Today the Queen's Birthday Honours 2003 are announced. Here are the ones I've found of interest to dance lovers with my comments in brackets. If I have missed any, do add them below or write your own comments on the published list:



Order of the Companions of Honour CH

Sir (Alan) Charles (MacLaurin) Mackerras, composer and conductor, services to music.

Knights Bachelor

John Tusa, managing director, Barbican Centre, services to the arts. (the Barbican is now one of the key venues for dance in London.)

Royal Victorian Order (Lieutenant)

Colin David Tweedy, chief executive, Arts and Business. (This organisation brings business and arts companies togther both for funding and sharing knowledge.)

CBE (Companion of The British Empire)

Marion Hooper Tait, ballet mistress, Birmingham Royal Ballet, services to dance. (A much loved dancer who is now passing on her knowledge to the next generation. She still occasionally dances and I saw her in BRB's "Arthur" at Sadler's Wells.

Alan Thomas Grieve, chairman, Jerwood Foundation, services to the arts. (The Jerwood Centre is an important class and rehearsal space in London; the Jerwood awards play an important part in UK dance and the Jerwood proms at Sadler's Wells make it possible to see world class dance at rock-botton prices.)

Anish Kapoor, Sculptor. For services to the Arts. (who has worked with Akram Khan)

OBE (Order of the British Empire)

Prof Elizabeth Murdoch, Emeritus Prof of Physical Educ, Sports Science, Dance and Leisure, Univ of Brighton. For services to Physical Educ and Sport.

Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp, Artistic dir, National Youth Dance Trust. For serv Dance. (A wonderful dancer and dance enabler plus one of the nicest people in UK dance. He still performs with ARC and is on the Board of the ROH.)

MBE (Member of the British Empire)

Thomas Hulme Moss, for services to Dance in Wigan, Lancashire.

(The rank order is (highest first) - CBE, OBE, MBE.)

<small>[ 10 July 2003, 08:27 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

First reactions I've heard from the dance world are:

Hearty congratulations to those rewarded for their service to dance. However, two awards at national level and one at local level is not much for an art form sufficiently important that the Arts Council England spends £30+ million on it each year.

<small>[ 14 June 2003, 08:16 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

Yes, it's hard to get rid of the impression that dance is still seen as the poor relation, artistically speaking.
Still, nice to see that Marion Tate was honoured. I remember as a child seeing her on several occasions - those years touring and touring with SWRB sure were appreciated by those of us who didn't live near the big cities. I'm delighted to see that her experience is now being drawn upon by the next generation.

Pray tell when is David Drew going to get an hounour for his services to ballet??

Ballet star honoured with CBE

There's a very short story on the BBC website that Royal Ballet star Sylvie Guillem was awarded an honorary CBE on Wednesday.

The French dancer was honoured for her services to ballet and was presented with the award by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell in a ceremony at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

Congratulations from everyone at CriticalDance to one of the most interesting dancers around.