<center><big><big><big>Rambert Spring Tour 2004 - News and Feedback Forum</big></big></big>

<img src="http://www.ballet-dance.com/200307/images/rambert-visions%20fugitives.jpg" alt="" /></center>

Travelling round the country with February's gloomy evenings and chill winds probably doesn't feel much like Spring to Rambert's beautiful dancers, but nevertheless their Spring Tour kicks off this week to brighten our days more than somewhat.

We are delighted to be working with Rambert again and this is where we will post all the latest news and newspaper coverage of the tour.

We also hope to get comments from dance fans around the country and would love to have your feedback. See the next posting for details of what you need to do.


<big>TOURING AND REPERTORY NEWS</big>

Spring 2004

Artistic Director Mark Baldwin takes Rambert from strength to strength with a Spring 2004 tour featuring two world premières, two revival premières and live music, from award-winning Associate Orchestra London Musici, ranging from Prokofiev to Cole Porter. There also includes a Rambert debut at the Birmingham Hippodrome. The Rambert touring repertoire for Spring 2004 is as follows:

Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan

Choreographed for Rambert by Sir Frederick Ashton in 1976 to mark Ballet Rambert’s 50th Anniversary, this beautiful solo for a female dancer has been revived to mark the centenary year of its creator, who was Rambert’s Founding Choreographer. Created as a moving evocation of Isadora Duncan, a pioneer of the 20th century modern dance movement, each short solo represents a different facet of Duncan’s personality, from light-hearted to contemplative and heroic.

Linear Remains

...is a stunning example of Rafael Bonachela’s free-flowing approach to movement that fizzes with kinetic energy. Dancers’ bodies intertwine creating angular patterns of mesmerising complexity and limbs extend into space forming lines that impress themselves on the memory. Barcelona-born, Rafael has been a choreographer and dancer with Rambert since 1992 and in April 2003 was appointed as Rambert’s Associate Choreographer. This new, updated and expanded version of Linear Remains is his sixth creation for Rambert. In 2002 Rafael became pop-icon Kylie Minogue’s principal choreographer, creating routines for her Fever tour, her appearances at the Brit Awards, TOTP Awards and the Royal Variety Performance, after her creative director, William Baker, saw Linear Remains at Sadler’s Wells.


Reflection

Jerwood Choreography Award winner Fin Walker’s first work for Rambert is a dynamic exploration about change and impermanence, drawing on the dancers’ remarkable skills and intelligence to bring 'reflection' into focus. An energetic and idiosyncratic work, Reflection is performed to a score created in tandem with the choreography by composer Ben Park. Fin Walker and Ben Park are co-artistic Directors of Walker Dance Park Music.

A Tragedy of Fashion

In 1926 Ballet Rambert presented its first evening of dance with Sir Frederick Ashton’s "A Tragedy of Fashion". Having given birth to both Ballet Rambert and the choreographic career of a young Frederick Ashton, that evening in Hammersmith has proven to be one of the pivotal moments in British dance history. To mark the centenary of his birth, and to pay tribute to Rambert’s Founding Choreographer, Mark Baldwin has commissioned Ian Spink to create a modern re-interpretation of Ashton’s A Tragedy of Fashion. As insufficient records of the ballet survive to enable the production to be reconstructed, Ian Spink has been invited to re-interpret the work for our time.

Elsa Canasta

Choreographed to music and songs by Cole Porter, including a recently discovered ballet score Elsa Canasta by Venezuelan-born Javier De Frutos is a large-scale work, performed within a dramatic setting. De Frutos is known for his flamboyant style and in Elsa Canasta, his second work for Rambert, he has created a sexy and chic atmosphere, reminiscent of a decadent by-gone era where the various forms of love are explored – new love, old love, jealous love, true love and homosexual love. From a series of duets, each of these aspects of love is presented, some with pathos, some with anger and some with humour.

PreSentient

Wayne McGregor’s Time Out Live Award winning PreSentient, is a thrilling example of daring modern dance and a true assault on the senses. 12 dancers, performing in unison or in quartets, dissolve into seductive and sensual duets, all the while, mirroring the tempo of the music, Triple Quartet by Steve Reich and Another Soft Helion by Zoviet France.

Visions Fugitives

Prokofiev’s translucent arrangements for strings were the inspiration for Dutch choreographer, Hans van Manen to create Visions Fugitives, a suite of dances that range from the sinister to the playful. Visions Fugitives, comprises 15 miniatures, each lasting between 20 seconds and two minutes. Hans van Manen has staged his ballets for such companies as the Nederlands Dans Theater, Stuttgart Ballet, Berlin Opera, Houston Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Pennsylvania Ballet, the Royal Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet and Alvin Ailey.

