Ian Macmillan

Links – Sunday March 11, 2012 Review – Royal Ballet, Melissa Hamilton’s debut as Juliet: Ismene Brown, Arts Desk Reviews – Nederland Dans Theater 2, Mixed Bill: Neil Norman, Express Luke Jennings, Observer Jenny Gilbert, Independent Review – Ballet British Columbia, Walking Mad & Others: Kevin Griffin, Vancouver Sun Feature - Ethan McKie Guesting with NBC: Michael Crabb, Toronto Star Review – North Carolina Dance Theatre, Sleeping Beauty: Steven Brown, Charlotte Observer Review – English National Ballet, At Tate Britain: Jenny Gilbert, Independent Review – Blanca Li, Elektro Kif: Luke Jennings, Observer Review – Exposure: Dance, Linbury Studio: New Work: Giannandrea Poesio, Spectator Review – Antony Hamilton/Melanie Lane, Clouds Above Berlin: Jordan Beth Vincent, Sydney Morning Herald Interview – Tony Assness & Sydney Dance Company: Elissa Blake, Sydney Morning Herald Review – Crystal Pite, Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM, The You Show: Tobi Tobias, Arts Journal Preview – Martha Graham Dance Company, Inner Landscape: Robert Johnson, NJ Star-Ledger Feature – Gideon Obarzanek/Chunky Move: Susan Josephs, LA Times Review – Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, A Streetcar Named Desire: Mark Kanny, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Aileen, welcome! I doubt that Mr Polunin knows any better than you or I do what he really wants, and it will be no surprise to me if he sinks below our collective horizon as quickly as he rose above it. And I find myself saying this as one who reported in rave terms about his performance in his final RBS show. It's a sad, sorry business .... but the world will move on.

My preference would involve the 'About Balletco' (or 'About Us and Help') material being retained in a separate Category, as it is today, as it will inevitably hold some new material on How to Join, Acceptable Use Policy and the like that will be needed for the longer-term running of the site, and which will not be up for debate. Beyond that, and in the Forums Category, I would now willingly see 'What's Happening' and 'News' amalgamated - mainly because it would ease the 'policing' issue that the present separation causes, and which I find it increasingly difficult to justify. With that done, and partially seduced by Anjuli's argument, above, I could live with a "What's Happening/News" title for the resultant forum. Within such a forum, and whilst I do not seek a long, detailed list of sub-items marked by company or geography, I think that custom and practice from ballet.co might usefully be repeated by having a pinned thread for the Russian companies at the top and, seeing what has developed here in recent days, I would be open to similarly pinning the "Austria, Germany and Switzerland" thread just below that.

More (now in the Telegraph) from what looks like the same "Men in Motion" press preview: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/dance/9126611/Sergei-Polunin-the-James-Dean-of-the-ballet-world.html

Well folks, here he is again, in the Guardian - quitting by 26 etc etc: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/mar/06/sergei-polunin-give-up-ballet?CMP=twt_gu

This is, indeed, very good news. An evening with SFB at Sadler's Wells, circa 1999, is one of my earliest memories from my belated discovery of ballet/dance - when I'm sure the programme included a very highly-charged PDD set to Barber's 'Adagio.' I also saw them during their 2004 visit. As I recall, neither visit was by the full company but by a mix of Principals and Soloists, with programmes to match. This time, with three different programmes promised, perhaps we will have a fuller company - and I'll be delighted if they also bring their Music Director, Martin West, formerly of ENB here and our previous conductor at the Cambridge Philharmonic!

Further to my last, just tried Flickr - to no avail, getting just that nondescript icon at top left. (I've just deleted it, having received a message about a non-suitable link on pressing 'Post.') Photobucket works fine for me, too, as above. The size is, I think, 800 x 528 - so 850 is probably about as big as will fit here. (And to forestall any questions: it was taken on 13 June 1967 at not-too-many feet above ground level after some resupply drops to a South Arabian Army garrison at Dhala, in up-country South Yemen, in the last months of our having a base in Aden. Something for "Not Dance," I suppose!)

