Bruce

Yes, yes, yes - a 5 star piece.

No - the public record is important.

Thanks Ian: Once a tweet is deleted finding a copy is practically impossible. I had an inkling he might reverse up and so took a screen grab. I loath it when people try and massage the past and much general discussion is thrown out of context. I saw all this back in the early days of running the original forum, which is why I moved to rapidly reduce posters ability to edit their posts - I think it was 15 minutes in my day. That really forced posters to clarify and post again if their view changed. When things go on the public record both writers and readers/responders have rights I think. Dawson of course can change his view on things and the way to handle this would have been a new tweet expressing the change of heart etc. I'd note that Dawson's Twitter stream includes a fair number of appreciate tweets that were garnered as a response to his now deleted tweet. That seems rather disingenuous really.

The 19 March David Dawson tweet re critics & his work, subsequently deleted without explanation... Image courtesy of Twitter. My original Tweet is at: https://twitter.com/DanceTabs/status/844459318825177088

It was the same buttock display back in 2013 as on opening night this time. Perhaps they have moved to use stronger glue.. The Judas Tree used to suffer similarly.

This jumped out because I think the leotards are not well cut at all and they should have been changed before this second outing of the Dawson. They are so small that only the very, very, very, thin can keep their arse in place/covered - like Sarah Lamb. But on the opening night Nunez had one buttock on display for much of the ballet and Cuthbertson was facing similar problems. It's sooo not a good look - especially if you are going for that ethereal look.

I'm not privy to either contract but I do know a few things about dance and ballet contracts and I very much doubt it's his say. At best he may have only given performance rights away for a few years, in which case he is under no obligation to extend. But managments want rights for a long time of course and its probably best viewed as a buyers market. Of course if your name is Matthew Bourne or Crystal Pite you are in a sellers market! But it was a silly thing to have said.

Get over it Bill - it's a view. We all have views.

Yep. Don't often do this but here is the last para of Jann Parry's review of Tempest: "Bintley has treated Shakespeare’s drama as a masque, full of spectacle, music and dancing, with elusive characters that are more allegorical than realistic. It doesn’t work as a narrative ballet because the sub-plots are too complicated and the main characters’ motives unclear without a printed synopsis. The love story between Miranda and Ferdinand is uninvolving because it’s so swift (though Jenna Roberts is captivating in her frank innocence). The staging and performances are pleasing, tantalising in the promise of richer interpretations. Bintley is not alone in finding that The Tempest proves intractable as a ballet: plenty of choreographers have had a go without resounding success – Glen Tetley, Nureyev, Alexei Ratmansky and Crystal Pite, among others. It’s best left alone." Full review: http://dancetabs.com/2016/10/birmingham-royal-ballet-the-tempest-london/ I was at the premiere in Birmingham and feel the same - not one of Bintley's best at all.

I'm glad attention has been drawn to Dane's show and if you have not seen it do try and get today or tomorrow. I don't often rave, but as Aileen says this is a very unusual show and worth going out of your way to Dulwich to see. It's the closest you will ever come to seeing dancers do their thing and it's just glorious to behold. Don't be put off by mention of audience participation - its not embarrassing or onerous and just increases the feeling that we are all mixed up and in the space together. Go - it's magical. My review (with lots of pics): http://dancetabs.com/2016/09/dane-hurst-and-company-at-dulwich-picture-gallery-exodus-london/ also an interview with Dane about the show: http://dancetabs.com/2016/09/dane-hurst-choreographer-dancer-director-on-exodus-at-dulwich-picture-gallery/ Dulwich Picture Gallery page: http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/special-events/2016/september/exodus/

Having just released Jann Parry's review of the Peter Wright memoir I visited the publishers website and found: "Unfortunately the product 'Wrights & Wrongs: My Life in Dance' has been discontinued" https://www.oberonbooks.com/wrights-wrongs.html What's going on I don't know. It remains available at Amazon... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wrights-Wrongs-Peter-Wright/dp/1783193468 The Jann Parry review is at: http://dancetabs.com/2016/09/book-peter-wright-wrights-and-wrongs-my-life-in-dance/

