After almost a month touring China, La Scala’s ballet company popped back to Milan for a run of Manon performances, before popping off to Australia for thirteen performances in Brisbane, from 7 to 18 November. It is the company’s first time in Australia and they are taking two of their most popular productions: Don Quixote and Giselle. Performances are at the Queensland … [Read more...]
Don Quixote shows off first-rate dancing by La Scala’s clutch of 20-somethings
Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote is a romp. From start to finish it zips along at a frenetic pace, with frenetic steps. That is, except the prologue — Don Quixote’s house — and a prolonged mime scene in the Act Three tavern scene. Unfortunately, for the revival at La Scala, these scenes seem to have been left as an afterthought in the rehearsal process for the dancing is very fine … [Read more...]
Julian MacKay – the teenage American ballet dancer making waves in Russia
Julian MacKay at 16 was winning medals at the Sochi and Istanbul competitions when he represented his school, the Bolshoi Academy. At 17 he won the Prix de Lausanne and his Harlequin Floors Scholarship let him spend a year with The Royal Ballet. At 18 he was snapped up as soloist with the Mikhailovsky Ballet and after six months with the company was given his first principal … [Read more...]
La Scala’s orchestra, chorus and ballet company embark on a month-long tour
La Scala’s orchestra, chorus and ballet company have flown out of Milan for a month on tour which will see them in Korea, China, Japan and Russia. Tomorrow night at the Lotte Hall in Seoul, Myung-Whun Chung will conduct a concert performance of Simon Boccanegra with Simone Piazzola, Carmen Giannattasio, Fabio Sartori and Dmitry Belosselskiy. On 31 August he will again be … [Read more...]
18-year-old Vincenzo di Primo on winning at Lausanne and studying at the Vienna Ballet Academy
18-year-old Vincenzo di Primo was one of the seven winners at the annual Prix de Lausanne, taking away the Albert Amon Foundation scholarship which will give him the opportunity to train for a year at one of the 66 schools and dance companies that support the Lausanne competition. Lausanne was an unforgettable experience which gave me so many overwhelming emotions. Vincenzo, … [Read more...]