Ian Macmillan

Seems to me there might be some things worth thinking about in this article from today's Links: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/keesha-beckford/a-letter-from-your-dance-teacher_b_3319783.html?utm_hp_ref=dance

When Cathy ceases to be Director in a few weeks time, she (plus husband and daughter) will remain in Bern and she plans to operate as a freelance choreographer from there. In that regard, she has been working for some weeks with the ballet company in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on a version of Orpheus, set to the Stravinsky score, and due to open next month. She also has commissions in Copenhagen and Edinburgh/Aberdeen later in the summer ... and I think there's a further Gelsenkirchen one a bit further along. She mentioned most of this in her BBC4 radio interview (post 7, above) and there's a bit in the Witch Hunt programme.

Abbies' Mum: I've moved your post into an area from which the answers you seek are most likely to come - and Welcome to the Forum!

Can I just say briefly for now that it was well worth the wait - and I was far from alone in thinking that in a packed Linbury Studio earlier tonight. The piece is set in an institution of some sort, where an older Annamiggeli, spoken by Mona Kloos, challenges the audience and all around to ask how we/they can change the past through the exoneration of Anna Goeldi that was announced in 2008. As she does so, she stirs memories of what she says she saw and felt 200 years ago and these are danced out by a strong cast. The three female leads are as powerful as I anticipated, and the whole thing is intelligently framed and performed. If you can get to London between now and Saturday evening, this would be a most worthwhile way to pass 75 minutes. I now look forward to a second viewing on Saturday evening.

Dave: Thanks for these - I'll be on my way in an hour or so and, not having seen the company in 2 years, I'll be trying not to have too unrealistic expectations!

Just discovered that Cathy's Woman's Hour interview is available as a 9-minute extract at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0198sxp

Margaret: Yes, indeed - and I thought Cathy provided a very full explanation of her approach. I'll be interested to see how using an actress (Mona Kloos) as the 'modern' Anna-Miggeli, questioning how today's Switzerland can judge what happened some 200 years ago in exonerating Anna Goeldi, helps in carrying forward a dark story. (The text here will be Edward Kemp's English original, translated to German for use in Bern!) For anyone who missed the interview, the basic historical position comes out here in this 2007 BBC News piece: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7003128.stm I'm assuming that the cast here will be as for the premiere in Bern. If so, that means that Clemmie Sveeas, guesting for this production and fairly well known to London audiences, will dance the Anna Goeldi role. And Paula Alonso, whom I recall as an excellent Juliet in Cathy's small-scale 2009 version in Bern, has also returned to dance the role of the young Anna-Miggeli. And with Martina Langmann as the Mother, Frau Tchudi, the female leads should be particularly strong. I've just had another look at the Swiss TV piece, link at post 2, to whet my appetite .... not that it needs it.

Jack Widdowson's name, mentioned in earlier posts, will ring a bell with many here. He is back with Bern:Ballett and should be dancing with them in Cathy Marston's Witch Hunt at the Linbury Studio in the ROH, from Wednesday to Saturday of this week. And if i'm not mistaken, that's him off to the left in the picture here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2013/may/18/this-weeks-new-dance

At the risk of taking this thread back to its beginnings, I see that ENB is tweeting this afternoon that its re-branding campaign has been nominated as a finalist in the advertising industry's Golden Award of Montreux.

Links – Monday, May 20, 2013 Few women as Ballet Directors? Lourdes Lopez & a Miami perspective: Arianna Prothero, Miami Herald Review – Royal Ballet, Hansel and Gretel: Gerald Dowler, Classical Source Review – Northern Ballet, The Great Gatsby: Gerald Dowler, Classical Source Review – Ballet Chicago, Serenade, Act II Swan Lake(Balanchine), Celestial Rites: Sid Smith, Chicago Tribune Edinburgh Review – Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Sutra: Kelly Apter, Scotsman Review – Aynsley Vandenbroucke, 35½: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Review – West Australian Ballet, La Sylphide: Kristy Symonds, Daily Telegraph NY Reviews – Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal Pam Tanowitz, The Spectators Bill Young & Colleen Thomas, A Place in France Review – New Zealand School of Dance, And Then It Moved: Ann Hunt, Dominion Post Reviews – Jill Sykes, Sydney Morning Herald Australian Dance Theatre, G Expressions Dance Company, R & J Life after a serious ballet injury – Dog Boarding! Tara Russell, Andover Advertiser

From Twitter: Cathy Marston will be interviewed on Woman's Hour tomorrow, Monday, about Witch Hunt - which starts at the Linbury on Wednesday and runs till Saturday. So BBC Radio 4 tomorrow, at some time after 10 am.

