Jan McNulty

Bruce Wall wrote this: I had one additional point of concern this morning. Am I alone in being somewhat troubled by the fact that the two most prominent and positive reviews of this programme - as featured in today's links - are written by reviewers - and in The Daily Telegraph's case the woman who is the overall Arts Editor - who have previously had dinners with and, in the Guardian's case, shared a preparatory class aside the two stars of this production? Years ago I remember chatting with Clive Barnes and his saying that he felt it was "mandatory" - in order to keep an objective critical stance on behalf of his readership - that he not do interviews, other features or in any way socialise with any of the personnel responsible for any of the productions (be they dance or theatre) he would be reviewing. "Other people can write those," he quipped. He even said that he turned down social invitations if he was aware that any such would be attending. I must confess I was myself concerned when Sarah Crompton (ref The Daily Telegraph) showed up to do the pre-class interview and commentary with the Mariinsky Acting Director on the live class feature. Other people (if I recall correctly) took those roles for the Telegraph last year when the paper featured similar video outings with the Bolshoi. (Perhaps she won't be reviewing any of the other items of the Mariinsky fare to be presented. That would, in my estimation, be prudent.) Indeed, neither of these women made ANY reference to their associations in their SOLO FOR TWO reviews - and both, I believe, have additionally written features. Perhaps this is just a sign of our times. They may well now be right (I don't know) and certainly must be (rightfully I think) fearful for their positions given the overwhelming and current industry trends. Within the next decade or so such posts may well be entirely non-vocational. The internet does offer such wonderful succour in terms of alternative resource. Just look at Bruce Marriott's gloriously rich DanceTabs!!! We are, I think, so lucky; so very blessed. on the Osipova/Vasiliev Solo for Two thread and MAB responded: You are not alone in being troubled by certain critic's alliances, I've been aware of this for some time and never cease to regret that the likes of Clive Barnes, John Percival et al, with their personal codes of conduct, are a thing of the past. Alison suggested: I think Bruce and MAB raise some good points here - perhaps we could take them over to the "Critics" thread, wherever it is? There's certainly something to be said for keeping one's distance from the subjects of one's writing, I suppose. I'm reminded that I recently saw an interview with a well-known tennis player done by a newspaper's tennis correspondent, and can understand the sense behind it, because you'd expect the tennis correspondent to know something about tennis (not necessarily a given, admittedly ...), but that I suppose is a slightly different situation because his job is only to *report*, not to critique. On the other hand, likewise if you don't get the person who's supposed to know something about their subject to do, say, a dance interview, then what happens? Do you get some piece of fluff from some staffer who doesn't really know what questions to ask, for example? Plus I believe that interviews pay better than reviews, and that's probably something to be taken into consideration, especially if a critic is effectively a freelance. I still have memories of Nicholas Dromgoole, writing for the Sunday Telegraph, managing pretty successfully to avoid reviewing Lesley Collier's performance, even when it was a performance starring her, while they were married ...

I think they have approached this from the wrong angle. On the whole I don't think it is the dancers who change the face of dance but the dance makers and directors. I would agree that Cassa Pancho should be on that list and Tamara Rojo and for the UK I may also include Christopher Moore (BTUK) and Darius James (Ballet Cymru) who are forging ahead with small very companies producing great full length ballets. Having said that, I was very gratified to see Chi Cao on the list (even if the bit of writing about him was a bit namby pamby). In a list of dancers I would also include Celine Gittens of BRB.

