A tweet from Peter Land on Dame Gillian Lynne’s account on Sunday evening, 1 July, announced that the beloved choreographer had died - she was 92: Rest In Peace my darling Gillie. I am heartbroken to write that Dame Gillian Lynne DBE & my dearest wife & friend & love for 40 years passed away at 6.20pm tonight 1st July 2018 at the Princess Grace Hospital. She … [Read more...]
Interview with The Royal Ballet’s Merle Park in 1979: Green Park, Hyde Park or Merle Park?
Merle Park, the engine driver’s daughter from Rhodesia (modern Zimbabwe), ended up being one of The Royal Ballet’s brightest stars. She says that she first realised she’d become famous when she heard a question on a quiz game on the radio: “Which is the odd name out: Green Park, Hyde Park or Merle Park?” I thought, Goodness, I must have arrived! In 1979, she was contemplating … [Read more...]
Tamara Karsavina compares Rudolf Nureyev and Vaslav Nijinsky
Rudolf Nureyev defected to the West in 1961 and later that same year he danced with Margot Fonteyn for the first time, and the following year he joined The Royal Ballet. In 1963, the BBC asked the great Tamara Karsavina to comment on the new Russian dancer and compare him with her Ballets Russes partner Vaslav Nijinsky. Karsavina and Nijinsky had joined Diaghilev's troupe … [Read more...]
Xander Parish on life with the Mariinsky Ballet
You were recently promoted to First Soloist at the Mariinsky Ballet. Happy? Yes, I was promoted after a show of Giselle back in January and it was quite out of the blue! Leaving the corps Xander Parish joined the Mariinsky as a Coryphée in 2010 after twiddling his thumbs for five years at The Royal Ballet. He was 23, frustrated with his spear-carrying duties and itching to … [Read more...]
The Gender of Choreography. Is it time for quotas?
Is it time for quotas? This was one of many questions discussed at a Dance Umbrella debate, part of the Big Dance 2016 events, at the beginning of this month. The subject of gender inequality in choreography has been stirring up a lot of press in recent months. During a panel discussion in October last year, the Rambert Dance Company’s artistic director Mark Baldwin said, I … [Read more...]