Tuesday, November 30

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A review of New York City Ballet by Marina Harss for DanceTabs.

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The ballet’s most difficult and sophisticated dancing is executed by The Sugarplum Fairy and her Cavalier, and by Dewdrop, star of the Flower Waltz. They were danced here by Megan Fairchild, Gonzalo García, and Tiler Peck respectively. Balanchine placed Sugarplum’s solo at the beginning of the second act, as a way of setting the tone for the Land of the Sweets. Fairchild looked warm and relaxed as she interacted with the angels at the start of the solo and then launched into the delicate, exposed choreography. Despite a touch of instability at the start – she lost her magic wand somewhere along the way – Fairchild showed no sign of strain and glided onward, like the pro that she is. Her slow, controlled attitude turns were particularly lovely. And the final, climactic pas de deux with García was polished off with ease, as she popped onto his shoulder like a kernel of popcorn, and he tossed her into a final fish dive with the assuredness of someone who has performed the move a thousand times.

 

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How Pacific Northwest Ballet is rejiggering its Nutcracker to eliminate ethnic stereotypes.

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The version of the Nutcracker the Pacific Northwest Ballet has put on since 2016 was developed by choreographer George Balanchine in 1954. Peter Boal, artistic director for the Pacific Northwest Ballet, said there are some things in that version that don't align with the company's present-day values.

The Ballet made some changes to the Chinese Tea dancer character in its 2016 run, but as of this year, he’ll be gone altogether and replaced with a new one: The Cricket,

 

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Mick 'n' Melanie go on tour.

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'Covid regulations meant that everyone had to stay in their own bubbles and get tested daily by a team of medics who travel with them. Mick chose to stay in his family bubble.

'Even at the concert venue he hung out in his dressing room with Melanie and Dev. He performed and then it was straight back to the hotel.

'He and Melanie are fitness fanatics. They've got their own private chef so it's egg-whites for breakfast and steamed fish or grilled chicken for dinner.

 

[dirac]

An interview with Sergei Polunin.

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But these days Polunin shoulders a lot of responsibility, producing up to three shows a year. He’s learning as he goes. “In the past we made so many mistakes,” he says. “The first show at Sadler’s Wells we spent so much money. It failed with critics, so you lost the trust of the team, of the sponsors.” But he came back with a second premiere the next year. “You have to come back fast,” he says – or you’ll be soon forgotten. His survival system is based on always going forward. “I have a one-week memory,” he says.
 

 

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A review of Australian Ballet by Geraldine Higginson for Dance Australia.

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Callum Linnane and Robyn Hendricks have a special rapport onstage and they danced two duets (the first from the late Kenneth MacMillan’s Concerto and the second from Act II of Yuri Possokhov’s Anna Karenina). The understated simplicity of MacMillan’s choreography for Concerto was an excellent showcase for these two elegant dancers, while they also performed the high drama of the pas de deux from Anna Karenina with maturity.