Ian Macmillan

Looks like the exercise days are over? http://twitter.com/piccadillyline/status/662729484722814976

I haven't yet seen it in situ, but knew that it was out there thanks to three items in this morning's Times - an item on the young Norwegian singer; Hugo Rifkind's spoof weekly diary, this week featuring a JL exec; and Peter Brookes' cartoon featuring a certain politician, like myself no longer in the first flush of youth, as the chap on the moon. As the Telegraph article says, these JL ads have taken on a life of their own and become news items, spawning all manner of others in a similar vein.

Perhaps you'll take the word of a former RAF Navigator, old-schooled in Astro and a Scot to boot, but the hours of light and darkness vary with latitude - so the further north or south from the Equator, the fewer hours of daylight you'll get as winter progresses, with the reverse being true in summer. Think of things like "The land of the midnight sun" for northern Scandinavia in summer and complaints about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affecting moody Swedes during winter when they see little daylight. By contrast, if you're in Singapore or someplace else close to the Equator, you'll notice little or no difference across the year. Yet the 400 miles from London to Edinburgh can make a very noticeable difference. It's all to do with the 'ecliptic' or the Sun's 'apparent motion' - forty years ago I could have explained it all reasonably well, nowadays I have to refer to Wikipedia! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecliptic

I trust that the pigeons themselves will behave. I'm told that in days of yore that was not always the case.

To my mind, the main burden of Luke Jennings' was not so much the financial aspect of recent RB narrative commissioning, but that he sees a lack of story structure in recent work, something he attributes to a refusal to involve outsiders in the narrative process, leaving the chosen choreographers to 'sink or swim.' So, for him, it's back to the need for an Editor or Dramaturg. Dare I say that such an approach has worked well over the years for Cathy Marston, delivering strong, dramatic work in Bern and elsewhere through her cooperation with Edward Kemp, now Director at RADA?

Today's Times 2 supplement has a substantial feature on Lauren Cuthbertson, complete with cover page photo: "Dancing on the edge - my dangerous life as a ballerina."

Links – Friday, 30 October, 2015 Reviews – American Ballet Theatre, AfterEffect, NY: Marina Harss, DanceTabs Brian Seibert, NY Times Review – American Ballet Theatre, Fall Season Programs, NY: Robert Gottlieb, NY Observer Review – Baltic Dance Theatre, Fun, Death and the Maiden, Body Master, Warsaw: Graham Watts, DanceTabs Reviews – ZooNation, Into the Hoods: Remixed, London: Lyndsey Winship, Evening Standard News – 2015 Annual Dance Award Nominations: DanceTabs - Comment – Judith Mackrell, Guardian Review – Hussein Chalayan & Damien Jalet, Gravity Fatigue, London: Mark Monahan, Telegraph Review – Anna Teresa De Keersmaeker & Boris Charmatz, Partita 2, NY: Marina Harss, DanceTabs Review – Jason & Ronald K Brown/Evidence, Why You Follow, The Subtle One, etc, DC: Sarah L. Kaufman, Washington Post Review – Limón Dance Company, Chaconne, Orfeo, Dances for Isadora, The Traitor, NY: Joel Benjamin, TheaterScene News – Joffrey Ballet Choreographic Competition Winners: Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times Review – Russian National Ballet Theatre, Swan Lake, Canberra: Michelle Potter, The Age News: - Bolshoi veterans hail Vaziev appointment: Izvestia via Ismene Brown - plus the latest from Nikolai Tsiskaridze: Sobesednik et al via Ismene Brown

It's notable that, after seeing two casts, Jann Parry for DanceTabs does not damn Carmen to anything like the same extent as her colleagues did earlier in the week: http://dancetabs.com/2015/10/royal-ballet-carmen-viscera-afternoon-of-a-faun-tchaikovsky-pas-de-deux-london/

