Wednesday, March 23

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Pacific Northwest Ballet's "Beauty and the Beast" reviewed from the perspective of the kiddies.

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Just scary enough. The 6-year-old in our group is in a phase where she can’t sit through any kid’s movie on TV without having to run from the room when the “scary” music foreshadows the approaching frightening scene. Very concerned about the Beast fear factor, she sat anxiously on the edge of her seat, holding my hand tight, until the gentle transformation of the handsome prince to a prince wearing a not-too-scary beast mask. “That’s the beast?” she asked with a smile and settled back in to enjoy the rest of the show.

 

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Northern Ballet presents "Casanova."

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Interspersed between multiple orgies, which are themselves passionate yet tender, come more intimate moments of private love.

Related.

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The Casanova of myth is a man of sexual appetite and passion and Joseph Taylor’s performance doesn’t disappoint as he blends strength and intensity in his story-telling, as he is seduced and seduces in turn.

 

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A review of Norwegian National Ballet in "La Bayadere" by Jenifer Server for Bachtrack.

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Whitney Jensen has spent the past few years turning into a ballerina. Always a technical wizard, her Nikiya was filled to the brim with those tiny touches of artistry that let us know she is well past her child prodigy days. Yes, she can, and does still, throw off turns as though they are nothing, but it was in her eyes, the slight inclinations of her head, the way she presented her feet forward, stepping always with a fully turned out leg and the full extension of her palms in each position that reminded us that to be a ballerina, is to be a living art form. Her extensions were oddly low for this role, but no matter.

 

[dirac]

An interview with Callum Linnane of Australian Ballet.

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Linnane’s promotion to principal wasn’t such a shock for the audience who’d just witnessed his mighty, sensual take on one of literature’s greatest cads, nor anyone who’d been following his career for the past few years. The 26-year-old has danced since he was seven, landing roles like the Prince in Alexei Ratmansky’s Cinderella, the eponymous character in John Neumeier’s biographical ballet Nijinsky, and Albrecht in Maina Gielgud’s Giselle – not to mention his brilliant work in a number of contemporary pieces by leading choreographers such as the UK’s Wayne McGregor and Australia’s Alice Topp.

 

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Dance organizations in Germany welcome Ukrainian dancers.

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While there are about 70 dance ensembles in Germany, not all of them are so exclusively focused on classical dance like most of the companies in eastern Europe, but often practice modern dance too. So it will take adaptation by the new dancers to study and get used to the different, western European styles.

 

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The Royal Winnipeg Ballet gets provincial funding for its new campus.

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The second phase is slated for completion by March 2024. Upgrades include increasing energy efficiency, integrating studios with a new student living centre and making the campus more inclusive and accessible. Upgrades to the production shop and warehouse will also be done.

 

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Former New York City Ballet dancer Likolani Brown Arthurs begins her surgical residency.

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Her transition from the ranks of one of the world’s most storied dance companies to the roster of world-class heath-care providers in NYC was never in step with the Hawaii-born daughter of an activist and a lawyer. “Not everyone comes from these ‘doctor families,'” she said of her entry into medicine. “I knew much less about the whole process because I don’t have any close relatives here who I got to see go through [becoming an MD].”

 

[dirac]

Romania's national ballet welcomes Ukrainian dancers.

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The dancers – two women and three men – were offered "collaboration contracts" lasting six months to a year. Two apartments were secured, rent-free. A local restaurant offered meals.

None of the five have danced at the national level, so this was also an opportunity for them to advance their careers and further their training. "They understand it's a lot of work and they have to perfect a lot," Gheorghiu said.

 

[dirac]

A review of Northern Ballet by Sheila Stratford for The Reviews Hub.

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When Casanova was premiered in 2017 Joseph Taylor was the principal soloist. In this revisited, restaged production he is again Casanova. He brings such remarkable, grace, stamina and strength to his performance. The emotions he is able to display are captivating.  The intimate scenes with Manon Balleti (Sena Kiano) and Bellino (Abigail Prudames) are playful and sensual, and with Henriette (Saeka Shirai) so tender and passionate. The prowess and beauty of the female soloists together with Joseph Taylor are breath taking.

 

[dirac]

A review of the Ballet of the Hungarian State Opera in "Mayerling" by Ilona Landgraf in her blog, "Landgraf on Dance."

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Watching “Mayerling” in the same theater that Rudolf himself visited some years prior to his suicide was a markedly special experience – as if a window to the past had been opened. Suddenly, Mary’s secret nighttime burial felt especially barren. In the moments after Rudolf (Gergő Ármin Balázsi) inexplicably shoots a courtier at the hunting party, the silence in the auditorium was so piercing that for several seconds I was unsure whether the shot has been real. Balázsi’s Rudolf joined his own wedding party tentatively, as if needing to find himself first. I wondered: does this soft and slightly insecure young man have the chutzpah to betray Princess Stephanie (Yourim Lee) – his spouse-to-be – by openly flirting with Princess Louise (Barbara Kerényi)?