Jan McNulty

Links - Saturday, July 26 2014 Review – Bolshoi Ballet, Don Quixote, New York: Robert Johnson, Star Ledger Reviews – English National Ballet, Coppelia, London: Kase/Acosta: David Jays, Guardian Howard Loxton, British Theatre Guide Rojo/Lendorf: Zoe Anderson, Independent Interview – Victor and Lilian Hochhauser: Mick Brown, Telegraph Previews: Mariinsky, Push, Osipova/Vasiliev, London: Clement Crisp, FT Edinburgh Fringe Wk 1, Edinburgh; Mariinsky, London: Judith Mackrell, Guardian American Ballet Theatre, Brisbane: Valerie Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald Vail Internation Dance Festival: Kim Fuller, Vail Daily Ballet Manila: News Desk, Inquirer Review - Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker / Rosas, Fase, New York: Carol Pardo, Danceview Tmes Reviews – Wendy Whelan, Restless Creature, London: Graham Watts, London Dance Laura Dodge, Bachtrack Feature – Billy Trevitt, Balletboyz at the Roundhouse, London: Carmel Smith, London Dance Feature – Remembering Merce Cunningham: 5 classic dance videos: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Review - Amy Seiwert, Sketch 4, San Francisco: Allan Ulrich, SF Chronicle Review – Rennie Harris Puremovement; A Batalha do Passinho, New York: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Feature – Final dramatic flourish for RNZB AD Ethan Stiefel: Bernadette Rae, NZ Herald Feature - Abigail Boyle (RNZB): News Desk, NZ Herald

Thanks for letting us know Regattah. I hope by now that you have been able to see her and that the op has done the trick and she has a wonderful recovery. Very best wishes, Jxx

Great news Julie - thanks for sharing!

Northern Ballet are performing David Nixon's Dracula at the wonderful West Yorkshire Playhouse in September. The Company is currently in rehearsal and tweeted this picture today. It reveals 3 Draculas to whet our appetite - Toby Batley, Javier Torres and Giuliano Contadini