Elixir Festival SADLER’S WELLS & LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO Friday 12 - Monday 15 September 2014 Performance times vary, see below for full details Tickets: £10 - £15, workshops £8, Art of Age Conference £40 (includes lunch and performance) Concessions apply, see below for full details Ticket Office: 0844 412 4300 / www.sadlerswells.com Sadler’s Wells presents its largest ever celebration of lifelong creativity and the contribution of older artists this Autumn, with four days of performances, workshops, film-screenings and events throughout the theatre from 12 – 15 September 2014 . The Elixir Festival draws together over 400 performers and contributors, including Mats Ek, Ana Laguna, Dominique Mercy, a cast of nine former professional dancers, Sadler’s Wells’ acclaimed Company of Elders, 25 elders dance groups from right across the UK and Chilean group Generación del Ayer. From the beauty and power of a single gesture to the juxtaposition of electronic music and contemporary choreography performed by older dancers, the main stage mixed programme, KnowBody; A lifetime of experiences (12 & 13 September) challenges preconceptions and presents contemporary dance illuminated by a lifetime of experience. It offers a rare opportunity to see celebrated former professional dancers - some of whom are returning to the stage for the first time after twenty years or more - perform a new work commissioned by the theatre from acclaimed duo Jonathan Burrows and Matteo Fargion and former artists of London Contemporary Dance Theatre, The Royal Ballet, Second Stride and the Siobhan Davies Dance. The group of extraordinary dancers includes: Christopher Bannerman, Brian Bertscher, Anne Donnelly, Linda Gibbs, Lizie Giraudeau, Betsy Gregory, Geraldine Morris, Namron and Kenneth Tharp, who have temporarily come out of retirement to perform this hopeful and irreverent illustration of the body as an archive of rooms, steps and forgotten stories, revealing the power of physical memory in the face of the most transitory of art forms. It is complimented by Mats Ek’s Memory, a heartfelt piece performed by the choreographer himself and the internationally renowned dancer, Ana Laguna, his wife and muse. This delicately evocative piece is a reflection on midlife sensuality: a man remembers a woman, the memory brings her on stage and the past becomes the present. Dominique Mercy performs a new solo directed by Pascal Merighi and accompanied by projections created by Alexandre Castres. Merighi and Castres are former members of the late Pina Bausch’s internationally acclaimed company, Tanztheater Wuppertal, with whom Mercy has performed for 40 years, as well as being a choreographer in his own right. KnowBody also features18 dancers from Sadler’s Wells’ renowned Company of Elders presenting a restaged excerpt from Hofesh Shechter’s In your rooms. Hofesh Shechter says of his experience: “It is fascinating for me to see my work restaged on mature dancers. To work in a studio so full of wisdom, life experience and laughter is a gift you don’t say no to.” Established in 1989, the Company of Elders is Sadler’s Wells’ inspirational resident over-60s performance company. Over the past 12 years the 26 members have garnered global acclaim, working with international choreographers including Matthew Bourne's New Adventures, Hofesh Shechter Company, Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, Jasmin Vardimon Company, BirdGang, Luca Silvestrini and Clara Andermatt. They have performed at locations ranging from The Houses of Parliament, National Theatre and Duckie Cabaret Club to foreign tours spanning Russia, Holland, Austria, Portugal, and the Venice Biennale Dance Festival. In 2009 (rebroadcast in 2012) the group were the subject of a BBC1 Imagine documentary; Imagine…Save The Last Dance. Generación del Ayer, the intergenerational company from Chile, perform an extract from Lo Que Me Dio El Agua (What the water gave me) a tribute to the life and work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Of the work they do, the company says: “Over 60 is the time to realise your dreams, not relinquish them. To stop dancing would be like forgetting a language we have always spoken.” From 13 - 15 September, the Lilian Baylis Studio hosts Elixir Extracts, a mixed performance programme featuring older dancers and 25 companies from Cardiff to Ipswich, Brighton to Liverpool and beyond as well as the Company of Elders; reflecting the diversity of approach and responding to the fast-growing interest in performance work for mature artists. Over 50 companies applied to be part of this performance programme. On Monday 15 September, the Art of Age Conference features contributions from artists, choreographers and leaders in culture, health and performance research. The morning session focuses on dance and well-being while the afternoon examines the artistic perspective, followed by a performance from the Company of Elders in the Lilian Baylis Studio. The Elixir Festival is supported by The Baring Foundation The presentation of Mats Ek and Ana Laguna as part of the Elixir Festival is supported by the Swedish Embassy in London The presentation of Generación del Ayer as part of the Elixir Festival is supported by the Anglo-Chilean Society Press performances: KnowBody, main stage, Friday 12 September at 7.30pm; Elixir Extracts, Lilian Baylis Studio, Monday 15 September at 5pm featuring the Company of Elders and Namron. Limited tickets are available for the other Elixir Extracts programmes on Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 September (see below for further details) and for the Art of Age Conference, Sadler’s Wells Rosebery Room, Monday 15 September 10.30am – 6pm (includes a ticket to 5pm performance) NOTES TO EDITORS For further details on the Elixir Festival see www.sadlerswells.com/Elixir Listings information Elixir Festival Sadler’s Wells & Lilian Baylis Studio Friday 12 - Monday 15 September 2014 Performance dates and times as below Ticket prices as below Ticket Office: 0844 412 4300 / www.sadlerswells.com KnowBody; A lifetime of experiences Sadler’s Wells main stage Friday 12 & Saturday 13 September Performances at 7.30pm, pre-show dance films in the foyer from 6.30pm Tickets: £15 (£7.50 concessions) Elixir Extracts Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler’s Wells Saturday 13 - Monday 15 September Performance times as below Tickets: £10 (£5 concessions) Programme A, Saturday 4.30pm The ViveKamayas from Instep Dance Company Growing Older (Dis)Gracefully Dance 50 Moves Striking Attitudes Mercury Movers Montage Theatre Arts ENB Open Age Dancers Lucy Boyes and Robbie Synge Programme B, Sunday 3.30pm (Includes post-show dance films from 6pm in the Kahn Lecture Theatre) Green Candle Senior Dancers Open Age Dance Three Score Dance Company The Elderberries Counterpoint Dance Company Damn Fine Dance Company Programme C, Sunday 7pm (Includes pre-show dance films from 6pm in the Kahn Lecture Theatre) D2D Dance Company From Here to Maturity Dance Company Sage Dance Company Generación del Ayer (International Guests) Company of Elders, Monday 5pm A mixed programme from the Company of Elders’ repertoire featuring guest artist Namron. Workshops Sadler’s Wells Studios Sunday 14 September Times as below Tickets: £8 (£4 concessions) phone booking only The workshop programme aims to offer professional development and support further growth in the sector. Working with Elders 11am – 12.30pm Led by Simona Scotto, suitable for older dancers and professionals working with older dancers. Stories and Dance 11am – 12.30pm Led by Mafalda Deville, suitable for all ages. Intergenerational Creative Workshop 1.30pm – 3pm Led by Jasmine Wilson (Wayne McGregor | Random Dance), suitable for all ages. Choreographing for Elders 1.30pm – 3pm Led by Bisakha Sarker, suitable for older dancers and professionals working with older dancers. Art of Age Conference Sadler’s Wells Rosebery Room Monday 15 September 10.30 – 6pm (10am registration) Tickets: £40 (£20 concessions: Access members only) phone booking only. Includes lunch and ticket to 5pm performance in the Lilian Baylis Studio. BSL Interpreted Concessions include: Access members, over 60s and under 18s unless specified above

