Ian Macmillan

I see that I have the same version of Chrome as GTL, but still no go this morning. Ah well. When the Forum started and we kept a simplified daily Links listing going in the transition from ballet.co, I remember toying with the idea that we might create a calendar of planned openings so that we might know what to be looking for as the days passed, and that was only for those countries from which one would expect English-language reviews. I quickly decided that this would mean rather more work than I was ready for, and Katherine's listings roam far beyond those boundaries!!

Is anyone else using Google Chrome seeing nothing but two large blank spaces? I can see the listings by moving to Safari, but I've tried at several times today on Chrome with no result. And, yes, it looks like an impressive piece of work!

Well, on behalf of us all, many thanks for the kind words. The observant amongst you will have noticed that Janet McNulty covered four mornings this week, and I'm happy to say that she passed her test with confidence and will be joining the roster from now on.

Anjuli: The position being taken by that chap sounds very odd, indeed. He appears to imply that an artifact may be 'art' on the day of its creation, providing it passes his innovation test, but that it then ceases to be so on some indeterminate timescale. So, does he abandon it as 'artless' after a day, a month, a year ......?

Just gone back after a phone call, and it appears to have finished. So, on with the day!

Not greatly impressed by the first 10 minutes - continual re-buffering, and it looks as if this is a 'special' class for the Net, with only about a dozen or so dancers seen thus far. Not at all like the crowded studio when the RB did its streaming a year or so back.

Links – Monday, August 12, 2013 Review – Bolshoi Ballet in London, Sleeping Beauty, Jeffrey Taylor, Express NY Ballet v6.0 Season Reviews, Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, Swan Lake pdd, Afternoon of a Faun, Camille Claudel Company C Contemporary Ballet, Railroad Joint, For Your Eyes Only, Polyglot, For Use in Subhuman Primates Only LA Review – Lula Washington Dance Theatre & Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Mixed Bill: Laura Bleiberg, LA Times Melbourne Review – Moses Pendleton/Momix, Botanica: Chloe Smethurst, The Age Sydney Review – Dirty Feet & Chronology Arts, Morphic, Quest, shudder: Jill Sykes, Sydney Morning Herald SF Review – Casebolt and Smith, O(h): Allan Ulrich, SF Chronicle West Australian Ballet – More questions than answers: Valerie Lawson, Dancelines Feature – Troy Schumacher & Ashley Laracey: Leigh Witchel, NY Post Edinburgh Festival: Previews – Scottish Ballet & Scottish Dance Theatre, Dance Odysseys: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Kelly Apter, Scotsman

Links – Sunday, August 11, 2013 Review – Bolshoi Ballet in London, Sleeping Beauty, Clifford Bishop, Independent London Review – Frederik Rydman, Swan Lake Unloaded: Ruaridh Nicoll, Observer Roundhouse Review – Random Dance Company, Azimuth (McGregor): Sarah Crompton, Telegraph Interview – Australian Ballet’s Lucinda Dunn: Elissa Blake, Canberra Times Jacob’s Pillow Previews – Wendy Whelan & Choreographers, Restless Creature: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Elaine Stuart, Boston Globe Staff, Broadway World Jacob’s Pillow Review – Jessica Lang Dance, Mixed Bill: Janine Parker, Boston Globe NY Fringe Festival Preview – Ramya Ramnarayan, Shyama: Robert Johnson, NJ Star-Ledger Brooklyn Arts Festival Review – Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, Closer, Night Box, Harry: Katharine Morales, Broadway World Edinburgh Festival: Review – Cambuyón: Kelly Apter, Edinburgh Festival Review – Mirenka Cechova, S/He is Nancy Joe: Kelly Apter, Scotsman Review – Crying Out Loud, Flown: Kelly Apter, Scotsman Review – Interrupted: Kelly Apter, Scotsman

