Apr 2010 in this issue [updated Apr 24, 2010] focus on Birmingham Royal Ballet Taiwan Festival Sleeping Beauty reviews editors' choice

Taiwan Festival Taiwan Festival by David Mead -- April 2010, Taipei You have to remind yourself sometimes that the Taiwan International Festival is only in its second year. It already seems so established. Actually, Taipei International Festival might be a more appropriate name, since all the events take place in and around the National Theater and Concert Hall in the city. read more... Tanztheater des Staatstheaters Darmstadt - 'Schwanengesang' by David Mead -- March 12, 2010, National Theater, Taipei Despite being born and bred in Yilan in the north-east of the island, and achieving considerable international success, Lin Mei-hong is not a choreographer whose name is to the forefront of most Taiwanese dance-goers minds. That is not all that surprising. She left Taiwan at 16 to study in Rome, and later in Essen with Pina Bausch. read more... Ballet Preljocaj - 'Snow White' by David Mead -- March 4, 2010, National Theater, Taipei After “Empty Moves” and “Eldorado”, Angelin Preljocaj says he was tiring of making abstract ballets and was keen to tell a story. “No doubt to avoid getting into a rut. And, because like everyone, I love stories,” he says. In a move that goes against pretty much everything you expect from the contemporary ballet choreographer, he looked for something magical, enchanted, and that he felt had not been fully dealt with before. read more... Compañia de danca Sol Picó - 'Sirena la plancha' by David Mead -- February 21, 2010, National Theater and Concert Hall Plaza, Taipei “Heavy rain forecast sinks Spanish mermaid show” was the headline in the Taipei Times, which added that “a mermaid who tries to save her world from its worst-ever drought has been done in – by too much rain.” read more... Robert Wilson and the U Theatre of Taiwan - '1433 - The Grand Voyage' by David Mead -- February 20, 2010, National Theater, Taipei Loosely based on historic texts, avant-garde American stage director Robert Wilson’s new work “1433-The Grand Voyage” reinterprets the life, and particularly the final seventh voyage, of 15th-century Chinese explorer Zheng He. Between 1405 and 1433 Zheng led naval expeditions designed to establish a Chinese presence in other parts of the world and to control trade. His fleet travelled as far as East Africa, promoting diplomacy and trade and fighting pirates. read more...

'Sleeping Beauty' Awakening To A Brand-New Day: Pacific Northwest Ballet's 'Sleeping Beauty' by Dean Speer -- February 6, 2010, McCaw Hall, Seattle For many audience members, the essence of ballet is contained in three ‘by Tchaikovsky’ ballets: “The Nutcracker,” “The Sleeping Beauty,” and “Swan Lake.” There is even a myth that these three ballets comprise the sum total of the worthwhile repertoire for ballet companies. read more... The History of "The Sleeping Beauty" Through The Eyes Of A Prince by Karen Barr -- November, 2009, National Arts Center, Ottawa It’s the opening for The National Ballet’s “The Sleeping Beauty” at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The dress rehearsal starts in one hour, but before the show, a group of approximately 200 of the Centre’s charitable donors assemble for a pre-performance talk. Barry M. Bloom, Senior Development Office for the Ballet, thanks the crowd for helping to give the arts life, before introducing the speaker, Peter Ottmann. read more... Pacific Northwest Ballet by M. Geoffery D'Onofrio -- February 4, 2010, McCaw Hall, Seattle Mariinsky Ballet by Carmel Morgan -- February 9, 2010, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Opera House, Washington, DC New York City Ballet by Colleen Boresta -- February 7, 2010, Lincoln Center, David Koch Theater, New York

Luca Masala - Director of the Académie de Danse Princesse Grace of Monte Carlo by Saul Marziali In September 2009, Luca Masala was appointed director of the Académie de Danse Princesse Grace of Monte Carlo. I met Luca Masala for the first time in 1982, when he joined the school of La Scala in Milan. read more... Twenty Years of Birmingham Royal Ballet by David Mead -- Published April 2010 years ago and headed for the English Midlands there were more than a few people who though it was headed for oblivion. The then Artistic Director told me that one un-named individual said, “Why on earth would you want to go to Birmingham?” and proceeded to outline everything that was negative about the city. And as for the thought of living there… read more...

Focus on Birmingham Royal Ballet Click for this month's focus

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reviews

Compañía María Pagés - 'Autorretrato'
by Stuart Sweeney -- February 25, 2010, Sadler's Wells, London
Flamenco has long been popular in London as professional performance and as an amateur dance form. And one of the key factors in popularising this Iberian art form here has been Sadler’s Wells both in the old theatre and in the new complex. I remember two shows in particular. Cumbra Flamenca toured regularly in the 1990’s with the cream of the major Spanish companies and a simple but effective production philosophy that seemed to say to its superb, solo performers, “There’s the stage, you’ve got 15 minutes.”
read more...

The National Ballet of Canada - '24 Preludes by Chopin', 'A Suite of Dances' and 'Four Seasons'
by Kate Snedeker -- March 3, 2010, Four Seasons Centre, Toronto
Triple bills can be the balletic equivalent of balancing on a tightrope, and The National Ballet of Canada has at times struggled to find the right balance between styles, lengths, music, and casting requirements. The first repertory program of 2010, however, had no such wobbles, deftly weaving together first-rate ballets by Marie Chouinard and Jerome Robbins, and Kudelka’s “The Four Seasons.”
read more...

Black Grace
by Heather Desaulniers -- March 6, 2010, George Mason University, Center for the Arts-Fairfax, Virginia
This weekend, George Mason University's Center for the Arts presented Black Grace, a New Zealand dance company that seeks to blend the contemporary and the cultural. Samoan and Pacific Island ethnic dance permeated the program, though the message I saw in Black Grace's presentation was one of common ground. Their movement, though distinctive, demonstrated that dance is a shared understanding; culturally and stylistically.
read more...

