Methods of Dance

2012 - The Year in Dance

2012-01-21T08:52:00.003Z

January

* Beauty & the Beast - Birmingham Royal Ballet - The Lowry 24-28 January [Dance Moves] ****
Read my review for The Public Reviews here

February

* LOL Lots of Love - Protein Dance - Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield - 2 February

* The White Chalk Diaries - Peter Grist & Company - Contact Theatre - 9 February [Queer Contact]
* Elektro Kif - Bianca Li - Sheffield Lyceum - 10-11 February

* Elektro Kif - Bianca Li - The Lowry - 15-16 February [Dance Moves]
* The Rodin Project - Russel Maliphant - Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield - 27 February

March

* Platform Zero - Manchester Dance Consortium showcase - Zion Arts Centre - 8 March
* The Talent - BalletBoyz - The Lowry - 14 March [Dance Moves]
* At Swim Two Boys - Earthfall - The Lowry - 20-21 March [Dance Moves]
* Nutcracker! - Matthew Bourne's New Adventures - The Lowry, 20-24 March [Dance Moves]
* Beauty & the Beast - Northern Ballet - Sheffield Lyceum - 20-24 March
* Crossing Points - Phoenix Dance Theatre - Liverpool Playhouse - 23-34 March
* Underneath the Floorboards - BalletLorent - The Lowry 25 March [Dance Moves]
* Entity - Wayne McGregor \ Random Dance - The Lowry 27 March [Dance Moves]

April

* LOL Lots of Love - Protein Dance - Sheffield Lyceum - 3 April
* Political Mother - Hofesh Shechter Company - The Lowry 27-28 April

May

* TURN 2012 - Contact Theatre - 3-5 May
* Can We Talk About This? - DV8 Physical Theatre - The Lowry 18-19 May [Dance Moves]
* Ballet Central 2012 - The Lowry 25 April

June

* Danza Contemporánea de Cuba - The Lowry - 9 June
* EDGE2012 - Contact Theatre - 21 June

September

* Swan Lake - Birmingham Royal Ballet - The Lowry - 19-22 September

The Lowry are once again gathering together all their Spring dance programming under the Dance Moves banner

2011 - The Year in Dance

2011-12-30T22:00:00.000Z

January - March

April

* Richard Alston Dance Company - The Lowry - 12 April [Dance Moves] ****
Read my review for The Public Reviews here
Richard Alston's company are reliably watchable with their trademark extreme musicality and pure contemporary classical approach. Best of the 3 pieces on show was Martin Lawrance's Lie of the Land.
* Midnight Tango - Vincent Simone & Flavia Cacace - The Lowry - 18-23 April [Dance Moves]
Strictly's Vincent and Flavia manage to pull off an authentic tango experience with their first theatrical tour. Read my review for The Public Reviews here

May

* Abandoned Things: A Static Change Project - Joseph Lau - greenroom - 6 May ***
* Ballet Central 2011 - The Lowry - 23 May ***
Read my review for The Public Reviews here
* Khaos / Lay Me Down Safe - Scottish Dance Theatre - Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield - 24 May *****
A successful first experience with SDT. Both pieces were wonderful.
* Romance Inverse and By Singing Light - National Dance Company Wales - The Lowry - 25 May *****
Another great first experience with NDCW. Romance Inverse was good but Stephen Petronio's By Singing Light was breathtaking. Really great company of dancers. Wonderful.
* Verve 2011 - The Lowry - 31 May ****
Read my review for The Public Reviews here

June

* Coppélia - Birmingham Royal Ballet - The Lowry - 8-11 June *****
Read my review for The Public Reviews here

July

* Carlos Acosta - The Lowry - Sun 24 July - Mon 25 July ***
Read my review for The Public Reviews here

September

* Turning Twenty - Candoco - The Lowry - 14 September ***
Read my review for The Public Reviews here
* Chapter One - Paul Bayes Kircher - The Lowry Studio - 27 September ****
Read my review for The Public Reviews here

October

* Happy as Larry - Shaun Parker & Company - The Lowry - 18-19 October ****
Read my review for The Public Reviews here

November

* Cruising, Clubbing, Fucking - Joseph Mercier - Unity Theatre, Liverpool (Homotopia) - 2 November ****
Bold, imaginative, sexy, multi-layered and witty, Joseph Mercier's Cruising, Clubbing Fucking was a refreshing, challenging and unashamed look at gay men's socio-sexual behaviour. Nice pants too.
* At Swim Two Boys - Earthfall - Unity Theatre, Liverpool (Homotopia) - 8 November *****
Powerful, beautiful, elegant, romantic, violent and sad. A beautifully water-staged performance by two outstanding young performers of Jamie O'Neills' wonderful book.
* Gameshow - Company Chameleon - The Lowry - 16-17 November (Preview and World Premiere) ***
Hugely ambitious step-up from Company Chameleon. Anthony Missen and Kevin Turner are as distinctive and appealing as ever but I personally found the game show construction over-conceived and the show has too much dialogue and not enough dance. Powerful moments but also capable of being annoying and irksome.

December

* Romeo & Juliet - Peter Schaufuss Ballet - Brighton Dome - 30 December ***
A nice opportunity to see the Frederick Ashton 1954 choreography (with sort of updated costumes and no sets to speak of) but Romeo & Juliet performed by a cast of 9 is a strange affair. Reasonably effective in the smaller domestic scenes and the final scenes, the group scenes lacked impact or coherence - no knights, no townspeople, no courtiers, no partygoers - and it was almost comical to see Juliet with parents and nurse no older than her and the nurse doubled by a Japanese dancer in some scenes and a European dancer keeping her back to the audience in others crossed that line.

* This post makes no claim to show definitive listings for Liverpool or Sheffield. I will list events in Liverpool and Sheffield (or elsewhere) if the shows are (1) not available in Manchester or (2) are an excellent opportunity to see something major again. Listings for Manchester venues are intended to be as complete as possible. Please let me know if I miss anything.

Undance

2011-12-06T16:26:00.000Z

Wayne McGregor, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Mark Wallinger's Eadweard Muybridge-refrencing new work Undance.

Manchester venue shortage? Can you help?

2011-11-25T13:53:00.000Z

I'm collating some information on whether touring dance companies are struggling to find suitable performances spaces in Manchester - whether they are looking for large theatres, smaller venues, site-specific or studio spaces.

I already have some anecdotal evidence that this is the case but really need to build up a stronger body of evidence.

Manchester likes to think of itself as a leading creative hub within the UK but I believe that from a dance perspective - whether classical, contemporary or experimental - there is a real shortage of opportunity to perform (and thus see) dance and a corresponding lack of coordinated activity to drive Manchester as a centre for dance.

This is not to underplay the role of the Lowry, which is the leading dance venue in the region with a wide range of associated activities. But the Lowry is a generalist theatre with competing theatrical imperatives, despite its three differently-sized venues, and significantly, is not in central Manchester.

If you work for a touring dance company that has experienced difficulties in finding a venue in Manchester and then booked national tours missing Manchester out can you please let me know what your experiences have been.

Any information about knockbacks, unanswered calls, scheduling difficulties or simply not knowing who to approach due the city's unfocused dance offering, would be most welcome.

It is possible that the current economic situation and very different arts funding environment in the UK has a part to play in reducing touring activity and risk-taking both within company programming and venue booking priorities.

Leave a message here, email me at petejacobs(at)msn.com or message me via Facebook.

At Swim Two Boys - Earthfall

2011-11-03T11:33:00.001Z

Matthew Bourne to complete Tchaikovsky trilogy

2011-10-26T21:14:00.000+01:00

Choreographer Matthew Bourne is to create a new version of ballet Sleeping Beauty with "vampiric influences", it has been announced.

The work will be premiered next Christmas as part of a season at Sadler's Wells marking 25 years of Bourne's company, New Adventures.

His earlier works, including Nutcracker and Play Without Words, will also be showcased at the London venue in 2012.

Bourne is perhaps best known for staging Swan Lake with a male ensemble.

His re-telling of Tchaikovksy's Sleeping Beauty will begin in 1890, echoing the year of the Russian ballet's original performance in St Petersburg.

It was an era when "fairies, vampires and decadent opulence fed the gothic imagination", according to the 51-year-old choreographer.

Its heroine Aurora then grows up into "the more rigid" Edwardian era.

She wakes up in the modern age, which Bourne calls "a world more mysterious and wonderful than any fairy story".

The new production will complete Bourne's reworking of all three Tchaikovsky ballets.

Sadler's Wells retrospective of his work will begin this Christmas with a seven-week run of Nutcracker!, which originally premiered in 1992.

The London performances will be followed by a nationwide tour of the ballet.

The summer of 2012 will see performances of early Bourne works including Town and Country, Spitfire - first staged in 1988 - and The Infernal Galop.

BBC

Wayne McGregor | Random Dance

2011-10-17T14:40:00.001+01:00

More good news for 2012... Wayne McGregor | Random Dance will be performing Entity at The Lowry on 27 March 2012.

I was lucky enough to see Entity in Liverpool in 2010. The Liverpool Playhouse is fantastic little theatre but the stage wasn't quite up to containing the full staging for this extravagantly ambitious piece, but it was still a magical evening. McGreogor's choreography is breathtakingly innovative and his dancers sublime.

I'm assuming Entity will be performed on the massive stage of The Lowry's Lyric Theatre, which should give it the space this beautiful piece of contemporary dance demands and deserves.

This is what I said about Entity in my review of 2010:

An unforgettable performance that completely satisfied everything that I love about watching dance. Compelling, innovative, connective, emotional, genius.

As with Hofesh Shechter's Political Mother, Entity is one the great modern masterpieces of contemporary dance (in my opinion) and Manchester has waited far too long to see them performed. Again, if you love contemporary dance that is edgy, challenging, beautiful and cutting-edge, don't miss this show.

Entity
Wayne McGregor | Random Dance
The Lowry
27 March 2012

Under the Floorboards

2011-10-17T13:41:00.000+01:00

I notice that balletLORENT will be visiting the Lowry again in 2012 with their new show - aimed at the under-5s...

I'm sure it's spirited and magical but please kill me now. As if their show about the impact on a young couple of having a baby wasn't dreary enough.