Links – Saturday, August 10, 2013 Obituary – Cuban Director and Dancer, Fernando Alonso: Judith Cruickshank, Guardian London Reviews – Frederik Rydman, Swan Lake Reloaded: Clement Crisp, Financial Times Graham Watts, Londondance Reviews – West Side Story (London production): Paul Taylor, Independent Graham Watts, DanceTabs William Moore, Evening Standard Simon Edge, Express Live internet streaming of Bolshoi company class, 13 August: Sarah Crompton, Telegraph Feature – RNZB Dancers on dancing Swan Lake: Bernadette Rae, NZ Herald Next week in London & Edinburgh: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Review – Dance Heginbotham, Manhattan Research, throwaway, Twin: Brian Seibert, NY Times Montreal Preview – 11th International Tango Festival: Victor Swoboda, Montreal Gazette Edinburgh Festival: Review – MurleyDance, Double Bill: Kelly Apter, Scotsman Review – Marketa Vacovska, One Step Before the Fall: Kelly Apter, Scotsman Review – VerTeDance, What is the weight of your desire: Donald Hutera, The List

I should be seeing this production later in the month, my first time with a stage version. However, I can still recall emerging from the film version back around 1961, in my long-ago active jazz and blues guitar playing days, long before I had any awareness of Prokofiev, Cranko or MacMillan, and thinking "That was something different!" It would be good to have a taste of something like that once again.

The Telegraph has just broken the news that they will be organising a live streaming of the Bolshoi's company class at the ROH next Tuesday, 13 August, at around 11 am: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/dance/10233696/Exclusive-Lifting-the-curtain-on-the-Bolshoi-Ballet.html

Links – Friday, August 9, 2013 Review – Mikhailovsky Ballet, The Flames of Paris (Messerer): Laura Cappelle, DanceTabs Review – Bolshoi Ballet in London, Sleeping Beauty: Zoë Anderson, Independent What’s missing from Pre-Professional Training? Laura Cappelle & Joseph Carman, Pointe Magazine London Reviews – Fredrik Rydman, Swan Lake Reloaded: Zoë Anderson, Independent Laura Thompson, Telegraph Neil Norman, Express Video/Interview clip – Wendy Hurrell, BBC News NY Reviews – BalletX, Still@Life, Silt, Last Glass: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times Vail Festival Review – Lil Buck; Tiler Peck & Robert Fairchild; Paul Taylor & Larry Keigwin Companies: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Sydney Festival Preview –Sasha Waltz & Guests, Dido and Aeneas: Jane Albert, The Australian Tanglewood Review – Mark Morris Dance Group, Dido and Aeneas: George Loomis, Financial Times Interviews – ABT: Then and Now - Cheryl Yeager, Yuriko Kajiya, Isabella Boylston: Marina Harss, Playbill Arts Interview – POB’s Dorothée Gilbert: Laura Cappelle, Pointe Magazine LA Preview – Complexions Contemporary Ballet & Lula Washington Dance Theatre: Victoria Looseleaf, LA Times Changes at the Royal Ballet and Australian Ballet Schools: Valerie Lawson, Dancelines Acquaintance of Dmitrichenko admits guilt in court: Stuart Williams, AFP Feature – Russell Maliphant’s Lexus car ads (Rojo, Staton, Kirkham): Carmel Smith, Londondance Edinburgh Festival: Review – Water Reflection Dance Ensemble, East, A woman shifting on Time Axis: Kelly Apter, Scotsman Reviews – Little Bulb, Boneyard Theatre Co, Marketa Vacovska: Mary Brennan, Herald

Buddy: Those ethnic tailplane designs that British Airways introduced were by no means universally popular, with Mrs Thatcher memorably dropping a handkerchief over a model on one occasion. They also proved to be a safety hindrance to Air Traffic ground controllers issuing taxi instructions and the like. At major, busy airports it's often the tailplanes that are most quickly seen above a sea of fuselages, and it helps to have a single decorative design for an airline to permit controllers to track what's happening. The plethora of designs that BA used apparently became a real nuisance and a potential hazard - no doubt one of the reasons for the eventual change to adopt the single, current design. (And if I recall correctly, that's the one that was used on BA's Concorde fleet, all of which had the one design.)

She was indeed looking mighty fine, and saying some interesting things - eg lamenting dancers' limited possibilities for improvisation in classical ballet when compared to those open to musicians.

I had the feeling that Ismene Brown was largely reviewing Acosta's chest on seeing her Arts Desk piece this morning! I hope folks enjoy the show, but I'm passing on it after the last disappointing Acosta show at the Coliseum, albeit this looks a good bit more colourful than last time.

