dirac Posted June 25, 2023 Share Posted June 25, 2023 Li Cunxin is retiring from the artistic directorship of the Queensland Ballet. Quote On Tuesday, the Queensland Ballet confirmed the 62-year-old had been diagnosed with a heart condition and “has been troubled by serious health concerns since 2022”. He recently experienced “complications” and is retiring in order to recuperate. Li’s wife and fellow dancer Mary is being treated for cancer, and will also retire at the end of 2023 from her roles as ballet mistress and principal repetiteur. Link to comment
dirac Posted June 25, 2023 Author Share Posted June 25, 2023 A review of the English National Ballet in "Cinderella" by Louise Levene in The Financial Times. Quote Erina Takahashi, five parts silk chiffon, five parts carbon steel, was a fleet, sweet heroine partnered by Francesco Gabriele Frola. His costume — white tights, scarlet bum-freezer, half a mile of gold frogging — was weirdly Nutcracker Prince, but his solos were an exercise in airy grandeur and he coped well with the often fussy pairwork. As if conscious that his dialogues are bordering on the generic, Wheeldon attempts to inject excitement with yet another lift. Audiences like these (I blame TV dance competitions), but you do wish he’d put the poor girl down occasionally. Graham Watts reviews ENB for Bachtrack. Quote Some effects were inevitably muted by this much-expanded sense of theatre; in particular, one felt the loss of intimacy at the kitchen fireside (the hearth seemed so far away, it was indistinct) and in the pas de deux between Cinderella and her Prince (unusually he has a name, Guillaume) and the significance of the benevolent spirit of Cinderella’s mother via the tree that grew over her grave was also less clear when compared to the original proscenium production. The fairy godmother was replaced by four Fates who manipulated both Cinderella’s journey and acted as stagehands moving the set around between scenes. Link to comment
dirac Posted June 25, 2023 Author Share Posted June 25, 2023 An interview with Andrew McNicol. Quote “Storytelling has always been something I’m interested in. It’s a challenge, but when you get it right, there’s nothing better. How to tell it through the language of ballet? It has a different power from the written form. You have to distil, and sometimes bypass the brain and go to the emotional heart of the thing. Ballet is a language of the present tense. Every movement you make is happening now, with living, breathing people. There’s something about the raw, emotional intensity of that which lends itself to telling stories.” Link to comment
dirac Posted June 25, 2023 Author Share Posted June 25, 2023 A review of Dutch National Ballet by Vikki Jane Vile for Bachtrack. Quote Dutch National Ballet have been dancing William Forsythe’s work since 1989. Now, before the season ends, they dedicate an entire programme to him, featuring recognisable classics of his repertoire and a premiere for the company. Forsythe’s work is renowned for its speed, demanding physicality and stripped back staging, and the company relishes the opportunity of performing it, evidently enjoying the technical challenges and witty musical phrasing. Link to comment
dirac Posted June 25, 2023 Author Share Posted June 25, 2023 A review of Queensland Ballet by Denise Richardson for Dance Australia. Quote In sharp contrast, Christopher Bruce’s 1991 classic, Rooster, an electrifying celebration of the Rolling Stones music of the 1960s, is full of humour, infectious energy and toe-tapping tunes, including favourites "Lady Jane", "As Tears Go By", "Ruby Tuesday", and of course the opening number, "Little Red Rooster". Link to comment
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