Ian Macmillan

What was it Churchill said: "Two nations divided by the same language"?

What with elections all over these last days, I could double the number of Links if I used every one flagged by Google, say, where 'ballot' has emerged as 'ballet.'!

Links – Tuesday, May 8, 2012 The Bolshoi Theatre in WWII: Daria Gonzales, Russia Beyond The Headlines Review – Rome Opera Ballet, Maurice Béjart Evening: Laura Cappelle, Financial Times Reviews – Breakin’ Convention, Sadler’s Wells: Sanjoy Roy, Guardian Zoë Anderson, Independent Review – Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, The Little Prince: Paula Citron, Globe and Mail Preview – Coleman Lemieux Compagnie, The House of Mirth: James Kudelka, Globe and Mail Interview – Antonio Douthit, Alvin Ailey Company: Linda Ann Watt, Broadway World Review – Tanztheater Wuppertal, 1980-A Piece by Pina Bausch: Roslyn Sulcas, NY Times Reviews– Pavel Zustiak, Strange Cargo: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Leigh Witchel, NY Post Review – Ballet Chicago, Balanchine Triple Bill: Sid Smith, Chicago Tribune Feature – Boston’s Green Street Studios 20th Anniversary: Karen Campbell, Boston Globe And, as ever, on the lookout for something different: Why ban the Morris Men? Telegraph View, Telegraph Dance Rules for the High School Prom: Michael Cooper, via Chicago Tribune

I'm sure others will disagree, but I have to say that, in the big 19th Century works, it's the set-pieces for the corps that I now find most satisfying. And that said, it would be good to see all concerned named in programmes, rather than the omnibus "Artists of the xxx Ballet." The Royal Ballet managed to do that back in the 50s/60s, and I wonder why it stopped doing so. A rather pleasant picture was circulated via Twitter yesterday, showing ladies of the New York City Ballet engendering a bit of team spirit before a recent performance: http://twitter.com/#!/nycballet/status/198927199619923969/photo/1 (On a somewhat similar tack, and about 50 years ago in Japan, I am assured that ladies of the Royal Ballet Touring Company, all in Swan kit, could be seen going through some Sumo Wrestling moves before curtain-up, inspired by having seen a bout the previous day.) And I suppose we have to recall that maintaining a corps is a luxury that can only be afforded by larger companies, and that it must be virtually unknown amongst most contemporary companies.

Links – Monday, May 7, 2012 Reflections – New York City Ballet, The Season Thus Far: Alastair Macaulay, NY Times Dame Monica Mason and the tough life of a dancer: Nick Clark, Independent Review – Washington Ballet, Alice (in Wonderland): Oksana Khadrina, DanceTabs Review – Mariinsky Festival, Diana Vishneva Bill: Kevin Ng, DanceTabs Review – Scottish Ballet, A Streetcar Named Desire: Gerald Dowler, Classical Source Review – ABT’s Studio Company, Mixed Bill: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Review – Ballet San Jose, Cinderella: Mary Ellen Hunt, SF Chronicle Review – Diablo Ballet, Inside the Dancer’s Studio Bill: Mary Ellen Hunt, SF Chronicle Review – American Dance Institute, Two Othellos: Rebecca J. Ritzel, Washington Post Feature – Pennsylvania Ballet’s School Reopens: Ellen Dunkel, Philadelphia Inquirer Film Review – Jacob’s Pillow Documentary: Judy Gelman Myers, City Arts Review – Abraham.In.Motion, The Radio Show: Sarah Kaufman, Washington Post Review – Gecko, Missing: Sanjoy Roy, Guardian Interview – Choreographer Katie Green: Carmel Smith, London Dance Another British Teenager going to the Bolshoi Academy: Kunal Dutta, Independent

I see that Washington Ballet has premiered a new "Alice (in Wonderland)" - on DanceTabs, or see tomorrow's Links. By my count that makes five new takes on the story in almost exactly a year - ie in addition to those for Scottish Ballet, Royal Ballet/National Ballet of Canada, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and Queensland Ballet. (Plus, I seem to recall noting during one Links morning not too long ago that another US company has commissioned a version, but I can't be certain of that.) Purely chance on a global scale, or something else?