A wide-ranging programme of educational workshops and pre-show talks accompany Rambert’s performances across the UK.



<big>RAMBERT DANCE with London Musici - Touring Schedule 2004</big>

<img src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/theatre/2003/10/images/rambert_270.jpg" alt="" />

<small>Rambert Dance Company in "Elsa Canasta"(Picture by Hugh Glendinning)</small>


HALL FOR CORNWALL, TRURO

Thur 26 - Fri 27 February @ 8pm (inc Fri matinee @ 2.30pm)

Box Office: 01872 262466

Linear Remains (Revival première), Five Brahms Waltzes (Revival première), Visions Fugitives, PreSentient

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LYCEUM THEATRE, SHEFFIELD

Wed 3 - Sat 6 March @ 7.45pm

Box Office: 0114 249 6000

Reflection (World première), Visions Fugitives, Linear Remains, Five Brahms Waltzes

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GAIETY THEATRE, ISLE OF MAN

Thur 11 - Fri 12 March @ 8pm (inc Fri matinee @ 2pm)

Box Office: 01624 694555

Reflection, Visions Fugitives, Linear Remains, Five Brahms Waltzes

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THEATRE ROYAL, BRIGHTON

Wed 24 - Sat 27 March @ 7.45pm (inc Thurs matinee @ 2pm)

Box Office: 01273 328488

Linear Remains, Five Brahms Waltzes, Visions Fugitives, PreSentient

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CLWYD THEATR CYMRU, MOLD

Tues 30 March - Sat 3 April @ 7.30pm

Box Office: 0845 330 3565

Visions Fugitives, Living Toy, Elsa Canasta

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SADLER’S WELLS, LONDON

Tues 25 - Sat 29 May @ 7.30pm (inc Family matinee Sat 29 May @ 2.30pm)

Box Office: 020 7863 8000

Reflection, Linear Remains, Five Brahms Waltzes, A Tragedy of Fashion (World première)

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THE HIPPODROME, BIRMINGHAM

Wed 2 - Sat 5 June @ 7.30pm

Box Office: 0870 730 1234

PreSentient, Five Brahms Waltzes, Tragedy of Fashion, Elsa Canasta

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NEW THEATRE, OXFORD

Wed 9 - Sat 12 June @ 7.30pm

Box Office: 0870 606 3500

PreSentient, A Tragedy of Fashion, Elsa Canasta

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THEATRE ROYAL, GLASGOW

Tues 15 - Thur 17 June @ 7.30pm

Box Office: 0141 332 9000

Linear Remains, Five Brahms Waltzes, A Tragedy of Fashion, Elsa Canasta

<small>[ 25 February 2004, 01:12 PM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

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<big>How To Post on CriticalDance</big>

Now it's your turn. We will be delighted if you want to post a comment about the Spring Tour or anything else to do with Rambert.

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For additional practical information about CriticalDance click here.

Don't worry if you've never written about dance before. Just tell us your reaction to any aspects of the evening, whether good or not. The Rambert staff are keen to have your feedback and, if appropriate, will reply here.

A few words would be great, but if you want to write more you might like to look at our beginners' guide to reviewing.

Any problems or queries, don't hesitate to contact stuart@criticaldance.com

Don't delay - have your say.

<small>[ 25 February 2004, 10:31 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

<big>Other News from Rambert</big>

“Because there is always so much to tell with regard to what’s happening at Rambert Dance Company, awards, touring information, new repertory, education work, to name just a few things, we have decided that our press office will issue a monthly Media Bulletin to keep everyone abreast of our various activities. We hope you find the information both useful and interesting.”

Mark Baldwin, Artistic Director of Rambert Dance Company


Rambert is Britain’s oldest dance company, founded in 1926 and transformed into a contemporary dance company in 1968. Under its Artistic Director Mark Baldwin, Rambert Dance Company tours a wide spectrum of large-scale repertoire, including both new commissions and works from the Company’s heritage, throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. Rambert Dance Company performs to over 50,000 people each year and reaches over 6,000 individuals through its extensive education programme.


GENERAL COMPANY NEWS

· Recent Awards for Rambert

Time Out Live Award 2004 for Outstanding Achievement in Dance

Rambert’s Music Director Paul Hoskins and its Associate Orchestra London Musici have won the 2004 Time Out Live Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. London Musici was named “the most involved, committed and lively dance band in Britain”.


