.

I've never had the pleasure of seeing David Nixon dance but a number of my friends did when he guested with Brmingham Royal Ballet; the fact that they have never forgotten those performances says volumes to me. Jon Renna had a big following amongst fans of Northern Ballet during his couple of seasons with the company. He is still missed and remembered fondly.

Janette Mulligan is Australian. Perhaps she returned there after her break-up from Peter Schaufuss? I well remember Janette Mulligan from my early ballet-watching days. She was a particularly wonderful Tatiana in Onegin amongst many other roles I saw her perform.

Just a couple of bits and bobs: The Rite of Spring bit shows Li in a leap, which is used (with the real Li) on the back cover of my copy of the book (hardback British edition from when I got the book on first publication here). I believe it may be a seminal image of Li. In the book, the first time his parents saw him in America was in a production of the Nutcracker.

I'm absolutely stunned to find I am Juliet!!!

I think it may have been Ben Stevenson's Three Preludes but I'm not 100% certain as choreography for the film is attributed to Graeme Murphy. I would be surprised if the dance scenes were CGI (apart from using computers to slomo the action) - Chi really is that spectacular!

I've just booked an exhibition ticket for the late morning of Sunday 17th October. I am treating myself to a weekend in London to see Birmingham Royal Ballet's mixed programme comprising Concerto, Slaughter on 10th Avenue and In the Upper Room. They are performing R&J Tuesday-Thursday. It's a great opportunity for anyone travelling to London to combine this exhibition with a BRB performance.

I've seen plenty of misbehaving pigeons in Two Pigeons. On the last night of BRB's season at the Lowry last year, when the pigeon flew in at the end it landed on Chi Cao's head and wouldn't move. He managed to disentangle it in the end and he and Ambra Vallo cuddled it till the curtain came down. It actually looked very romantic but I bet it was pigeon pie for supper! BRB also have a horse in the hunting scene in Giselle but only in Bimingham. The huntsmen have 2 dogs (I think Salukis). I was watching an NBT class at Leeds Grand a couple of years ago when an unscheduled pigeon made an appearance and spent a considerable amount of time fluttering around the auditorium! I never did find out where it escaped to!