I loved Designer Body though. Stylish and haughty with lashings of nudity.

Hofesh Shechter Company

2011-10-14T19:32:00.001+01:00

After months of little news and few dance events to look forward to I found out today the wonderful news that Hofesh Shechter's modern masterpiece Political Mother will be appearing at The Lowry next April.

Political Mother is probably the most exciting piece of modern dance I have ever witnessed. I found it unbelievably powerful and thrilling and I relish the opportunity to see it again.

If you like contemporary dance - or just extraordinary theatrical events - don't miss it.

Political Mother
Hofesh Shechter Company
The Lowry
27-28 April 2012

Companies that are touring - but not visiting Manchester.

2011-10-01T15:20:00.002+01:00

Here are a few companies that are touring the UK but not visiting Manchester... the list isn't exhaustive but two things stand out - how few companies are on the road this season and how few of them are playing Manchester.

The Lowry has no more than 4-5 dance shows this season. The Palace Theatre and Opera House have only the northern ballet's excellent but safe choice The Nutcracker (again) and the ENB's Strictly Gershswin - which in my view is a populist ballet show for people who don't have any interest in ballet i.e. a safe choice to fill a large theatre. Greenroom is of course no more. The Dancehouse is a joke - nothing but comedy and amateur dance shows. Contact Theatre - we need you to step up...

Ben Wright's bgroup - The Lessening of Difference
Tavaziva Dance
The Featherstonhaughs - edits + Egon Schiele
Earthfall - At Swim Two Boys - playing Liverpool and Huddersfield but not Manchester (more dates due in 2012) - will appear at The Lowry in 2012
2Faced Dance Co - In The Dust - huge tour but not Manchester...
Darshan Singh Bhuller - Caravaggio: Exile and Death
Retina Dance Company - Layers of Skin - playing Leeds and Edgehill nr Liverpool but not Manchester
Bare Bones / Bare Bones The Decade- very small tour but naturally, not Manchester

Obviously it is not out of the question that companies will announce further tour dates, especially for 2012 but...

As far as 2012 goes I can only confirm the Birmingham Royal Ballet's Beauty and the Beast and Matthew Bourne's revival of Nutcracker! Oh, and some terribly Russian Swan Lake at the Bridgewater Hall - ballet for people who like classical music... As of 1 November The Lowry have confirmed that they are running their Dance Moves 'season' for the second time in 2012. This is welcome news but I would still argue that it is more about marketing than an actual 'season' in any meaningful sense.

Based on 2011, post-arts cuts, The Lowry didn't show more dance in their Dance Moves season so much as show less dance during the rest of the year. As for the other Manchester theatres, the presence of dance is chronically lacking, apart from the Northern Ballet and the English National Ballet - who both only seem to grace Manchester with their most populist and crowd-pleasing repertoire - and a bare minimum of that. The loss of the greenroom is the main cause of this paucity of dance in the current climate but Manchester's lack of a significant dance venue or any companies of significance (Company Chameleon being the only real exception) is a cause of real concern to anyone with a reasonable interest in this type of theatre.

NDT2 - UK tour via Dance Consortium in March 2012. Not playing Manchester.

Hopefully will book for 2012 -

DV8 - will appear at The Lowry in 2012
Wayne McGregor | Random Dance - will appear at The Lowry in 2012

Fallen Angels Dance Theatre: Chapter One, Battle for the Soul - The Lowry, Salford

2011-09-28T12:42:00.000+01:00

Fallen Angels Dance Theatre: Chapter One, Battle for the Soul - The Lowry, Salford

Candoco Dance Company - Turning 20 - The Lowry, Salford

2011-09-15T19:35:00.000+01:00

Candoco Dance Company - Turning 20 - The Lowry, Salford

The first dance I've been to see since July - apart from the marvellous Platform 4 festival.

I had great expectations for Candoco having heard many good things about them but found it a rather unsatisfying evening. Their final piece, a new version of the great Trisha Brown's seminal Set And Reset was marvellous.

Matthew Bourne reveals New Adventures prize winner

2011-08-26T13:39:00.000+01:00

The winner of the first New Adventures Choreographer Award, set up by dancer and choreographer Matthew Bourne, has been named as James Cousins.

The 22-year-old, who beat 14 other finalists, was praised by judges for his "refreshing desire to entertain".

The London Contemporary Dance School graduate will receive a £15,000 grant to work on his choreographic skills.

He will also be mentored by Bourne and will give a showcase performance of his new work next year.

Cousins, from Newbury in Berkshire, graduated from LCDS in 2010 where he received an award for most promising dance artist. Read the full story

The Cholmondeleys and the Featherstonehaughs face final edit.

2011-08-11T09:01:00.000+01:00

The all-female dance troupe The Cholmondeleys and its male counterpart The Featherstonehaughs are to disband after losing their funding.

The two companies, pronounced Chumleys and Fanshaws, will come to an end in December following a 100% funding cut from Arts Council England (ACE).

Choreographer Lea Anderson formed The Cholmondeleys in 1984, with the all-male group created four years later.

The Featherstonehaughs will perform a final "celebratory" tour this autumn.

The two groups have spent much of the last 10 years performing works together, most recently with the piece Dancing on Your Grave in 2009.

However The Featherstonehaughs embarked on its first solo tour in a decade last year, with a piece called Edits.

It will tour this again in October and November, following which both companies will be wound up. The Cholmondeleys will not have a farewell tour.

Jo Stendall, the companies' general manager, told The Stage that the Arts Council had funded them since the mid-1990s.

But after being jointly awarded more than £300,000 this year, it has not been made part of ACE's national portfolio from 2012.

"We all felt it would be a really appropriate moment to stop, look back on what we have done - which is a hugely significant amount - and celebrate that," she said.

"To continue did not seem the right way to end the story. It is sad, but we are thankful for what we have done and what we had - which is a complete blast over the last 27 years."

Alumni of the troupes include Matthew Bourne and Sadler's Wells producer Emma Gladstone.

An ACE spokesman said it was "with great regret" it was not able to continue funding the companies.

"We will, however, continue to work with Lea Anderson and may be able to support her future work through other funding streams," he added.

BBC

I only saw the company twice, although I remember seeing them on TV many years. Dancing On Your Grave was an entertaining show but was more cabaret and featured only three dancers performing on a small stage within a stage. It wasn't really a dance show in a conventional sense.

Edits [pictured above] was one of the most dreary, repetitive, interminable dance shows I have ever seen. A good idea stretched and repeated for 90 minutes without a break.

Even so, I'd rather the company existed than were forced to disband. Then again, maybe Lea Anderson will move on and do something fabulous.

Javier De Frutos - Elysian Fields

2011-08-03T10:10:00.001+01:00

Inventive and groundbreaking choreographer Javier De Frutos returns to Rambert to create a world première for Sadler’s Wells. Inspired by the life and work of Tennessee Williams and set to music from A Streetcar Named Desire.

Elysian Fields will be premiered at Sadler's Wells 15 Nov 2011 - 19 Nov 2011.

Carlos Acosta - Premieres Plus what?

2011-07-26T08:50:00.002+01:00

I went to see Carlos Acosta's new show Premieres Plus at the Lowry last night. I've never seen him before but obviously am well aware of his reputation as one of the leading male dancers of his generation.

Well, the packed Lowry audience seemed to lap it up. 'Are you enjoying it? It's very powerful,' said the man next to me returning to his seat after the interval. Well, no, I wasn't. I thought it was samey, lazy and that his fellow dancer Zenaida Yanowsky completely outclassed him in a programme of nine pieces involving ten choreographers that with the exception of Russell Maliphant's Two looked almost the same. I thought Acosta himself was emotionally blank and musclebound. There were very occasional flashes of brilliance with his upper body and arms (mostly thanks to Maliphant) but there was little use of the stage and none of the speed or aerial grace or charisma on which he has built his reputation. In fact the show was about 40% good lighting.

Disappointing.

And what makes it worse is that I was there with my reviewers hat on. This is what I came up with.

Not a dance season from The Lowry this autumn...

2011-07-12T22:08:00.000+01:00

In May I wrote about my fear that there would be little dance on in Manchester in the near future. I expected the usual summer dearth of performances, made worse by the biannual absence of Urban Moves.

My worst fears have been realised with the announcement of the new September-December Lowry season.

The return of the Rambert had already been long-announced, also the new show by the Lowry's resident Company Chameleon. I also knew about January's return of the Birmingham Royal Ballet with Beauty and the Beast. Dance Consortium had also recently announced an interesting-looking show called Happy as Larry by Australia's Shaun Parker & Company.

What I didn't expect was that there would only be one other dance company announced for the autumn season - the return of Candoco with their twentieth anniversary show, Turning Twenty.

I expected the new harder economic climate to result in less but that is pretty shocking. After The Lowry's spring dance season Dance Moves, which I greatly enjoyed while still criticising as lacking coherence and seeming much like 'business as usual' - I wasn't convinced their dance season contained any more dance than when they didn't have a dance season. Maybe I should have kept quiet. But then again...

I wonder what the new Contact season will have in store. I have it on very good authority that they have a new commitment to dance programming after something of a falling away in recent years.

Sydney Premiere for DV8’s New Production‏

2011-06-13T15:38:00.001+01:00

Dates for the new DV8 production have now been announced.

Photo: Stephen Berkeley-White

Can We Talk About This? will premiere in August 2011 at Sydney Opera House, followed by an international tour (see dates below). Lloyd Newson’s latest work deals with freedom of speech, censorship and Islam.

From the book burnings of Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses, to the murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh and the controversy surrounding the ‘Muhammad cartoons’, DV8’s production will examine how these events have reflected and influenced multicultural policies, press freedom and artistic censorship.

