2010 Editorials
April 2010
It was good to meet so many readers of Dancing Times and sister magazine Dance Today at this year’s MOVE IT event, and gratifying to hear how much you all enjoy the magazine – long may it continue! There is a contemporary dance slant to the contents of this month’s magazine, including an interview with leading US-choreographer Mark Morris on page 14; a preview on page 45 of an intriguing dance project in the north west exploring the problems of overcoming addiction; and on page 33 Zoë Anderson talks to contemporary dancer Amy Hollingsworth, who has recently announced her retirement from the stage. On page 38, Steven McRae, principal dancer with The Royal Ballet, writes about the day he spent recently at The Royal Ballet Lower School; and in Talking Point, Louise Levene gives us her very personal reflections on the large amount of dance seen recently on television. Readers may also like to know that Dancing Times and Dance Today have recently launched their own fan pages on Facebook. Over 200 of you have already signed up to become “fans”, but it would be great to see even more of you! Jonathan Gray
|
|||||||
|
Some sad news to begin with this month. New English Contemporary Ballet, who did such sterling work in bringing ballet to audiences in the East Midlands region, and who lost its Arts Council funding so disgracefully last year, is to close. Published on the company website is a stark announcement that NECB has gone into creditors’ voluntary liquidation. It is a sad state of affairs when Arts Council East Midlands feels able to fund a dance company that is partly based in Belgium, but cannot find funds to support a “home-grown” ensemble. 
I hope the recent bad weather the UK experienced didn’t prove too disruptive for readers of Dancing Times. It certainly didn’t deter the audience for English National Ballet’s The Snow Queen at the London Coliseum on January 8 – the house was completely packed, proving that people will overcome many obstacles just to get to a performance. On page 15 of this issue, Gerald Dowler talks to Elena Glurdjidze, ENB’s senior principal dancer, about her life and career. To celebrate, the magazine also commissioned a series of stunning new photographs of the dancer in her Snow Queen costume by Elliott Franks, and I think you will agree they do full justice to this wonderful artist. There is a definite international feel to the magazine this month, with a number of articles and reviews highlighting dance events in Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Russia, Scotland, and the US, showing dance is as universally and extensively popular as ever. Finally, coming to a conclusion with this magazine is Sarah Woodcock’s invaluable itinerary of Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, which has proved an eye-opener into the life of that extraordinary, remarkable company. The articles have been a labour of love, and Sarah must be applauded for the thorough and extensive research she has undertaken to bring it to our pages. Finally, for a flavour of what Dancing Times was like in the 1920s, turn to page 33!
As we enter the New Year, Dancing Times moves into its 100th year. This month we mark our centenary with the first of a series of ten short articles by Mary Clarke, editor emeritus, who looks back at the history of the magazine, decade by decade, before reaching the present day in October. The 40th anniversary of The Place is here featured on page 23 in an article by Ian Palmer, and on page 33 Zoë Anderson investigates how dance is surviving the recession in the first of a two-part series. Anthony Crickmay is one of the world’s finest photographers of dance and dancers and he very kindly agreed to give a rare interview about his illustrious career to Sarah Woodcock, which can be read on page 15. 