The NB Gatsby tour came to an end at Sadler's Wells last night before a full and appreciative house. It's a very slickly staged show, with the changes between the many short episodes meticulously done against what came across as a through-composed score, though the programme makes clear that the latter is far from being the case - so hearty congratulations to Jerome Kaplan and to John Longstaff and Gavin Sutherland. My wife, a dancer and teacher greatly more experienced than myself, thought the whole piece was terrific, and had fulsome compliments for the dancers and choreography on the drive home. (I confess to struggling a bit with the narrative, despite the detailed scenario provided, until the end of Act 1.) I'd happily see this again as there were many good things on display - my personal choices would be the various crowd scenes in which the company's youngsters were clearly having a great time, and those involving Benjamin Mitchell as George, a huge and powerful presence. He must surely move up from the Corps before long. I was also much taken by the "memory" flashback scenes, so well handled.

Links – Sunday, May 19, 2013 The Essence of Artistry – Messages from St Petersburg and Ayrshire: Harry Eyres, Financial Times Dublin Dance Festival Review – Tero Saarinen, Stravinsky Evening: Luke Jennings, Observer Review – Northern Ballet, The Great Gatsby: Jenny Gilbert, Independent Chicago Reviews – Eifman Ballet, Rodin: Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times Sid Smith, Chicago Tribune Reviews – Boston Ballet, Coppelia: Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Globe Iris Fanger, Patriot Ledger In NY This Week – American Ballet Theatre, A Month in the Country: Gia Kourlas, NY Times NZ Feature – Infinite Dance Crew, Top of the Pops: Sophie Speer, Dominion Post Review – Ballet West, “Innovations 2013” New Choreography: Kathy Adams, Salt Lake Tribune

This FT piece should have been on today's Links, and will certainly feature tomorrow. Though not specific to ballet, there are some opinions towards the end that may have some bearing on this general debate: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/a048c1ae-b710-11e2-a249-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2TRtmODAi

Links – Saturday, May 18, 2013 Previews – Australian Ballet: Bella Figura (Kylian): Gabriel Wilder, Sydney Morning Herald Monument (Garry Stewart): Jane Albert, The Australian Feature – Los Angeles Ballet, Balanchine Festival: Victoria Looseleaf, NY Times Reviews – New York City Ballet: American Music Festival Bill: Robert Johnson, NJ Star-Ledger Martins/Robbins Program: Brian Seibert, NY Times Report – Dance UK’s National Choreographers’ Conference, 2013: Laura Dodge, DanceTabs Review – Katy Pyle, The Firebird, a Ballez: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Review – Liss Fain Dance, The Water Is Clear and Still: Allan Ulrich, SF Chronicle Review – Milwaukee Ballet, Swan Lake: Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Review – HomeLA, A very site-specific event!: Jean Lenihan, Arts Journal Montreal Review – Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Rêve: Paula Citron, Globe and Mail Montreal Preview – Robyn Orlin, Beauty Remained: Victor Swoboda, Montreal Gazette Review – Dance Theatre of Harlem, Gloria, Agon: Ellen Dunkel, Philadelphia Inquirer Next week in London: Bern:Ballett, Witch Hunt: Time Out London Bern:Ballett & RB Raven Girl Triple Bill: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Sylvie Guillem, 6000 Miles Away, 27’52”: Zoe Anderson, Independent Bolshoi, Filin, Tsiskaridze: 'Queens to fore in Bolshoi chess game' aka Meet the Lawyers: Ismene Brown Blog The latest in court: Izvestia via Ismene Brown Blog

I never really doubted it, but am now greatly reassured. And if or when that final joint performance is eventually staged, I'm sure they'll rope in younger sister Nadia, a Soloist with Dutch National Ballet. Quite a family! And perhaps "In the Middle Somewhat Elevated" as the work to be danced?

Links – Friday, May 17, 2013 Reviews– Hubbard Street Dance, Multiple Bill: Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times Gia Kourlas, NY Times As 29 May approaches: The Rite of Spring – Why did it provoke a riot? Ivan Hewett, Telegraph After the Rite – reactions and inspirations: Carmel Smith, Londondance Reviews - Northern Ballet, The Great Gatsby: Neil Norman, Express Laura Dodge, Londonist Vera Liber, British Theatre Guide Review – New York City Ballet, Martins Quad Bill: Leigh Witchel, NY Post Review – Pam Tanowitz, The Spectators: Brian Seibert, NY Times Review – City Center Encores, On Your Toes; Robert Gottlieb, NY Observer Review – Smuin Ballet, Bouquet Triple Bill: Lauren Gallagher, SF Examiner Preview – Royal Ballet, McGregor’s Raven Girl: Sarah Frater, Wall St Journal Review – Mapdance, A Very Mixed Bill: Donald Hutera, Londondance Gallery – Rambert Dance Company, New Choreography: Foteini Christofilopoulou, DanceTabs Bolshoi, Filin, Tsiskaridze: Tsiskaridze challenges a court ruling: Izvestia via Ismene Brown Blog

