APRIL 2001
Monday April 30
THE ARCHAEOLOGY
OF DANCE: Is it really possible to reconstruct, from incomplete fragments,
what great choreography from the past looked like? Even the best guesses are
inadequate and incomplete. The New Yorker
04/30/01
Sunday April 29
AILEY
PLANS: The Alvin Ailey company wants to build a new home for itself in New
York and Mayor Rudy Giuliani wants to contribute to the cause. "The building
would be the largest space in the United States devoted exclusively to dance,
Ailey officials said." International Herald Tribune
04/28/01
BIRTH
OF A COMPANY: Michael Medcalf "had no experience as an artistic director, no
money in the bank and no financial backers. Despite his lack of credentials and
resources, he had plenty of other attributes: talent, enthusiasm, energy, a
dynamic personality, a willingness to work hard and an eagerness to collaborate
with other members of the dance community." And Cleveland Contemporary Dance
Theatre was born. The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
04/29/01
Friday April 27
THE
LEGEND FLICKERS: A budget version of the Bolshoi wandered in to London this
week. "The Bolshoi makes much of the financial imperative to mount cash tours
like this: at what cost to its soul? Compare its programmes with current
offerings in our ballet companies, and with the imminent visiting attractions of
the Dutch and San Francisco companies, and there's no doubt who's being left
behind." The Telegraph (UK)
04/27/01
Wednesday April 25
THE TROUBLE WITH
DANCE: No question dance is having a tough time these days. What's the
problem? Nine dancers, choreographers and critics write about the
difficulties. Village Voice 04/24/01
Monday April 23
BALLET
WARS: This week the Kirov Ballet is performing in London, but it will cost
you as much as £170 for a seat. Only a few steps away, though, the "stars" of
the Bolshoi are performing for about half the ticket price. But you might get
what you pay for... Sunday Times 04/22/01
- A MATTER OF
HONOR: "The Bolshoi or the Kirov? The old Soviet juggernaut or the jewel in
the Tsarist crown? Who will be the eventual victor? It’s a fight they both want
to win, for whoever does take home the title takes home more than critical
acclaim and public affection. They also take home our much-needed pounds. Life
is tough in Russia these days, even for much-loved cultural institutions, and
both the Kirov and the Bolshoi depend on foreign trips to keep them
going." The Times (UK) 04/23/01
Sunday April 22
MEETING
THE PRODIGY: "Dazzling eyes, delicate bones and finer poise than the silver
lady on a Rolls-Royce: I met Dame Margot Fonteyn on the eve of her death at the
age of 71 and was blown away by her fragile grace. Nobody since has matched it -
until Friday, when I met the 19-year-old dancer who has just been made prima
ballerina of the Royal Ballet and who is already spoken of as the new Fonteyn."
The Sunday Times of London 04/22/01
MORE
BALLET STRUGGLES: Ballet Chicago is, to put it bluntly, little more than an
afterthought in the Chicago dance scene these days. The company, founded as
Chicago City Ballet in 1974, has always relied on a classic, Balanchine-esque
style of performance in an industry that is constantly reinventing itself. But
years of mismanagement and organizational chaos left the troupe in shambles, and
in danger of vanishing completely. Now, backed by its successful training
academy for young dancers, Ballet Chicago hopes to rise from the ashes of its
past failures. Chicago Tribune
04/22/01
Thursday April 19
NEW TROUBLES AT
ABT: American Ballet Theatre was thought to have conquered the problems
which only a few years ago threatened the company. "But in the last nine months
this 61-year-old New York institution, which begins an eight-week season at the
Metropolitan Opera House on April 30, has started to exhibit a new cycle of
strains. It has quietly canceled plans for an expensive new production of
Sleeping Beauty next season. Its cash reserves have dropped by half. And
nearly three-quarters of its staff members have departed in a steady
exodus." The New York Times 04/19/01 (one-time registration required for access)
YOUTH
MOVEMENT: The newest principal dancer of England's Royal Ballet is
19-year-old Romanian phenom Alina Cojocara. Her rise from corps dancer to
soloist to principal has been meteoric, and her powerful performances have
captivated public and professionals alike. BBC
04/19/01
Wednesday April 18
OLD-AGE
MOVEMENT: "A surprising number of recent productions in Britain suggest that
choreographers are finding themselves less entranced by the perfect limbs of
20-year-olds than by the dramatic and physical possibilities of bodies that have
been lived in." The Guardian
04/18/01
Tuesday April 17
NOT
SO GRAND ANYMORE: The Bolshoi Ballet's upcoming tour of Britain "is a bit of
a mess, adding to the general impression that for the past decade the Bolshoi
has not handled its tours to Britain with the style and aplomb of the
Kirov." The Telegraph (London) 04/17/01
- PALE
IMITATION? Impressario Raymond Gubbay is bringing the Bolshoi to London for
a week. But the critics are already sniffing at the self-styles "people's
impressario." The reason - it's not the entire Bolshoi, only a pared down group.
