Q&AWhen did you start dancing? Age 7 in Sydney, Australia.Why did you start dancing? My sister inspired me; she was a brilliant gymnast who also danced.Which dancer inspired you most as a child? I didn't watch much dancing as a child, but a Drag Racing motor sport champion in the USA called John Force has been a constant inspiration. He started with nothing … [Read more...] about Steven McRae answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition
Australian Ballet
Coppélia: with tutus or wafers?
An ice-cream parlour around the corner from my home is called Coppélia. It's just opposite the new Fendi showroom and offices in via Solari in Milan. Now I'm sure regular readers of this blog will roll their eyes in disbelief on reading my query in the next sentence, but for those who don't know the answer either, this article is for you. I wanted to know why the owners had … [Read more...] about Coppélia: with tutus or wafers?
Yosvani Ramos answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition
Q&A When did you start dancing? When I was 10 years old in my hometown of Camagüey, Cuba.Why did you start dancing? I was bored in school and a teacher came looking for kids for ballet school and I put my hand up as I thought it would be good to get out of the classroom. I didn't really know what ballet was but something told me to raise my hand.Which dancer … [Read more...] about Yosvani Ramos answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition
Maina Gielgud answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition
Q&A When did you start dancing? I took my first ballet classes when I was about 6 years old. It was in Brussels, and with a Russian teacher married to a Belgian. Her name was Mme de Zeum.After my first class she asked my mother to get me some pointe shoes for the next one, "Her legs are strong." Hence I got my first pair, black as I recall! Maybe because of that, … [Read more...] about Maina Gielgud answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition
The Australian Ballet’s new Romeo & Juliet: “ever-shifting visual metaphors and exquisite dancing”
The Australian Ballet's Lana Jones and Adam Bull were wonderful as the star-crossed lovers, said Carol Middleton in The Australian Stage, but wow... the production:Graeme Murphy’s new production of Romeo & Juliet is a visual delight. We gasped in awe as the curtain rose on the opening tableau – the lovers entwined within a conch shell, reminiscent of paintings of The … [Read more...] about The Australian Ballet’s new Romeo & Juliet: “ever-shifting visual metaphors and exquisite dancing”
The Australian Ballet gets ready to celebrate 50 years of dance down-under
The Australian Ballet has launched its program to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2012.Revealing the season repertoire in Melbourne today, Artistic Director David McAllister announced new commissions - including a traditional Swan Lake - along with classic revivals of audience favourites, an all-Australian dance party and a special international gala. This milestone … [Read more...] about The Australian Ballet gets ready to celebrate 50 years of dance down-under
Australian Ballet’s Yosvani Ramos on flying
The Sydney Morning Herald's Frequent flyer column talked to Yosvani Ramos, principal artist with the Australian Ballet.How often are you on the road as principal artist for the Australian Ballet?A lot. For example, this year we went to Adelaide, Sydney, Hamilton Island - where I danced at the resort Qualia as part of the evening Pas de Deux in Paradise - and I just came … [Read more...] about Australian Ballet’s Yosvani Ramos on flying
New York’s ‘Fall for Dance’ announce the lineup for 2011
Steven McRae will be donning his tap-shoes for the latest edition of Fall For Dance at New York City Center, which will run from October 27 to November 6. Twenty companies and choreographers are taking part with all tickets at only $10. For ten exhilarating days each year, feel the rush…the exuberance…the sheer joy that is dance, from New York City, across the country, and … [Read more...] about New York’s ‘Fall for Dance’ announce the lineup for 2011
Lifar’s Suite en Blanc “a clever, intriguing and intricately patterned work”
Well you can't blame them for trying. "Black & White: featuring the Black Swan pas de deux" was the cringe-making publicity for the English National Ballet's mixed programme. It didn't however draw the critics' attention away from the real gem of the evening: Suite en Blanc is a little-seen ballet by Serge Lifar, the last star of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, that has been … [Read more...] about Lifar’s Suite en Blanc “a clever, intriguing and intricately patterned work”
Is there a tattoo taboo in the tutu world?
The Australian newspaper has asked various directors of Australian dance companies on their opinions about tattoos on their dancers:The Australian Ballet, the nation's upholder of classical tradition, asks its dancers to have unpainted nails, to remove jewellery and to cover up any tattoos when on stage. Danilo Radojevic, the AB's associate artistic director, says a tattoo … [Read more...] about Is there a tattoo taboo in the tutu world?