John Mallinson

Undoubtedly, and you'll see it sooner than people further away…

The 2012 revival was for 10 performances with five principal pairings: Nuñez & Acosta, Cojocaru & Kobborg, Morera & Cervera, Choe & Maloney, Marquez & McRae. Performances were dedicated to the memory of Alexander Grant who died in September 2011 and was the first Alain. Colas (Ricardo Cervera) and Lise (Laura Morera). Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. Clog dancing! Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. Widow Simone and Lise (Alastair Marriott and Laura Morera). Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. More... Dave Morgan: La Fille mal gardée - 27 photos Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr Discussion of this production is here.

Alison, I like all the talky stuff most of the time. Forsythe evidently decided years ago that his choreography was not to be confined in the ballet box and I say thank goodness for his experimental approach. There are plenty of other people who are content to let their dancers remain mute. Aileen, the Sadler's Wells audience is certainly different from that at the ROH and I reckon if you go to The Place it will be different again. Younger and more variegated I think. I think there is a feeling (which I don't at all share) that ballet is for old fuddy-duddies and modern dance is for the hip and young. On Saturday at SW I recognised a few familiar faces from the ROH audience but interestingly they were outnumbered by members of the Royal Ballet, management and dancers.

Paul, that's how it now is!

I watched it from both the first and second circles and thought it came over better from higher up where the birds' eye view meant one could take in the whole stage more easily - especially the parts where the dancers were lined up on either side of the stage, halfway into the wings. I thought the man with the megaphone's mutterings were meant to be partially inaudible. He did seem to be living in a world of his own and there was no attempt to relate to the audience.

Yes, apologies to all for these annoying interruptions. We are just too popular and the server was getting overloaded! The site has now been moved to another server which should be better able to cope with the demands on it so we shouldn't have these problems again.

Odd. No changes in the software in the last few days. One of life's little mysteries!

Thursday 26 April at Sadler's Wells, London - 7.30pm Blanche DuBois - Eve Mutso Stanley Kowalski - Tama Barry Stella Kowalski - Sophie Martin Mitch - Adam Blyde Alan - Victor Zarallo Friday 27 April at Sadler's Wells, London - 7.30pm Blanche DuBois - Claire Robertson Stanley Kowalski - Erik Cavallari Stella Kowalski - Sophie Laplane Mitch - Lewis Landini Alan - Andrew Peasgood Saturday 28 April at Sadler's Wells, London - 7.30pm Blanche DuBois - Eve Mutso Stanley Kowalski - Tama Barry Stella Kowalski - Sophie Martin Mitch - Adam Blyde Alan - Victor Zarallo

In April 2012 The Royal Ballet of Flanders brought the rarely seen full-length version of William Forsythe's 1985 ballet Artifact to Sadler's Wells. Artifact. Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. Artifact. Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. More… Dave Morgan: Royal Ballet of Flanders, Artifact - 27 photos Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr Discussion of this production is here.

Links – Friday April 20, 2012 Review - Barcelona Ballet, Pálpito, NY: Tobi Tobias, ArtsJournal Q&A Angel Corella, director of Barcelona Ballet: Catalan News Agency Review - Ballet Hispanico, mixed bill, NY: Brian Seibert, New York Times Review - Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Triangle of Squinches: Toba Singer, California Literary Review Preview - 1,000 people dance Home in Birmingham: Diane Parkes, Birmingham Post Review - Spring Loaded festival (Darren Ellis, Robert Clark), Long Walk Home, Badlands, London: Sanjoy Roy, The Guardian Review - Scottish Dance Theatre, What on Earth?: 3 stars, Kelly Apter, Scotsman Preview - Dance Marathon, Toronto: Michael Crabb, Toronto Star Review - Dancemakers, Adaptation Project, Toronto: Michael Crabb, Toronto Star Review - Northern Ballet, Beauty and the Beast: Northampton Chronicle, Bicester Advertiser and Review Finally some important merchandising news: Cocorose London Royal Ballet Capsule Collection: EasierLifestyle

There's also a course at the Siobhan Davies Studios in London during June/July. Cheaper too! Still Moving Dance photography course for adults A dance photography course for professionals and non-professionals to work with established dance photographer Pari Naderi. During the course participants will explore different techniques and approaches to capturing dance and movement on camera. Photo-shoot opportunities will be set up with local dance groups in rehearsal and performance, in order for photographers to gain experience and get feedback as they develop their techniques. You will need to have your own camera and some photographic experience is required. A selection of the photographs taken during this course will be exhibited through largescale projections onto south London buildings as part of Still Moving, On The Wall.