And they'll only be dancing a hits-of-the-hits program. The Independent (London) 04/17/01
Sunday April 15
WHAT WENT WRONG AT
BOSTON BALLET? A year of turmoil at the top and unsettled artistic
fortunes. New York Times 04/15/01 (one-time registration required for
access)
Wednesday April 11
NO
NUDE R&J: For his final production, outgoing English National Ballet
director Derek Deane had planned a provocative new Romeo and Juliet in
which the main dancers ended up nude onstage. But then allegations that Deane
had harassed a junior soloist surfaced and now the original production has been
canceled. Sunday Times (London)
04/08/01
Tuesday April 10
DeCOU
OUT IN SF: "Emil De Cou, the San Francisco Ballet's acting music director
and conductor since 1998, will leave the company after the Paris tour next
month...The San Francisco Ballet has been without a permanent music director
since the late Denis de Coteau retired in 1999." San
Francisco Chronicle 04/10/01
THE CELEBRITY
DANCER: "No one begrudges dancers their moment in the media spotlight, or
indeed the additional income they can earn in what is a relatively poorly-paid
profession." But some of British ballet's biggest stars seem more intent on fame
than their art... The Times (London) 04/10/01
Sunday April 8
KICK IN AND DANCE:
It's National Dance Week in the US. Dance may be a universal language, but
sometimes it needs a little help getting attention. The New York Times 034/08/01 (one-time registration required)
SHALL WE DANCE:
Russia's Maryinsky Theatre launches a new international dance festical. "During
the eight-day, nine- performance festival, guest stars from Europe and the
United States danced with stars of the Maryinsky Ballet (which tours abroad as
the Kirov Ballet, its former name)." The New York
Times 034/08/01 (one-time registration required)
Friday April 6
THE DANCE PROBLEM:
Archaeologists suggest that dance may be the oldest art form. But of all the
major arts, dance seems to struggle the most to survive. Is it somehow a lesser
art? ArtsJournal.com
04/06/01
THE
NEW STARS: A dazzling new generation of dancers is lighting up the British
dance scene. Here's a guide to the stars. The
Telegraph (London) 04/06/01
Wednesday April 4
SAVING
BOSTON BALLET: "The Boston Ballet
administration's recent decision to appoint Music Director and Principal
Conductor Jonathan McPhee as interim artistic director has prompted audience and
company members to question his ability to provide artistic leadership. Notably,
the man who served in that role for more than a decade isn't among the critics.
To the contrary, Bruce Marks expresses no concern." Boston Herald 04/04/01
Sunday April 1
DARK
TIME FOR DANCE: The 90s were a dismal time for dance in America. A new study
reports falling audiences, declining funding and major debt by most companies.
Which dance companies fared best? "The ballets that most effectively coped with
financial crises were medium-sized companies with annual budgets of $1 million
to $5 million." The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
04/01/01
ANOTHER
DANCE CASUALTY: Boston's Dance Umbrella, New England's prominent presenter
of new dance, is shutting down. "Faced with a pile of unpaid bills, a still
unresolved separation settlement with company founder and former artistic
director Jeremy Alliger, and few prospects of raising serious money, the
Umbrella board is scrambling to make a graceful exit from the local dance
arena." Boston Globe 03/31/01
- NOT
MY FAULT: Alliger denies that negotiations over his leaving are causing
Dance Umbrella to close. "My point of view is that the board sort of painted the
story that the financial troubles are because of our negotiations. Nah! That's
just a drop in the bucket." Boston Herald
04/01/01
WHEN
BREAK DANCING MEETS BALLET: When breakdancers and members of London's Royal
Ballet get together to try out one another's moves, mutual appreciation break
out. Sunday Times (London) 04/01/01
NEW
ROYALTY: Alina Cojocaru is London's Royal Ballet's hottest new star. "The
fact that Cojocaru is dancing this iconic role aged only 19 might in itself seem
newsworthy, given that she last appeared in the ballet several months ago as an
anonymous member of the corps de ballet. But for anyone who has followed her
career since she joined the Royal Ballet in November 1999, this is just one more
debut to add to a remarkable list." The Guardian
(London) 03/31/01