Ian Macmillan

Obituaries on the death of the noted Canadian Heldentenor Jon Vickers appeared in several papers this morning. This is from the Toronto-based Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/acclaimed-canadian-singer-jon-vickers-dies-at-88/article25474978/ Effectively, his career began at the Royal Opera House in London from 1957, and the ROH posted this notice at the weekend: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/canadian-born-tenor-jon-vickers-dies A further notice today states that the performance of Falstaff on Saturday is to be dedicated to his memory: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/performance-of-falstaff-on-18-july-to-be-dedicated-to-the-memory-of-jon-vickers As it happens, my wife did her year with the then Opera Ballet just after his arrival in London, came to know him quite well, and has always spoken of him very highly indeed.

Links – Monday, 13 July, 2015 Review – Whelan/Watson, Other Stories, London: Clement Crisp, Financial Times Jann Parry, DanceTabs Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Review – National Ballet of China, Peony Pavilion, Red Detachment of Women, NY: Marina Harss, DanceTabs Review – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Two Programmes, Paris: Laura Cappelle, Financial Times Review – Roberto Bolle, Herman Cornejo & Friends, Ballet Now Galas, LA: Laura Bleiberg, LA Times Review – NDT2, Shutters Shut, Schubert, Some Other Time, Sara, I New Then, Becket (Jacob’s Pillow): Janine Parker, Boston Globe Feature/Interview – Israel Galvan: Judith Mackrell, Guardian News – Bolshoi Ballet Screening Programme, 2015-16: Staff, RBTH Review – MOVE, Anniversary Programme, Vancouver: Alexander Varty, Straight.com Feature – Dance Friends (Leymis Bolanos & Stephanie Bastos) Reunite: Carrie Seidman, Sarasota Herald -Tribune Review – NOW 2015, Revilery, 5ive, Oomph, Gins and Nets, Wellington: Jo Randerson, Danz Magazine

Should you wish to take matters into your own hands at the ROH, it appears that they are looking for new Ushers: http://recruitment.roh.org.uk/vacancyView.php?requirementId=2021

Luke Jennings in today's Observer: http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/jul/05/tree-of-codes-review-all-action-no-consequence I stand to be corrected, but both he and Mark Monahan (both ex-dancers, I believe) acknowledge the dazzle that appears to mark this show but without being overly impressed by the choreography, and their perspective seems somewhat at variance from the general tone of responses seen on Twitter.

Mark Monahan of the Telegraph seems to have got in with the first UK review, awarding most points to Jamie XX's 'sonic imagination' but sees 'sameness' set in on the choreography: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/dance/11715945/Tree-of-Codes-Manchester-International-Festival-review-magical.html

Having been RT'd by Wayne McGregor, this appeared on the Forum's Twitter timeline: http://twitter.com/NatalieAnglesey/status/617251233133371392 If Wayne has managed to find the Review, he's welcome to my Links job for several minutes searching around the Manchester Evening News site have failed to reveal it. Dear Natalie, including 5 Twitter addresses is not achieving your aim - but a single link would. Watch what Judith Mackrell and others do in such circumstances, and possibly increase your readership thereby.

Janet: I've been mildly surprised to see that pre-publicity material had used the term "Company Wayne McGregor" rather than "Random Dance" for this collaboration. Has that changed in the programme for the evening? Edited to add that the performance certainly unleashed a barrage of ecstatic responses on Twitter.

From today's Links, the British Theatre Guide has this Review: http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/ballet-central-the-lowry-11651

Links – Thursday, 2 July, 2015 Reviews – Akram Khan & Israel Galvan, Torobaka, London: Clement Crisp, Financial Times Sarah Kent, Londondance Howard Loxton, BTG Review – American Ballet Theater, Cinderella (Ashton), NY: Mary Cargill, Danceviewtimes Review – American Ballet Theater, Romeo and Juliet (Copeland/Gorak), NY: Leigh Witchel, Danceviewtimes Review – American Ballet Theater, Sleeping Beauty (Ratmansky), NY: Oksana Khadarina, Fjord Review Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, The King Dances, Birmingham: Ismene Brown, Spectator Review – Hamburg Ballet, Romeo and Juliet (Neumeier), Hamburg: Joy Wang Xin Yuan, Bachtrack Review – Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company, Flamencura, London: Ismene Brown, Spectator Feature – How the Biennale got Venice dancing: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Blog Review – Pam Tanowitz Dance, Solo, Broken Story, Heaven on One’s Head, Upstate NY: Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal/DanceBeat News – BirdGang to be Associate Company at the Young Vic: Carmel Smith, Londondance Feature – Cuban dancers visiting Chicago: Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times Review – Ballet Central, End of Year Show, Salford: Georgina Wells, BTG Feature – The Prancing Elites Dance Their Way Up: Penelope Green, NY Times Dance Magazine Online, July 2015: Contents Page