Links – Thursday, 29 October, 2015 Reviews – Royal Ballet, Viscera, Afternoon of a Faun, Tchaikovsky PDD, Carmen (Acosta), London: Jann Parry, DanceTabs (Two casts) Jenny Gilbert, Arts Desk Margaret Willis, Bachtrack Reviews – Ismene Brown, Spectator - Royal Ballet, Romeo and Juliet (Two casts), London - James Cousins, Without Stars, There We Have Been, London Reviews – Royal New Zealand Ballet, Giselle (Kobborg/Stiefel), Edinburgh: Mary Brennan, Herald Thom Dibdin, The Stage Review – Boston Ballet, Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler (Neumeier), Boston: Iris Fanger, Patriot Ledger Reviews – ZooNation, Into the Hoods: Remixed, London: Clement Crisp, Financial Times Vera Liber, BTG Reviews – Ballet Memphis, Confluence, I am a Woman:Moult, The Darting Eyes, Politics, New York: Marina Harss, DanceTabs Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Preview – Paul Taylor Dance Company, Calgary: Stephen Hunt, Calgary Herald Review – Company XIV, Cinderella (McCormick), NY: Leigh Witchel, Danceviewtimes Feature – Dance highlights in Canberra for 2016: Michelle Potter, The Age Book – Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder: Bernie Goedhart, Montreal Gazette Gallery – Lois Greenfield’s Moving Still: Guardian Tour Preview – Bawren Tavaziva, Africarmen, London: Rachel Elderkin, Londondance Preview – Bay Pointe Ballet, Dracula (Steivel), SF: Mary Ellen Hunt, SF Chronicle Review – Luminarium Dance Company, Spektrel, Cambridge, MA: Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Globe Review – Dance Heginbotham, Angel’s Share, Diamond, Easy Win, NY: Erica Getto, Fjord Review Feature – Sarasota Ballet’s Next Generation Outreach Program: Carrie Seidman, Sarasota Herald-Tribune Gallery – Ballet Hispanico, CARMEN.maquia: Paula Lobo, Houston Chronicle Fruit from the Google cornucopia: Feature – Ballerina teaches soldiers to dance: Kim Hyo-jin, Korea Times

Links – Wednesday, 28 October, 2015 Reviews – Royal Ballet, Viscera, Afternoon of a Faun, Tchaikovsky PDD, Carmen (Acosta), London: Clement Crisp, Financial Times Judith Mackrell, Guardian Mark Monahan, Telegraph Roslyn Sulcas, NY Times Zoë Anderson, Independent Graham Watts, Londondance Lyndsey Winship, Evening Standard Sarah Frater, The Stage - Live streaming, 12 November: Tammy Hughes, Evening Standard Feature – Iana Salenko & Steven McCrae: Jessica Duchen, Independent Reviews – American Ballet Theatre, Mixed Bills, NY: Robert Greskovic, Wall St Journal Carol Pardo, Danceviewtimes Mary Cargill, Danceviewtimes Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, Bachtrack/1 Bachtrack/2 - After You (Morris) – 8 Reviews: Barre Flies Feature – Françoise Gilot, painting a backdrop for ABT’s After Effect: Roslyn Sulcas, NY Times News – Changes at the Bolshoi: Ismene Brown, Arts Desk Diary – This week in New York: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Review – Dane Hurst and dancers, The Moving Body, London: Bruce Marriott, DanceTabs Review – Dance Umbrella, Out of India – Modern Moves, London: Graham Watts, DanceTabs Review – Jon Kinzel, Cowhand Con Man, NY: Siobhan Burke, NY Times Review – Monica Bill Barnes, Happy Hour, NY: Siobhan Burke, NY Times Review – Monkeyhouse, Misplaced/Displaced, Cambridge, MA: Marcia B. Siegel, Arts Fuse Review – Pat Graney & Colleen Thomas, Girl Gods, Her(e) Repetitive Blueprint, NY: Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal/DanceBeat Interview – Glenn Edgerton, Hubbard Street Dance & Billy Bungeroth, The Art of Falling, LA: Victoria Looseleaf, Fjord Review Feature – Garett Smith, Reveal for Houston Ballet: Jessica Maria MacFarlane, Playbill Arts And, inevitably, as the year draws on: Preview - Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Nutcracker (Balanchine), Seattle: Xavier Lopez Jr, Seattle pi

As tomorrow's Links will show, the ROH is on a loser promoting this Carmen and might be better employed pushing the three other works. Just out - 1 star from Mr Crisp, and that for 'Bonelli's artistry.'

