The Bossa Nova At 50 "We should have been a wonderful, democratic country. Instead we had 21 years of military dictatorship, something we are still paying for. So bossa nova represents a different way of life; a culture more sophisticated than the one we have today."

The Times (UK) 05/08/08

email this story | Posted 05/08/08@06:58PM

Nutcracker Drags Australian Ballet Finances Down Australian Ballet's lavish pre-Christmas production of Peter Wright's The Nutcracker is responsible for the company's $1.8 million operating deficit, its 2007 annual report reveals.

The Australian 05/06/08

email this story | Posted 05/06/08@04:19PM

Why Dance Doesn't Move Ahead? "If ballet dancers say they are desperate to perform new choreography, and ballet directors say they would love to give it to them, can it really just be the public's lack of imagination that keeps our companies confined to such cautious repertoires? Or is it that we need to look to America for better ways of marketing the art form?"

The Guardian (UK) 05/02/08

email this story | Posted 05/04/08@10:38AM

NY Ballet Competition Gets A New Director Richard Chen See is the new director of the New York International Ballet Competition. Chen See is a 14-year veteran of the Paul Taylor Dance Company.

New York Sun 04/28/08

email this story | Posted 04/28/08@09:19AM

Jerome Robbins - Greatness In The Shadow Of Greatness Robbins spent 30 years of his life working with Balanchine's NY City Ballet. "This kept him in Balanchine's shadow, but on the whole he loved and revered that shadow. It is hard to think of any world-famous artist in history working as Robbins chose to: as great a celebrity as Balanchine or more so, and much wealthier, he used the dancers Balanchine had trained, he used ballet technique as Balanchine had developed it, and his ballets were performed in a repertory that was dominated by Balanchine's."

The New York Times 04/27/08

email this story | Posted 04/27/08@02:14PM

Baryshnikov On Jerome Robbins: "His legacy is so abruptly divided between Broadway and ballet. I really think that inviting Robbins to be an associate choreographer Balanchine knew very well his Broadway work and the level of the talent, and especially Jerry's immense desire to work with him and admiration. Balanchine took him as an apprentice and trusted him. I think that was one of Balanchine's great qualities as a leader. But who took from Robbins? I don't know, I don't know, I really do not know."

Foot in Mouth 04/25/08

email this story | Posted 04/27/08@09:52AM

The Way To Riches: Become The "Capital Of Dance?" The resort town of Blackpool has revealed plans to create a "festival and events zone", with a capacity of 30,000 on the seafront in the Tower Headland area, which would spearhead the town's "ambition to become the capital of dance"

TheStage 04/24/08

email this story | Posted 04/24/08@07:39PM

Lydia Lopokova, The Bloomsbury Ballerina Although some found her irritating, nobody thought her faux. Lydia Lopokova was the real thing, possessed of what Virginia Woolf described as 'the genius of personality'.

The Telegraph (UK) 04/25/08

email this story | Posted 04/24/08@07:28PM

Marking A Milestone By Embracing What's Next San Francisco Ballet is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a whopping ten world premieres in three nights. "Since the choreographers include Paul Taylor, Mark Morris, Christopher Wheeldon, James Kudelka, Jorma Elo, Stanton Welch and Yuri Possokhov, the season is automatically of national and international significance."

The New York Times 04/24/08

email this story | Posted 04/24/08@06:22AM

In This Version, Romeo And Juliet Dance Off Prokofiev's original version offered a happy ending. "This version, written in 1935, was censored by Soviet authorities, who insisted on the reinstatement of Shakespeare's ending, but has now been recovered thanks to documents unearthed by the Princeton University musicologist Simon Morrison."

The Guardian (UK) 04/23/08

email this story | Posted 04/23/08@06:43PM

Why Dance Doesn't Thrive In Spain? In an interview with the Spanish daily El Mundo, Tamara Rojo, a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London, said good ballet had not been seen in Spain since Russian dance troupes toured it in the 1940s. "It is not this [elitism], nor the price of tickets - it is more expensive to see football. No, the real problem is lack of creativity and the lack of support from authorities makes dance distant from most people."

The Guardian (UK) 04/21/08

email this story | Posted 04/21/08@06:36PM

Russian Dance Wars "Russian ballet watchers are in for a good spring with the Kirov's tour. But a depressing future awaits if the factions in St Petersburg and Moscow start to harden and a cold war of dance ideologies starts to brew."

The Guardian (UK) 04/21/08

email this story | Posted 04/21/08@06:15PM

Age-Busting Dance The Prometheus Dance Elders Ensemble's youngest member is 55; the oldest, 85. "Nearly half of the Elders are or were professors - of medieval literature, social work, education, the arts. They are also painters, models, activists, therapists, mothers, grandmothers, and widows. Most of all, they are very much themselves."

Boston Globe 04/20/08

email this story | Posted 04/20/08@09:09AM

NJ Ballet Mounting Major Tour "New Jersey Ballet, a company that takes pride in its local roots, will kick off its 50th anniversary season with a tour of Russia in June... Seventeen of the troupe's 20 dancers will join the tour, performing a repertoire largely set to jazz, blues and electronic music that highlights the company's American character."