It was noticeable on press night that the broadsheets didn't seem to be there. Critically I don't think Kolesnikova, and a new ballet by not well known creatives, is the draw that all the sales and marketing might suggest to those who don't go so often. I thought it a bad production (worse than Acosta's and that's saying something) that was marketed incredibly well. My worry is that the company has morphed over the years from having its own (leading) identity to being just mentioned in the small print - almost a scratch company. So it's "Irina Kolesnikova's London Season" etc. It seems a strategy that will lead to the company folding when Kolesnikova (now aged 36) can no longer deliver the classics and be marketed as one of the greats. It would be a terrible shame if SPBT were to fold - they are great dancers.

To add to John Mallinson's +ve Northern Ballet review link, here is a rave review of BRB in a new Bintley ballet: http://www.theartsdesk.com/dance/grand-tour-faster-dream-birmingham-royal-ballet-birmingham-hippodrome Ultimately I think Ismene and co look at the art and not the geography.

Sad news. Ismene Brown is a truly great critic and will be sorely missed. I don't agree with her all the time, of course, but her fearless approach, coupled with deep knowledge across the totality of dance always made you sit-up and take note. Just take a stroll around her own site to get some idea how much she has written and at what level. It's breathtaking: http://ismeneb.com/about.html If she didn't like some of the things you did, get over it - I'd far sooner see the reality of an interesting critic writing about the ups and downs of seeing a diversity of shows then the endless loving reverence of some who always conclude that the work of their chosen companies is just wonderful and brilliant etc. I hope whatever she does at Oxford has a public side that moves dance and/or criticism forward.

My goodness. But onwards and upwards from here... ENB Press Release 12 Aug 2016 English National Ballet / Akram Khan’s Giselle Creative Team Update Choreographer Akram Khan and composer Ben Frost have mutually agreed to part ways in the development of Akram’s reimagined Giselle for English National Ballet. Musician and composer Vincenzo Lamagna, who recently worked on Akram’s Until the Lions, joins the creative team. He will work with Akram and the company to realise a new adaptation of the classic score by Adolphe Adam, which will be performed live by English National Ballet Philharmonic. English National Ballet’s new production of Giselle, by Akram Khan, sees the classic story of love, betrayal and redemption given a new interpretation, with set and costume design from Academy-Award winning designer Tim Yip, known for his work on the hit film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, dramaturgy from Ruth Little, and lighting design from Mark Henderson. English National Ballet and Akram Khan previously collaborated together on the award-winning piece Dust, part of the Lest We Forget programme. End Notes to Editors: Vincenzo Lamagna Vincenzo Lamagna is a musician, composer, and producer. Born and raised in Naples, he has lived in London since 2008. His work pushes the boundaries of conventional music, combining raging guitar driven rock with minimalistic ambient soundscapes, fierce pulsing drumming, and elements of classical music. He has worked with artists including Mysteries of the Revolution, Twisted Tongues, Sean O’Brien, Esther Dee, and Reena Green. He has also recorded two albums with his band After They Left (After They Left, Little Sheep).He recently finished recording his sixth solo album. Solo discography includes The world at the end of the world, Ki, A Thousand Shepherds, Requiem, Until The Lions (yet to be released), Kingdom (yet to be released). Vincenzo works extensively creating sounds for contemporary dance. He joined Hofesh Schechter Company in 2010 and toured Political Mother worldwide until 2014, playing in venues including Sydney Opera House, Theatre De La Ville, Sadler’s Wells, La Vilette, and HKCC. He also played guitar on Sun. He began collaborating with Akram Khan in 2014, writing music for The Rashomon Effect (National Youth Dance Company). He composed and sound designed One Side To The Other (The Lowry), and composed the score for Until The Lions, a full length piece that premiered at the Roundhouse London in January 2016, and will tour worldwide until December 2018. Additional collaborations include Scottish Dance Theatre, Phoenix Dance Theatre, ACE Dance and Music, Beijing Contemporary NINE Dance Theatre, Carlos Acosta, John Ross, and Jose Agudo. Vincenzo is currently co-directing and scoring a new experimental dance piece called Through&Out with choreographer Jorge Crecis, which will begin an underground tour in October 2016.