TOUR DATES 2011

25-28 Aug 2011
SpringDance Festival
Sydney Opera House, Australia
Book tickets now >

2-4 Sep 2011
Sha Tin Town Hall
Hong Kong

28 Sep–6 Oct 2011
Festival d’Automne
Théâtre de la Ville, Paris, France

12-15 Oct 2011
Romaeuropa Festival
Teatro Argentina, Rome, Italy

21-22 Oct 2011
Tanzquartier Wien
Halle E, Vienna, Austria

27-29 Oct 2011
spielzeit’europa
Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Berlin, Germany

3-5 Nov 2011
West Yorkshire Playhouse
Leeds, UK

10-12 Nov 2011
Warwick Arts Centre
Coventry, UK

1-2 Dec 2011
Schauspielhaus,
Cologne, Germany

8-11 Dec 2011
Onassis Cultural Center
Athens, Greece

The 2012 tour, which includes London and other international/UK venues, will be announced in Autumn 2011

Birmingham Royal Ballet: Coppélia – The Lowry, Salford

2011-06-10T09:22:00.001+01:00

Birmingham Royal Ballet: Coppélia – The Lowry, Salford

Verve 2011 – The Lowry, Salford

2011-06-01T08:51:00.000+01:00

Verve 2011 – The Lowry, Salford

'I didn't want any wobbling': how to dance naked

2011-05-31T12:18:00.004+01:00

What's it like to dance naked on stage?

And how does it feel if the audience walk out?

Seasoned nude performers talk to the Guardian's Judith Mackrell

The naked truth about nude dancing – in pictures [the Guardian]

As a nude French troupe challenges the attitudes of London audiences to the body, we look at uses of nakedness in contemporary dance – to unsettle, to probe and to enlighten.

National Dance Company Wales - The Lowry , Salford

2011-05-26T11:10:00.003+01:00

National Dance Company Wales - The Lowry , Salford

Not my review above as I opted to just go and see this for pure pleasure without the obligation to review it...

National Dance Company Wales were magnificent. Itzik Galili's Romance Inverse was dramatic and ultimately exhilerating, and Stephen Petronio's By Singing Light was one the most beautiful pieces of dance I have ever seen. One of those pieces that makes you want to cry it is so emotionally connective. Son Lux's original soundtrack that blended the words of Dylan Thomas with traditional Welsh folk tunes and electronics and choral voice was gorgeous, and - typically for a Petronio work - the dancers were exquisitely costumed.

NDCW's (mostly international) dancers are world-class and this was world-class work. Go Wales.

Wonderful.

Excerpt 1 from Lay Me Down Safe by Kate Weare

2011-05-25T14:10:00.000+01:00

What does the future hold...?

2011-05-22T12:14:00.001+01:00

Why do I have the dreadful feeling that there will be very little dance on in Manchester for the foreseeable future?

So far the autumn consists of the dreaded Rambert, about the least interesting possible show in the English National Ballet's repertoire (Strictly Gershwin), and the northern ballet's The Nutcracker (again), which is marvellous but they have a repertoire packed with new and interesting story ballets - we have bafflingly been denied a visit of their new Cleopatra.

There are companies touring nationally - but nothing is coming to Manchester.

The greenroom is gone from the end of the month - resulting in the cancellation of the EDge 2011 visit in June. The ironically-named Dancehouse has yet to stage any credible dance this year. The Royal Exchange is not delivering any dance in their Studio space. I'm still optimistic about Contact Theatre's more varied programming. That leaves the big three theatres, only one of which has any credibility as a centre for dance performance - The Lowry.

Watch this space.

The Rite of Spring?

2011-05-22T11:34:00.003+01:00

As previously discussed, The Rite of Spring - the original 1913 Ballet Russes-Nijinsky production - is the key balletic event that fired my interest in dance when I was a teenager - reading about it: needless to say I was not a teenager in 1913.

Ever since, I have longed to see a production of this ballet, ideally Millicent Hodson's painstakingly researched recreation of that original production. More recently I have become interested in versions by Maurice Bejart and Pina Bausch.

So I don't know what to make of this event at DIGITFEST 2011 (10-12 June) at The Lowry.

The Rite of Spring

By Igor Stravinsky

Staging by Roger Bernat based on choreography by Pina Bausch.

Members of the audience are given three-channel headphones and welcomed into the performance space to the sound of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, one of the leading ballets from the last century, of which Pina Bausch made a historic version in 1975. Several voices can be heard – different ones on each channel - voices in parallel that diverge and overlap. Spectators play the leading role in this immersive show that is both a game and choreography.

I don't really understand whether there is any dancing - and if there is, who's doing it...

DIGITFEST 2011

Gay For Today: Lincoln Kirstein

2011-05-06T08:56:00.001+01:00

Gay For Today: Lincoln Kirstein: "Lincoln Kirstein born 4 May 1907 (d. 1996) Lincoln Edward Kirstein was an American writer, impresario, art connoisseur, and cultural figu..."

Ted Shawn

2011-04-25T21:19:00.007+01:00

Ted Shawn is one of unique pioneers of men's dance and founder of Jacob's Pillow, a dance school, theatre and retreat in Massachusetts, and home to one of the dance world's leading festivals.

Ted Shawn

Originally intending to become a minister of religion, Ted Shawn attended the University of Denver. There he caught diphtheria, which led him to take up dance in 1910 to regain his muscle strength. Shawn's dancing was discouraged by the University, which still had a Methodist affiliation, and was the cause of his expulsion the following year.

Shawn did not realise his true potential as an artist until marrying Ruth St Denis in 1914. St Denis served not only as partner but an extremely valuable creative outlet to Shawn. Soon after their marriage the couple opened the first Denishawn School in Los Angeles, California, where they were able to choreograph and stage many of their famous vaudeville pieces. The following year Shawn launched a cross-country tour with his dance partner, Norma Gould, and their Interpretive Dancers. Notable performances choreographed by him during Denishawn’s 17-year run include Julnar of the Sea, Xochitl and Les Mysteres Dionysiaques. The school and company went on to produce such influential dancers as Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman.

Together, Shawn and Ruth St Denis established the principle of Music Visualisation in modern dance - a concept that called for movement equivalents to the timbres, dynamics, and structural shapes of music in addition to its rhythmic base. In 1916 and 1917 Shawn choreographed the first of these, Inventions and Fugues to Bach, as classroom exercises. Soon after, St Denis presented works using music visualisation techniques to the public.

Although Denishawn came to an end in 1929 due to tough circumstances both in Shawn’s and St. Denis’ marriage as well as the economy, Shawn’s second dance group Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers were soon to follow in his dancing career. The new all male company was based out of Massachusetts near his then home of Lee. In creating this company Shawn was hoping to make America become more aware, and accept the importance and dedication of the male dancer along with his role in the arts. It was with this new company that Shawn produced some of his most controversial and highly skilled choreography to date. With works such as Ponca Indian Dance, Sinhalse Devil Dance, Maori War Haka, Hopi Indian Eagle Dance, and Dyak Spear Dances he was able to showcase performances that all stressed male body movement. His love for the relationships created by the men in his dances soon translated into love between himself and one of his company members Barton Mumaw which lasted from 1931-1948. He also had another partner following Mumaw, John Christian whom he was with from 1949 until his death in 1972.

The ironic thing about Shawn's work is that despite his pioneering work in developing and promoting the notion of male dancing and the fact that he created an all-male company, the one thing he could not risk was the taint of homosexuality, hence the hyper-masculine and often martial aspect of his choreography. He could celebrate the joy of men dancing together and tour it successfully around the States as long as there was no suggestion of sensuality between men or give people the idea that things were anything less than fraternal and comradely between his dancers.

Looking at some of the images through the lens of history it's a miracle they were able to pull that one off.

Ted Shawn

Ted Shawn's letters to Barton Mumaw (1940-71) are archived in the Jerome Robbins Dance Division in New York Public Library.

Is that it?

2011-04-25T19:19:00.000+01:00

I'm keeping my eyes open but there doesn't seem to be much more on over the summer. Is it always this quiet?

I have tickets for Scottish Dance Theatre, Joseph Lau and National Dance Company Wales and will hopefully be going to see the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Company Chameleon, Verve 2011 and EDge 2011.

I will also be reviewing Carlos Acosta at The Lowry - my first time of seeing 'the world's favourite dancer'.

It sounds like a lot but it doesn't feel like a lot.

Watch this space.

Midnight Tango – The Lowry, Salford

2011-04-19T08:32:00.003+01:00

Midnight Tango – The Lowry, Salford

The Royal Ballet: a new era awaits

2011-04-18T10:10:00.000+01:00

The Royal Ballet is at crossroads – its current artistic director, Monica Mason, is about to retire and the search is on for a successor who will guard the company's rich classical heritage and also, crucially, shake things up. Here, the Observer's dance critic looks at the contenders for the top job in British ballet.

Interesting times in the world of ballet. Classical ballet is far from dead in the water, as many would have us think, and contemporary dance has never been more vibrant, exciting and varied.

There has been much talk in Manchester about the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet's future role in Manchester, involving developing the Palace Theatre as a northern hub for the Royal Opera and The Lowry doing the same for dance, Apart from an exhibition at The Lowry and two shows - one a ballet gala (supposedly excellent but I missed it - and it was in the smaller Quays Theatre) and the other Will Tuckett's excellent Hogarth-based studio production Pleasure's Progress) this area of the Royal's work seems to have gone remarkable silent.

According to the Royal Opera House website -

The Royal Opera House regularly takes its work On the Road, encouraging people to engage with and participate in opera and dance. Our ambition is to connect with new and existing audiences across the UK.

The On the Road programme is currently focusing work primarily in the North West and the East regions of the UK, building relationships with organisations based in those areas and developing new initiatives in partnership. On the Road currently works with key partners, The Lowry in Salford and DanceEast in Ipswich as well as a range of other local organisations. Activity largely takes place through spring and summer residencies, with some projects taking place throughout the year.

...

Check this page for updates for future On the Road details.

Needless to say there is no sign of any such activity, which seems odd for activities 'largely [taking] place through spring and summer...'

Is this just the increasingly empty landscape in post-arts cuts Britain or was it all just empty promises?

Gay For Today: Merce Cunningham

2011-04-16T13:36:00.003+01:00

Gay For Today: Merce Cunningham: "Merce Cunningham born 16 April in 1919 (d. 2009) Merce Cunningham was a ground-breaking 20th century American dancer and choreographer. Me..."

greenroom falls victim to ACE funding withdrawal

2011-04-15T14:54:00.000+01:00

Statement from greenroom

Following the recent disappointing news that greenroom is not part of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio for 2012/13 onwards, the Board has made a decision that greenroom, Manchester, will close to the public at the end of May this year.