Links – Sunday, May 6, 2012 Feature – The Shades & the Art of a Corps: Marina Harss, Playbill Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Three Short Works: Luke Jennings, Observer Reviews – Royal Ballet, La Fille Mal Gardée: Neil Norman, Daily Express Giannandrea Poesio, Spectator Review – Royal Ballet of Flanders, Artifact: Giannandrea Poesio, Spectator Reviews– Ballet Revolución: Graham Watts, DanceTabs Jenny Gilbert, Independent Preview – Bolshoi Ballet, Jewels: Natalia Viktorova, Voice of Russia Preview – Boston Ballet, Fancy Free: Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Globe Reviews– The 5-hour “Einstein on the Beach,” Opera with dance: Igor Toronyi-Lalic, Arts Desk Holly Williams, Independent Preview – Queensland Ballet, Don Quixote: Lizzie Stafford, Sunday Mail Reviews - Dancer Anna Liceica/Joffrey Ballet Documentary: Joel Lobenthal, City Arts Feature – Alonzo King & Lines Ballet, NY Season: Valerie Gladstone, City Arts Feature – Peter London Global Dance Theater: Jordan Levin, Miami Herald Feature - Choreographer Itzik Galili: Shahesta Shaitly, Observer Preview – “Bancs d’Essai Internationaux”: Victor Swoboda, Montreal Gazette Preview – Grrrl Brigade, Gaia Grrrls: Emmaly Wiederholt, SF Examiner Review – Ballet San Jose, Cinderella: Rita Felciano, San Jose Mercury News Ballet for Balance: Christinia Crippes, Chicago Tribune

In my case at the moment, it's a variety of RAF and aircraft-related tomes as I out together a presentation on the history of a former squadron to be delivered later this month!

Altogether fascinating, but also somewhat disturbing - and it suggests alternative strands of thought in Chinese society to those known here via the 'Tiger Mothers' and the lifestory of pianist Lang Lang. That said, I have known here of cases where pursuit of further education was denied by parents to promising children because "we don't do that kind of thing."

Angela: Many thanks - yet as I understand you, the prospect is of more convergence between the three house styles after 2013, which is not what the new Bern Intendant says he is planning! As ever, time will tell.

Angela: From your perspective over there, can you comment on Herr Märki's remark that the Bern company must be differentiated from those in Zurich and Basel? I have little knowledge of the Basel situation, but the Zurich company is very considerably bigger than that in Bern and dances a repertoire to match, and I would not have thought of them as very similar in nature or approach at all. Also, his remarks about 'festivals' seem a little opaque, and make me wonder if the Bern dance audience should expect to see more work brought in from outside after 2013, with a parallel reduction in domestic output?

There appear to be some Company clips on YouTube, eg: If you go, I hope it's enjoyable.

If your German is up to it, or you want to try Google Translate, Stephan Märki, the new Intendant in Bern has been talking to the Berner Zeitung: http://www.bernerzeitung.ch/kultur/theater/KonzertTheaterBern-plant-Zukunft-ohne-TanzChefin-Marston/story/24563987 From what I can tell, he considers Cathy as insufficiently daring or experimental, something that might raise a few eyebrows back here - and I suspect it means he does not care greatly for narrative dance, something that means a very great deal to Cathy. (Herr Märki is presently sharing the Intendant position at the theatre, where the name has formally changed to Konzerttheater, presumably reflecting the amalgamation of the Bern Symphony Orchestra into the existing structure of Opera, Ballet, and Musical Theatre. He takes over as the sole Intendant later this summer, and is clearly clearing the decks for the future.)