I've always thought it was the Russians wot started it!

Links – Thursday April 19, 2012 William Forsythe interview - Artifact is an ode to ballet: Sarah Crompton, Telegraph Review - Barcelona Ballet, Pálpito, Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1, For 4, NY: Gia Kourlas, New York Times Mary Cargill, DanceviewTimes 3 stars, Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times Martha Sherman, New York Post n.b. Barcelona Ballet is the new name of Corella Ballet Angelin Preljocaj: Who's the darkest of them all? (preview of Snow White): Judith Mackrell, The Guardian Review - San Francisco Ballet, Program 7: Toba Singer, California Literary Review Paul Parrish, Bay Area Reporter Preview - Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Svengali holds sway: Janet Smith, Georgia Straight Cuban Dancer Jose Manuel Carreño planning flamenco debut: Havana Times Film review - A Life for Ballet (docu about Pierre Lacotte and Ghislaine Thesmar): Jake Wilson, Sydney Morning Herald

Break a leg!

Links – Wednesday April 18, 2012 Review - San Francisco Ballet, Program 7: Becca Klarin, SF Appeal Review - Kublai Khan Investigations, Tiger Tiger Burning Bright, Paris: Rosita Boisseau, The Guardian Review - Forklift Danceworks, Trash Dance: Carrie Seidman, Sarasota Herald-Tribune Moscow’s Golden Mask awards (Chroma and Por Vos Muero were winners): John Freedman, Moscow Times Sylvia Waters steps down at Ailey II: Gia Kourlas, New York Times Backstage with SFB’s staff photographer: Erik Tomasson, OpenStudio455 Interview - Gennadi Nedvigin, Principal with SFB: Sean Martinfield, Huffington Post Bangarra Dance Theatre farewells Patrick Thaiday: Australian Stage Book review - Varley O’Connor, The Master’s Muse (about Tanquil LeClercq): Tobi Tobias, ArtsJournal Union Files Complaint Against Dance Theater of Harlem: Daniel J. Wakin, New York Times

When photographs and links to photo collections on other sites are included with the discussions of specific productions it is easy to lose them in the mists of time. Hence this archive, which has copied those original postings into one place. The archive is intended for you to be able to view the pictures contained and to follow links to the others of which they are a taster, but not for discussion, hence posting is blocked. In each case there is also a link back to the original topic.

Links – Tuesday April 17, 2012 Review - A Celebration of Bob Lockyer, London: Jann Parry, DanceTabs Clifford Bishop, Evening Standard Lise Smith, LondonDance Review - Pacific Northwest Ballet, Apollo, Carmina Burana: Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times Tamara Rojo - no. 4 on The Tatler List. Errr, wow!?: Tatler Pass notes No 3,159 - Tamara Rojo: The Guardian Tamara Rojo - the view from Canada: Michael Crabb, Toronto Star Benjamin Millepied and the L.A. Dance Project: David Ng, Los Angeles Times Review - Priyadarsini Govind, Erasing Borders Festival, NY: Brian Seibert, New York Times Review - Ballet San Jose, mixed bill, SF: Mary Ellen Hunt, San Francisco Chronicle Review - Cape Town City Ballet, Giselle: Elizabeth Triergaardt, IOL Interview - David Zambrano, dancemaker: Gia Kourlas, Time Out New York Dance Open festival in St Petersburg: Voice of Russia Tobi Tobias, dance critic, nominated for Pulitzer Prize: ArtsJournal Graham Company plans move to Cunningham Studios: Robin Pogrebin, New York Times Film preview - First Position, ballet docu about YAGP: Mallika Rao, Huffington Post Preview - Universal Ballet of Korea in Taipei: Diane Baker, Taipei Times Little Mia goes to Angelina Ballerina: Scott Kara, New Zealand Herald

