<B>Diversity is strength for the next touring company to grace Australia's shores</B><P>writes Valerie Lawson in The Sydney Morning Herald.<P>The article also looks at a variety of international companies and the trend away from nationalistic recruitment policies.<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>It's called the English National Ballet but the troupe touring Australia next month is hardly fielding an all-England side. The 50-year-old company has eight principal artists, none born in England. Instead, they're from Latvia, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Japan, Cuba, Russia and France.<P>Delve down one ranking, and you find the same mixing pot. Among the senior soloists are dancers from Russia, Australia, Cuba and China. <P>Not that there's anything wrong with that, as Seinfeld would say. In fact, there's a good argument for diversity when it produces the kind of performances I have just seen in ENB's Romeo and Juliet, which opens in Sydney next week.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><BR><A HREF="http://www.smh.com.au/news/0106/26/features/features10.html" TARGET=_blank><B>More...</B></A>

Tonight the English National Ballet begins its second Arena tour of Australia in 2 years. The company is in "OZ" at a time when Arena productions are anything but coveted. <P>A new production of 'Hair', "the biggest in the world" has just been cancelled due to poor advanced ticket sales. So it seems audiences are finally alert to the fact that the performing arts don't necessarily go down well in a stadium-like venue.<P>I've secured myself decent tickets in Sydney’s Entertainment Centre where I hope to get a close view of Thomas Edur (Romeo) and Agnes Oaks (Juliet). If this Romeo is half as charming as he is in the flesh the night promises to be a memorable occasion.<P>Nevertheless, I can't quite imagine "dance in the round". Even if, from what I've heard, the sets supposedly conjure Verona’s square so well that viewers are drawn into the action, no matter how small the dancers look from some of their seats. The last time I went to this oversized concrete monstrosity (the Entertainment Centre) Phil Collins was the star of the occasion - sitting close enough to see his face wasn’t all that important. ...I'll try not to compare shows though <P><BR><p>[This message has been edited by Jennifer (edited July 04, 2001).]

<P>Although I haven't seen it I understand that ENB's 'Romeo & Juliet' is one of their more successful large-scale works. Looking forward to your impressions Jennifer.<P>Here is our topic on the recent UK performances:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.criticaldance.com/ubb/Forum16/HTML/000005.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.criticaldance.com/ubb/Forum16/HTML/000005.html</A> <P>Discussions on the Australian performances should continue here.<P><BR> <P><p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited July 04, 2001).]

<B>We did but see them, distantly</B><P> <BR>Reviewed by Jill Sykes for The Sydney Morning Herald<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>The English National Ballet's Romeo and Juliet has been and gone, as is the way of an arena production that can be seen by thousands at a single sitting. It leaves a mixture of impressions, from the fine dancing of the principals on opening night to the curious detachment of a performance so unfocused and far away.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><BR><A HREF="http://www.smh.com.au/news/0107/09/features/features13.html" TARGET=_blank><B>more...</B></A>