Scottish Ballet presents THE CRUCIBLE with TEN POEMS 25 - 27 September Theatre Royal GLASGOW | 30 September - 1 October Eden Court INVERNESS | 3 - 4 October Festival Theatre, EDINBURGH | 7 - 8 October His Majesty's Theatre ABERDEEN THE CRUCIBLE (World Premiere) Choreography: Helen Pickett Music: Bernard Herrmann; Paul Hindemith, Jon Hopkins; James Horner and Krzysztof Penderecki TEN POEMS (UK Premiere) Choreography: Christopher Bruce Soundtrack: Richard Burton reads the poems of Dylan Thomas Scottish Ballet brings an evening of great text to life this autumn as the stylistic language of American playwright Arthur Miller and Welsh Poet Dylan Thomas come together in a powerful study of words in motion, in this double bill featuring the world premiere of Helen Pickett's The Crucible, and UK premiere of Christopher Bruce's Ten Poems, touring Glasgow, Inverness, Edinburgh and Aberdeen throughout September and October 2014. “Dance has an ability to communicate a story without words in a way that has inspired choreographers over generations. Placing the works of Dylan Thomas and Arthur Miller in the hands of two choreographers that are both passionate storytellers will ensure that this is a bill as thought provoking as it is entertaining,” said Scottish Ballet Artistic Director Christopher Hampson. THE CRUCIBLE / Choreography Helen Pickett Secrets and lies take hold in the small town of Salem when a group of teenage girls claim to have been possessed by witchcraft. But who - or what - is to blame. "A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud - God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!" John Proctor, Act III, in court, Pg. 105 (The Crucible, Arthur Miller) From Californian choreographer Helen Pickett comes the world premiere of The Crucible. Based on American playwright Arthur Miller's 1953 Tony award-winning play, Pickett translates this incredible dramatisation of the Salem witch trials with her inimitable style of dance language. A dancer and choreographer under William Forsythe, and currently Resident Choreographer at Atlanta Ballet, Pickett layers rich, evocative characterisations and lyrical story telling in her version of Miller's chilling tale of sexual sin and innocent men and women destroyed by malicious rumour. “It’s a fulfilling dramatic story. The play has inspired so much art, and it inspired me to choreograph the story," says Pickett. “So much in the play lends itself to being an interesting jump-off point for dance." “I wanted to make much more of the dance scene in the forest because it’s the catalyst for the story and I’ve set it to this great, big rave-sounding soundtrack from UK producer and electronica artist Jon Hopkins.” In fact Pickett has chosen a roster of atmospheric music to choreograph to - with climatic pieces from the motion picture soundtracks of The Twilight Zone, Vertigo, Psycho, Enemy at the Gates and Shutter Island. I like doing collages,” she says. “I bank tons of music: whenever I hear something I like, I’ll buy it so I can listen to it and start thinking about what kind of movement I see in it. “My choices may seem eclectic, but the music needs to make one feel disjointed, because I sense that discomfort in the play,” she says. “The accusers are disrupting harmonious lives. Being persecuted makes you feel like you’re being ripped up from the roots. So that was part of my zig-zagging into this story.” Designer Charles Heightchew Jr reinterprets the seventeenth century period costumes with a modern twist - there's swooshing robes, and boys in britches - but the palette is dusky, with flashes of chiffon to elongate Pickett's pointe work. The Crucible is Pickett's second creation for Scottish Ballet (following The Room, inspired by Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit, and premiered as part of Dance Odysseys at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2013). TEN POEMS / Choreography Christopher Bruce A British premiere, Christopher Bruce's Ten Poems was created for Ballet Keil (Germany) in 2009. Set to a recording of ten Dylan Thomas poems, emotively read by Welsh actor Richard Burton, the piece builds on the melodic rhythm of the famous prose as Bruce, one of Britain's most prolific and important choreographers, brings each one to life with exquisite little vignettes of story and character. “I found the face of Richard Burton staring at me from the counter of my local music shop and couldn’t resist this recording of Burton reading the poetry of Dylan Thomas. I realised at the time there was a certain degree of nostalgia involved in my purchase but, as I began to listen to the rich cadences of Burton’s voice, I instantly felt the suggestion of a dance,” explains Bruce. “After weeks of listening to the CD, I chose the poems I felt would support the choreography. From the beginning I loved the musicality and rhythm of the poetry and had imagined that my work would lean towards the abstract rather than the dramatic. However, when I started work in the studio, the content of Thomas’ lines made itself felt and the dance began to tell stories. “It’s not exactly a narrative ballet, but I think it says something about the poet, and his history.” Ten Poems explores the themes of lost innocence, childhood nostalgia and death in Thomas' poems, including Fern Hill and the famous Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, in this the centenary year of the poet's birth - as dancers are transported to turn of the century Wales in valley hues of gold, green and blues, designed by Marion Bruce. Ten Poems follows 2013 successful collaboration with the choreographer, when Scottish Ballet performed his 1940s factory worker’s styled piece Shift as part of the company’s award-winning Dance Odysseys programme at the Edinburgh International Festival, and Bruce is looking forward to furthering this relationship. “It is important to develop a relationship with a company and, having produced Shift with Scottish Ballet last year, many of the dancers already have an excellent understanding of my particular choreographic language,” he says. “I’m looking forward to developing this piece with the company in the rehearsal room.” EDITORS NOTES THE CRUCIBLE features music from James Horner, Jon Hopkins, Bernard Herrmann (from The Twilight Zone, Vertigo, Psycho and The Devil and Daniel Webster), Paul Hindemith and Krzysztof Penderecki 1) Koulikov (Instrumental) - James Horner, from Enemy at the Gates (Original Movie soundtrack) 2) Insides - Jon Hopkins, from Insides Album 3) Main Title - Bernard Herrmann, from The Twilight Zone (The complete Scores of Bernard Herrmann), conducted by Joel McNeely 4) Prelude and Rooftop - Bernard Herrmann, from Vertigo (Original Motion Picture Score) conducted by Joel McNeely, Royal Scottish National Orchestra 5) Danilov's Confession James Horner, from Enemy at the Gates (Original Movie soundtrack) 6) The Porch - Bernard Herrmann, from Psycho (Original Motion Picture Score) 7) The Devil and Daniel Webster, Suite for Orchestra: Mr. Scratch, Allegro moderato e agitato - Bernard Herrmann, from The Devil and Daniel Webster, conducted by James Sedares, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra 8) Trauermusik Pour Alto Et Orchestre A Cordes – Choral, Hindemith – Gerard Causse Performing, Hindemith Works for Viola 9) Symphony No. 3: Passacaglia – Allegro Moderato, Krzysztof Penderecki, Antoni Wit & National Polish Radio Symphony, Shutter Island, music from Motion Picture. TEN POEMS features the Dylan Thomas poems: And Death Shall Have No Dominion; Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night; Fern Hill; I See the Boys of Summer; In My Craft or Sullen Art; Lament; Lie Still; Sleep Becalmed; The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower; The Hand That Signed the Paper and The Hunchback in the Park. LISTINGS Theatre Royal, GLASGOW Thursday 25 - Saturday 27 September 2014 Tickets £21, concessions available Box Office: 0844 871 7647 atgtickets.com/glasgow Eden Court, INVERNESS Tuesday 30 September - Wednesday 1 October 2014 Tickets from £21, concessions available Box Office 01463 234 234 eden-court.co.uk Festival Theatre, EDINBURGH Friday 3 - Saturday 4 October 2014 Tickets from £20.50, concessions available Box Office 0131 529 6000 edtheatres.com His Majesty's Theatre, ABERDEEN Tuesday 7 - Wednesday 8 October 2014 Tickets £21, concessions available Box Office 01224 641122 / aberdeenperformingarts.com