We would like to have continued but are unable to do this without confirmed funding or alternative income going forward.

greenroom, since its inception, has been at the forefront of discovering and pioneering Manchester, national and international ‘firsts’. We have been consistently committed to developing and presenting new and experimental performance, and more recently supporting and enabling artists at the start of their careers to be innovative, take risks and experiment with new ideas.

Our aim is to ensure that this important work continues through other organisations and individual artists/ artist companies, producers and promoters.

We are working with the Arts Council to provide information for people interested in the future production of this work and this will be available shortly on request by emailing enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk

It is with regret that we find ourselves in this situation almost 25 years since the venue opened , and would like to extend our thanks to all of you who have recently sent us words of support. To view or add to these comments, please visit greenroomarts.tumblr.com

We would like to thank our long-standing funders: Arts Council England, AGMA and Manchester City Council, who have shown a significant commitment in supporting greenroom.

The current Board and staff feel proud and privileged to have been part of greenroom; and we’d like to thank everyone – including artists, audiences and partners – who have contributed to its rich history, and particularly to those who have at some point called greenroom ‘home’.

Further enquiries:
0161 615 0500
info@greenroomarts.org

The Stage / News / Matthew Bourne launches choreographer award

2011-04-13T15:09:00.001+01:00

The Stage / News / Matthew Bourne launches choreographer award

Matthew Bourne’s company New Adventures is launching a choreography award for gifted performers to mark the artistic director’s 50th birthday.

The money, which will be worth more than £15,000, will be granted to a recipient to work on their choreographic skills over a period of 12 months. The New Adventures Choreographer Award has been created by colleagues and friends of Bourne to mark his recent landmark last year.

Richard Alston Dance Company – The Lowry, Salford

2011-04-13T08:56:00.001+01:00

Read my review here - Richard Alston Dance Company – The Lowry, Salford

The Ballet Russes return to Russia

2011-04-12T13:58:00.002+01:00

Tamara Karsavina

Regular readers (are there any?) may be aware of my interest in the Ballet Russes - how it in fact sparked my interest in dance as a young teenager.

There is a nice piece piece on The Arts Desk site about a former Bolshoi dancer, Andris Liepa, who has set about the extensive task or recreating - or reinterpreting - the Ballet Russes repertoire here.

Gay For Today: Robert Helpmann

2011-04-09T16:32:00.001+01:00

Gay For Today: Robert Helpmann: "Sir Robert Helpmann born 9 April in 1909 (d. 1986) Born in Mount Gambier, South Australia, Robert Helpman(n) always dreamed of being a danc..."

ACE funding secures Urban Moves

2011-04-08T20:48:00.001+01:00

Dance Initiative Greater Manchester are pleased to announce that we have been included in the Arts Council's National Portfolio of funded organisations.

Investment from ACE to us has increased, which we are very proud of and glad our efforts to increase opportunities in both community and proffessional dance have been recognized.

This funding will help to support our biennial outdoor festival Urban Moves which will be back in 2012, as well as a number of community dance projects run by Dance Initiative, including our thriving creative project in partnership with Company Chameleon, 'Stride' for young men, which has re-launched recently.

We are grateful to the Arts Council for its belief in and support of Dance Initiative since our inception in 1992, particularly in the wake of recent government cuts.

DiGM (Dance Initiative Greater Manchester)

Gay For Today: Antony Tudor

2011-04-04T19:07:00.001+01:00

Gay For Today: Antony Tudor: "Antony Tudor born 4 April 1908 (d. 1987) Antony Tudor was a highly influential English ballet choreographer, dancer and teacher. Born Will..."

Gay For Today: Serge Lifar

2011-04-02T11:18:00.001+01:00

Gay For Today: Serge Lifar: "Serge Lifar born 2 April 1905 (d. 1986) Born in Kiev, Sergei Mikhailovich Serdkin was the last of Sergei Diaghilev's dancer-lovers. He used..."

How the arts world is embracing 3D cinema

2011-03-31T15:21:00.001+01:00

3D cinema last year was dominated by animation and fantasy blockbusters such as Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland - but now arthouse films are getting in on the act.

Last week the world of ballet took its first delicate and perfectly-poised steps into the world of 3D cinema.

BBC

I'm not sure how much I would enjoy seeing ballet in 3D in a cinema. I enjoy 3D and I think that dance is a good fit with the technology.

I'd just rather see live performance live.

Having said that, in a short-term future with potentially less touring by dance companies (and living outside of London) this might be a good opportunity to see ballets and performances one might not otherwise get the opportunity.

It might also be a valuable income stream for companies - if they can manage to make it appeal to a wider audience.

The Arts Council cuts - the damage

2011-03-30T13:00:00.006+01:00

Although there are some major losers, there are some real winners here - Hofesh Shechter Company, Wayne McGregor, Company Chameleon (new to the ACE portfolio), Jasmin Vardimon Company, Ballet Lorent, DIG, 2FacedDance, Balbir Singh Dance Company, State of Emergency...

I am bitterly disappointed to see Henri Oguike Dance Company and Manchester's greenroom lose all their ACE funding. The highly regarded Ballet Black, a company I've never had the chance to see, have also lost their full ACE grant.

If anything, those who have come off worst are the 'old guard' of contemporary dance - The Cholmondleys and the Featherstonehaughs, DV8, Michael Clark for example - and classical ballet... with northern ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet all taking big hits. The Rambert (oddly) survive with a smaller cut.

Some of these businesses are robust enough and have sufficient income from other sources - tickets, merchandise, corporate sponsorship - and will be able to make expenditure cuts; but let's face it, this will involve fewer dancers, less touring and I imagine 'safer' artistic choices for the forseeable.

Other companies will doubtless go into hiatus, if not administration. Henri Oguike has choreographic skills to sell; whether he will any longer be able to pay for dancers, premises, adminsitrative staff etc. is another question: one I'm not sure I want to hear the answer to.

There seems to be an inescapable disconnect also in funding performing companies while cutting the funding of the venues in which they can reasonably be expected to perform. In Manchester, for example, all the venues for small and medium-scale touring (Royal Exchange, Contact Theatre, greenroom) - all except The Lowry - have seen their funding cut.

Now the waiting is over, the waiting starts.

The Arts Council cuts - the damage to dance

2011-03-30T12:48:00.003+01:00

Name	Real % change (Oct inflation estimates)
DanceEast	27.1%
Tilted Productions	40.9%
Dance4 Ltd	47.1%
Deda	-10.7%
Foundation For Community Dance	-10.7%
Retina Dance Company	25.2%
Akademi	3.3%
Akram Khan Company	0.0%
Association of Dance of the African Diaspora
Candoco Dance Company	1.3%
Contemporary Dance Trust	-20.0%
Dance Umbrella Ltd	-43.0%
DV8 Physical Theatre	-11.7%
East London Dance	11.8%
English National Ballet	-15.0%
George Piper Dances (BalletBoyz)	15.2%
Greenwich Dance Agency	42.6%
Modern Masterpieces (Michael Clark Company)	-4.4%
Protein Dance
Rambert Dance Company	-4.4%
Sadler's Wells Trust Ltd	-5.0%
Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company	-28.7%
Siobhan Davies Dance	-8.4%
Tavaziva Dance Company	-11.0%
Wayne McGregor \| Random Dance	29.0%
Ballet Lorent Limited	34.6%
Dance City	33.6%
Tin Arts Ltd
Blackpool Grand Theatre
Cheshire Dance	-11.0%
Company Chameleon
Dance Initiative Greater Manchester	70.5%
Ludus Dance	-69.9%
Merseyside Dance Initiative	24.5%
Hofesh Shechter Company	73.5%
Jasmin Vardimon Dance Company	8.4%
South East Dance	17.0%
StopGAP Dance Company	71.0%
Attik Dance Ltd	-11.0%
Dance South West Ltd	103.3%
State Of Emergency Productions	12.0%
Swindon Dance	-11.0%
2 FaCeD DaNcE Company Ltd
Ace Dance And Music	3.0%
Birmingham Royal Ballet	-15.0%
Dance Touring Consortium Limited	-11.0%
Dancefest	10.6%
DanceXchange	8.2%
Motionhouse Dance Theatre	-11.0%
Sonia Sabri Company
Balbir Singh Dance Company	179.8%
Kala Sangam	21.8%
Northern Ballet	-14.9%
Phoenix Dance Theatre	-14.9%
RJC Dance Productions	-14.9%
Vincent Dance Theatre	84.4%
Yorkshire Dance	55.2%


* 2011/12 baseline figure includes transitional lottery award relating to major new buildings, or to extend artistic prgoramme

Companies in bold new to ACE funding portfolio

The Arts Council cuts - the damage

2011-03-30T09:44:00.014+01:00

Well it's here – the day hundreds of arts organisations have been dreading. Today they find out what money Arts Council England will give them for the three years between 2012 and 2015.

Here's the context. The DCMS announced last year that the money it gives to ACE would drop by 29.6% over four years, going down from £452m to £350m. But it also said that front line funding could only go down by 15% and the arts council would have to reduce its administration costs by 50% over the four years.

The arts council straight away imposed a 6.9% cut on all the 850 regularly funded organisations which get money and announced plans for a brand new national portfolio. The money for that is being given out today.

They are taking the opportunity to shake things up. To bring in new organisations which they believe merit public funding. But that, of course, means many organisations will lose money altogether. [the Guardian]

Inevitably I will focus on companies from the north west, regular visitors to the north west and the major national touring companies - possibly a very personal snapshot...

Phoenix Dance Theatre retain their ACE funding with an 11% drop.
Forced Entertainment have been given standstill funding.
Gecko and Clod Ensemble added to the ACE portfolio (experimental physical theatre)
English National Ballet down 15% (a huge amount in cash terms)
Ockham's Razor funding up 173.2% (aerial theatre - produced the marvellous The Mill)
The Cholmondleys & the Featherstonehaughs funding completely cut. This is pretty shocking news.