Following on from much of the above, some of what has appeared on Twitter from a number of critics suggests that Acosta's Carmen is likely to take quite a beating as their reviews are published.

Links – Tuesday, 27 October, 2015 News – Makhar Vaziev appointed as Director, Bolshoi Ballet: Kommersant via Ismene Brown AP via Moscow Times (and elsewhere) Review – Mikhailovsy Ballet, Le Corsaire (Messerer), St Petersburg: Louise Levene, Financial Times Review – American Ballet Theatre, After You, Monotones I & II, Brahms-Haydn Variations, NY: Michael Popkin, Danceviewtimes Review – San Francisco Ballet, Giselle (Tomasson), Beijing: Catherine Sutherland, Bachtrack Gallery – Royal Ballet, Carmen, Viscera, Afternoon of a Faun, Tchai PDD: Dave Morgan, DanceTabs Journal – Twyla Tharp and a Q&A Session in Portland: NY Times Feature – Twyla Tharp 50th Anniversary Tour: Ellen Dunkel, Philadelphia Inquirer Review – Boston Ballet, Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler – A Ballet, Boston: Rebecca H. Dolan, Harvard Crimson Review – Limón Dance Company, The Traitor, Chaconne, Orfeo, Dances for Isadora, NY: Brian Seibert, NY Times Review – Trajal Harrell, The Return of La Argentina, NY: Siobhan Burke, NY Times Review – Queensland Ballet, Sleeping Beauty (Horsman), Brisbane: Deborah Jones, Blog Review – Lisbeth Gruwez/Veotalk, AH/HA, London: Philippa Newis, Londondance Review – Barrowland Ballet, Tiger Tale, London: Jeffrey Gordon Baker, Londondance Review – Northern Ballet, Tortoise and the Hare, Leeds: Roger Foss, The Stage Review – Krasnoyarsk National Dance Company of Siberia, DC: Rebecca Ritzel, Washington Post Review – Katie Workum/Kimberly Bartosik, Black Lakes, Ecsteriority4(Pt 2), North Adams: Janine Parker, Arts Fuse

It has become clear via Twitter that a new Director for the Bolshoi Ballet from March 2016 was announced this morning - Makhar Vaziev, previously Director at the Mariinsky, and currently Director at La Scala ballet, Milan. (I make no claim to have the Bolshoi saga of the past two years at my fingertips but, as I recall, he will have fewer powers within the Theatre than his predecessors.) With luck, Ismene Brown will have an English translation of what has occurred in time for tomorrow's Links.

Links – Monday, 26 October, 2015 Feature – Royal Ballet Director, Kevin O’Hare, on Frederick Ashton: Independent Feature – Classical Ashton: David Vaughan, Playbill Arts Review – Royal Ballet, Romeo and Juliet (Hayward debut), London: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Reviews – American Ballet Theatre, Various Mixed Bills, NY: Marina Harss, DanceTabs Gia Kourlas, NY Times Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal/DanceBeat Bolshoi Feature – Why Urin is glad to be rid of Filin: Anna Gordeeva/Moslenta via Ismene Brown Q and A – Kim Brandstrup’s favourite music: Guardian Gallery – Russell Maliphant & Michael Hulls in pictures: Guardian Review – Richard Alston Dance Company, Brisk Singing, Burning, Nomadic, Edinburgh: Mary Brennan, Herald Review – Company C Ballet, Arcane: A Tale of All Hallows’ Eve, SF: Allan Ulrich, SF Chronicle Feature – DanceSpora marks 5 years: Lindsay Rittenhouse, NJ.com Review – Lucy Bowen McCauley, Little Sin, Lucy’s Playlist, Part of the Main, DC: Rebecca Ritzel, Washington Post Review – Pierre-Paul Savoie & Jeff Hall, Bagne Recréation, Montreal: Robert Everett-Green, Globe and Mail Preview – Sydney Dance Company, Illuminated, Melbourne: Philippa Hawker, Sydney Morning Herald

With regard to the expectations of the other male dancers already seeing themselves being overtaken, I'd say "Yes, probably."

