1910 saw George V ascend to the throne, the trial and execution of Dr Crippen, the publication of E M Forster’s Howard’s End and the birth of Alice Marks, later Alicia Markova, the country’s first prima ballerina. 1910 was also the year that Phillip J S Richardson founded Dancing Times – it was the first independent magazine devoted solely to dance. The magazine soldiered on … [Read more...] about Dancing Times, the world’s oldest dance magazine, celebrates 110 years
Clement Crisp
China National Peking Opera Company returns to the UK
10 years after their last visit to the UK in 2005, the China National Peking Opera Company returns to the UK at both the Liverpool Echo Arena Auditorium (13 – 15 November) and London’s Sadler’s Wells (19 – 22 November). China National Peking Opera Company will be performing two masterpieces for UK audiences: Warrior Women of Yang and the full-length European première of … [Read more...] about China National Peking Opera Company returns to the UK
Nudity + Dance = What exactly? The critics on Olivier Dubois’ Tragédie
French choreographer Olivier Dubois' dance work Tragédie has been creating quite a stir. All major papers attended, and there was quite a lot of commotion from publications not usually known for their interest in contemporary dance. Well it was because the dancers were, as my Grandmother would have said, in the nuddy. Always grabs the headlines. Even got me writing this. As … [Read more...] about Nudity + Dance = What exactly? The critics on Olivier Dubois’ Tragédie
The FT gives a one-star review and a thumbs-down to Acosta and Yanowsky
In one of the worst reviews of the season, the Financial Times' Clement Crisp finds almost nothing to like in Carlos Acosta's Premieres Plus at the London Coliseum: I remember visiting East Berlin when that city was still divided, and being intrigued by shops whose windows were filled with boxes which proclaimed delicacies of many kinds. A friend explained that the boxes, … [Read more...] about The FT gives a one-star review and a thumbs-down to Acosta and Yanowsky
Sergei Polunin triumphs in Giselle at the Royal Opera House
Judith Mackrell in The Guardian finds much to praise in 21-year-old Sergei Polunin's Albrecht: Physically, Polunin could not be more ideal for the role. With his wide poet's forehead, slender build and black velvet gaze he's not only the most handsome man Giselle has ever seen, he's a pin-up boy for the whole idea of romantic love. So pretty is he that there's a danger of the … [Read more...] about Sergei Polunin triumphs in Giselle at the Royal Opera House