2009 - the Year in Dance

February

Henri Oguike Dance Company at Contact Theatre *****

March

The Overcoat by Gecko at Contact Theatre *****
Richard Alston Dance Company at The Lowry *****
Boulevard of Broken Dreams at the Dancehouse **** (It would have been ***** if there had been more than 20-30 people there...)
Designer Body by balletLORENT at The Lowry ***** (Beautiful and mesmerising)
Mission Possible: Lads & Dads Move! by State of Emergency at Contact Theatre *****

April

Sylvia by the Birmingham Royal Ballet at The Lowry **** (Rather silly, tremendous fun, beautifully staged and some lovely performances)
Destino on the Road (Dance United) at Contact Theatre ***** (Some very powerful pieces full of meaning by a mostly male company (again). Full Circle, featuring a young cast drawn from West Yorkshire communities, many of whom have never danced before, was strikingly moving and challenged my negative perceptions of 'community' dance. The Empire's Fall [right], choreographed and soundtracked by Hofesh Shechter, was very reminscent of the two other pieces I've seen by him but still managed to be fresh and dramatically distinctive - and thoroughly compelling.)

May

Dancing On Your Grave by The Cholmondleys and the Featherstonehaughs at the greenroom ***
Romeo & Juliet by Northern Ballet Theatre at Manchester Opera House ***** (A lavish and spectacular production, with Prokofiev's fabulous score, made for a thoroughly enoyable evening of more traditional ballet.)

June

The Rain Parade by Lost Dog at The Lowry *** (An interesting show with two very appealling performers - Ben Duke and Raquel Mesequer - but it really only came to life for me when they danced and I wished there was more of it, but I'd certainly go and see Lost Dog again.)
New English Contemporary Ballet at the Dancehouse ***** (Simply gorgeous contemporary choreography, inspired music and stunning performances. I love NECB and hope they continue to go from strength to strength. And will Arts Council England please give them some much-deserved funding!)
NDT2 at The Lowry ***** (Wonderfully talented dancers perform breathtaking choreography to an edgy crystal-clear soundtrack with brilliantly atmospheric staging. World class contemporary ballet company marred only by the dreaded audience participation. Gods and Dogs especially was simply breathtaking. An unforgettable evening.)
Verve 09 at The Lowry *** (Interesting movement too often marred by some unlistenable specially commissioned 'music')

July

Love and Loss - Birmingham Royal Ballet at The Lowry *** (Galenteries * was pretty but dull, dull, dull. The Dance House *** was rather interesting with a fantastic central pas de deux. The Dream **** - which I had the lowest expectations of - was charming, fun, vivid and intensely colourful. The mixed programme by BRB was, as usual, notably for the company's extremely talented dancers and the technical quality of the ballet and presentation.)

September

Giselle by English National Ballet at Manchester Palace Theatre ** (Pretty but dull dull dull - the story was dumb and wafer thin, the dancing not to my taste and a huge disappointment. However I did very much enjoy Wayne Eagling's all-too-brief all-male experimental piece Men Y Men.)
Kith/Kin by Company Chameleon at The Lowry **** (Hugely imaginative, intense work by two wonderful contemporary dancers. Kevin Turner and Athony Missen do the most beautiful male lifts; performers full of charm, warmth, intensity and intelligence. I would love to see them expand Chameleon into a larger company of dancers.)

October

Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray at The Lowry ***** (I forgive Matthew Bourne for the disappointment of Edward Scissorhands. Dorian Gray is magnificent - sexy, exciting, fast-moving, full of interesting choreography and quite the gayest piece of dance I have ever seen. Dorian Gray takes men dancing together to the place it's often afraid to go. Wonderful.)
Regina by Tom Sapsford at greenroom ***

November

The Land of Yes and The Land of No by Bonachela Dance Company at The Lowry ***** (Simply stunning - emotionally connected, intricate, technically complex choreography to beautiful original music, performed by a phenomenally talented set of dancers, backed up with lovely costumes, great lighting and stage design and crystal clear sound. Exactly the kind of dance I love - and done to perfection.)

December

The Mill by Ockham's Razor at The Lowry ***** (Really quite extraordinary and great fun - wonderful performances, technically impressive and beautifully lit.)

