Author: Douglas McLennan

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

The Bolshoi’s Maya Plisetskaya was one of the great ballerinas of the 20th Century. “The humiliations she and other artists endured at the hands of government handlers and arts bureaucrats challenge popular notions of the privileged lives of Soviet artists. Always forced to beg — to travel, to prepare new works, to be paid fairly — Plisetskaya and her colleagues more closely resembled Russian serf artists of the 18th century than cultural workers in a modern socialist state.” The New York Times 10/23/01 (one-time registration required for access)

Scottish Ballet says it may ask for an extra £1 million when it submits its budget plan to the Scottish Arts Council next month. The company, which already receives £2.8 million a year from the Council, wants the money to help transform itself from a traditional company to a modern company, despite heavy criticism. The Scotsman 10/22/01

Scottish Ballet management insists on transforming the company from ballet to modern despite overwhelming opposition from all quarters. “The board say there has been consultation but so far the consultation has been very unsatisfactory. The dancers have repeatedly asked for another meeting for the board to explain their decision, but there has been none.” The Scotsman 10/19/01