As has already been said, I've no doubt that things have worked out well for Mr Muntagirov, and I cannot think that his partnership with Daria Klimentova was anything but a gift from Heaven for both of them. But permit me a thought on the decision facing Monica Mason as he was due to graduate from the RBS as regards her male dancers. Having taken Steven McCrae and the Sergei Polunin on board in the previous 4/5 years, she already had two stars making their numbers and progressing rapidly through the male ranks. I can well imagine that she may have felt that taking on a third might have been unwise at that time.

It is, indeed, sad news. I met David late in life, through my wife - a RAD Scholar with him back in the 1950s and then a colleague in the Company. For his skills as a raconteur, I would warmly recommend his telling the story of the Company learning Les Noces from Bronislava Nijinska in the mid-60s - a substantial and amusing extra on the Royal Ballet Firebird DVD from around 2001 or 2002.

Links – Wednesday, 14 October, 2015 Feature – Swan Lake discoveries allow for a deeper dive into its history: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Review – New York City Ballet, Tchaikovsky Suite No 3, Liebeslieder Walzer (Jennie Somogyi Farewell), NY: Leigh Witchel, Danceviewtimes Review – New York City Ballet, Balanchine Black and White, NY: PIa Lo, Bachtrack Review – Dance Heginbotham, Angel’s Share, Diamond, Easy Win, NY: Marina Harss, DanceTabs Diary – This week in New York: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Review – Mariinsky Ballet, Cinderella (Ratmansky), LA: Steven Woodruff, Bachtrack Review – Zurich Ballet, In the middle, somewhat elevated, Gods & Dogs, Minus 16, Zurich: Sarah Batschelet, Bachtrack Review – Fall for Dance, Program 5, NY: Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, Bachtrack Documentary – “A Ballerina’s Tale’ – Misty Copeland: Brian Seibert, NY Times Review – Colón Ballet, Romeo and Juliet (Guerra), (Paloma Herrera farewell run), Buenos Aires: Pablo Bardin, Buenos Aires Herald Report – Recent dance at the Kennedy Center and around DC: George Jackson, Danceviewtimes Report – Twyla Tharp in Los Angeles, The One Hundreds, Preludes & Fugues, Yowzie: Jean Lenihan, Dance Enthusiast Review – Sweetshop Revolution/Sally Marie, I Loved You and I Loved You, London: Bruce Marriott, DanceTabs Preview – Dance Umbrella/La Veronal, Voronia, London: Lyndsey Winship, Evening Standard Review – Rude Mechs & Deborah Hay, Match-Play, NY: Martha Sherman, Danceviewtimes Today : RAMBERT Live, Class, Rehearsals, Debate: Rambert or on Guardian Website

On similar lines, today's Links has a Guardian item by Judith Mackrell promoting a debate at Rambert tomorrow, also online as part of Rambert Live, that she will chair: http://www.theguardian.com/stage/dance-blog/2015/oct/12/dance-female-choreographers-rambert-debate Further details here: http://www.rambert.org.uk/explore/news-and-blog/news/rambert-live/