"We are enormously saddened that the Arts Council did not approve their national portfolio application. It was an incredibly exciting artistic programme planned with strong partnerships and opportunities for participation and education based on, and grown from, the experience of 27 years of existence.
We believe in the resilience of the sector and hope that there will still exist space for innovation in the face of these swingeing cuts.
The Featherstonehaughs are touring this autumn and we are looking forward to presenting these amazing shows and performers in the UK." - statement from the Cholmondleys and the Featherstonhaughs

Northern Ballet lose a quarter of their funding - or £800k.
Manchester International Festival added to ACE portfolio with a grant of £500k
Retina Dance Company get an increase of 25.2%
Contact Theatre loses 6.4%
Cornerhouse sees an increase of 8.2%
Liverpool Biennial sees an increase of 9.6%
Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse loses 4.9% (in addition to a significant hit from Liverpool City Council) Liverpool Playhouse have been making a signifcant effort to programme more dance in the last couple of years.
Whitworth Art Gallery is new to the ACE portofolio with a grant of £75k
The Lowry loses 11% - really bad news as the main dance venue in the Manchester/Salford area. The Lowry gives every impression of being a successful and robust business. Perhaps some more surefire hits (such as their recent sellout run of Derek Jacobi's King Lear) and more popular musical and children's theatre will secure their commitment to more leftfield and interest programming - always a strength. The Lowry have a statement on their website that their funding will remain at current levels which is fantastic news but leaves me confused as to the data from the Guardian...
Royal Exchange Theatre loses 11%
greenroom has lost all its ACE funding
Ballet Black and Henri Oguike Dance Company lose all their ACE funding.

Darren Aronofsky and Mila Kunis deny Black Swan cover-up claims

2011-03-29T16:12:00.001+01:00

Director issues statement claiming Natalie Portman did 80-90% of dance routines, as co-star also leaps to the actor's defence - the Guardian

Is Huddersfield too far to go to see dance?

2011-03-28T12:35:00.001+01:00

It's as if dance companies are repulsed by Manchester... the nearest the Scottish Dance Theatre are coming to Manchester on their 2011 Spring Tour is the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield.

So far I've been to Liverpool and Sheffield in the effort to not miss dance (and I'm not a driver so we're talking trains here). Huddersfield is the same as Liverpool, if not quicker by train, and probably easier to get to (and definitely home from - there are more trains) than Sheffield.

But Huddersfield certainly sounds too far... but I'm considering it. Spring and summer 2011 are looking pretty dry otherwise...

Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield

The Year in Review - January - March 2011

2011-03-27T17:59:00.004+01:00

January

* Fallen - Upswing - The Lowry - 14 January [Dance Moves] ***
Read my review at The Public Reviews

* Cinderella - Birmingham Royal Ballet - The Lowry - 19-22 January [Dance Moves] *****
Wonderfuly designed and performed production of Prokofiev's classic ballet.

* come, been and gone - Michael Clark Company - The Lowry - 28 January [Dance Moves] *****
I absolutely loved the Michael Clark Company, despite a tendency to over-literalness and occasional lapses into self-indulgence. Clark's extreme post-modern classicism and stripped-down edgy theatricality makes for mesmerising modern dance - and his dancers are beautiful. Fuller review of come, been and gone here

* ROTOR - Siobhan Davies Dance - Whitworth Art Gallery, The University of Manchester - 28 January - 6 February [Mixed-media dance performances, sound, installation and exhibition: see here for details] ***

For me pushes the boundaries of what constitutes dance a little too far. E V Crowe's Live Feed is watchable enough but sound performance I'm Going to Show You (someone explaining how to tie a knot while the four performers sat and had a drink) was anti-performance, and Matteo Fargion's Songbook was baffling, nonsensical and eventually tedious. The four performers are great.

February

* Butterly Dreaming - Henri Oguike Dance Company - Liverpool Playhouse - 1 February ****
Read my review for The Public Reviews here

* 7 - Company Chameleon - Contact Theatre - 5 February *****
Read my review for The Public Reviews here

* Danish Dance Theatre - The Lowry - 8 February [Dance Moves] *****
Read my review for The Public Reviews here.

Three enjoyable pieces presented by Tim Rushton's Danish Dance Theatre on their first UK visit, but final 'narrative' work Kridt was one of the most beautiful and moving pieces of dance I have ever been fortunuate enough to see. Wonderful touring company of nine impressive and talented dancers.

* Peter Grist & Company - Contact Theatre - 10 February [Queer Contact 2011] **
Read my review for The Public Reviews here

* Eat Your Heart Out - Contact Theatre - 11 February [Queer Contact 2011] ****
Read my review for The Public Reviews here

March

* Ailey 2 - The Lowry - 15-16 March [Dance Moves] **** (maybe less)
Read my review for The Public Reviews here

Ailey 2

* Search & Find - Company Chameleon - The Lowry - 20 March [Dance Moves] **
Seemingly down to just Kevin Edward Turner through injury, he performed a solo version of Search & Find in a brief appearance outside The Lowry entrance. But Kevin's always watchable.

* Reflected - Phoenix Dance Theatre - The Lowry - 22 March [Dance Moves] ****
Phoenix continue to rise. Four distinctively different pieces performed by the company's appealing and distinctive dancers. Full of great movement, technical skill, content, colour and personality.

Go to the EDge

2011-03-24T11:37:00.001Z

Each year a new generation of the most promising contemporary dancers come together as the Postgraduate Performance Company of London Contemporary Dance School, or EDge to perform commissions by some of Europe’s most exciting and critically acclaimed young choreographers. Led by celebrated new Artistic Director Jeanne Yasko, EDge’s 2011 tour showcases performances by a strong and diverse ensemble of five men and seven women, all trained at the world’s most notable dance conservatoires.

Featuring new full length pieces by leading international artists Ben Duke [UK], Jorge Crecis [Spain] and Martin Forsberg [Sweden] alongside other works including Jeremy James’s My Big Pants. Each choreographer brings their own unique approach to creating contemporary dance filled with highlevel energy and technical excellence that pushes the performers to their limits and leaves you on the edge of your seat.

EDge 2011
greenroom
3 June 2011

The Most Incredible Thing?

2011-03-23T09:10:00.004Z

It sounds like it's a good slab of entertainment and ambition but the Pet Shop Boys ballet collaboration with Javier de Frutos is not the most incredible thing - the reviews are in.

Review - The Guardian ***

From first to last, the music comes at a relentless, pop-video pace that leaves too few opportunities for the emotion within the choreography to breathe and develop. Piled on top of that come a barrage of hi-tech stage effects, constantly shifting scenery, and intrusive digital projections.

Individually, some of these effects are ingenious, even extraordinary: the coming to life of the magic clock features some beautiful imagery. Yet by the end of the evening we don't so much feel we've been told a story as blitzed by sound, colour and energy. More like a pop concert, actually, than a ballet.

Review - The Arts Desk

For a first three-act show - which is a huge undertaking for so many first-timers - The Most Incredible Thing is an assemblage of many good ingredients. It’s a ton better than Shoes, thank goodness, though not yet coherent enough to deliver its fairytale without you being extremely aware of the kitchen story - and that means, pace Neil Tennant, the magic isn’t there.

Review: the Telegraph ****

I defy anyone to be bored by this phantasmagorical new collaboration between the Pet Shop Boys and Javier De Frutos. Aptly for this particular tale, synth-pop’s wryest and most enduring exponents and the impish dancer-turned-choreographer have sent creative sparks flying off each other.

The result ... is a treat.

Review: The Independent **

Sometimes things just don't work. Pet Shop Boys have launched themselves into ballet, starting at the deep end with a three-act narrative work. It's an ambitious, sometimes clever project, fatally undermined by waffling choreography.

Review: The Observer

Somewhere in this high-concept deluge, Andersen's poignant tale is lost. As delicate in structure as the paper cutouts with which the writer entertained his friends, and which Lindsay references in her designs, the story illustrates the transformative power of love. Had Tennant and Lowe been creating a musical about the private life of Princess Margaret, or a disco version of the Book of Revelations, the arch, bombastic tone would have been spot on. Here, it is alienating and typical of an essentially narcissistic school of production in which fundamentals of characterisation and story structure are neglected in favour of postmodern hyperstyling. As effect succeeds effect, the lovers (Aaron Sillis and Clemmie Sveaas) remain wholly remote from us, and the vital plot reversal is fudged ... There are compensations...

Agony & Ecstasy: A Year with English National Ballet

2011-03-21T09:01:00.000Z

As I watched last week's Agony & Ecstasy: A Year with English National Ballet, which is providing a fascinating glimpse into the world of large-scale classical balket at this most 'interesting' of times, I couldn't help regretting that one of the productions that I missed last year was the ENB's Romeo and Juliet...

Company Chameleon at The Lowry

2011-03-20T19:53:00.003Z

I went to The Lowry this afternoon to see Company Chameleon, who were doing two free performances, not in any of the theatres but around the building. They were scheduled to appear to 1.30 and 3.30 and were to perform Search & Find (as seen at Urban Moves last summer) and Second Grace and Shattered (as seen as part of their 7 show at Contact).

I arrived around 3 to find the programme handouts with 3.30 crossed out and 4.15 written instead. So more than an hour to fill... I had a very brief look around the shops, went for a coffee - which took up lots of time with the queue in Costa - and took some photographs of The Lowry (as you do). Around quarter to four Kevin Edward Turner appeared with a couple of guys (one a sound man) and started to warm up on the dance mat laid out just outside the main entrance. I watched for a while then went for a 'comfort break'. I re-emerged at the same time as some family (and I mean kids) show finished in the Quays Theatre to the sound of announcements about Chameleon. I rushed to make sure I got a good view, as the performance space was by now filling up with people who had just drifted out of the theatre. I managed to get a good place and got some decent photos.

In the end, only Kevin Edward Turner danced a solo version of Search & Find - slightly problematic as the piece is about 'two protagonists search[ing] for a way to find a shared understanding and purpose'. I assume that Anthony Missen is still injured. He's been injured for some time, which is a worry for a two-man company. Anyway, Kevin was as wonderful as ever. I have no idea who would have been there to watch him if there hadn't been a ready-made crowd there.