Critics Circle National Dance Award for Ana Luján Sanchez

Ana Luján Sanchez has won this year’s award for Outstanding Female Artist (Modern) at the recent Critics Circle National Dance Awards in London, the only professional awards in the UK devoted exclusively to dance. The Critics' Circle Dance Section comprises all of the professional dance critics working in this country.

Born in Valencia, Spain, Ana trained with Mari-Cruz Alcalá at the Ballet Clasico de Valencia and the Rambert School. She danced with Ballet Clasico de Valencia before joining Rambert in April 1996.

Laurence Olivier Awards 2004

In the category of Outstanding Achievement in Dance Rambert fills two of the four nominations (Awards to be announced 22 February)

Firstly, Javier De Frutos for his choreography of Rambert Dance Company’s ELSA CANASTA at Sadler’s Wells and secondly The dancers of Rambert Dance Company for their November 2003 season at Sadler’s Wells.


· Rambert in China

The Company recently returned from a tour of China as part of ‘Think UK’ in association with the British Council. The visit was also partly sponsored by the Chinese promoter Milky Way Arts & Communications Company. Rambert performed at the Shanghai Art Theatre in November 2003 and returned to China in January to the Tianquiao Theatre in Beijing as part of the city’s Chinese New Year celebrations. Rambert was the first British dance company to tour to China and performed in Shanghai, Peking (now Beijing), Tientsin, Wuhan, Nankin and Hanchow as part of a six week tour of the country with Marie Rambert in 1957. Rambert more recently performed in Beijing at the Capital Theatre in 1996 sponsored by the British Council.


“Rambert Dance Company is the oldest dance company in Britain. It was also the first dance company to visit China, with a tour in 1957 during which it performed for Premier Zhou Enlai. I am delighted to welcome Rambert to China as part of Think UK.”

Sir Christopher Hum, British Ambassador to China


Rambert has been invited back to Beijing in 2006 to hopefully perform at the new, French-designed Beijing Opera House, currently under construction, in Tiannamen Square.


· Departing Rambert Staff

It is with regret that Rambert announces the departure of two key members of staff, Associate Artistic Director Steven Brett and dancer Conor O’Brien. Brett joins The British Council, whilst O’Brien has decided to retire at the very top of his profession.


Steven Brett - Associate Artistic Director
Steven was born in Adelaide, and has lived in Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville and Canberra, where his parents now live. He trained at the Victorian College of Arts and the Australia Ballet School, taking a year off to study Environmental Science at Melbourne College of Advanced Education. He danced with Nederlands Dans Theatre 2 before joining Rambert as a dancer in 1988. During his career as a dancer, Steven worked with Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown, Glen Tetley, Richard Alston, Jirí Kylián, Hans van Manen, Jeremy James and Rambert’s former Artistic Director, Christopher Bruce CBE.

In 1998 Steven retired from dancing and was appointed a Company Rehearsal Director. His responsibilities included managing the teaching and rehearsal process alongside choreographers and co-ordinating the dancers’ schedule. He has overseen productions for such major choreographers as Siobhan Davies, Per Jonsson, Jeremy James, Twyla Tharp, Merce Cunningham, Glen Tetley and Javier De Frutos.

In August 2000 Steven became Rambert’s Associate Artistic Director. He worked closely with Christopher Bruce on the programming and development of repertoire and, with the appointment of Mark Baldwin as Artistic Director in 2002, Steven has continued in this role and has also collaborated with visiting choreographers on the rehearsal and staging of new and revival works.

On Steven’s departure, Mark Baldwin said: “I am very lucky to have had Steven (an old friend and former colleague) to enrich Rambert’s artistic output. He is very much part of Rambert’s history and in many ways will remain important to me on my journey as Artistic Director.”

Conor O'Brien - Dancer

Born in Nottingham, Conor trained at both the Lower and Upper Royal Ballet Schools. During his career he worked with London City Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet. He joined Rambert in December 1996 and memorable roles include The Poet in Christopher Bruce and Lindsay Kemp’s Cruel Garden, the Roving Gambler in Bruce’s Grinning in your Face and the title role in Glen Tetley’s seminal Pierrot Lunaire. His versatility as a dancer meant he was in much demand by choreographers commissioned to create works for Rambert and during his period with the Company he worked with Richard Alston, Jeremy James, Wayne McGregor and Javier De Frutos. Mark Baldwin, Rambert’s Artistic Director, said of Conor: “He was a hugely talented dancer, whose strength and grace on stage were a pleasure to watch. He was a fantastic Company member, who, as we know, will be brilliant at whatever he does next.”

