Monday, June 17

[dirac]

BalletMet hires a new artistic director.

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Selected after an international search, [Remi] Wörtmeyer was one of 80 applicants. He replaces Edwaard Liang, who has held the position for the last 11 years. Established in 1978, BalletMet stages 60 to 70 performances each year and puts a priority on new works.

 

[dirac]

A review of the Royal Ballet by Jenny Gilbert in The Arts Desk.

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Rhapsody, whose creation in 1980 to showcase the jump-jet qualities of Mikhail Baryshnikov should have guaranteed it a warm spot in the repertory, is a harder edged affair, diamond-cut to match the dazzle of Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. In terms of sheer virtuosity the score rivals the composer's Third Piano Concerto, a warhorse of the repertory, and it's to the Royal Ballet's immense credit that it is able to field an in-house pianist capable of the challenge – its own Head of Music, Robert Clark. The Baryshnikov role went to Taisuke Nakao (pictured above), a young dancer still two ranks below principal, with Anna Rose O'Sullivan as his muse – though for most of the work the two stars glitter alone. Nakao has been bluebirding about the stage in absurdly difficult screw-jumps and sissonnes for a good 10 minutes before O'Sullivan appears, glimmering into view like a moth held aloft on a tremolando chord.

 

[dirac]

A review of the National Ballet of Canada in "Jewels" by Martha Schabas in The Globe and Mail.

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It’s here that the National’s production doesn’t hit the mark. The company has had a massive turnover of principal female dancers in the past few years, with a major drain of rising talent. It’s left them with little range among the top tier. Svetlana Lunkina felt low-energy in the lead in Emeralds, and while Heather Ogden was clean, elegant and strong as the lead in Diamonds, there was a want for more lusciousness, risk and depth. This final section, set to Tchaikovsky, was made for Balanchine’s chief muse Suzanne Farrell, who brought a haunted and unforgettable power to the role.

 

[dirac]

A review of New English Ballet Theatre and Norwegian National Ballet 2 at the Linbury Festival by Deborah Weiss for Bachtrack.

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The bill opened with New English Ballet Theatre presenting two ballets, the first of which was a commission for Royal Ballet principal Matthew Ball, Acts of Exaltation. Ball is a highly inventive and intelligent individual, and working with NEBT appears to have been beneficial to all concerned. To music by Claudio Monteverdi, the piece explores religious rituals and ceremonial acts which are depicted by steadily building the choreography to suggest a series of familiar works of art and images.

 

[dirac]

A review of the Polish National Ballet in Fredriana by Graham Watts for Bachtrack.

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Ballet is so often a medium for dark drama and tragedy that it was especially uplifting to experience this pairing of two whimsical works for Polish National Ballet: one a doublet and jerkin affair from yesteryear and the other – by comparison – a slapstick farce from “yesterday”. This double tribute to the music of Stanisław Moniuszko (1819-72) has proved such a successful marriage that the two ballets have run side-by-side since 2019, revived to sell-out audiences in each successive season.

 

[dirac]

Dancers from Alabama Ballet visit Birmingham public libraries this month.

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Dance Discovery: Alabama Ballet provides a look inside the daily life of a professional ballet dancer from ballet technique to costumes and pointe shoes. Participate in fun exercises and enjoy a performance by the company’s dancers.

 

[dirac]

A preview of Indianapolis Ballet's 2024-25 season.

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And in March, the ballet will partner with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and Butler University's Clowes Memorial Hall for the second year in a row. This time, the organizations will produce the classic "Swan Lake."

 

[dirac]

A review of the Royal Ballet by Leigh Witchel for dancelog.nyc.

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Stylistically, though, is that Ashton? Nuñez used her torso, and she did one lovely series of swivels with a roll through her upper chest and shoulders, but it was controlled, reined in to something without any eccentricity. It’s not not-Ashton, but it isn’t Ashton either. It almost felt as if, like Emily Howard from Little Britain, Nuñez was always trying to be a lady, and do ladylike things. Her duet with Clarke felt too perfect; when they arrived in layers on layers all in white, it was as if they were figurines on a wedding cake.