There was no mention of the other two dance pieces but Kevin did briefly address the crowd and announced that Company Chameleon would be premièring a new show at The Lowry in November.

That's good news. And I hope Anthony is back dancing very soon.

Gay For Today: Sergei Diaghilev

2011-03-19T08:48:00.000Z

Gay For Today: Sergei Diaghilev: "Sergei Diaghilev born 19 March 1872 (d. 1929) Sergei Diaghilev was a Russian impressario and founder of the Ballet Russes. He is one of the..."

Gay For Today: Rudolph Nureyev

2011-03-17T08:56:00.000Z

Gay For Today: Rudolph Nureyev: "Rudolph Nureyev born 17 March 1938 (d. 1983) Rudolph Nureyev was the greatest male ballet dancer of his generation - and one of the two mo..."

Ailey 2 – The Lowry, Salford

2011-03-16T08:46:00.002Z

Ailey 2 – The Lowry, Salford - read my review for The Public Reviews

Olivier Awards Nominations and winners announced

2011-03-13T20:31:00.000Z

The full list of nominations for this year's Olivier Awards can be found here

The nominations in the dance categories are below:

BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION

Mambo 3XX1 by Danza Contemporanea de Cuba at Sadler’s Wells, choreographed by George Cespedes
Babel (Words) by Eastman vzw and Theatre Royal de la Monnaie at Sadler’s Wells, choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet WINNER
Cinderella by New Adventures at Sadler’s Wells, choreographed by Matthew Bourne

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE

John MacFarlane for his designs for Asphodel Meadows by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House
Antony Gormley for his set design of Babel (Words) by Eastman vzw and Theatre Royal de la Monnaie at Sadler’s Wells WINNER
Yoshi Sunahata for her drumming in Gnosis by Akram Khan at Sadler’s Wells

There are also nominations for the legendary Bill T Jones for his choreography for Fela! (Best Theatre Choregrapher) and regular Matthew Bourne designer Lez Brotherston has been nominated for the XL Video Award for Best Set Design for Design For Living at the Old Vic.

The award for Best Theatre Choreography was won by Leon Baugh for Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Theatre. Baugh is an acclaimed dancer best known for his work with the Hofesh Shechter Company. His work on MasterCard Best New Play nominee Sucker Punch demanded choreographing complicated and skilful boxing scenes.

I find it interesting that the nominations for Outstanding Achievement in Dance are for two designers and a drummer but not any dancer or choreographer...?

Gay For Today: Vaslav Nijinsky

2011-03-12T09:00:00.000Z

Gay For Today: Vaslav Nijinsky: "Vaslav Nijinsky born 12 March 1890 (d. 1950) Probably the greatest male ballet dancer of all time, Nijinsky's two greatest achievements, as..."

Vaslav Nijinsky 1890-1950

The Stage / News / Theatres should give up charitable status, says Arts & Business' Tweedy

2011-03-10T08:56:00.000Z

The Stage / News / Theatres should give up charitable status, says Arts & Business' Tweedy

National Dance Company Wales - By Singing Light. Choreographed by Stephe...

2011-03-08T23:53:00.002Z

The looks astoundingly good - just the kind of dance I love best.

Agony & Ecstasy: A Year with English National Ballet

2011-03-08T15:38:00.000Z

Starts 8 March on BBC Four at 21:00 - first in a seven-part series.

Exclusive behind-the-scenes series which follows English National ballet on their 60th anniversary and reveals the complexities of staging world class ballet.

The ballet world is traditionally one of poise, serenity and calm, but this raw and enlightening series follows the company over one of its toughest and most dramatic years to date - from the extravagant production of Swan Lake and the battles of Romeo and Juliet to the turbulent creation of a brand new Christmas Nutcracker. Every production must be an artistic and commercial success and the dancers and staff are under increasing pressure to deliver in the present financial climate.

Told through the eyes of the very people who make this physically challenging art form beautiful, this is the revealing truth of the dancers' lives - from injury and exhaustion to accolades and elation. All in the pursuit of perfection.

From the rehearsal room to the boardroom to the magical big night performances - the fruition of months of hard work that make it all worthwhile - it follows the main players within English National Ballet over an industry-defining year. From the dancers to the artistic director via the choreographers and the management behind the scenes, it goes deep inside a modern arts institution.

New Lowry season

2011-03-07T00:04:00.002Z

The Lowry have recently announced their new May - August 2011 season and it doesn't really make for very happy reading for dance fans. After the dance season Dance Moves comes the lack of dance season.

National Dance Company Wales - Romance Inverse & By Singing Light - 25 May
Birmingham Royal Ballet - Coppelia - 8-11 June (previously announced)
Carlos Acosta - Premieres Plus - 24-25 July (previously announced)

Other than the two Tango shows - Midnight Tango and Tango Fire, three classical Indian dance events, Verve 2011 (always worth a punt) and the Ballet Central Tour 2011 that's it. Oh and a scattering of community and student dance things (if you like that sort of thing).

They have however also announced the return of the Rambert in September.

Rambert Dance Company - 21-23 September

In 2011, Rambert Dance Company is celebrating 85 years at the heart of British dance, and returns to its partner theatre, The Lowry, with a breathtaking new programme.

Don’t miss the world première of Artistic Director Mark Baldwin’s magical and playful new work, The Child, inspired by the music of Ravel. The programme also features Siobhan Davies’ award-winning The Art of Touch, gorgeously athletic and cool [pictured]. Plus the return of Itzik Galili’s multi-coloured and sensational samba-inspired A Linha Curva, which continues to wow audiences wherever it is performed.

I would have been happier to see Monolith, the Rambert's new piece choreographed by Tim Rushton but it looks like we have to be grateful for what we can get.

Whether this is the usual summer dance drought or the first signs of companies cutting back on touring, I don't know.

The Lowry otherwise has a packed programme of new musicals, theatre, comedy and lots on in the Studio.

Gay For Today: Christopher Gillis

2011-02-26T01:46:00.000Z

Gay For Today: Christopher Gillis: "Christopher Gillis born 26 February 1951 (d. 1993) Christopher Gillis was an important gay male dancer and choreographer and member of the ..."

Gay For Today: Jorge Donn

2011-02-25T01:44:00.000Z

Gay For Today: Jorge Donn: "Jorge Donn born 25 February 1947 (d. 1992) Jorge Donn was an internationally-known ballet dancer, he was best known for his work with the M..."

Dance Audiences Writing Dance: Tormented by the Body

2011-02-19T13:26:00.001Z

Dance Audiences Writing Dance: Tormented by the Body: "What is the potential for close, critical reading of the language used by the participants? In an earlier post I quoted this line by Peter,..."

... I don't think I've ever had anything I've written critically analysed before. Criticised, yes.

Cedar Lake news

2011-02-18T22:06:00.000Z

The international dance company I most want to see is Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet from the US.

So, two pieces of news. Cedar Lake can be seen in the new Matt Damon/Emily Blunt movie The Adjustment Bureau, another sci-fi thriller based on a Philip K Dick short story.

Emily Blunt’s film character, Elise Sellas, is a Cedar Lake dancer and performs a solo, duet and ensemble installation piece in The Adjustment Bureau, all choreographed by Company Artistic Director Benoit-Swan Pouffer. Yes, another major movie set (if only partially) in the world of dance.

Cedar Lake are also working a new 25-30 minute piece of choreography by personal favourite Hofesh Shechter set to another original Shechter score. This is the second piece Hofesh Shechter has choreographed for this innovative and creative company. The piece is untitled as yet.

I need to see this and them. Please come to the UK - especially, come to Manchester!

The Most Incredible Thing

2011-02-17T22:55:00.002Z

I have some concerns about whether the Pet Shop Boys are capable of writing the music for a three-act ballet as I don't think their ten albums provide that much evidence of musical depth, but I am reassured by two things; firstly, although Neil Tennant's voice will be heard briefly (on a radio) in the first act, the score wouldn't be ruined by his usual Danny La Rue-like vocals that make the PSBs such a drag to listen to; and secondly, the music will be played by a 26-piece orchestra, which should give it a breadth and depth.

Having said all that, I'm fascinated and delighted that someone is creating a new full-length narrative ballet in a modern-style. This is unusual and presumably economically risky - will the PSBs legion of fans go to watch a ballet? Will the Sadlers Wells dance audience go to see a Pet Shops Boys ballet?

Actually I think the big question is whether it will be artistically successful. Commercially it sounds pretty viable.

The entire project sounds pretty interesting in this interview in the Telegraph.

Ballet Boyz and ballet boys

2011-02-16T13:00:00.000Z

There is a really interesting piece on The Arts Desk site, primarily a review of the recent Ballet Boyz Talent appearance at the Waterside theatre in Aylesbury - a town I visited many times as a boy as my grandparents lived there for decades - the piece also has some interesting thoughts on all-male dance.

All-male groups in dance are the exception. Lea Anderson’s Featherstonehaughs have long since lost the will to live, or was it I who did so when I watched their recent show? But there can be a real frisson of difference when males take to the stage as a group, not just as a pair. Six of them staring at each other in Torsion make dramatic inflections with the flicker of an eye; danger, reassurance, obedience. Men in a group, in a closed society, are invariably intriguing.

When Nunn and Trevitt danced together, it was quite unlike other men together; not wary or flirtatious, but exploring trust, able to generate some extraordinary physical feats of lift and catch, knuckle in socket, hand in glove, spanner on bolt, that nevertheless spoke an intense language about a deeply bonded friendship - could make you envy it, even. In Torsion Maliphant homed in on the specific complementariness of the pair, as well as glancing at the more classic ritual standoff of masculinity when two men link arms: erotic, athletically challenging, lethal.

Ballet Boyz, The Talent, Aylesbury - The Arts Desk

Turn 2011

2011-02-16T12:45:00.001Z

Bursting into life for its third outing, Turn returns to greenroom to showcase new and experimental work from the region’s most exciting dancemakers. In a frenzy of loose limbs and lyrical gestures, unfeasible stretches and frantic rhythms, eighteen shows and fifty performers fill the building with every style imaginable.

I've not ever attended Turn before and will be on holiday so will miss it again this year. Looks interesting though.