Singing as Tenor in the Cambridge Philharmonic Society, usually these days in 4/5 concerts a year at venues including King's College and Ely Cathedral. That brings the occasional overseas trip, like last year to the Concertgebouw to join a Dutch choir, with Prague and Brussels prior to that. And besides doing Links here, I've become quite involved in some historical work for the website of a former squadron Association. And there's a garden, currently very wet ....... and, just occasionally, chocolate!

News that choreographer Cathy Marston is to leave her post as Director of Bern:Ballett next year has been announced this morning. The Press Release is on DanceTabs, here: http://www.dancetabs...tt/#comment-398 The announcement comes after the appointment of a new Intendant at the Stadttheater and, I believe, some planned reorganisation there, and the statements by Herr Märki and Cathy make it fairly clear that they cannot see eye-to-eye on the future. Cathy's directorship was marked early on by her leading a campaign for the company's future which, had it failed, would have seen the company dissolved this year to meet budgetary constraints. I have no idea what may now happen, but that campaign had secured funding until 2016. Her term will have seen numerous outside commissions, including new works from names like Andrea Miller and Didy Veldman, plus a number of significant new ballets of her own. (I will remember particularly her first-season "Firebird" and then her superb "Julia und Romeo," and regret that I will probably not now see her "Wintersnachtstraum" from late last year.) And the reputation established by her earned the company its first overseas invitations to London in 2009, 2011, and again next Spring. Her departure next year will make available a Director with proven choreographic talent and hard-won administrative experience. I feel sure that a suitable appointment somewhere will emerge to take advantage of both and, above all, I wish her well for the future.

Alison, I entirely agree that it was theatrically very effective - and, as I've found these last twelve years or so, without the spoken word ballet can struggle to put across an intricate narrative effectively. Hence the discussions from time to time on the need, or otherwise, for an adequate scenario in the programme as opposed to the dance speaking entirely for itself. (I'd say that Liam Scarlett's "Sweet Violets" provides a recent case in point, with many reporting that they had little idea of what was happening.) As I think back to this "Streetcar," my impression now is that direction, choreography, score and staging were all equally important in the unfolding of the story. I don't mean that dance was incidental, but it perhaps was less central than in other works where dance comes first and all else has to fight for its place. That might be a partial explanation for Jann Parry and Anna, above, finding a certain something lacking - just a thought - whereas, for me, the complete package worked supremely well. On this point, there was a BBC interview with the Director, Nancy Meckler, around the opening in Glasgow - on iPlayer, so no longer available - and, in response to a question about working with a choreographer, she said that the latter had the last word if choices had to be made. So, my theory may hold very little water! Whatever the case, I repeat that I'd happily see it again.

Looking elsewhere for a moment, Cathy Marston's Bern:Ballett premiered a double bill "Lions, Tigers, and Women...." on 18 April. Her contribution is "Hunting Me" with a live band onstage. The other ballet "For Play" is by New Yorker Andrea Miller, who contributed "Howl" to the bill the company brought to London (ROH Linbury Studio) last May. As ever, the relevant link is all in German, but there is a short video clip with Cathy (top right) and, from what I can tell, the reviews look OK: http://www.stadttheaterbern.ch/848-lions-tigers-and-women.html

We saw recently some coverage of the "Dance Again Foundation" that will be working in the same area: http://www.balletcof...ain-foundation/ Edited at 1755 to say that BBC Radio 4's' PM' programme is covering the NHS initiative at the moment - gave it about 5 minutes in all.