Links – Tuesday, 13 October, 2015 Review – Ballett am Rhein, Symphonic Variations, workwithinwork, Two Gold Variations, Dusseldorf: Gerald Dowler, Financial Times Preview/Debate – How can we give female choreographers a lift? Judith Mackrell, Guardian Review – New York City Ballet, Balanchine Black & White, NY: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Swan Lake (Mathews & Lawrence), Birmingham: Bruce Marriott, DanceTabs Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Theme and Variations, Kin, Enigma Variations, Birmingham: Emma Cann, BWW Preview – John Neumeier & Joffrey Ballet, Sylvia, Chicago: Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times Review – Dance Heginbotham, Easy Win, Diamond, Angels’ Share, NY: Brian Seibert, NY Times Review – Fall for Dance, Program 1, NY: Leigh Witchel, Danceviewtimes Review – Sean Curran Company, Dream’d in a Dream, NY: Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal/DanceBeat Review – Debbie Robbins, In Her Shadows, Edinburgh: Mary Brennan, Herald Review – Sankai Juku, Umusuma, SF: Janice Berman, SF Classical Voice Review – Arts Ballet Theatre, Ballets with Latin Flavor, Ft Lauderdale: Jordan Levin, Miami Herald Review – Sweetshop Revolution, I loved you and I loved you, London: Graham Watts, Londondance Review – Robin Dingemans & Nick Bryson, The point at which it last made sense, London: Sarah Kent, Londondance Essay – Fall Again, Fall Better: Ruth Little, Dance Umbrella News – West Australia Ballet, Grande Costume Sale! Kristy Symonds, Perth Now

Oh well, we must be seeing the first paragraphs rather differently - but the world still goes around.

From today's Links, Los Angeles critic Lewis Segal has things to say about Alexei Ratmansky's "unnecessary remakes": http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-cinderella-ballet-review-20151012-story.html

Links – Monday, 12 October, 2015 Review – New York City Ballet, New Blood, Jeux, NY: Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times Review – Mariinsky Ballet, Cinderella (Ratmansky), LA: Lewis Segal, LA Times Review – American Ballet Theater, After You, Company B, Piano Concerto No 1, NY: Brian Seibert, NY TImes Review – Fall for Dance, Program 4, NY: Siobhan Burke, NY TImes Interview – Suzanne Farrell, Artistic Director: Oksana Khadarina, DanceTabs Preview – Lawrence Lemieux, Les Paradis Pedus/Remix, Toronto: Michael Crabb, Toronto Star Preview – Sarasota Contemporary Dance, Aftermath and others, Sarasota: Carrie Seidman, Sarasota Herald-Tribune Review – Faye Driscoll, Thank You for Coming: Attendance, Boston: Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Globe News – Australian Ballet, Storytime Ballet children’s project: John Bailey, Sydney Morning Herald Review – Debbie Robbins, In Her Shadows, Edinburgh: Kelly Apter, Scotsman

Links – Sunday, 11 October, 2015 Review – Hofesh Shechter, Political Mother, London: Luke Jennings, Observer Review – Mariinsky Ballet, Cinderella (Ratmansky), LA: Victoria Looseleaf, Fjord Review Review – Royal Ballet, Raven Girl, Connectome, London: Jeffery Taylor, Sunday Express Feature – The Royal Opera House’s new Costume Centre: Vanessa Thorpe, Observer Feature – Between the Dancer and the Dance, Part 2: Apollinaire Scherr, Fjord Review Review – BalletBoyz, Young Men, London: Sara Veale, Dancetabs Review – Dance Theatre of Harlem, Vessels, Contested Space, Coming Together, Tchai PDD, DC: Sarah L. Kaufman, Washington Post Review – Fall for Dance, Program 3, NY: Mary Cargill, Danceviewtimes Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Theme and Variations, Kin, Enigma Variations, Birmingham: Phil Preece, Lichfield Live Review – Sankai Juku, Umusuma, SF: Claudia Bauer, DanceTabs Preview – Silas Reiner, Blue Name, NY: Brian Schaefer, NY Times Feature – Tamara Rojo stressing the need for female role models: Miranda Bryant, Evening Standard Feature – “Ballet Bus,” Miami City Ballet’s children’s programme: Christina Veiga, Miami Herald News – Houston Ballet to have a new Nutcracker from next year: Molly Glentzer, Houston Chronicle