Featuring (tbc): Co3, DawN’s MinD, Ekpei/Blindell/Fildes, Forecast, Imani Jendai, Jennifer Christine Stokes, Jo Ashbridge, Jon Whittle, Joseph Lau, Kate Jackson, Katherine Hollinson, Kevin Edward Turner (Company Chameleon), Maelstrom, Manny Emslie, MustDash/Worldshed, Platt & Birchall, Riccardo Meneghini and Van de Cruys & Fenton.

Note: For a 3 Day Pass (£12/£8) call greenroom Box Office on 0161 615 0500

Gay For Today: Bill T Jones

2011-02-15T08:54:00.001Z

Gay For Today: Bill T Jones: "Bill T Jones born 15 February 1952 Bill T Jones is an American artistic director, choreographer and dancer based in New York City. He is t..."

Portman wins BAFTA for Black Swan

2011-02-13T22:44:00.000Z

Natalie Portman has won the Bafta for Best Actress for her appearance as troubled ballerina Nina Sayers in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan.

Black Swan was nominated for 12 Baftas but the night belonged to The King's Speech.

Dorian Gray wins MEN Theatre Award

2011-02-11T13:21:00.000Z

It was announced today that Matthew Bourne's New Adventures have won the 2010 Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for Best Dance Production for Dorian Gray.

New Adventures beat off stiff competition from Akram Khan’s Bahok and Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet as well as New Adventures second nomination in the same category for Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella. This award marks the company’s fourth win at the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards, having previously won for Edward Scissorhands, Play Without Words and The Car Man.

Richard Winsor as Dorian Gray

Michela Meazza as Lady M with Richard Winsor

Peter Grist and Company – Contact Theatre, Manchester

2011-02-11T08:41:00.002Z

Peter Grist and Company – Contact Theatre, Manchester

Danish Dance Theatre – The Lowry, Salford

2011-02-09T10:35:00.001Z

Danish Dance Theatre – The Lowry, Salford

A Super Modern Dance and Other Romances by Pavlos Kountouriotis

2011-02-07T10:04:00.005Z

I saw this show at greenroom late last year and managed to simultaneously enjoy it while not really understanding what was going on. Since then I have learnt some more about an area of dance that I was completely unaware of and about some of the people who have worked creatively to shake-up up contemporary dance performance - Yvonne Rainer, Steve Paxton (a significant figure if one has an interest in male dancing, as I do), David Gordon, Trisha Brown - I suppose much in the way that someone like Samuel Beckett shook up the cosy world of drama with his desconstructivist approach to story, setting and dialogue.

My own taste and experience has always tended towards the 'mainstream' although I go and see performances that range from classical ballet to experimental physical theatre. Pavlos has challenged me to open my eyes a bit further (and do a bit more research before making snap judgements).

Anyway, Pavlos is back at work after a break and has posted a gallery of photos from that world premiere performance here.

A Super Modern Dance and Other Romances can be seen again at Lincoln Performing Arts Centre on 18 February 2011 at 8pm.

Pavlos Kountouriotis

Photos by Tamsin Drury by kind permission of Pavlos Kountouriotis

Company Chameleon: 7 – Contact Theatre, Manchester

2011-02-06T13:46:00.002Z

Company Chameleon: 7 – Contact Theatre, Manchester

A few small steps from Ballets Russes ... one giant leap for dance historians

2011-02-03T15:16:00.000Z

This 30-second scrap of film showing Diaghilev's famed Ballets Russes in action represents one of dance's great discoveries.

Read the full article here - The Guardian

Ballet Boyz II: The Talent, touring, review

2011-02-03T11:44:00.001Z

A very nice review of the Ballet Boyz II: The Talent tour in The Telegraph. The boys are performing two of tha same pieces as on the first Talent tour in 2010 - along with a new piece to replace the one I was least keen on - but there have been a couple of line-up changes and I would still like the opportunity to see them again. I enjoyed Torsion and Alpha very much and new piece Void also sounds interesting.

Gay For Today: Glen Tetley

2011-02-03T10:12:00.001Z

Gay For Today: Glen Tetley: "Glen Tetley born 3 February 1926 (d. 2007) Glen Tetley was an American ballet and modern dancer as well as a choreographer who mixed ballet..."

Henry Oguike Dance Company:Butterfly Dreaming Tour – Liverpool Playhouse

2011-02-02T11:47:00.003Z

Henry Oguike Dance Company:Butterfly Dreaming Tour – Liverpool Playhouse

Not Coming to Manchester in 2011

2011-02-01T12:27:00.005Z

A list (by no means exhaustive) identifying those dance companies who are touring the UK in 2011 and not playing a venue in Manchester or Salford.

Ballet Boyz (The Talent on Tour 2011)
Henri Oguike Dance Company (Butterfly Dreaming)
Jasmin Vardimon Company (7734)
Northern Ballet (Cleopatra)
Protein Dance Company (LOL Lots of Love)
State of Emergency (Desert Crossings)

An arbitrary survey.

ROTOR - Siobhan Davies Dance - Whitworth Art Gallery 30/01/2011

2011-01-31T00:09:00.004Z

Performed by Andrea Buckley, Lindsey Butcher, Annie Lok and Charlie Morrissey. Photos: Peter Jacobs.

Photo by Pari Naderi

Michael Clark Company - come, been and gone

2011-01-30T00:10:00.001Z

I feel like I have filled a major gap in my dance experience by seeing the Michael Clark Company at last. And what a vivid and distinctive evening of dance it proved to be.

Show opener Swamp is one the oldest pieces in Clark's catalogue but it certainly seemed as fresh as any new work being produced. It took a while to acclimatise myself to Clark's vocabulary and I found the performance initially icy for all its sculptural beauty and extreme post-modern classicism. But I soon found myself drawn in and by the end was convinced it was one of the best things I'd ever seen.

Benjamin Warbis

The remainder of the show was Clark's latest work come, been and gone from 2009. The first section was a rather mixed bag set to the Velvet Underground, especially after the exhilaration of Swamp. I liked the Venus In Furs section for its sexy, extravagant and perverse imagery and stunning costumes, the slow twisted elegance of the choreography perfectly matching the music. White Light/White Heat is essentially a proto-punk fast dirge and was suitably exciting. Next up was Heroin, a technically complex but rather unappealing solo. A tortured solo choreographed by a former heroin addict performed by a dancer in a syringe-studded body suit to a song called Heroin struck me as emptily shocking, over-literal and self-indulgent. Final piece, Ocean pleasantly concluded a difficult section that left me feeling a little deflated. Even Clark's trademark moves had become oddly familiar.

After a second interval we returned for the final sections, set to music by David Bowie and Kraftwerk. Sweet Thing, Candidate, Sweet Thing (Reprise) is actually my favourite track on one of my all-time favourite albums, Diamond Dogs. Again the issue of literalness comes up. This is a song I know so well, have been listening to for more than 30 years, that it is so full of personal meaning and imagery for me that nothing Michael Clark could choreograph could ever really compete. Fortunately, Clark's dancers are so incredibly beautiful to look and to watch and the use of costume is so edgy and fascinating - although Benjamin Warbis's cutaway codpiece was overly distracting. The movement is so exquisitely distilled from classical ballet technique that despite what might soon become familiar trademark moves there are always unexpected surprises, some extraordinarily beautiful, others momentarily ugly in their twisted distortion or unexpected placement. The piece ended with the glorious Chant of the Ever-Circling Skeletal Family that provided a thrilling end.

After a pause came Kraftwerk's Hall of Mirrors. Elegant and icily watchable, beautifully costumed but seemingly over-literal with its tale of self-obsession and reflection. Then came Heroes. Again, a song I know extremely well. I enjoyed this although, again, some of the mimed dance actions were too literal and the projection of Bowie himself in the video for the song was distracting, although it did make it clear how his outfit had inspired the cropped leather jackets the dancers wore. Clark's use of lines and shaping is lovely and it was enjoyable if far from transcendent. After a rather throwaway 'Intermission' piece containing some entirely gratuitous nudity - basically a buttock dance by three naked dancers - and some nice solo work by the wonderfully long and elegant Harry Alexander, we started on the home straight. Again, I had an issue with musical familiarity as Future Legend clunkily edited in to a reprise of Chant... rather than the expected Diamond Dogs, but what followed more than made up for the unevenness of the previous experience.

Simon Williams

Aladdin Sane was mesmerising, with a long featured solo by the beautiful Simon Williams, and finally, their Aladdin Sane shaded orange bodysuits now topped with matelot-style cropped blazers, The Jean Genie made a breathtaking and thrilling finale, music and movement in complete harmony.

I felt like I had seen something important. The exhilaration was restored.

I know I have seen the work of a true original.

MIF 2011 programme to be announced

2011-01-27T16:07:00.002Z

Manchester International Festival (MIF) are delighted to announce that the full Festival programme will be revealed on Thursday 17 March with tickets going on sale the same day.

Company Chameleon - 7

2011-01-26T12:42:00.002Z

Company Chameleon have spent much of January 2011 in the studio rehearsing their two new solos…

Second Grace choreographed by Anthony Missen, is communicated as a narrative, taking the experience of soldier at war to reveal a universal struggle. A study on the search for ones own truth, to not behave blindly and act in ways that are put upon us by a 'higher authority'. It is about finding the courage and strength to go against the grain, to live by ones own belief system, even if no one else around does.

Shattered choreographed by Kevin Edward Turner. A tattooed character, both the actor and the narrator of his experience, unpicks the strands of memory and circumstance that delivered him to the place he now resides. A discourse on the conception of 'Shattered' in all its permutations.

As well as rehearsing their own solo works, on 5 December 2010 and 5 January 2011 auditions were held at the Contact Theatre in Manchester, and from these auditions Anthony Missen and Kevin Edward Turner selected 5 emerging artists to work with over a two week choreographic residency. From Monday 24 January 2011 through to Friday 4 February 2011, Anthony and Kevin will be creating original solos with the 5 selected artists, which will be performed at the Contact Theatre alongside the world premiere of Second Grace and Shattered on Saturday 5 February 2011, to form an evening of new Dance-Theatre works called 7.