Links – Wednesday, July 31, 2013 Obituaries: Cuban Dancer/Director Fernando Alonso: Telegraph Les Grands Ballets Canadiens Dancer Nathalie Buisson: Victor Swoboda, Montreal Gazette Reviews - Bolshoi Ballet in London, 2013, Swan Lake: Clement Crisp, Financial Times Jann Parry, DanceTabs Judith Mackrell, Guardian Zoë Anderson, Independent Lyndsey Winship, Evening Standard Neil Norman, The Stage Siobhan Murphy, Metro Bolshoi Theatre Director warns ‘star’ dancers: Rosa Silverman, Telegraph Review – Mariinsky Ballet, White Nights Festival Season: Laura Cappelle, Financial Times Review – Carlos Acosta & Friends, Classical Selection: Ismene Brown, Arts Desk Not Dance but – Mark Morris directs Britten’s Curlew River: Zachary Woolfe, NY Times Review – English National Ballet, Tribute to Rudolf Nureyev: Hanna Weibye, One Stop Arts Jacob’s Pillow Review – L-E-V & Dorrance Dance, House, The Blues Project: Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal Feature – Open World Dance Foundation Intensive Course, St Petersburg: Laura Cappelle, SP Times SF Reviews – Amy Seiwert/Imagery, Sketch 3 (Expectations): Rita Felciano, SF Bay Guardian Carla Escoda, Huffington Post

Links – Tuesday, July 30, 2013 Bolshoi Ballet’s London Visit, 2013, Swan Lake: Overnight review: Ismene Brown, Arts Desk Overnight review – Mark Monahan, Telegraph Gallery: Dave Morgan, DanceTabs Rehearsal extracts video: Telegraph Company class video: Telegraph General preview: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Scandal-tainted video: Will Gompertz, BBC News Lilian Hochhauser Interview: Alice Lagnado, Voice of Russia Cinderella - a tale best told at a time of war: Valerie Lawson, Dancelines Radio Interview – Biographer Julie Kavanagh on Rudolf Nureyev: Alice Lagnado, Voice of Russia Review – Amy Seibert/Imagery, Sketch 3, Expectations: Allan Ulrich, SF Chronicle NY Joyce Theater to give US premiere of Arthur Pita’s The Metamorphosis: BWW Not the Bolshoi – Alterum Dance Troupe: Alexander Bratersky, Moscow Times

Links – Monday, July 29, 2013 Interview – Sergei Filin, Artistic Director, Bolshoi Ballet: Tom Parfitt, Telegraph Reviews– English National Ballet, Tribute to Rudolf Nureyev: Clement Crisp, Financial Times Judith Cruickshank, Danceviewtimes SPAC Review – National Ballet of Canada, Giselle: Eric Taub, DanceTabs NY Review – Mark Dendy, Ritual Cyclical: Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times Documentary Feature – Dancing at Jacob’s Pillow: Never Stand Still: Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times NY Review – New Choreographers, Festival TBD: Emergency Glitter: Gia Kourlas, NY Times LA Review – Viver Brasil, Intersections/Ajê: Victoria Looseleaf, LA Times Jennifer Nichols & Extension Method – Another Ballet-based Workout: Deirdre Kelly, Globe and Mail

Links – Sunday, July 28, 2013 Fernando Alonso, co-founder of Cuban National Ballet, has died: CBC News (and elsewhere) Costly visa requirement for Bolshoi UK visit: Rupert Christiansen, Sunday Telegraph Francia Russell – Preserving Balanchine’s Legacy: Marcie Sillman, KUAR Public Radio US Summer Festival Previews: - POB 3e Etage at Jacob’s Pillow: Roslyn Sulcas, NY Times - SFB at Stern Grove: KTVU News - PNB at Vail International Dance Festival: Erica Sheftman, Vail Daily Markova & Dolin saved Jacob’s Pillow site from development: Tina Sutton, Boston Globe Pennsylvania Ballet’s 5-Year Financial Plan: Peter Dobrin, Philly.com Feature – BodyTraffic, LA contemporary company: Laura Bleiberg, LA Times Preview – Aterballetto visiting Canada: Victor Swoboda, Montreal Gazette Manchester Festival Review – Tino Sehgal, This Variation: Roslyn Sulcas, NY Times Expanded Review – Raewyn Hill/Dancenorth, Lindy Hume & James Crabb, Abandon: Deborah Jones, Blog