http://www.nationaldancecats.co.uk/ J&E, highlight the URL of the website, right click and choose copy from the option list. Go to where you want to post the link, position the cursor and right click. Choose the paste option. Then "enter" when you have pasted to ensure that the link is blued and can just be clicked on.

The 7 Fingers Sequence 8 Peacock Theatre WC2 Tuesday 16 September - Saturday 4 October 2014 Performances: Tues - Sat: 7.30pm; Sat mat: 2.30pm; Sun: 2pm & 6pm Tickets: £15 - £38 Ticket office: 0844 412 4322 or www.sadlerswells.com One of the world’s most inventive contemporary circus companies The 7 Fingers (Les 7 Doigts de le Main) returns to Sadler’s Wells’ home in the West End, the Peacock Theatre, with its latest show Sequence 8 from Tuesday 16 September - Saturday 4 October 2014. Hailing from Québec, renowned as the home of the modern circus discipline, The 7 Fingers (Les 7 Doigts de le Main) has garnered critical acclaim for previous productions including Psy, which was co-produced with Sadler’s Wells and performed at the Peacock Theatre in 2010. Created in 2012 to celebrate the company’s ten year anniversary, Sequence 8 explores how relationships can be represented with acrobatics, focusing on how we define ourselves against others. Directed by company artistic directors Shana Carroll and Sebastien Soldevila, the production features a cast of eight acrobats showcasing astonishing circus skills and aerial stunts. Founded in Montreal in 2002 by seven seasoned circus performers, The 7 Fingers (Les 7 Doigts de le Main) artists are pioneers in their field and continue to produce work in their inventive trademark style, which combines exceptional physical talent with a striking human element. Their productions are all at once poetic, dark, loving and humorous. Over the last 12 years, The 7 Fingers (Les 7 Doigts de le Main) has notched up more than 4,200 performances, visiting 300 cities in 40 countries. Weaving together theatrical narratives and physical skills with breathtaking results, The 7 Fingers (Les 7 Doigts de le Main) has won a legion of fans the world over. Sequence 8 is suitable for all ages.

It's interesting how different people can see the same thing so differently! Graham Watts tweeted this morning: Graham Watts ‏@GWDanceWriter Inspirational performance of Swan Lake, last night by Alina Somova (I love her Odette so much) Kimin Kim & corps de ballet @mariinskyen It doesn't mean that either of these opinions is any less valid than the other, just that there was a different perception.

Possibly it is because people are deterred if their views differ from yours Assoluta. Linda is right - this thread is about Swan Lake performances and not the internal politics of the Mariinsky.