ENB2 is a touring company featuring graduating dancers from the English National Ballet School. The My First… productions (of which this is the first) are to introduce children to the world of ballet. Serena Green as Carabosse in ENB2's My First Sleeping Beauty ©John Ross More… John Ross: ENB2's My First Sleeping Beauty - 31 photos Discussion of this production is here.

The Royal Ballet's triple bill in April comprised two new works and one from 2001, Christopher Wheeldon's Polyphonia. The new pieces were Liam Scarlett's Sweet Violets and Wayne McGregor's Carbon Life. There were six performances with two different casts for Polyphonia and Sweet Violets. Polyphonia - Sarah Lamb & Johannes Stepanek. Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. Alexander Cambell and Bennet Gartside in Sweet Violets. Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. Carbon Life - Olivia Cowley & Edward Watson (with Alison Mosshart). Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. More… Dave Morgan: Royal Ballet triple bill - 32 photos Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr Discussion of this production is here.

The Eifman Ballet of St Petersburg visited the London Coliseum for a short season in April 2012 bringing two of Boris Eifman's choreographic works, Anna Karenina and Onegin. Anna Karenina. Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. Anna Karenina. Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. Anna Karenina. Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. More… Dave Morgan: Anna Karenina - 15 photos Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr Discussion of this production is here.

English National Ballet performed two programmes at the London Coliseum at the end of March 2012 to celebrate the legacy of the Ballets Russes. The second programme comprised Apollo, Le Train bleu solo, Jeux and Suite en blanc. Apollo and Terpsichore (Zdenek Konvalina, Daria Klimentová). Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. Apollo - Three Muses (Begoña Cao, Daria Klimentová, Anaïs Chalendard). Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. Jeux - Fernanda Oliviera, Dimitri Gruzdyev, Elena Glurdjidze. Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. More… Dave Morgan: Beyond Ballet Russes programme II Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr Discussion of this production is here.

The presentation to Monica Mason was followed by the brief duet from Wayne McGregor's Limen danced by Sarah Lamb and Eric Underwood - not as usually seen as it was largely filmed with a steadicam wandering round them.

English National Ballet performed two programmes at the London Coliseum at the end of March 2012 to celebrate the legacy of the Ballets Russes. The first comprised a new version of Firebird, Faune(e), L'après midi d'un faune and The Rite of Spring. Firebird: Laurretta Summerscales (Purity); Ksenia Ovsyanick (Firebird); Adela Ramirez (Celebrity). Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. L'Apres-midi d'un faune. Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. Faun(e). Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. The Rite of Spring - Erina Takahashi. Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. More… Dave Morgan - Beyond the Ballet Russes photos Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr Discussion of this production is here.

Christopher Wheeldon's Alice was premiered at Covent Garden in March 2011 and subsequently performed in Toronto by the National Ballet of Canada in June. The current revival had 10 performances with three principal casts. Sisters (Sarah Lamb as Alice, with Leanne Cope and Samantha Raine). Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. Drink Me! - and Alice does (Sarah Lamb). Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. Flamingo used as a croquet mallet (Romany Pajdak). Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr ©Dave Morgan. More… Dave Morgan: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland - 32 photos Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr Discussion of this production is here.

Ex-Royal Ballet dancer Ivan Putrov staged his programme of pieces (mainly) for the male dancer at Sadler's Wells at the end of January 2012. There was a later visit with a slightly different programme and cast in March 2012. Sergei Polunin in Narcisse. ©Dave Morgan Ithaca: Aaron Sillis, Ivan Putrov. ©Dave Morgan More… Dave Morgan: Ivan Putrov's Men in Motion – 27 photos Discussion of this production is here.