Category: dance

As Kevin O’Hare moves from administrative work into the directorship of the UK’s Royal Ballet, he’s thinking about money, sports science, and how much of an advantage it is not to be a choreographer.

On the tropical islands, “performances by children, but not by adolescent girls, would be acceptable, along with military parades, singing the national anthem and performances by scouts and girl guides.”

Marina Harss: “Sadly, that characterization is probably true: Martha Graham died in 1991, and Merce Cunningham in 2009. Who else is there? The dance world has moved on. Rare is the choreographer who builds a unique, personal vocabulary of movement, a signature style brought into play in piece after piece, or who can sustain a regular stable of dancers.”

A new study “suggests that a funding method called ‘fiscal sponsorship’ is overtaking the traditional non-profit model for dance organizations in the city. The majority of the city’s dancemakers now operate without their own non-profit status, instead opting for protection under the umbrella of a larger public charity.”

“Dance New Amsterdam, a nonprofit dance company and school in lower Manhattan, on Wednesday announced a five-year debt recovery plan to try and win over potential donors. The plan includes increasing class and theater attendance, increasing business hours, attaining corporate sponsorship and maximizing space rental.”

Christopher Hampson, the new artistic director of Scottish Ballet, “announced plans for a new work based on the story of Hansel and Gretel – his first full-length choreography for the company and the first large-scale ballet to be based on the fairytale.”

Choreographer Nora Chipaumire’s Miriam, which she describes as “a solo for two people,” is definitely a translation rather than a representation of the late South African singing star. “[V]iewers of workshop showings … complained to Ms. Chipaumire that they couldn’t find Makeba at all … [and] Omar Sosa’s score, which runs from dense percussion to ruminative electric piano, refers to Bach’s music but not Makeba’s.”

“This year’s Dance Umbrella could, however, be one of the most creative yet, even though [artistic director Betsy] Gregory has been forced to present a starkly pared-down programme. The festival, which starts next month, will be just 10 days long, rather than the usual month, and will be centred on one location.”

Jin Xing “may be the only acclaimed contemporary dancer capable of blowing up a bridge. Though she is just 43, Jin’s life has spanned numerous roles, two continents and, most famously, both genders.”

Luke Jennings: “There is not a single director of a UK ballet company who wouldn’t jump at a talented black or mixed-race dancer. … For UK ballet directors and choreographers, the issue is one of line and style. The physique and technique have to fit, not the skin tone.”