English National Ballet's exciting Bausch / Forsythe / van Manen programme arrives at Sadler’s Wells in March. Pina Bausch’s masterpiece The Rite of Spring must be the highlight of the evening, though Hans van Manen's Adagio Hammerklavier and William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated certainly won't disappoint.With the performances of The Rite of Spring, ENB will … [Read more...]
Abdiel Cedric Jacobsen answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… dancers’ edition
Q&A When did you start dancing? I began dancing when I was in the womb, taught informally by my mother through the blood memory of her ancestors. My mom is Ivorian - from Côte d'Ivoire - and when we were little kids she would push aside the coffee table in the living room to teach my two older sisters and I West African dances from the Ivory Coast.We started a dance … [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...]
Peter Wright answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dance Edition
Q&AWhen did you start dancing? Not until I was 16, as an apprentice with the Ballets Jooss.Why did you start dancing? I was always good at ballroom, and then my mother took me to see Mona Inglesby’s International Ballet. That was in 1943, and is what decided me.When did you start choreographing? My initial attempts where for the Sunday Choreographers, a … [Read more...]
Old and new in English National Ballet’s 2016-2017 Season, Spring/Summer
The English National Ballet’s Spring/Summer 2017 season sees a refreshing nod to the company’s past with a revival of Rudolf Nureyev’s Romeo & Juliet during August of 2017 when the company makes a return to The Royal Festival Hall, its old hunting ground that it hasn’t revisited since 2008. Tamara Rojo has shown with her recent programming that she is investing in the … [Read more...]