Home-grown talent recognised with Northern Ballet award nominations Northern Ballet is honoured to have received a nomination for Best Company at the Taglioni European Ballet Awards with additional recognition for one of its Premier Dancers, Kenneth Tindall, who has been nominated for Best Young Choreographer. The winners of the awards, which recognises the work of the top ballet companies, choreographers, dancers, designers and conductors from across Europe, will be chosen by an expert jury of specialist journalists on 27 September 2014. The Taglioni European Ballet Awards are organised by the Malakhov Foundation which was established in 2014 by international ballet star Vladimir Malakhov, founder and former Director of the State Ballet Berlin. The non-profit organisation aims to support ballet dancers in areas of need such as grants for education, further training, medical needs and maintenance grants. The awards are one of the first major projects of the foundation to recognise extraordinary achievements within ballet. Northern Ballet has been nominated for Best Company along with leading European companies Paris Opera Ballet and Hamburg Ballet. The Leeds-based Company specialises in creating and touring full-length narrative ballets which in recent years has included Cinderella, The Great Gatsby and Beauty & the Beast. As the widest touring ballet Company in the UK Northern Ballet reaches more people than any other and also recently enjoyed its first visit to Covent Garden with sell-out performances of a Mixed Programme at the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Studio Theatre. In addition, Northern Ballet pioneers the creation and touring of ballets especially for young children including Ugly Duckling, Three Little Pigs and the latest instalment, Elves & the Shoemaker, which will première in September. British Premier Dancer Kenneth Tindall has been nominated alongside Jean Philippe Dury and Natalia Horecna for Best Young Choreographer. Tindall, who has been dancing with Northern Ballet since 2003, has had his work performed internationally and also created three short pieces for Northern Ballet including: Project #1, Luminous Junc·ture and The Architect, which premièred in June 2014 and can next be seen during Northern Ballet’s Mixed Programme at the Linbury Studio Theatre in 2015. In addition, Kenneth Tindall has also been nominated as one of Dance UK’s twenty future leaders to take part in their Dancers’ Mentoring Scheme which provides each dancer with a paid mentor to discuss and develop their future in addition to and beyond their performing careers. Northern Ballet’s Artistic Director David Nixon OBE said: “I’m delighted that both Northern Ballet and Kenneth have been recognised with these nominations. Northern Ballet works tirelessly to create and tour innovative productions throughout the UK and reach as many people as possible with world-class ballet. In addition, for Kenneth Tindall to both receive a nomination for Best Young Choreographer and be nominated for the Dance UK scheme is an incredible validation for him and we look forward to continuing to nurturing this talent within our ranks.” Kenneth Tindall said: “It is an honour to be nominated for such a prestigious award and I am thrilled to have been selected as one of this year’s twenty participants on Dance UK’s 2014/15 Dancers’ Mentoring Scheme. I look forward to working with Dance UK and my mentor.” The ceremony for the Taglioni European Ballet Awards, named after one of history’s most famous ballerinas, Marie Taglioni, will be held in Berlin on 27 September 2014. -ENDS- Notes to Editors Northern Ballet is one of the UK’s five large ballet companies. Based in Leeds, it performs throughout the UK as well as overseas. Northern Ballet’s productions mix classical dance and theatre, embracing popular culture and taking inspiration from literature, opera, or giving a unique interpretation of popular classical ballets. Northern Ballet is the busiest touring ballet company in the UK and is typically on the road for around 24 weeks of the year. The Company of 40 dancers tours a combination of new works and established repertoire to cities throughout the UK and is the only large scale ballet company to do so.