Links - Friday, August 08 2014 Osipova/Vasiliev, Solo for Two, London: Reviews - Clement Crisp, FT Judith Mackrell, Guardian Sarah Crompton, Telegraph Hannah Weibye, Arts Desk Lyndsey Winship, Standard Vera Liber, British Theatre Guide Neil Norman, Stage Meghan Feeks, Huffington Post Gallery – Dave Morgan, DanceTabs Feature – Louise Jury, Standard Review – Bolshoi Ballet, Spartacus, New York: Carol Pardo, Danceview Times Interview – Helgi Tomasson, AD San Francisco Ballet: Laurine Mortha, Bachtrack News – Library of Congress Acquires American Ballet Theatre Archive: Donna Urschel, EIN News Review – Daniel Jaber, Too far again, not far enough, Agile, Adelaide: Alan Brissenden, Australian Preview – Vail International Dance Festival, Dance TV, Vail: Brian Schaefer, Out Picture Feature: Australian Ballet, Ballet in Bondi, Sydney: Dan Boud & Jason Reed/Reuters, Guardian Featurette – Misty Copeland (ABT): Fred Pawle, Australian Edinburgh Fringe Festival: Review – Feng Dance Theatre, Kid Box: Helen I Hwang, Huffington Post

I haven't experienced this with Firefox. Have you tried right clicking and selecting "open in new tab", if that is an option for you?

Hello Ballethfgirl and welcome to the forum. I do hope we will hear more from you.

Made the mistake of looking at the prices! Think I'll stick to M&S!!

Links - Thursday, August 07 2014 Review – Mariinsky Ballet, Romeo and Juliet, London: Giannandrea Poesio, Spectator Review – Bolshoi Ballet, Swan Lake, New York: Leigh Witchel, Danceview Times Preview – Osipova and Vasiliev, Solo for Two, London: BWW News Desk, Broadway World News – American Ballet Theatre donating Trove of Materials to Library of Congress: Roslyn Sulcas, NY Times Review – Vail International Dance Festival, Seven New Works, Vail: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Review – Royal New Zealand Ballet, Allegro, Hamilton: Debbie Bright, NZ Theatre View Review – Pacific Northwest Ballet, A Million Kisses to My Skin, Take Five … More or Less, Before After, Rassemblement, Jacob’s Pillow: Tresca Weinstein, Times Union Feature: Leap of Faith: How Ladysmith Black Mambazo turned into ballet dancers: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Review – Jacob Jonas The Company, In a Room on Broad St, New York: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Feature – 17 Ballet Icons who are changing the face of dance today: Katherine Brooks, Huffington Post Feature - Vincent and Flavia: Lyndsey Winship, Standard Feature - Valda Setterfield, The Lear Project, Kilkenny: Michael Seaver, Irish Times

I have amended post #2 by reducing the length of the quotation to conform with the BalletCoForum's Acceptable User Policy on quoting: "As far as BalletcoForum is concerned we allow brief quotes of a sentence or two from other sites or material, with the source acknowledged, and backed up if relevant by a link. Anything more than this will be removed."

For members who don't stray out of Doing Dance and who have DCs who may not otherwise be occupied, the Mariinsky class is being live streamed tomorrow. Details on this thread.

Hello HG and welcome to the Forum. I can't answer your query but I'm sure other members will be able to offer advice. Please let us know how you get on.

Hello Jazzerina and welcome to the Forum. Thanks for you comments about the Hammond Summer School. I hope you will continue to join in the discussions on the Forum.

Hello Dance Mum and welcome to the Forum. I can't answer your queries but I am sure some of our other Members will be able to offer advice. Please let us know how you get on.

Sky Arts made a short documentary about the making of Northern Ballet's Beauty and the Beast in 2011. Northern Ballet have issued a link to the programme: http://northernballet.com/?q=beauty-the-beast/video/making-beauty-the-beast

Over the last couple of weeks there have been a number of commemoration events that I have heard about. Sadly I only saw the TV highlights of the Giants event in Liverpool last weekend. I have seen photographs on the internet of the Ice miniatures event that took place in Birmingham yesterday. Yesterday evening I was at The Lowry to see a tango show and there was an open air event starting at 22:00 at Media City. HONOUR - MEDIA CITY, SALFORD - 2ND AUGUST 2014 This was a multi-media event based on the words of the War Poets and the stories of ordinary men and women. I missed the first couple of minutes. When I arrived it was to see a huge screen across the front of a building. There were some people on the stage and the words being spoken seemed to be the words of poems or letters. Suddenly the screen sprang to life with archive footage of men in the trenches and going over the top. The soundtrack of exploding mortars was suddenly augmented by fireworks going off on the top of the building and giant spotlights flashing onto the audience. It was an incredibly evocative and moving couple of minutes - you could almost imagine what it must have been like under constant bombardment in the trenches. As the images faded some dancers appeared on the stage - Phoenix Dance Theatre - who seemed to be doing a very anguished dance - perhaps people suffering from shock. As that section ended an enormous choir started filing onto the stage for the final section of the event. A young boy performed Pie Jesu before the choir started singing and the screen was filled with words, fragments of sentences in both English and German and letters. As the singing moved into a final, moving, choral piece the image on the screen changed to poppies floating down from the sky. It was a compelling image. Despite the torrential rain earlier in the day the evening was dry and I would estimate a couple of thousand people attended this ultimately moving event. I am sure more people will have seen events in their area. I would love to hear about them.