Further to much of the foregoing discussion, from tomorrow's Links comes an extract by experienced NY critic Leigh Witchel at the end of a review of ABT's recent R&J: As for Copeland, it’s myopic to ignore her story in favor of her dancing. Is she a world-class ballerina? No, and neither are most of ABT’s female principals; the company’s been a man’s company for at least two decades. She’s an excellent dancer deserving of her rank, and she filled the seats of the Met and brought in an audience who might not have gone to a ballet. They saw a real ballet, not a music video or “So You Think You Can Dance,” and they liked it. Copeland has gone beyond being a dancer to becoming a cultural phenomenon. Many have become principal dancers on far less.

The ROH response is here: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/guillaume-tell-a-response-to-recent-debate-and-discussion

Gtkw: Good to hear from you - and you now know that wasn't too difficult. Let's hear from you again!

Links – Wednesday, 1 July, 2015 Review – American Ballet Theater, Cinderella (Ashton), NY: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Tour Reviews – Royal Ballet, Both Programs, NY: Robert Greskovic, WSJ Robert Gottlieb, NY Observer US Company News (Very selective Coverage): American Ballet Theater – Misty Copeland to Principal + other changes: Michael Cooper, NY Times (and internationally!) Marina Harss, Guardian Press Conference – NY Times Pia Catton, WSJ + Video clips San Francisco Ballet & ABT – Maria Kochetkova to be with both: Allan Ulrich, SF Chronicle Sarasota Ballet – Nancie Woods to be Conservatory Principal: Carrie Seidman, Sarasota Herald-Tribune Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Sylvia, Birmingham: Hedy Mühleck, Bachtrack UK Company News: Scottish Ballet – Chris Hampson gets busier: Here Northern Ballet – Joiners, promotions, departures: Here Review – Pam Tanowitz Dance, Heaven on One’s Head, Broken Story, Upstate NY: Apollianaire Scherr, Financial Times Review – City Contemporary Dance Company, 365 Ways of Doing and Undoing Orientalism, HK: Natasha Rogai, SCMP Review – ZviDance, Escher/Bacon/Rothko, NY: Joel Benjamin, TheaterScene Feature – Latitude Dance Lineup, 2015: Sara Veale, DanceTabs Reviews – River to River Festival 2015: Trisha Brown Company, Souleymane Badolo, Eiko, NY: Martha Sherman, Danceviewtimes Review – Australian Dance Theatre, Be Your Self, Perth: Nerida Dickinson, Australian Stage News – Hofesh Shechter seeks guitarist (with GSOH?): Vera Liber, BTG

Alison: Try Marina Harss in the Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/jun/30/misty-copeland-success-ballet-right-direction Edit to add: A Google page tracing just some of the English-language cover. NB that around 100 sources were dealing with the story around 3-30 US time today: http://news.google.com/news/rtc?ncl=dpbqPTw20lp2xXM&authuser=0&ned=uk&siidp=a75b0a7c90d37a36068eb87b270f782f8d66

I hesitate to say this news has gone 'viral,' but it's beginning to look as if I could fill tomorrow's Links page with it alone, and in a variety of languages.

Links – Tuesday, 30 June, 2015 Tour Reviews – Royal Ballet, The Dream, Song of the Earth, NY: Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, Bachtrack Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal/DanceBeat Tour Reviews – Royal Ballet, Infra, 6 Divertissements, Age of Anxiety, NY: Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, Bachtrack Sondra Forsyth, BWW Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Sylvia, Birmingham: Bruce Marriott, DanceTabs News – Promotions, Leavers & Starters, 2015: Royal Ballet: Sim Dixon and others: Here Birmingham Royal Ballet: Bruce Marriott, DanceTabs Review – Australian Ballet, Cinderella (Ratmansky), Melbourne: Gordana Andjelic-Davila, Australian Stage Review – Eifman Ballet, Rodin, LA: Donna Perlmutter, LA Observed Review – Los Angeles Ballet, Two Programs, LA: Donna Perlmutter, LA Observed Opinion – Discrimination against disabled Ballet students: Christopher Hope, Telegraph Review – Christopher Williams, Spirits of the Air & Heroes, NY: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Review – Dai Jian, SILENT Dialogue, NY: Siobhan Burke, NY Times