John: I should have thought of that as I had to establish a Photobucket account for the posting of pictures on another website. As you've found, that works well, albeit there does not appear to be anything one can do to format text around the pics. The other site also strives valiantly to get users to adopt a maximum size for pictures posted, so that the forum frame is not distorted, and we might need to consider that in due course. And I've just remembered that URL links to a Flickr account don't seem to work well on that site - no time to experiment with that now. Got a train to catch!

Just tried again - no joy on loading an image from my hard disk and Gravatar won't let me be 'Ian Macmillan.' Thus, I am consigned to perpetual anonymity!

Links – Saturday March 3, 2012 “State of Dance Symposium”: Defending ‘snarky’ reviews: Robert Johnson, NJ Star-Ledger Review – Miami City Ballet: Ratmansky – Symphonic Dances: Jordan Levin, Miami Herald Reviews– Richard Alston Dance Company, Triple Bill: Clement Crisp, Financial Times Graham Watts, DanceTabs Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Daphnis and Chloë, Two Pigeons: Ismene Brown, Arts Desk Review – Mark Morris Dance Group, Four Saints, Choral Fantasy: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Review – Kings of the Dance –Opus 3, Mixed Bill: Eric Taub, DanceTabs Review – Pennsylvania Ballet, Pushing Boundaries: Lewis Whittington, DanceTabs Reviews – Ballet Black, Mixed Bill: Zoë Anderson, Independent Judith Mackrell, Guardian English National Ballet at Tate Britain: Slideshow: Guardian MoveTube – Antoinette Sibley’s Tatania: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Los Angeles Area, Spring dance preview: Laura Bleiberg, LA Times Preview – Ronald K. Brown & Evidence, Mixed Bill: Robert Johnson, NJ Star-Ledger Review – Bowen McCauley Dance, Mixed Bill: Sarah Kaufman, Washington Post Preview – Ballet of Ukraine National Opera (Kiev Ballet): Swan Lake: Victor Swoboda, Montreal Gazette Preview – Dandelion Dancetheater, Arthur in Underland: Emmaly Wiederholt, SF Examiner Preview – TeZukA: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui & Nitin Sawhney: Kerry McBride, Dominion Post Review – Boston Ballet, Play with Fire: Karen Campbell, Boston Globe

Angela: Many thanks for the link to the Zurich 2012-13 season. With changes to both Intendant and Ballet Director coming up in the summer, I can imagine that some locals may fear the worst. Herr Spuck is presumably intending to make his mark by taking on R&J as his first ballet - I must confess to not being familiar with his past work and I'm guessing that this will be in contemporary guise, rather than in period Cranko/MacMillan vein. And if I have it right, he intends to give additional prominence to the Junior Ballett? I'll be interested to hear how that develops.

Links – Friday March 2, 2012 Review – National Ballet of Canada, La Fille Mal Gardée: Paula Citron, Globe and Mail Reviews– Royal New Zealand Ballet, NYC Triple Bill Bernadette Rae, NZ Herald John Daly-Peoples, National Business Review Christopher Moore, The Press (more of a preview, really) Review – Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Preludes and Fugues: Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times State Ballet of Siberia, Fille Mal Gardée, and the Russian Presidential Election: Tatyana Antipyeva, Guardian Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Two Pigeons, Daphnis and Chloe: Neil Norman, Express Review – Molly Lieber & Eleanor Smith, Beautiful Bone: Brian Seibert, NY Times Mark Morris Dance Group to visit China: Daniel J Wakin, NY Times Life After Merce: Marina Harss, The Nation Pennsylvania Ballet, 2012-13 Season: Marissa Montenegro, Playbill

Links – Thursday March 1, 2012 Review – Kings of the Dance – Opus 3, Mixed Bill: Robert Greskovic, Wall St Journal Learn Dance by just watching? Annie Murphy Paul, Time Preview – Gillian Murphy and RNZB, NYC: Fairfax News, Auckland Now Review – Richard Alston Dance Company, Triple Bill: Judith Flanders, Arts Desk Reviews – Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Preludes and Fugues Brian Seibert, NY Times Leigh Witchel, NY Post Review – Arizona Ballet, Play: Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal Review – Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM, Dark Matters: Paula Citron, Globe and Mail Review – Billy Elliot: Christine Dolen, Miami Herald Interview – Joanna Berman, Teacher/Regisseur: Mary Ellen Hunt, SF Chronicle Preview – Nina Haft & Sue Li Jue, This.placed: Nirmala Nataraj, SF Chronicle