Newark Star-Ledger 04/16/08

email this story | Posted 04/16/08@06:22PM

A New Dance Craze Hits The Clubs "Tecktonik" is the word that scores of young clubbers across Europe use to describe a dance that is a mix of rave and breakdancing. Dancers sport mullets and 1980s muscle shirts. They practice moves such as "Le Brushing" or "Le Pot de Gel," which mimic the motions of brushing and putting gel through hair.

The Wall Street Journal 04/12/08

email this story | Posted 04/13/08@08:50AM

Joffrey Ballet Strides Confidently Into Change The company is moving into a new home. It's finances are okay. And a leadership transition is so far going smoothly...

Chicago Tribune 04/13/08

email this story | Posted 04/13/08@08:50AM

The British Are Coming! "Over the next few months, some of Britain's most successful choreographers will be unveiling new work... All four have an interest in crossing styles: from ballet or Indian classical to modern dance. At the same time, they've looked for a public beyond the traditional dance audience. And they're all in demand, worldwide."

The Independent (UK) 04/10/08

email this story | Posted 04/10/08@07:49PM

Just-Resigned Boston Ballet Chief Jumping To Australia "A former dancer who trained with London's Royal Ballet was announced yesterday as the new executive director of the Australian Ballet. Californian-born Valerie Wilder, who has been the executive director of the Boston Ballet in the US since 2002, was tempted away from a return to Toronto, where she spent almost 20 years with the National Ballet of Canada, to take up the Australian Ballet job."

The Age (Melbourne) 04/10/08

email this story | Posted 04/10/08@07:22PM

Famed Flamenco Dancer Dies at 95 "Pilar López, who has died aged 95, was the last representative of the golden age of flamenco ballet in the 1930s and 1940s. She was considered a fine, serious classical dancer, but it was as a choreographer and teacher of young dancers that she excelled."

The Guardian (UK) 04/09/08

email this story | Posted 04/09/08@08:52PM

Where Are All The Black Ballerinas? Finding a black ballerina among the personnel at the UK's major dance companies is a nearly impossible task. Neither will you find many faces of color in the audience, which can't be unrelated. "Black ballerinas find it difficult to rise to the top, partly because of misconceptions about their body shape."

The Guardian (UK) 04/10/08

email this story | Posted 04/09/08@08:37PM

A Spurned Ballerina Returns To London Viviana Durante was once the darling of London's ballet scene, until an ugly backstage row led to her vanishing from the Royal Ballet. "Since leaving the Royal she has danced with American Ballet Theatre, in Dresden, in Italy and - most of the time - in Japan." Now she's back on a London stage for the first time in nearly a decade.

The Telegraph (UK) 04/07/08

email this story | Posted 04/07/08@08:50PM

Foundation To Keep Aussie Dancer's Spirit Alive "The family of the dancer Tanja Liedtke, who died in a road accident seven months ago, has set up a foundation in her name, with the hope of raising €1million to honour and perpetuate her work... Liedtke, who had an international career as a dancer and choreographer, was artistic director-designate of the Sydney Dance Company when she died aged 29."

Sydney Morning Herald 04/08/08

email this story | Posted 04/07/08@08:00PM

Ballet And Rap, Together At Last Atlanta is one of the centers of American hip-hop, and Atlanta Ballet is taking advantage, mounting an unprecedented collaboration with one half of the Grammy-winning rap duo, OutKast. "They are seeking to expand the horizons of their respective forms, without compromising them. It's a tall order, and it comes as ballet companies and the hip-hop industry are casting about (not always gracefully) for new directions and new audiences."

The New York Times 04/06/08

email this story | Posted 04/06/08@06:03PM

Ballet's Forgotten (Or At Least, Ignored) Innovator Modernist choreographer Anthony Tudor, born 100 years ago this week, "yanked the weeds out of what he saw as a decaying art form, pruning away decorative excess and virtuoso tricks that had no dramatic value... Yet his centennial year finds this once-prized innovator half-forgotten."

Washington Post 04/04/08

email this story | Posted 04/04/08@06:33AM

LA Losing Its Last Dance Critic Laura Bleiberg, dance critic at the Orange County Register for more than 18 years, is leaving her position for a job in the nonprofit world. Her departure leaves the Los Angeles area without a single full-time dance critic.

LA Observed 04/03/08

email this story | Posted 04/04/08@05:39AM

Dance Evolving Slowly But Surely In China "Money's tight, crowds are small and everything has to get past the censor. Yet modern dance is catching on in China... Modern dance was banned in China until 1980, and it has only grown through the efforts of a few exceptional individuals, and the importing of western ideas."

The Guardian (UK) 04/03/08

email this story | Posted 04/03/08@09:09PM

ABT Settles Age Discrimination Suit The lawsuit had been filed by a 74-year-old trumpet player who believed he was dismissed from the American Ballet Theater Orchestra because of his age. ABT will pay him more than $18,000 in back pay, while making no admission of wrongdoing.