Regrettably, for a combination of reasons, I have had to delay commenting on Scottish Ballet's "Streetcar Named Desire" until now. I saw it on the opening night at Sadler's Wells last Thursday and have no hesitation in saying that it was the most satisfying theatrical event I have seen in some time. I note that this view is entirely at odds with that of Mr Crisp in today's FT, unusually for me, but so be it. I had thought of drawing comparisons with the Royal ballet's new Scarlett commission, "Sweet Violets," but I see that Luke Jennings did that at some length in his review yesterday. So all that is left is for me to commend as highly as I can the clarity of the Scottish production. It successfully blends the talents of a theatrical director, choreographer, composer and designer in the telling of a detailed narrative. Some vignettes come to mind: the deterioration of the Dubois family fortunes, the rapid scene changes in the telling of Blanche's relationship with Mitch - dinner, boating, a visit to the cinema, at the end Blanche accepting the offered arm of the man-in white-coat as she goes to the asylum, just the sort of protective gesture that she had sought throughout as her world fell apart. Then there was the clever staging and the through-composed score and soundscape, with some excellent 50s-style jazz trumpet and a couple of good 12-bar riffs, all accompanying the action in detail. And, of course, there was a wonderful company, led here by Eve Mutso, Sophie Martin and Tama Berry - a joy to watch. I would happily see it again and, for readers here around Aberdeen, Inverness or Belfast, do take the chance to see it over the next three weeks if you can.

Links – Thursday, April 26, 2012 Review – Royal Ballet, La Fille Mal Gardée: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Interview – David Hallberg at the Bolshoi: Ellen Barry, NY Times Review – Ballet Hispanico, Triple Bill: Robert Johnson, NJ Star-Ledger Review – San Francisco Ballet, Balanchine Bill, Program 7: Aimee Tsao, DanceTabs Review – The Place, Spring Loaded Festival: Jonathan Goddard & Jose Agudo: Clifford Bishop, Evening Standard Preview – Diablo Ballet, Tarantella Triple Bill: Andrew Gilbert, San Jose Mercury Preview – David Zambrano, Soul Project: Rita Felciano, SF Bay Guardian Preview – Anastazia Louise, First Breath, Last Breath: Nirmala Nataraj, SF Chronicle 5Q and A – Choreographer Val Caniparoli, Swipe: Geri Jeter, California Literary Review Review – Joffrey Ballet, Incantations Triple Bill: Sid Smith, Chicago Tribune Feature – Scottish Ballet Principal Tama Barry, Streetcar Named Desire: Press & Journal Lots on Darcey Bussell joining the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ judges, eg: Telegraph

The BBC News has it now ... so it must be official! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17838467

For a moment I thought the Tate was about to challenge the Imperial War Museum!

This is the piece from today's Sun that appears to have broken the news: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/strictly_come_dancing/4277445/Ballet-star-Darcey-Bussell-joins-Strictly-Come-Dancing.html I'm sure she'll tick all the boxes for the programme: knowledge, youth and looks. And, barring the outbreak of WWIII, Darcey should also be confirmed as the next President of the RAD tomorrow, to replace Dame Antoinette Sibley who is retiring from that post.

Links – Wednesday, April 25, 2012 Interview – Bob Lockyer, former Mr Dance at the BBC: Brendan McCarthy, DanceTabs Review – Royal Ballet, La Fille Mal Gardée: Graham Watts, London Dance Preview – Australian Ballet, Onegin: Adam Fulton, Sydney Morning Herald Review – Ballet Hispanico, Espiritu Vivo: Andrew Boynton, New Yorker Review – Chitresh Das Dance Company, Darbar: Aimee Tsao, DanceTabs Preview – Ballet Revolución & Danza Contemporánea de Cuba: Keith Watson, Metro Letter – Ballet in Cambodia: Tony Graham, Guardian (See yesterday’s Link - Guardian ) Cal Performances Season 2012-13 (incl Dance): Joshua Kosman, SF Chronicle And in different kinds of Dance: The St Petersburg Spring Chocolate Ball: Tatiana Sochiva, St Petersburg Times Darcey Bussell to join the “Strictly” Judges Panel: Colin Robertson, The Sun

Rowan: The link you posted works fine to get to the trailer, and I see that the YAGP documentary "First Position" opens in the States on 4 May. I spotted a first bit of press coverage for Links the other day, and I suspect we'll be in for many more in the weeks ahead. Here are a couple to be going on with: Review - Variety Michaela DePrince - Philadelphia Inquirer