What can I say - I feel very differently to most of you about the Maillot Shrew and left at the interval. The music is a jumble, the costumes don't seem very helpful (other than for Bianca), the storytelling not so clear... I just didn't find it very funny really. The Cranko version is much clearer and I suspect the ROH Bolshoi audience (rather different to the normal RB audience) would have found it more obviously rewarding. I like that the Bolshoi is looking to the future of ballet, but as we know with RB, and elsewhere, the future is littered with wrong turnings and rather dull dead ends. I've seen Maillot's Romeo a couple of times and find it rather cartoonish (not in a good way) and that is in Shrew as well. Thank goodness that Jann Parry is reviewing for DanceTabs and I have no idea what she will say!

I just wanted to thank Alison and the 27 folks who liked/supported the post - you are all most kind and it's appreciated. Thank you. I think I ran forums, or their equivalent, from 1997 through to 2012, including the initial setup & funding of this current forum. I learned much along the way - like it's all rather harder than people think! And you also make mistakes and blunders but a cheery apology can help no end in taking the whole community forward. I also wanted to reminisce a little because the idea of the forum having a badge or t-shirt isn't entirely new. I think it came up in the early noughties and a member kindly looked into it, but I think at that time it needed an initial order that was a bit too big. That and needing to design something around the "balletco" logo at the time - which takes time. I hated (and still do) the idea of something un-designed and perfunctory. I did though produce some T-Shirts. I made up 25 by hand (one Saturday night!) in a variety of sizes, all with the logo on at a discreet size above ones heart! I sold a few but many were actually given away to contributors at the time. It was all too much hard work for me on my tod and to be honest there easn't lots of pent up demand that would help pay the costs of running it all. One thing the old forum regularly had was a Christmas Party and very occasionally a summer party - usually when distant readers or contributors were passing through. In the 90's and early noughties there was a real feeling of braking new ground and the audience having a say and being able to more easily exchange thoughts for the very first time. It was all new! Then social media arrived and new groups started going though the same process and generating excitement - Tweetups arrived etc! But the forum goes on, steadily changing and morphing over time, if always constant to the ballet in it's title rather than wider dance. The idea of badges associated with the forum now has its own thread - so go there if you want to make it happen and/or see whats happening: http://www.balletcoforum.com/index.php?/topic/12342-balletcoforum-badges/

Forgive me but Sheila did not start this thread (which the record appears to now show) - I did. And I used introductory words that don't make so much sense when they are presented out of the context I posted in. Not the end of the world (with this exchange documenting things) but a mods comment when moving posts would have been useful.

I started this on a new thread in the proper place - hence my words - so why this has been put out of it context I know not.

Jonathan Watkins’ 1984 had its premiere last night at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds. Wanted to start a thread for people to talk about it. It strikes me as particularly significant as the first time in some very many years that NB(T) have had a new full evening piece created on them that wasn't by David Nixon and that diversity is a welcome and wonderful change. Still collecting all my thoughts but overall I thought it went well enough and was true to the companies dramatic traditions - anybody looking for a wildly different Wayne McGregor dance vocabulary will be disappointed, but I suspect the audience would rebel at such a jump in narrative style. There are some nice duets, set in a well thought through set with good lighting and video projections. Videos are de rigour on stage at he moment, not always to good effect, but here it fits well with the story. Good performances from Tobias Batley and Martha Leebolt in the lead roles and glad I was there. Great to see that most of the national papers were there to review a 'not the usual suspects' commission. Amen to that.

"Who do they think they are." I expect they think they do a lot for free and it costs them money to run and pay the professionals they do... We have been incredibly lucky to get so much interesting criticism for free these last 20 years or so. Before the net you got one view if you paid to get the paper... There is no god-given-right for us to get such free access.