National Ballet of Canada - 'Swan Lake'
by Kate Snedeker -- March 11, 2010, Four Seasons Centre, Toronto
To be absolutely clear, with few exceptions, little fault could be found with the dancing. The National Ballet of Canada has a core of established bolstered by a number of emerging talents, and the dancers did the best they could with “Swan Lake”. They are in no way at fault for the production and its shortcomings.
read more...

Huang Yi - 'Spin 2010'
by David Mead -- February 25, 2010, Experimental Theatre, National Theatre, Taipei
Just twenty-six years old, and still studying for his Masters degree in Choreography, which he went straight into from his first degree in dance, Huang Yi has already carved out quite a reputation as one of Taiwan’s foremost young choreographers. He achieved national recognition with his work for Taiwan’s noted all-male company Horse Dance Theatre, including picking up the prestigious Taishin Arts Award in 2007 for “Velocity”, and has had critical success with works for Cloud Gate 2. He seems to be a man in a hurry.
read more...

Kings of the Dance
by Kathy Lee Scott -- February 16, 2010, Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles
Lighting designer Elena Kopunova deserved a bow with the seven "Kings of the Dance" for her illumination of them. Her colorful and spot lighting enhanced the enjoyment of the dancers' performance on Feb. 16, 2010, at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif. Producers Sergei and Gaiane Danilian gathered seven top-notch dancers from American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Mariinsky Ballet of St. Petersburg (formerly Kirov Ballet) for this version of the show.
read more...

Gala Flamenca: Todo Cambia - Pastora Galván, Manuel Liñán, Belén López, Rocío Molina
by Ana Abad-Carles
As part of their annual Flamenco Festival, Sadler's Wells presented a Gala Flamenca to showcase some of Spain's younger and more diverse talent in flamenco.
read more...

The Israel Ballet - Triple Bill: 'Xta,' 'Gurrelieder,' 'Ni-Na'
by Carmel Morgan -- February 27, 2010, Montgomery College, Takoma Park/Silver Spring Performing Arts Center, Silver Spring, Maryland
For the first time in 25 years, the Israel Ballet is touring the United States. I’m sure there are many reasons why that is the case. One reason for the long hiatus since the company’s last visit to the US is probably politics. I was surprised to learn that protesters greeted patrons coming to see the Israel Ballet’s opening night performance of “Don Quixote” at a community college in Maryland, near Washington, DC. I wasn’t present that evening, but I gathered from a report from a friend who was there that the protesters were Palestinian/human rights activists objecting to the Israel Ballet because of the company’s presumed support by the Israeli government.
read more...

Parsons Dance Company
by Philip W. Sandstrom -- February 2-22, 2010, Joyce Theater, New York
David Parsons must have very thick skin. In spite of the New York Times (NYT) dance critics’ efforts to pour Agent Orange on his choreography, Parsons soldiers on. The slash-and-burn reviews of his recent performances at the Joyce Theater included one by Alastair Macaulay eviscerating the program that featured “Remember Me” by saying that it “strikes me as so blatantly callow and insincere” and leveling “Caught” by noting “I have never enjoyed it less than on this occasion.”
read more...

Kinesis Project Dance Theater - 'Pressing Empty'
by Victoria Dombroski -- February 13, 2010, Judson Memorial Church, New York
I was immediately intrigued by Kinesis Project Dance Theater’s “Pressing Empty” before any movement had even begun. Judson Memorial Church has such an enormous, tranquil and beautiful space to dance in, and the setting was entirely appropriate for this expressive piece. This dance took a dive into the various emotions of a bride and groom. They dealt with having to face that inner battle during those extreme moments before your wedding day.
read more...

Seattle Dance Project 3 - 'For Whom The Dance Toils'
by Dean Speer -- 31 January 2010, ACT Theatre, Seattle

Washington Ballet - 'The Great Gatsby'
by Heather Desaulniers -- February 27, 2010, Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.

'Jason and Friends' - An Evening of Choreography by Jason Garcia Ignacio
by Heather Desaulniers -- February 20, 2010, Dance Place-Washington, D.C.

Joffrey Ballet - 'Cinderella'
by Kathy Lee Scott -- January 28, 2010, Music Center, Los Angeles, California

Havana Rakatan
by Ana Abad-Carles -- February 9, 2010, Peacock Theatre, London

Ballet Nice Méditerranée
by Saul Marziali -- January 20, 2010, Opéra de Nice, Nice, France

Idan Cohen - 'Dancing Israeli Identity: Looking Backward, Looking Forward'
by Carmel Morgan -- February 18, 2010, American University, Katzen Arts Center, Washington, DC

Bolshoi Ballet - 'Spartacus'
by Carmel Morgan -- February 16, 2010, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Opera House, Washington, DC

coming: Bolshoi Ballet, Chop Shop, Tiffany Mills, The Seven Fingers, EDGEWORKS

editors' choice · 7th International Festival of Contemporary Dance May 26 - June 12, 2010 -- Venice 36 performances, 5 world premieres, 7 European and 8 Italian premieres, 20 choreographers, 16 companies, an “off” section dedicated to new works, a choreography workshop, meetings with protagonists of international dance. · XVIII Music Festival Stars of the White Nights May, 21 - July 21, 2010 -- St. Petersburg Opera, symphony and ballet!

 

For ballet-dance magazine
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Executive Editor
Kate Snedeker

Executive Editor 2003-2005
Mary Ellen Hunt

Focus and Photo Editors
Elizabeth McPherson, Dean Speer

Associate Editors & Compositors
Francis Timlin, Holly Messitt, Lori Ibay, Lisa Claybaugh, Azlan Ezaddin