I'm at that performance KQ. If you see me do say hello!

Northern Ballet, Royal Armouries and Leeds University are holding a "Gothic event" at Leeds Central Library on 27th August at 6pm. http://northernballet.com/?q=dracula/a-gothic-evening-at-leeds-library A Gothic Evening at Leeds Library Wednesday 27 August 2014 at 6pmTo celebrate the return of Northern Ballet's Dracula join us at Leeds Central Library for an evening with Royal Armouries and University of Leeds as we share insights on the gothic era and Bram Stoker’s legendary novel, Dracula. We'll be asking why does it continue to influence art, culture and society and always keeps us thirsty for more. book now The event lasts approximately 90 minutes. Places are free but booking is essential. The excitement is building!!!

I love tins and I discovered Steam Cream last year. It is a lightweight cream that you can use on your face or as a body lotion. There is a wide range of tins and this is a new design I was emailed about this morning. https://www.steamcream.co.uk/les-sylphides There is currently an offer on of 2 tins for £20 or 3 for £28.

PRESS RELEASE 30/07/2014 A PLIÉ FOR REPRESENTATION ‘A scarcity of ballet at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is preventing career advancement for many upcoming dancers’ says Artistic Director, David Murley. Hosting more than 3000 shows, and labelled as the ‘World’s Largest Arts Festival’, you would expect more than just two ballet performances. David Murley, Artistic Director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s only professional ballet company believes that there is an audience for ballet at the Fringe: “I am amazed just how underrepresented ballet is. When most people think of the Fringe, they think comedy, and for good reason. But there is undoubtedly demand for original and thought-provoking ballet presented to the highest level of technical discipline. This is our second year in Edinburgh and we have had to move to a venue with more than double the capacity we had last year simply because of high audience demand and lack of direct competition!”. This year MurleyDance are presenting ‘Object of My Affection’, three new pieces which explore the deep and unbreakable relationships we form with objects, such as technology, people and our homes. As a company founded by former professional dancer, David Murley, the piece will feature a high standard of technical dance movement, coupled with original and creative storytelling laced with deeper meaning throughout. “The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a platform that has spring-boarded so many careers, yet upcoming classical-based companies and dancers are just not taking advantage of it. More specifically, they are not being given the opportunity to take advantage of it!” David continues. “There’s an accepted wisdom that to be a success you have to get into the Royal Ballet or English National Ballet, but the reality is very different. There are hundreds of talented dancers but only limited spaces at the established companies. At MurleyDance, we are like ‘ballet-entrepreneurs’. Instead of presenting the over-competitive classical repertoire, we are focusing on presenting new works that showcase the extraordinary talents of dancers, choreographers, designers and composers. Through this approach we provide opportunities for upcoming talent to perform to new audiences”. Amongst MurleyDance’ s upcoming stars is 19-year old choreographer, Richard Chappell whose piece, Into Decay, is the final piece in MurleyDance’ s ‘Object of My Affection’. Richard says “My ambition was to be both a contemporary and classical choreographer, but in most classical ballet companies there are extremely limited opportunities for young choreographers. MurleyDance have given me the first step, and now I am excited to have my work showcased in front of an international audience at such an exciting event!”. MurleyDance are performing Object of My Affection at Greenside Venue, Nicholson Square between the 1st and 23rd of August. For more information visit www.murleydance.com. Notes to Editor: MurleyDance is a London based modern ballet dance company, fusing classical technique with theatricality. Founded in 2011 by former National Ballet and Glyndebourne Festival Dancer, David Murley, the company is the only professional ballet company attending the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. MurleyDance debuted in February 2012 in Resolution! at The Place, and have since appeared at Rough and Tumble, Spiral Arts Festival, Resolution! 2013, Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2013. The company also toured its Triple Bill nationally in Autumn 2013. Further information can be found at www.MurleyDance.com