Author: Douglas McLennan

“Dazzling eyes, delicate bones and finer poise than the silver lady on a Rolls-Royce: I met Dame Margot Fonteyn on the eve of her death at the age of 71 and was blown away by her fragile grace. Nobody since has matched it – until Friday, when I met the 19-year-old dancer who has just been made prima ballerina of the Royal Ballet and who is already spoken of as the new Fonteyn.” The Sunday Times of London

Ballet Chicago is, to put it bluntly, little more than an afterthought in the Chicago dance scene these days. The company, founded as Chicago City Ballet in 1974, has always relied on a classic, Balanchine-esque style of performance in an industry that is constantly reinventing itself. But years of mismanagement and organizational chaos left the troupe in shambles, and in danger of vanishing completely. Now, backed by its successful training academy for young dancers, Ballet Chicago hopes to rise from the ashes of its past failures. Chicago Tribune

American Ballet Theatre was thought to have conquered the problems which only a few years ago threatened the company. “But in the last nine months this 61-year-old New York institution, which begins an eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House on April 30, has started to exhibit a new cycle of strains. It has quietly canceled plans for an expensive new production of Sleeping Beauty next season. Its cash reserves have dropped by half. And nearly three-quarters of its staff members have departed in a steady exodus.” The New York Times (one-time registration required for access)

The newest principal dancer of England’s Royal Ballet is 19-year-old Romanian phenom Alina Cojocara. Her rise from corps dancer to soloist to principal has been meteoric, and her powerful performances have captivated public and professionals alike. BBC

“A surprising number of recent productions in Britain suggest that choreographers are finding themselves less entranced by the perfect limbs of 20-year-olds than by the dramatic and physical possibilities of bodies that have been lived in.” The Guardian

The Bolshoi Ballet’s upcoming tour of Britain “is a bit of a mess, adding to the general impression that for the past decade the Bolshoi has not handled its tours to Britain with the style and aplomb of the Kirov.” The Telegraph (London)

Impressario Raymond Gubbay is bringing the Bolshoi to London for a week. But the critics are already sniffing at the self-styles “people’s impressario.” The reason – it’s not the entire Bolshoi, only a pared down group. And they’ll only be dancing a hits-of-the-hits program. The Independent (London)

A year of turmoil at the top and unsettled artistic fortunes. New York Times (one-time registration required for access)

For his final production, outgoing English National Ballet director Derek Deane had planned a provocative new Romeo and Juliet in which the main dancers ended up nude onstage. But then allegations that Deane had harassed a junior soloist surfaced and now the original production has been canceled. Sunday Times (London)

“Emil De Cou, the San Francisco Ballet’s acting music director and conductor since 1998, will leave the company after the Paris tour next month…The San Francisco Ballet has been without a permanent music director since the late Denis de Coteau retired in 1999.” San Francisco Chronicle