7
Company Chameleon
Contact Theatre
5 February 2011

Second Grace / Shattered / Search & Find
Company Chameleon
The Lowry
20 March 2011

There is some really good quality footage of Company Chameleon perfoming Search & Find in the centre of Manchester during the Urban Moves festival in July 2010 here

Black Swan gets 5 Oscar nods

2011-01-25T15:54:00.001Z

'Controversial' ballet film - or film set in the world of ballet, if you prefer - Black Swan has been nominated for 5 Oscars.

Best Film
Best Director - Darren Aronofsky
Best Actress - Natalie Portman
Best Cinematography
Best Film Editing

The Oscars take place on 27 February

This is in addition (of course) to Black Swan's 12 BAFTA nominations.

Manchester needs Protein

2011-01-25T14:01:00.002Z

Known for turning the everyday into witty and profound dance theatre, Luca Silvestrini's award-winning Protein return with a timely new piece of physical theatre where love, wanting and connectedness take centre stage.

Logging on to our lives online, LOL (lots of love) delves into the world of electronic communication to uncover the evolutionary shift that social networking and the internet are having upon the way we live and love.

With video animation by Rachel Davies, lighting by Jackie Shemesh - co-creators of Protein's Dear Body - and with original music by Andy Pink, LOL mixes social comment, provocative humour and engaging performances from six highly articulate dancers.

You can find the tour dates and more for LOL Lots of Love here.

It's not coming to Manchester.

Interview with Tim Rushton - Danish Dance Theatre

2011-01-24T01:15:00.000Z

Having had a wonderful experience with classical ballet recently - the northern ballet's The Nutcracker and the Birmingham Royal Ballet's Cinderella - I'm now hungry to see some really good large-scale contemporary dance, and I think Danish Dance Theatre is going to be it.

So looking forward to seeing this company and the three works they are performing, Enigma, CaDance and Kridt.

I really like Artistic Director and choreographer Tim Rushton's no-nonsense approach to what seems like extraordinarily beautifully crafted and conceived work.

Danish Dance Theatre 2011 UK Tour

2011-01-21T11:51:00.001Z

This couldn't be more my cup of tea if it was an actual cup of tea made by myself using one of my own tea bags, my milk and my sweeteners in my mug and sitting on my desk. Can't wait to see this company.

BRB return to the Lowry in June

2011-01-20T23:41:00.002Z

Although they are still only halfway through their run of their splendid production of Cinderella, the programme reveals that the Birmingham Royal Ballet will be returning to The Lowry in June 2011 with their production of the sentimental comic ballet classic Coppélia.

Coppélia
Birmingham Royal Ballet
The Lowry
8-11 June

Film of the Week: Portman's Black Swan takes on the dark arts | Entertainment | News & Comment | The First Post

2011-01-20T12:08:00.000Z

Film of the Week: Portman's Black Swan takes on the dark arts | Entertainment | News & Comment | The First Post

Fallen: Upswing – The Lowry, Salford

2011-01-15T15:59:00.001Z

Fallen: Upswing – The Lowry, Salford

Gay For Today: Gerald Arpino

2011-01-14T10:56:00.001Z

Gay For Today: Gerald Arpino: "Gerald Arpino born 14 January 1923 (d. 2008) Gerald Arpino was an American dancer and choreographer. He was the artistic director and co-fo..."

Tim Rushton: The dance prince of Denmark

2011-01-13T21:21:00.000Z

Choreographer Tim Rushton talks to Laura Thompson about bringing his art home to Britain.

Nice piece in the Telegraph about Danish Dance Theatre's British choreographer and Artistic Director, who is bringing the company to the UK for the first time this year.

Danish Dance Theatre
The Lowry
8-9 February 2011

Happy Birthday Matthew Bourne OBE

2011-01-13T09:33:00.001Z

Gay For Today: Matthew Bourne: "Matthew Bourne born 13 January 1960 Matthew Bourne OBE is a choreographer. Matthew was born in Walthamstow, London. At the age of five or ..."

M.E.N Theatre Awards 2010

2011-01-10T15:27:00.003Z

The nominations for the M.E.N Theatre Awards 2010 have been announced and the nominations in the dance category are as follows:

DANCE
Bahok from Akram Khan Company at The Lowry
Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella at The Lowry
Matthew Bourne’s Dorian Gray at The Lowry
Romeo and Juliet from Birmingham Royal Ballet at The Lowry

Not sure what to make of this selection. I'm not sure Matthew Bourne's Cinderella was actually better than his Swan Lake. I would have liked to have seen a nod to Mark Bruce Company's Love and War at the Royal Exchange Studio. And although it was slightly 'mixed media' one of my favourite productions of the year was ROH2's Pleasure's Progress by Will Tuckett at the Lowry Studio. Actually the ENB's Cinderella was pretty good too.

I'd really like to have seen nominations for Wayne McGregor | Random Dance's Entity, Hofesh Shecheter's extraordinary Political Mother - probably my standout performances of the year - and Phoenix Dance Theatre's Declarations BUT - and it's a huge BUT - I had to go to either Liverpool or Sheffield to see those shows...

Read my Methods of Dance show-by-show review of 2010 here

Gay For Today: Alvin Ailey

2011-01-05T09:02:00.002Z

Gay For Today: Alvin Ailey: "Alvin Ailey born 5 January 1931 (d. 1989) Alvin Ailey, Jr. was an African American modern dancer and choreographer who founded the Alvin Ai..."

Gay For Today: Boris Kochno

2011-01-03T08:59:00.003Z

Gay For Today: Boris Kochno: "Boris Kochno born 3 January 1904 (d. 1990) Boris Kochno was a Russian poet, dancer and librettist. He was a lover of Karol Szymanowski w..."

Favourite Dancers: Alastair Postlethwaite

2011-01-02T23:11:00.005Z

Alastair Posthlethwaite is probably best known for being one of the finalists in the BBC's inaugural season of dance talent show So You Think You Can Dance? in early 2010, but when I saw him on that show it was as someone I recognised, not as someone I was discovering through the show.

I first saw Alastair in 2008 with the New English Contemporary Ballet. One of three male dancers with this small company that had a growing repertoire of new work by a range of choreographers, mixing contemporary style with classical technique to a mixture of classical and electronic music pieces. Seeing them quite early on when I started going to see dance on a regular basis the company were a revelation to me, as they were one of the first who fully embodied the style of dance that I have come to consider as my favourite. I was especially struck with Alastair, although all the company's dancers were excellent. Alastair was tall, blond, handsome and solidly built. He was expressive and masculine and represented to me an ideal of a what a male dancer should be. I have seen many male dancers since but Alastair still holds a special place for me.

By the time I saw NECB again in 2009 he had left. Before they toured again the company lost its ACE funding and swiftly folded. Something I fear we will see more of in 2011-12.

I saw him next in the company of Rufus Norris's production of Cabaret. He was with the show for eighteen months and I eventually saw the production twice during its long tour of the UK.

And then Alastair turned up on SYTYCD. Obviously, like several of the contestants he was not 'new' to dance but was a professional dancer clearly seeking to diversify and improve his profile. Alastair was the best male contemporary dancer on the show but this was not enough to get him through to the final. After the show he ended up back in the UK and international tour of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake (now ended), which, ironically, is where he started his career.

Alastair, who turns 30 this year, will next be seen at Sadlers Wells in March 2011 in the new full-length narrative ballet by the Pet Shop Boys and Matthew Dunster, choreographed by Javier de Frutos, based on Hans Christian Andersen's story The Most Incredible Thing.

Gay For Today: Maurice Béjart

2011-01-01T09:08:00.000Z

Gay For Today: Maurice Béjart: "Maurice Béjart born 1 January 1927 (d. 2007) Maurice Béjart was one of the most influential choreographers of the twentieth and early twent..."

New Year Honours for the dance world

2010-12-31T17:22:00.002Z

Costume designer Sandy Powell, who picked up Oscars for Shakespeare In Love, The Aviator and The Young Victoria, is appointed an OBE. Sandy Powell regularly designs costumes for The Cholmondleys and The Featherstonehaughs.

Sandy Powell with Cholmondleys and Featherstonehaughs founder and choreographer Lea Anderson.

Wayne McGregor, internationally renowned award-winning Resident Choreographer of the Royal Ballet and founder and choreographer of his own company Wayne McGregor | Random Dance is made a CBE for his services to dance.

Tim Rushton - British choreographer and Artistic Director of Copenhagen-based Danish Dance Theatre, Denmark's largest contemporary dance company, who are shortly to make their first visit to the UK - was awarded the MBE for his services to dance.

A Queer History of the Ballet

2010-12-29T12:36:00.000Z

I'm currently reading A Queer History of the Ballet (Is there any other, as one friend wryly observed) by Peter Stoneley, which I got (on request) as a Christmas gift.

I feel like I'm learning a lot but at the same time it is making me feel as if I knew very little before. My interest in dance is lifeling but my serious interest in watching and knowing dance is a relatively recent addition and now central strand to my life.

I'm hoping that improving my knowledge about the history of dance and learning how to understand its layers and meaning and codifications will give me a better appreciation when I see dance, give me some historical and cultural background to better understand what I see, and hopefully inform my reviews.

Alternatively, maybe I should just sit and watch and drink it in. I hope I never lose the ability and the desire to do that and that alone.

I'm choosing to develop my 'academic' knowledge of dance by following the two (admittedly very interlinked) threads that interest me most - homosexuality within the world of dance and the role of the male dancer.

The next book I have lined up is The Male Dancer: bodies, spectacle, sexualities by Ramsay Burt.

Then it may be time to tackle Richard Buckle's excellent and detailed biography of Diaghilev again.

Step-by-step guide to dance: Yvonne Rainer

2010-12-27T19:53:00.000Z

I recently saw a performance influenced in part by Yvonne Rainer - and if I'd been aware of her work and her artistic ethos - her 'no manifesto' - I would have got a lot more from it.

Sometimes it pays to just sit and watch and enjoy - and sometimes it pays to know stuff...

Step-by-step guide to dance: Yvonne Rainer - The Guardian

Yvonne Rainer performing her 'signature work' Trio A