The link is in Dutch, but it would now appear that Miss DePrince is leaving DTH to join the Junior Company of Dutch National Ballet, a new addition over there according to the Company website: http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1041/Amsterdam/article/detail/3482140/2013/07/26/Kind-van-de-Duivel-aan-de-slag-bij-Nationaal-Ballet.dhtml

Lin: Some of the transport conversion training may have been done in Canada, thus taking some of your Dad's crew there - in 10 Sqn's case, it was all done in UK. There were certainly Canadian (and other Commonwealth) squadrons in 4 Group flying the Halifax and, as far as I know, the only airworthy one anywhere now is over there. Aircraft preservation for historical purposes was completely discounted once the war was over and so many aircraft were no longer needed, and we are fortunate to have that single BBMF Lancaster still going. And as a generalisation in the Halifax era, it's probably safe to say that most raids comprised aircraft from more than one squadron.

The arguments can stop now - this week Carlos reckons everything's OK: http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/theatre/carlos-acosta-interview-crisis-what-crisis-8731217.html

Lin: Yes, indeed. 10 Sqn converted from Whitleys to Halifaxes over a period in November/December 1941 and flew them until the end of the war from Leeming, then Melbourne, in Yorkshire. In common with all Bomber Command's 4 Group units, the Squadron was transferred to Transport Command in May 1945 for duty in India after conversion to the Dakota.

Besides taking my turn here at providing daily Links, my major current preoccupation is, together with a colleague, the compilation of a centenary history of No 10 Squadron, Royal Air Force. (The unit will celebrate its 100th Birthday on 1 January 2015.) In connection with this, I recently came across an item that has a link of sorts to matters here, in that the artist concerned was Rex Whistler, a noted 20th century illustrator and designer, who provided the original backcloths for De Valois' Rake's Progress. The background is that 10 Squadron flew the first RAF aircraft - 4 Whitley bombers - over Berlin in WWII. This was a leaflet-dropping raid on the night of 1/2 October 1939 - mainland bombing attacks were not authorised until after the German attack on Rotterdam in May 1940. Whistler picked up on this and published a highly stylised drawing entitled "Flying Visit of Truth to Berlin" in an edition of Illustrated magazine in December 1939. I now know from the Whistler Estate that the Squadron Commander at the time approached Whistler, asking if he could buy the original, and the outcome was that the artist reworked the drawing, making the title specific to the unit and surcharging the squadron badge on the shield carried by the winged Britannia figure who dominates the scene. One of the very few copies made is now in the Squadron HQ at RAF Brize Norton and, apart from the revised title in the cartouche and the badge, all else is as in the original, right down to the putti in flying helmets and goggles: A footnote is that the Squadron's first losses of the war resulted from this raid - one of the four crews did not return and is presumed to have crashed into the North Sea in unknown circumstances. The five airmen are commemorated on a carved wooden plaque, also in the HQ. This was commissioned by the same officer from the workshop of Robert Thompson who, thanks to the odd Antiques Roadshow episode, you may know added a mouse to all of his products - and, sure enough, one sits at the top right corner of the frame.

How odd! The Tweet, above, appears to have been sent at 1017 this morning - yet it was much later in the day, in mid-afternoon, that I first saw it and drew attention to it on another thread. So, it would appear to have been disavowed early on yet, nonetheless, repeated later in the day? As a result, I am still left wondering how much top-down control is being applied in this area at ENB. I'm not greatly bothered by the possibility of there being a bit of pique between the two big London companies, but I cannot see that it helps Ms Rojo if her media folk cannot appreciate the effect of "That's a right royal mess the Royal Ballet has got itself into" appearing, link to the Indy unseen, in a public forum. They are their Mistress's mouthpiece in such things and a greater modicum of care may be needed - unless, of course, there is no bar being applied from above.