I'm fervently hoping that the reference is to a performance together somewhere, someday - but not soon! The RB and Boston Ballet schedules for June and July don't coincide in any useful way, unless one was to think that she might join in a Boston performance, and I don't believe she would say Farewell to her London audience like that. And if there was something planned for the Carlos Acosta show at Sadler's Wells in August, I'm sure it would be in the blurb on the Wells website - and it's not. Maybe next year .... but later would be better.

There were some odd things in it, I must say, with definite touches of Spartacus. And a very cheeky boy that Mercutio! However, my point in posting is to say that my weekly email from Cambridge Arts Picturehouse - there was a full house in the main cinema last Sunday - says they are re-running a recording at 4pm this coming Sunday, 19 May, due "to overwhelming demand." Whether other cinemas in the chain are doing likewise, I couldn't say but, if you missed it locally, you might want to check.

Would it not be the case that if one accepts the 'disconnect between White Lodge, Upper School and the Royal Ballet' thesis, the reductio ad absurdum implication would be that the RBS need only have about 4 graduates in all each year? I cannot think that there has been any real link between the output of one and the needs of the other since the earliest days of De Valois' school in the 1930s, and it had most certainly ceased to exist by the mid-1950s. Or to invert the argument, is there anyone out there seriously proposing that the Company's ranks should be churned at a rate that would absorb 20 graduates a year, say? There are so many desiderata in this area, too many of them diametrically opposed to most others. And whilst manifest concern is evident here in the UK - we're on page 3 of comment again in 3 days, I see - whisper it softly, but others may see it all a bit differently. The US online Arts Journal posted a link today to the Telegraph version of the Brind story under the headline: "Ageing English Ex-Ballerina Grouses About Royal Ballet 'Infiltrated' By Foreigners."

Now Janet, having once found myself in the paper after a NB premiere - to my shock and immense surprise - and now seeing some of the style coverage in Links and on Twitter of last night's opening at the Wells ..... am I going to have to make some very special effort when I go on Saturday? I'm a bit short on 1920s gear and cannot hope to compete with Craig Revel Horwood.

I think I've mentioned this before in some similar context - but, when training through the RAD and then Sadlers Wells School/RBS back in the 1950s, my wife assures me that she and others were quite capable of putting a leg by their ears but that any attempt to do so was firmly stamped upon. What is standard, almost demanded, today was apparently not stylistically acceptable then - and I have to say that, as a belated newcomer to the artform, and used only to what I've seen in the last 10 years, I do find film from back then just a bit quaint. So, happily, I'm quite relaxed about how things are done today and am sure that, thanks to Wayne McGregor et al, they'll be different again in another 10-20 years. And do you have to be Korean to dance Gangnam Style?

Without denying that there may be (or even is) an issue here, we have been here or hereabouts so many times before, with never a conclusion reached. Might it be worthwhile defining, if that be possible, what "British ballet" as used in the title of this thread might be? 1. Is it 'The Royal Ballet' as a company? 2. Is it only a matter of the number of British-born Principals in the RB? 3. Is it the sum of the RB, ENB, BRB, NB and SB as a total presence in British cultural life? And Ballet Black, and Richard Alston, and the Balletboyz, and Rambert Dance, and Random Dance and many others? 4. Is it the number of students at RBS who started at the first year of White Lodge? 5. Is it the sum of British-born dancers and choreographers working out side the UK? That list could go on and on but, without a much closer definition of 'the issue', I fear we will flail about once again to very little purpose. I'm off to bed - but for what it's worth, on any broad definition, I say the 'dancing with death' thesis is untenable. If we took only this Forum as a piece of evidence, we have nearly 44, 000 posts from some 1200 registered members in just 16 months that suggests there's life in the old dog yet.

From last Sunday's Links, a small taster for those who can get there: http://rbth.ru/arts/2013/05/05/london_gallery_showcases_russian_theatre_and_ballet_25483.html NB that all the exhibits are for sale .... if your pockets are wide enough!

Somewhat to my surprise, it turned up in Cambridge a couple of weeks ago - and it was certainly worth seeing.