· New South Bank Location for Rambert

Rambert has an outstanding opportunity to move to a new purpose-built home on the South Bank - a location in the cultural and economic heart of London. Coin Street Community Builders (CSCB), are planning a multi-use development on the Doon Street Car Park site (behind the National Theatre) and have invited Rambert to be part of it.

Rambert has occupied its current west London rehearsal and administration premises since 1971. Sue Wyatt, Executive Director of Rambert Dance Company says "To be presented with the option of having purpose-built studios, with full-disabled access, in such a prominent position is something that we must consider seriously." It also creates a platform from which the Company's Artistic Director, Mark Baldwin, can fulfil his ambition to make Rambert one of the world's most versatile, accessible and exciting dance companies.

Mark Baldwin, Rambert's Artistic Director, says: "As Britain's only large-scale touring contemporary dance company, Rambert performs on some of the largest stages this country has. The size of our studios, however, severely restricts the scale of productions that we can create, essentially stifling our artistic aspirations. In addition to fulfilling our artistic needs, the new premises would also provide the public with greater access to the Company, our education activities and our archive. We have in this proposal the opportunity to turn Rambert into a national resource centre."

The challenge now is for Rambert to raise the estimated £6 million necessary to finance the new building, which it hopes will come from a combination of private and public sources.




NOTES:

Rambert Artistic Director Mark Baldwin has more than 20 years experience as a dancer/choreographer focussing particularly on the development of new work. His interest in the interaction between dance and other art forms gives him a unique perspective on the production of new work and the balance of the contributory elements.

Mark joined Rambert as Artistic Director having been regarded as a well-established and highly influential choreographer. He has recently been nominated for an Olivier Award and past awards include the 1995 Time Out Award for Dance, and in 2001 he received the Southbank Show Award for his work The Bird Sings With Its Fingers. His most recent award has been the 2002 Dance Artist Fellowship for Outstanding Contribution for Dance. He has created works for major dance companies around the world, including the Royal Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Limbs Dance Company, Berlin State Opera House, Phoenix Dance Company, Scottish Ballet (where he was Resident Choreographer in 1996) London City Ballet, Turkish State Opera House, Dhagdha Dance Company, the Modern Dance Company of Argentina, Cisne Negro Dance Company in Brazil and Rambert Dance Company.


“It is my desire that Rambert Dance Company should be a leading force in shaping British modern dance and that it should direct from the front, rather than just pull in that which appears to be fashionable. Although Rambert Dance Company occupies a significant position in the dance world, it cannot rely on yesterday’s successes”.

Mark Baldwin – June 2003

<small>[ 25 February 2004, 10:23 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

<big>Useful Rambert Links</big>

<img src="http://cnb-host3.clickandbuild.com/cnb/shop/rambert-dance-co?imageID=124&op=imgLib-viewImage" alt="" />

<small>Rambert AD Mark Baldwin moonlighting as a t-shirt model</small>


Here is a BBC Radio3 series of short programmes as Mark rehearses a work for his own Company in 2001, before he took up the job of Rambert AD:

February 2001: The choreographer Mark Baldwin on his ballet, 'The Bird Sings With It's Fingers', a collaboration with the composer Julian Anderson, based on Jean Cocteau's film noir, 'Orphee'.

click for audio links

Here is the link to our interview with Mark Baldwin in the week that he was appointed as Rambert's new AD.

And here is the link to details about Mark Baldwin's career on Rambert's excellent website.

Here is some other useful information about the Company:

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From the Rambert website, here are is the link to the home page for all the latest news.

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Some other CriticalDance Interviews:

Rafael Bonachela, Rambert's new Associate Choreographer

and from Christopher Bruce's stewardship of Rambert:

Christopher Bruce, July 2002

Christopher Bruce on dance and human rights

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Other items:

[url=http://forum.criticaldance.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=17;t=000291[b]Rafael Bonachela's choreography for Kylie Minogue[/url]

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<img src="http://www.ballet-dance.com/200307/images/rambert-psalms.jpg" alt="" />

Our coverage of previous Rambert tours:

Autumn tour 2003

Spring tour 2003

Autumn tour 2002

Spring tour 2002

Autumn tour 2001

Spring tour 2001

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In the July edition of "ballet-dance monthly" Rambert Dance Company was our focus for the month. Scroll down the left hand side column for the Rambert section, where you'll find plenty to keep you entertained, including a Gallery of recent Rambert images.

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<big>And perhaps most important, you can play a role in the future of the Company through [b]the various Rambert Supporters' Schemes</big>[/b]

<small>[ 25 February 2004, 01:15 PM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>