Links – Wednesday February 29, 2012 Review – Kings of the Dance – Opus 3, Mixed Bill: Robert Johnson, NJ Star-Ledger Review – Tom Gold Dance, Mixed Bill: Claudia La Rocco, NY Times Preview – Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, 2012-13 Season: Victor Swoboda, Montreal Gazette Preview – Hubbard Street Dance, 2012-13 Season: Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times ‘Billy Elliot’ reaches Florida, Christine Dolen, Miami Herald Q and A – Joanna Berman, Teacher/Regisseur: Geri Jeter, California Literary Review Preview – Armitage Gone! Dance, Three Theories: Sara Bauknecht, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Links – Tuesday February 28, 2012 Obituary- Shaun O’Brien, ex-NYCB Dancer: Margalit Fox, NY Times Reviews – Kings of the Dance – Opus 3, Mixed Bill Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times Tobi Tobias, Arts Journal Preview – Miami City Ballet, Ratmansky commission ‘Symphonic Dances’: Jordan Levin, Miami Herald (NB video button to left) Review – Bodiography, Mixed Bill: Jane Vranish, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Preview – Royal New Zealand Ballet, New Season: Bernadette Rae, NZ Herald Review – Batsheva Dance Company, Max: Toba Singer, California Literary Review Review – Yvonne Rainer Retrospective: Brian Seibert, NY Times Review – Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Story/Time: Claudia Bauer, SF Chronicle Preview – Stephen Petronio Company, Underland: Susan Reiter, CityArts Review – Ballet Arizona, Play Mixed Bill: Robert Johnson, NJ Star-Ledger Review – Ragamala Dance, Sacred Earth: Robert Johnson, NJ Star-Ledger The story behind “West Side Story”? David Ng, LA Times Review – Australian Dance Theatre, Dance: Alan Brissenden, The Australian Review – Colorado Ballet, Peter Pan: Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post Letter to the Editor – Joffrey Ballet, Infra: Stephen Russell, Chicago Tribune (Hint: he didn’t like it!)

Links – Monday February 27, 2012 Reviews – Australian Ballet, Infinity Triple Bill, Eamonn Kelly, The Australian , Chloe Smethurst, Sydney Morning Herald Review – Kings of the Dance: Opus 3, Côté, Gomes, Matvienko, Vasiliev, Hallberg: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Review – Lucinda Childs Dance Company, Dance: Melissa Lesnie, Limelight Magazine Review – Oregon Ballet Theatre, Giselle: Martha Ullman West, Oregonian Review – Aakash Odedra, at The Place, 3 stars: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Review – Peggy Baker Dance Projects, Triple Bill: Claudia La Rocco, NY Times Review – Company E, Next: Israel: Sarah Kaufman, Washington Post Preview – Boston Ballet, Play with Fire: Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Globe

Links – Sunday February 26, 2012 Reviews – Birmingham Royal Ballet, Hobson’s Choice. Exposure – Dance, Mixed Bill: Luke Jennings, Observer Feature – Wayne McGregor/Mark Ronson collaboration, Roya Nikkah, Telegraph Preview – Rafael Bonachela & Sydney Dance Company, 2 One Another: Andrew Taylor, Sydney Morning Herald The emergence of an Australian choreography? Jordan Beth Vincent, Sydney Morning Herald Li Cunxin appointed AD at Queensland ballet: Adam Fulton, Sydney Morning Herald Preview – Compañía del Cuerpo de Indias, Trail of Tears: Observer Interview – Dance and Quantum Science, Ian Tucker, Observer Preview – Tom Gold Dance, Mixed Bill: Susan Reiter, CityArts Reviews – New York City Ballet, Seven Deadly Sins, Concerto Barocco: Joel Lobenthal, CityArts Preview – Lustig Dance Theatre, The Winged: Robert Johnson, NJ Star-Ledger Preview – Ohad Naharin & Batsheva Dance Company, Hora: Victor Swoboda, Montreal Gazette Review – Batsheva Dance Company, Max: Mary Ellen Hunt, SF Chronicle Review – Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Arden Court, Minus 16, Revelations: Jordan Levin, Miami Herald Feature – Freed of London, Pointe Shoe Makers: Marcia Adair, LA Times

John: The 'Australian" paywall appears to be partial, but Heaven knows how they separate things. I'd found I was being shut out once before; decided to delete the paper from my list; and then thought 'one more chance' and on next try, got in OK. We'll see how it goes during my stint.