Oh what a shame. It wasn't the greatest night of works she has ever danced or that any of the choreographers have created. But, for me, it was still a last chance to see the quality of her movement and I think 'Bye' is a very good piece for her. Bul if you are not sure about the choreography or choreographers then I suspect cheap seats is a probably a good way to go generally - if no help to you at all now I know.

I'm rather saddened that nobody has said a thing about Sylvie Guillem's final London performances, either the ones at Sadler's Wells or last week at the Coliseum. The forum has always been very ballet-ballet and Guillem having moved on is not the star for some that perhaps she was. But seeing her final London show on Sunday, all contemporary in style, you couldn't help but notice her ballet roots shining in all she did. One of the finest ballerinas and dancers of her generation, her moving on deserves to be marked because she made a difference. I also recall that when I started Balletco in 1996 one of the few other web sites around was Jim Fowler's Guillem appreciation pages and Jim came to dominate the Chat page (the first interactive forum part of Balletco) with his wit and wisdom. He and a few other ardent fans eventually had dinner with Sylvie - he was beyond pleased. And a side of Guillem not often seen. Her work rate and commitment is legendary and seeing her dance on Sunday you were not seeing a 50 year old take it easy or on a downward path - she's getting out at the top of her game. One of my all time best weeks in ballet-watching was seeing Guillem dance Juliet 3 times, and every time she died differently and played with other aspects of the role, ever hunting for a better interpretation and yet all of them were brilliant. Besides her drive to perform work at its best, I admire her commitment to the new - that feeling that dance goes nowhere by living in its past - and to see her perform in Forsythe's ballet company works on the ROH stage was a revelation. Forsythe makes good ballet dancers sparkle, but Guillem was from another planet in terms of technique and snap. While it's been terrific seeing her doing things backed by Sadler's Wells (and lucky for us in London), it seems such a lost opportunity at the Royal Ballet, that such a spearhead for the new faced, at that time, an organisation largely concentrating on its traditional knitting. Although Guillem has said her farewell to London audiences there are still some UK performances: in Edinburgh (8-10 August) and then Birmingham (8/9 September). Say goodbye if you can and marvel at a body, a mix of sylph and steel, that can still hold you transfixed. I'm going to end with a lengthy quote from 1966 that I used on a Balletco page - it's the Sunday Telegraph's Nicholas Dromgoole about Guillem dancing Grand Pas Classique. I saw a few of those performances and the next time I think I felt so happily elated was seeing Osipova and Vasiliev do their first Don Q in London - they brought the house down of course. Anyway here's Dromgoole... "Sylvie Guillem had chosen a show-off piece by Victor Gsovsky to music by Auber, run-of-the-mill choreography to put it mildly, but when shot through with her gleaming intelligence, it was transformed. It became a vehicle through which she captivated us, conveyed the fun of moving with incredible virtuoso skills, wrenching the music out of context and making it a part of something else: dance, nothing but lovely dance. Habitual readers of this column will know that I have this appalling tendency to wax lyrical over Guillem, over her feet, her arms, those incredibly high extensions, those fabulous balances, the body that not only looks deliciously erotic but also seems able to do impossibly athletic things with brio and a wonderfully imperturbable air. Gsovsky's steps really amount to little more than choreographic junk, a frayed piece of very old rope, but Guillem seems to be saying, "Yes, of course it is old rope, but just watch what I can do with it, and now, and this will surprise you, I am going to try this..." and her audience sits elated with surprise and delight. She is a phenomenon, and we are extraordinarily lucky to have these chances to enjoy her."

I don't know for sure but I can imagine why it might only be only included in Sunday Times sales in and around London. It would not be cheap to publish and to cover the country would be expensive. It does seem to be linked to their move to a commercial development in East London and ENB are more London centric then they have been for many years. It's also where lots of decision makers are as well I guess. Did anybody not in the South East get the supplement? Interestingly I can't find any mention of the supplement on the ENB Twitter feed.

Great show. BUT it's not a show for the dance-studious, looking to discover a Mexican Balanchine or Forsythe - rather a colourful and spectacular entertainment and I loved it as such – it’s stampiliciously good!