Turning your naughty Nexus off may help Fiz!

I do hope the operation has been successful and that your daughter is now in recovery. Very best wishes to you all.

Least said soonest mended about "Diana The Princess, A Celebration". I chose not to see Midnight Express!

Will be reporting on Rojo/Lendorf later. Not long home from London and gathering my thoughts.

Christopher Bruce created a number of works on 20th century subjects - off the top of my head I can think of Land (about the situation in Poland in the 1980s, created for ENB) and Cruel Garden (about Lorca and a full evening work), Ghost Dances (about the "disappeared" of Chile in the 1970s),

Thinking of you and your daughter today, Regattah. Jxx

Fiz, it sounds like your laptop is as naughty as mine, which keeps booking tickets when I am not looking!!!

Links - Friday, July 25 2014 Reviews – Bolshoi Ballet, Don Quixote, New York: Marina Harss, DanceTabs Holly Kerr, Broadway World Reviews – English National Ballet, Coppelia, London: Hannah Weibye, Arts Desk Mark Monahan, Telegraph Lyndsey Winship, Standard Graham Watts, London Dance Sarah Frater, Stage Laura Dodge, Bachtrack Gallery – Dave Morgan, DanceTabs Feature – Mariinsky Ballet: ‘as exciting as the World Cup’: Sarah Crompton: Telegraph Review – Carlos Acosta, Cubania, London: Bruce Marriott, DanceTabs Interview – Steven McRae: Ellie Pithers, Telegraph Reviews – Wendy Whelan, Restless Creature, London: Clement Crisp, FT Sarah Crompton, Telegraph Sanjoy Roy, Guardian Preview – Bolshoi Ballet, Taming of the Shrew, Moscow: Parvez Jabri, Business Recorder Q&A – Isabelle Fokine: Paul Arrowsmith, DanceTabs Review – Koresh Dance Company & others, mixed programme, Philadelphia: Ellen Dunkel, Philadelphia Inquirer