Highlights
Henri Oguike Dance Company, The Overcoat by Gecko, Richard Alston Dance Company, Mission Possible: Dads & Lads Move by State of Emergency, Birmingham Royal Ballet's Sylvia, New English Contemporary Ballet (again), NDT2, Kith/Kin by Company Chameleon, Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray, Bonachela Dance Campany's The Land of Yes and the Land of No, The Mill by Ockham's Razor

Disappointments
English National Ballet's Giselle, Dance Consortium's inability to book major tours into The Lowry this year, The Dancehouse's woeful lack of dance programming, the apparent change of programming policy at Contact

BBC condemned for pulling ballet featuring pregnant nuns and wild sex

Balletboyz sex up The Rite of Spring (not that it needs it)

In a unique collaboration with the Balletboyz, BBC Three broadcasts a powerful new version of Stravinsky's The Rite Of Spring, commissioned as part of December programming on the BBC, marking the 100th anniversary of the Ballets Russes.

In a film combining documentary and performance, the Balletboyz, Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, hand-pick the most exciting talent from a dynamic mix of professional and amateur dancers, all drawn from radically different modern-dance styles, including the tango, street, contemporary and even pole dancing. Following a brief selection process, the boys put together a unique company for this radical interpretation of Stravinsky's classic.

The film traces the history of Stravinsky's seminal work, which famously provoked riots in Paris at its première in 1913. Presented by the Balletboyz, the film culminates in a version of the work and offers an insight into the entire creative process. It features interviews with the choreographers Paul Roberts and Freddie Opoku-Addaie and the dancers themselves, in addition to behind-the-scenes footage following the development of the project – from the selection process through to the intensive rehearsal period and the final performance.



Balletboyz – The Rite Of Spring
Wednesday 23 December
10.00-11.00pm BBC THREE

Looking forward to this - the story of Diaghilev, Nijinsky and the Ballet Russes production of The Rite of Spring is one of the key things that got me interested in dance as a teenager and is still my favourite piece of classical music to this day. Having seen the trailer, this version looks pretty raunchy so it's a win-win for me!

The Lowry looks for 'complementary' role in Royal Opera House northern scheme

Plans for a northern base for the Royal Opera House have moved a step forward after an arts centre withdrew its opposition to the plan.

The Royal Opera House plans to establish a presence at Manchester's Palace Theatre.

Trustees of The Lowry arts centre in Salford had said the plan would be "bad for the arts".

However, the Lowry has now agreed to support the scheme on the basis it can have a "complementary" role.

Opera and musical theatre would be concentrated at the new facility at the refurbished Palace and The Lowry would concentrate on lyric theatre, ballet and dance.

Tony Hall, chief executive of the Royal Opera House, said: "These recent developments are a significant step forward in fulfilling our desire to make the ROH a truly national resource."

If the plans are finalised, the Royal Opera House Manchester will regularly present performances by The Royal Opera but it could also create productions in Manchester with the Halle Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic and Manchester Camerata.

Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw has backed the scheme, saying it "has the potential to be something really special".

The planned programme for The Lowry would include performances by the Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet.

It will also continue to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.

Rod Aldridge, chairman of The Lowry Trustees, said: "We welcome this agreement, which builds on the existing world class arts provision in the region.

"The agreement recognises the importance of establishing a clear artistic identity for both Royal Opera House Manchester and The Lowry."

BBC

Have Your Say and Win

Dance Consortium theatres are searching the world for exciting contemporary dance companies to bring to the UK and the Dance Consortium website is holding a poll so you can choose from a shortlist who you would most like to see - there's even a prize for entering.

The poll can be found here

Petronio comments on changing dance world post-economic crisis

What you probably don’t know is that the dance field is shifting radically in conjunction with the economic crisis. Networks that present us have drastically destabilized and we are navigating within a world where international touring for American companies has greatly diminished.

Extract from a letter sent by American dancer/choreographer Stephen Petronio to the Stephen Petronio Company mailing list.

Fortunately, the bulk of the letter was rather more optimistic, detailing the company's plans to strengthen for the future in this, their 25th Anniversary season.