Julie: Any chance that you could expand a bit on 'wonderful.'? I'm sure that it was, and I'm probably not alone in wondering if you could manage just a small review. You've declared your interest so that clears the field.

Angela: Your starting this thread is certainly welcomed by me. Much as I enjoy the Royal Ballet, I'd like to see this forum explore far beyond London and, hopefully, encourage new users to bring news and comment from any of the centres of excellence that exist in Europe and, indeed, elsewhere. Your inclusion of Switzerland in the title intrigues me as I now have interests in both Bern and Zurich, although I cannot see me indulging them more than very occasionally. So, anything from either city will always be welcome!

I would be surprised if contemporary choreographer Wayne McGregor, for example, took that view, given the way that the Royal Ballet's dancers ate up his "Chroma" and all that has followed. And the same has been true, I believe, with the classically-trained dancers from San Francisco Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, and the Bolshoi. For what it's worth, my own observation is that classically-trained dancers accumulate a vocabulary that they can adapt to most contemporary styles. Offhand, I'm thinking of Guillem in "In the middle, somewhat elevated," Rojo in Mats Ek's "Carmen," and Yanowsky in the "Agon" pas-de-deux .... and almost anyone doing something by Cathy Marston!

No free link available, I'm afraid, but Matthew Bourne fans may want to pick up a copy of today's Sunday Times where the Magazine has a lengthy feature about him and his work, with a couple of hints about his "Sleeping Beauty" for later this year.

Links – Saturday February 18, 2012 Review – San Francisco Ballet, Trio, Francesa da Rimini, Carnaval des Animaux: Mary Ellen Hunt, SF Chronicle Preview - Australian Ballet 50th Anniversary, Infinity (with Bangarra Dance Theatre & Chunky Move): Philippa Hawker, Sydney Morning Herald Review – Núñez and Cortés, Flamenco: Clement Crisp, Financial Times Review - Flamenco Festival, Sadler’s Wells: Louise Levene, Sunday Telegraph Feature – Director Ib Andersen & Ballet Arizona: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Review – Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, Altro Canto I, Opus 40: Gia Kourlas, NY Times Preview – Philadanco, Mixed Bill: Robert Johnson, NJ Star-Ledger Review – Tango Pasión: Victor Swoboda, Montreal Gazette Review – Heather Maloney, In this place: Jordan Levin, Miami Herald Houston Ballet Ball grosses $1.4m!! Molly Glentzer, Houston Chronicle Washington Ballet dancers teach you how to groove!: Jessica Goldstein, Washington Post

Just had a proper look at the Mark Morris video ..... and reflecting that I was living and working in Brussels at the time of the Béjart to Morris transition, just 10 minutes from the Monnaie ..... and that all of this meant nothing to me at that time. Temps perdu, indeed.

Links - Friday February 17, 2012 Review – New York City Ballet, Romeo & Juliet: Brian Seibert, NY Times Review – Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, Altro Canto, Opus 40: Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times 5 Reviews – Singin’ in the Rain, Adam Cooper : Richard Fairman, Financial Times Charles Spencer, Telegraph Paul Taylor, Independent Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard Julie Carpenter, Express 3 Reviews – Cloud Gate 2, Akram Khan, Lar Lubovitch: Marina Harss, Faster Times Preview – Prague State Opera, Don Quixote: Johana Mūcková, Prague Post Move Tube – Mark Morris is a Dido to die for: Judith Mackrell, Guardian Review – Sochi Winter Arts Festival, Tamara, Scheherezade: Raymond Stults, Moscow Times Review – Boston Ballet, Simply Sublime: Debra Cash, Boston Phoenix Review – Joffrey Ballet, Winter Fire: Zachary Whittenberg, Time Out Chicago Review – San Francisco Ballet, Chroma, Number Nine, Beaux: Becca Klarin, SF Appeal Obituary – Zina Bethune: NY Times