Month: October 2001

Outgoing Scottish Ballet director Robert North says he wonders why the company’s board wants to switch from traditional ballet to being a modern company. According to new figures, Scottish Ballet scored an increase of more than 50 percent in audience last year – from 43,000 to more than 66,000. “At the same time, contemporary dance companies in Scotland attracted an audience of little more than 3,000 between them.” The Scotsman 10/30/01

The National Ballet of Canada is 50 years old, but for all its critical acclaim, its funding and operations have been scaled back in recent years. The company is starved for money compared to its peers. “Measuring their budgets in Canadian dollars, that of the American Ballet Theatre is $43-million, while that of the San Francisco Ballet is $39 million – each roughly double the National’s paltry annual budget of $15-million.” The Globe & Mail (Canada) 10/31/01

Thirteen years ago Michael Clark was considered “far too radical” to head the Scottish Ballet. “But with the ballet seeking to modernise itself and using the dreaded C word (contemporary) he is rapidly shaping up as an ideal candidate. Obsessed with sex and famous for using atonal indie rock for his compositions, Clark is everything traditional ballet with its orchestras and twee costumes is not.” Scotland on Sunday 10/28/01

William Forsyth established his reputation as a modern choreographer. But now he’s taking on ballet: “A lot of institutions are conservative and frightened. They think they have to protect ballet because it is so delicate. It’s actually very robust. It needs to be tested, not coddled. The mistake of balletic modernity was to avoid bravura. I think you should aim for bravura. If you can dance the shit out of something, that is what you should do.” Financial Times 10/27/01

The National Ballet of Canada is 50 years old. The company is coming out of a severe mid-life crisis after the Kimberly Glasco affair, but its books are balanced and director James Kudelka seems to have a strong direction. Toronto Star 10/27/01

Is the National a good regional company or one that deserves an international reputation? It’s always had first-rank dancers, but money constraints have kept the company from touring and establishing its reputation. Toronto Star 10/27/01

The poor, beat up and beaten-upon Boston Ballet may be coming back strong. The “program that opened last night had the feeling of a fine, fresh start, a triple bill that was about dancers dancing, which hasn’t always been the case in recent seasons so overloaded with decor and plot that the company’s excellent performers couldn’t shine through. They do in this round.” Boston Globe 10/26/01

The city of Phoenix is feeling a bit of a financial pinch, and members of the city council are turning against funding for local arts groups. The city’s ballet and opera companies have been specifically targeted for cuts by two powerful councilmen. Arizona Republic 10/24/01

Ross Stretton’s tenure as director of London’s Royal Ballet officially begins. Already there has been some controversy as a star dancer quits the company. Stretton says he wants to make a more welcoming place for choreographers, but warns there will be some turnover in the company’s ranks next year. The Telegraph (UK) 10/23/01

“Of course there are differences. Ross is a very young man, very active. He teaches class, he coaches, he is in rehearsals. He’s there all the time and you feel his presence constantly. He spends more hours here than we do. And he’s very easy to talk to, he’s very approachable.” The Times (UK) 10/23/01