The New York Times 04/03/08

email this story | Posted 04/03/08@05:33AM

Leadership Questions At Kirov Ballet In a sign of unhappiness about his performance, the Kirov Ballet is traveling for an important appearance in New York without its director, Makhar Vaziev.

The New York Times 04/01/08

email this story | Posted 03/31/08@11:36PM

Ailey At 50 "The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has not only persevered for five decades, it has thrived, becoming an internationally known, blue-chip arts institution that manages to attract dance devotees and people with only a passing interest in the field alike. Since its debut in 1958, it has grown from eight to 35 dancers and performed for an estimated 21 million people in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents -- accomplishments that few if any other modern- dance troupes can claim."

Denver Post 03/30/08

email this story | Posted 03/30/08@05:41PM

Do Dance And Civic Duty Mix? On a couple of levels, Vitoria Marks believes, dance is the ultimate in spin. That phoniness led to her rescue mission for the art form. "I wanted to rescue it from my own contempt," she says.

Washington Post 03/30/08

email this story | Posted 03/30/08@09:29AM

Boston Ballet Moving To New Home "After more than 30 years performing at the city's biggest and most opulent theater, on Tremont Street, Boston Ballet has signed a long-term deal to move its season into the recently restored Opera House, beginning in 2009. The move ends a sometimes contentious relationship between the ballet and the Citi Performing Arts Center, which oversees the 3,600-seat Wang Theatre, where the ballet has appeared for decades."

Boston Globe 03/27/08

email this story | Posted 03/27/08@06:12AM

The Alvin Ailey Barbie Doll? Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is turning 50 this year, and the company's namesake will be getting his name on a Manhattan street as part of the celebration. In all, the company will spend 18 months commemorating the anniversary, with "performances, a video installation and even the release of a Barbie doll."

The New York Times 03/27/08

email this story | Posted 03/27/08@05:28AM

A Tale Of Two Dance Companies New York City Ballet trains its own dancers. "The Royal Ballet, on the other hand, is the Chelsea FC of companies, buying dancers all over the world and slotting them into position as required. This means a glorious rollcall of stars, but a company which is calculatedly - and many would say catastrophically - disconnecting itself from the local talent-base."

The Guardian (UK) 3/22/08

email this story | Posted 03/23/08@07:27PM

Mikhail Baryshnikov As Dance Photographer Alastair Macaulay: "My immediate reaction to these photographs was to admire them as art; as design, shape, color, they're remarkable. My initial reaction to them as a dancegoer, however, was to think that the blurring was less appropriate to Mr. Cunningham's work than it would be to that of many other choreographers."

The New Yok Times 03/23/08

email this story | Posted 03/23/08@01:48PM

Royal Ballet Says It Won't Cancel China Tour "Some Tibetan demonstrators have called for a boycott of the Olympics following China's recent crackdown on protests in the region. Dancers from Covent Garden are due to travel to Beijing in June, where they will perform Sleeping Beauty at the opening ceremony of the Cultural Olympiad. They will also perform Manon in Beijing and Shanghai before touring Japan.

The Independent (UK) 03/20/08

email this story | Posted 03/20/08@10:03PM

TV Dance Craze Prompts UK To Invest In Dance Education Dance has never been more popular in Britain - and now the government is to respond to the nation's enthusiasm by ploughing £5.5m into dance education.

The Guardian (UK) 03/18/08

email this story | Posted 03/19/08@10:33PM

Do TV Dance Shows Hurt Dance? Some say the popularity of "reality" dance shows on TV has boosted the audience for dance. But some dance experts see a deadening effect. "It's like a fast-food version of dance."

Sydney Morning-Herald 03/18/08

email this story | Posted 03/18/08@07:47AM

Has London's Royal Ballet Gone Stale? "On Wednesday the Royal Opera House will announce its new ballet and opera seasons - and add a little extra news. The ballet directorship of Monica Mason, due to come to an end in 2010, will be extended a further two years until after the 2012 Olympics, when she will be almost 70."

The Telegraph (UK) 03/17/08

email this story | Posted 03/17/08@08:46PM

An Australian Ballet Company Reborn A year ago the West Australia Ballet was on the rocks. Now, thanks to an infusion of money, the company is adding ten dancers. "Revelations that elite dancers were struggling to pay the rent in boomtown Perth was a wake-up call for the Government, ballet management, corporate supporters and WA dance fans."

The West Australian 03/18/08

email this story | Posted 03/17/08@08:40PM

A Mandate To Preserve And Protect Carla Peterson, the artistic director of New York's Dance Theater Workshop, is on a mission to preserve, revive, and perform great dance works that had their premieres in recent years and risk being forgotten because of a lack of exposure. "Making this a permanent curatorial mandate signals Ms. Peterson's deeper commitment to historically important contemporary works."

The New York Times 03/16/08

email this story | Posted 03/16/08@09:38AM