Links – Sunday, 28 June, 2015 Tour Review – Royal Ballet, The Dream, Song of the Earth, NY: Joel Benjamin, TheaterScene Feature – Wendy Whelan On Her Own Terms: Marina Harss, Playbill Arts Gallery – Wendy Whelan & Edward Watson, Other Stories, London: Nadav Kander, Observer Jacob’s Pillow Reviews – Ballet BC, workwithinwork, Consagracion, Twenty Eight Thousand Waves, Becket: Janine Parker, Boston Globe Ken Ross, Mass Live News – Helpmann Awards Nominees, 2015: Valerie Lawson, Dancelines Feature – Ageing Dancers, An Alternate Vision: Wendy Perron, Blog Review – Circumference, Shelter Me, London: Luke Jennings, Observer Review – Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company, Flamencura, London: Jeffery Taylor, Sunday Express Preview – Lemi Ponifasio, R Murray Schafer, Cast of 1000, Apocalypsis, Toronto: Shaun Pett, Guardian Review – Stephen Pelton Dance Theatre, Lauda Adrianna, Glasgow: Kelly Apter, Scotsman Feature – Seattle International Dance Festival: Staff, Seattle Times Preview – Dance at the Toronto Fringe: Michael Crabb, Toronto Star Review – Kate Weare Company, Dark Lark, Unstruck, Tampa: Carrie Seidman, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Will fairies do? http://twitter.com/damegrace/status/614278925829734400

Just popping above the parapet for a moment - but wasn't there that Fonteyn/Nureyev BBC documentary 3/4 years ago, with a Dutch actor playing Rudi, as I recall? (The one with Derek Jacobi as Fred Ashton?) And whilst it seemed more concerned with the romantic interaction of the two leads, wasn't there a bit of 'him' in a studio? Danced by a young Russian, conveniently in London at the time? I'm probably remembering it all wrong.

Lin: Yes, indeed - they were all built at Weybridge.

Did any Forum user happen to see the fuselage of former 10 and 101 Squadron VC10 aircraft, XR 808, as it was moved by road from Bruntingthorpe to the RAF Museum at Cosford, where the aircraft will be reassembled and put on display? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-33215901 http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2015/06/21/monster-vc10-makes-its-through-the-streets-of-shifnal/vc1oplane15ae21/ If anyone did, and has pictures or video, I'd be happy to see them. 808 was the first VC10 delivered to the RAF in July 1966, and it flew into retirement in 2013 - and before anyone asks, it wasn't possible to land it safely at Cosford.

John: That's remarkable. I've been ignoring the Chicago Tribune whilst doing Links for some time now - I've simply not been fast enough to beat the blocking message. This morning, seeing the link, I tried again, was blocked, and decided to explore their Registration process for some kind of free access - that failed when the system refused to recognise a UK postcode. Sorry, Ms Molzahn, but there's a limit to the time I'm prepared to spend seeking you out.

Bruce: Fixed - I hope!

MAB: Just turned 74, with Mrs M a tad older, but doing our bit to reduce the Old Folks Home ambience at the ROH for you - we haven't been all year.

Links – Wednesday, 17 June, 2015 Review – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Toccata, Exodus, Revelations, NY: Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times Review – National Ballet of Canada, Sleeping Beauty, Toronto: Dana Glassman, National Post Preview – Carlos Acosta/Royal Ballet, Don Quixote, Chicago: Laura Molzahn, Chicago Tribune Feature – Retiring Ailey Dancer, Kirven Douthit-Boyd: Ralph Gardner Jr, Wall St Journal Interview – Doug Fullington on Stepanov Notation: Marina Harss, DanceTabs Feature – Wendy Whelan & Edward Watson, Works and Process, NY: Heather Chamberlain, StageBuddy Review – San Francisco Festival of Ethnic Dance: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times This week in – New York, Cunningham, Tharp, ABT R&J: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Feature – The Creative Producer – a new collaborator in dance production: Helen Goodman, Guardian Review – Lydia Johnson Dance, Quad Bill, NY: Mary Cargill, Danceviewtimes Documentary – Balletlujah: Eric Volmers, Vancouver Sun