NY City Ballet<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><BR>They may not be the most precise or unified troupe, but NYCB's dancers probably rank as the strongest, sleekest and swiftest in the business. The justly famous American company takes pride of place on the dance roster of this year's Edinburgh International Festival (13 August to 2 September).<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> <P>Donald Hutera <A HREF="http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/hottx/review.html?in_review_id=305858&in_review_text_id=249788" TARGET=_blank><I><B>previews the NYCB visit</I></B></A> to arguably the most important arts festival in the world. <P>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited August 05, 2000).]<p>[This message has been edited by Admin (edited April 05, 2002).]

Allen Robertson previews the NYCB visit and is clearly looking forward to the prospect.<P> <A HREF="http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/00/08/08/timartdan02001.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/00/08/08/timartdan02001.html</A>

John Percival previews the NYCB visit<BR> <A HREF="http://www.independent.co.uk/enjoyment/Theatre/Dance/2000-08/newyorkdance090800.shtml" TARGET=_blank>http://www.independent.co.uk/enjoyment/Theatre/Dance/2000-08/newyorkdance090800.shtml</A>

What a collection of contrasts these articles present! Do any of our UK-based correspondents have plans to attend?

Many thanks grace for all the hard work in gathering together the NYCB Edinburgh reviews. Some of the links are not available at the moment, but I do find it interesting that the two critics who have had more exposure to the Company, Crisp and Percival, seem to have been very pleased by what they saw and do not seem to support Macauley's views in any respect.<P>Someone who I am delighted has been receiving excellent notices is Albert Evans. I have seen him a couple of times at the ROH and he impressed me both times. Some New Yorkers seem to fell that he is underused there.

Grace, like you I am also an admirer of Alastair Macaulay. I didn't realise that he's written an article on his stint with the New Yorker. Was that article recent? I must say that I am somewhat surprised by the postive reviews from Crisp and Percival on NYCB. By the way, I was told that Macaulay has a review in Times Literary Supplement this week on NYCB, which I don't think is online.<P>I wish I had gone to Edinburgh too, but I'd rather stay put at Covent Garden watching the Kirov's Don Q last weekend. Nowadays I confess that I prefer the Kirov to NYCB, especially after seeing their recent rendition of Balanchine's Jewels in London. At least, Balanchine is honoured by the St. Petersburg company, if not by the New York home company.<p>[This message has been edited by Kevin Ng (edited August 26, 2000).]

Here is a quote from the final paragraph of a review by Alastair Macaulay in the Times Literary Supplement in late August, which is sad to read.<P>"...But Balanchine's home company has been run by Peter Martins for seventeen years; and gradually but inexorably his directorship has trivialised Balanchine. The company's technique has grown pale and ragged; the choreography's great strokes of fun and drama have been reined primly back; the style's natural force has been rendered both tame, untidy, odd."<P>