Links – Thursday, July 24 2014 Reviews – Bolshoi Ballet, Don Quixote, New York: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Apollinaire Scherr, FT Interview – David Hallberg (Bolshoi Ballet): Jocelyn Noveck, Register Guard Review – Carlos Acosta, Cubania, London: Louise Levene, FT Sanjoy Roy, Guardian Zoe Anderson, Independent Rachel Ward, Telegraph Lyndsey Winship, Standard Interview – Natalia Osipova: Giannandrea Poesio, Spectator Reviews – Wendy Whelan, Restless Creature, London: Jann Parry, DanceTabs Katie Columbus, Stage Preview – Mariinsky Ballet, London: Lyndsey Winship, Standard Review – Alina Cojocaru Dream Project 2014, Programme A, Tokyo: Naomi Mori, Bachtrack Review – Momix, reMix, the best of Momix, Saratoga: Lauren Halligan, Saratogian News: Angel Corella appointed AD of Pennsylvania Ballet: Roslyn Sulcas, NY Times Steven Weisz, The Dance Journal Ellen Dunkel, Philadelphia Inquirer Feature – Dance at Latitude Festival 2014, Suffolk: Carmel Smith, London Dance Preview – Amy Seiwert, Sketch, San Francisco: Allan Ulrich, SF Chronicle Interview – Damian Woetzel: Juliet Wittman, Denver Westword Featurette – San Francisco Ballet in Paris, the view from SF: Jesse Hamlin, SF Chronicle Feature – Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild, Dancing as fast as they can: Patricia Zohn, Huffington Post Review - Miccolis and Benedikt’s Evening for Humanity, Rights, Growth, Washington: George Jackson, Danceview Times Play Review – Vaslav, Cape Town: Beverley Brommert, Tonight Film Review – Passinho Dance Off: Brian Seibert, NY Times Featurette - Nine Dance Films with the most difficult choreography: Deidre Kaye, SheKnows

Oh I don't know Taxi, we're not on meters yet.

It has been reported today that Dora Bryan has passed away at the age of 91. Here is the BBC report

Unbelievable Melody! We keep getting letters from United Utilities advising us to insure our water supply pipes running through the garden. A friend told me that the law was changed a few years ago and the water provider is now responsible for the pipes right to the entry point into the house.

Here's the thread BE mentioned. It's worth a read.

Here's the thread from earlier in the year, where we heard that Ms Dean was leaving the Royal Ballet. Bangorballetboy's post number 4 gives some detail.

Hello Tutu Anna, welcome from me too. Thanks for sharing your DD's experiences about training in Japan. I hope you will continue to contribute.

I think the ticket prices may be contributary to a certain lack of bookings, combined with the new works. As was pointed out, the RB mixed programmes are often cheaper than full length ballets and this must surely help.

Thanks for publishing this B2. It's great news for Mr Corella after his valiant struggles to keep his company going in Spain. (I neglected to put this in today's links so will include it tomorrow).

Links – Wednesday, July 23 2014 Reviews – Bolshoi Ballet, Swan Lake, New York: Robert Greskovic, Wall Street Journal Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Robert Johnson, Star Ledger Gallery – Wendy Whelan, Restless Creature, London: Dave Morgan, DanceTabs Review – Daniel Ulbricht/Ballet 2014, Furiant, Two Hearts, Liturgy, Opus 19 Andante, Sunshine, Fancy Free, Jacob’s Pillow: Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal Reviews – Fire Island Dance Festival 2014, New York: Brian Schaefer, Out Dance News Desk, Broadway World Review – Pilobolus, The Inconsistent Pedaler, All is not lost, Korokoro, Masters of Ceremony, Megawatt, New York: Jessica Abejar, Broadway World Review – Dorrance Dance, ETM: The Initial Approach, Jacob’s Pillow: Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal Preview – Miami City Ballet 2014/15: Hadley Henriette, Haute Living Review – Walter Dundervill, Arena, New York: Martha Sherman, Danceview Times Review – Summer Performance Festival, new choreography by various artists, San Francisco: Rita Felciano, SF Bay Guardian Feature – Ballet School opens its doors in September (BTUK): Harriet Robinson, Hinckley Times Book Review – Lucy Moore, Nijinsky: Lewis Whittington, The Dance Journal (scroll down) DVD Review – Ballet Company of Teatro Alla Scala, Notre Dame de Paris: Lewis Whittington, The Dance Journal John Sunier, Audiophile Audition Film Review - An American Girl: Isabelle Dances Into the Spotlight: Meredith Ennis, Channel Guide Magazine And finally... This robot thinks it’s Spielberg: Watch this machine-filmed ballet: Felix Esser, Digital Trends

Obituary from the SF Chronicle