<B>Going Dutch</B><P>Choreographer Hans van Manen can be found at the crossroads of modern and classical dance, making his work the perfect choice for Scottish Ballet as it looks for a new direction. By Christopher Bowen in Scotland on Sunday: <P><BR>THE home of Dutch choreographer Hans van Manen is curiously void of ballet memorabilia. Not for him the framed costume designs and signed photographs ("Love, Rudolph") that clutter many a dance professional’s dwelling. But then, van Manen’s Amsterdam apartment, in a fashionable old-money district close to the city’s Vondelpark, is a pretty accurate reflection of the man and his work. Not quite minimalist, there is a pared-down look to the place. <P><A HREF="http://www.scotlandonsunday.com/searchresults.cfm?id=SS01036927&keyword=ballet" TARGET=_blank><B>more...</B></A><p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited September 23, 2001).]

<B>Tension and sweat at the Theatre Royal</B> <BR>By Alice Bain in The Guardian, Rating: ***(out of 5)<P><BR>The past few weeks have been a tense time for Scottish Ballet. During the Edinburgh festival, the company's chief executive, Chris Barron, made the surprise announcement that artistic director Robert North would be leaving, and that Scottish Ballet would be concentrating on creating "a new body of work... to thrill and challenge audiences throughout Scotland, the UK and internationally". North's career stretches back to the beginnings of the London Contemporary Dance Theatre company in the 1960s; since being appointed artistic director of Scottish Ballet in 1999, he has revived and created mostly full-length contemporary ballets, to mixed reviews. <P><A HREF="http://www.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,3604,561614,00.html" TARGET=_blank><B>click for more...</B></A><P>************************************<P><B>A modern dilemma Scottish Ballet: Mixed Programme</B><BR>By Kelly Apter in The Scotsman <P><BR>AT A time when Scottish Ballet’s management wants the company to "change" to contemporary, it’s ironic to see them up on stage being exactly that. Featuring two works by Hans van Manen and two by Robert North (both contemporary choreographers), the Mixed Programme must have many audience members wondering what all the fuss is about. <P>Those who bothered to attend, that is. As North himself says: "You could put God in a mixed bill and they still wouldn’t come." Which is a shame, for if the 20,000 people who turned up for Carmen took a chance on these four hugely enjoyable works, they would have a ball. The reality is, though, they won’t - which is something chief executive Chris Barron needs to consider before the company starts making work for an audience which isn’t there. <P><A HREF="http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/index.cfm?id=112599&keyword=ballet" TARGET=_blank><B>click for more...</B></A><P>

Ismene Brown finds quite a lot to enjoy at Scottish Ballet's modern ballet triple bill, but points out that there is a real question mark over whether it's the sole direction that the comapny shold follow:<P><B>It's what the bosses ordered - but does Scotland want it?</B><BR>Ismene Brown in The Daily Telegraph reviews the Scottish Ballet at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow <P><BR>JUST as Scottish Ballet's masters plot for a wholesale change of ethos from a classical company into a contemporary ballet company, their beleaguered director Robert North has come up with a programme that appears to fit perfectly into the category the board are after. But I have a message of warning on two counts. <P>First, there is the question of audience taste. Even Scotland's most contemporary city, Glasgow, could only muster a half-full house for an attractive, unfrightening mixed bill of Hans van Manen and North himself, three of the works new to the company. If the headquarters of hip is not sold on this kind of dance, what hope the rest of Scotland? <BR> <BR><A HREF="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=005760794236107&rtmo=gGGnllVu&atmo=rrrrrrrq&pg=/et/01/10/5/btscot05.html" TARGET=_blank><B>click for more</B></A>

<B>Works by Hans Van Manen & Robert North</B> <BR>By Christopher Bowen in Scotland on Sunday<P><BR>DESPITE being one of the world’s great choreographers, Hans van Manen’s work has, inexplicably, been all but ignored by the British ballet establishment. Correcting this lamentable situation, Scottish Ballet can take pride in acquiring two of the groundbreaking Dutchman’s pieces - the quirky character study In and Out, and one of his signature duets, Sarcasms - for its current autumn tour. <P><A HREF="http://www.scotlandonsunday.com/searchresults.cfm?id=SS01039130&keyword=ballet" TARGET=_blank><B>click for more</B></A>