Category: dance

“I’m lucky. I signed to do Isadora Duncan’s biography 10 years ago, in another world, nation, century, millennium and life. My agent worked me like a dog on the proposal — he kept sending it back. It’s good, he’d say, but not good enough; more of this, less of that. I came down to New York from Vermont to meet some big editors, but ultimately decided to stay with Little, Brown. For a moment, I felt golden and secure. But I had two secrets no one knew about. The first was that I was dying of AIDS. The second was that I knew nothing about Isadora Duncan; nothing at all.” Salon 11/12/01

“In the United States, at least, dance theater often amounts to mawkish dancing to the choreographer’s own low-grade romantic poetry, clichéd movement interpretations of blundering political rants, or performance art studded with feeble moments of affectless gesture. In each case, the perpetrator pumps up one medium at the expense of the other. But in witty Aerobia, an agile and nuanced relationship develops between the talking and the dancing.” The New York Times 11/11/01 (one-time registration required for access)

Twenty years ago, contemporary dance in Ireland was a backwater proposition. But through shrewd choices of collaborators and an eye for the innovative, Dance Theatre of Ireland has become arguably the hottest company in the country. Sunday Times (UK) 11/04/01

“[T]he dance troupe Todes has found its own niche in Russian estrada, or popular stage dance. Estrada is a unique genre that is possible only in Russia. In the Western dance world, music types and dance types are often more clearly defined. However, estrada mixes styles, bends conventions, and combines everything from folk to classical.” The Moscow Times 11/01/01

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