Category: dance

“In this exuberant subculture, a centuries-old practice has evolved into a tightly regulated hybrid of art, sport and beauty pageant for which many dancers, regardless of their heritage, train with the drive of professional athletes.”

“Unseen for 55 years and thought missing, it is a classical ballet scene that should melt hearts – the moment when a handsome prince leans over and wakes up Margot Fonteyn’s Sleeping Beauty with a quick but tender kiss.” And we can watch it online next month.

A theatre company in northern England works clogging and Morris dancing into most of its productions – from Shakespeare’s history plays (the houses of York and Lancaster did battle with their wooden shoes) to a new script about the First World War.

“Two grandes dames of [British] classical ballet” – Gillian Lynne and Beryl Grey – “have ridiculed repeated claims that today’s dancers are driven to exhaustion and starvation and say pushing them to the limit is the nature of the art.”

Judith Mackrell: “There’s no doubting the heroic stamina and toughness of generations like theirs but it is important to point out that ballet has itself got tougher. In the 21st century, dancers – like athletes and sportspeople – are pushed to higher levels of achievement, speed and strength. They also dance a much more varied repertory than Lynne and Grey ever did.”

“In the last decade, dance on TV has become popular, sometimes wildly so. Dancing With the Stars launched in 2004 and is one of Nielsen’s highest-rated primetime programs. So You Think You Can Dance (2005) has had rating ups and downs but its contestants are generally exceptional and it has a strong fan base.”

Lyn Gardner has what’s probably the best answer.

It wasn’t just another weird pastime: for a time, it figured to become a real Olympic sport. (includes video)

“Five years on, what once seemed unlikely has happened. The two men who stepped up to the artistic directorship [after Bausch died suddenly] … have handed over the reins of the company to another former dancer, Lutz Förster. The transition appears seamless: the company continues to perform to the highest standards, and is more popular than it has ever been.”

“After 16 years as a highflier at New York’s famed American Ballet Theatre, José Manuel Carreño has landed a new role: trying to get the struggling Ballet San Jose back on its feet.”