April 2021

Posted on April 29, 2021

In this issue, we begin a four-part series on diversifying dance. Many months in preparation, and inspired by the stance members of the dance community took in response to the Black Lives Matter protests held last summer following the murder in the US of George Floyd, I am delighted Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp, with his extensive knowledge of the UK’s dance sector, has agreed to take on this project for Dancing Times. My ambition is that the series will act as a catalyst for a larger debate around the subject from others working on the UK’s dance scene. 

As the take up of COVID-19 vaccinations continues to be a success, thanks to all the work done by our wonderful NHS, there are signs – following the “false dawn” of last autumn – that, all being well, dance companies will soon be able to perform once more in the UK. Ballet Theatre UK, Northern Ballet and The Royal Ballet have all announced upcoming performances in the pipeline, and a number of musicals are also promising to be back on stage very soon. More worrying, however, is the news that the internationally important Theatre and Performance collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum may be dissolved following restructuring of the museum’s curatorial departments due to a £10 million deficit caused by the pandemic. To read more on this, and also to find out about the online petition launched in protest of this happening, see News.

JONATHAN GRAY

Dancing Times, April 2021 Volume 111 Issue 1328

Cover Stories

16 – Diversifying dance. Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp introduces a new series

20 – Virtual winner. Teresa Guerreiro catches up with Prix de Lausanne winner António Casalinho

30 – Staying close. David Mead interviews Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Marion Tait

52 – The politics of dancing. Alison Gallagher-Hughes meets Arunas Bizokas

Features

26 – Heartbeats in percussion. Nicola Rayner finds out about boleadoras from Sarah Louis-Jean

34 – Learning from lockdown. Deborah Weiss talks to Kate Simmons of KS Dance

38 – Rambert’s Rooms. Photographs by Camilla Greenwell

Dance Today

56 – Tips on technique. By James Whitehead

57 – Technique clinic. By Phil Meacham

58 – Simon’s Guide to Swing. By Simon Selmon

59 – Stepping Out. By Pete Meager

60 – Somewhere in time. By Jack Reavely

Regulars

6 – News. Royal Ballet plans, new assistant director for BRB, Aljaž and Janette on screen

12 – Letters

15 – Talking Point. By Nathalie Harrison

41 – Dance Scene International. Sarasota Ballet

44 – FRANCE/dance. By Laura Cappelle

46 – Letter from St Petersburg. By Igor Stupnikov

48 – Notes from New York. By Jack Anderson

63 – Dancer of the Month. Margaret Willis meets Northern Ballet’s Mariana Rodrigues

66 – Obituaries. Patrick Dupond, Jimmy Gamonet de los Heros

68 – Media. Matthew Paluch reviews Performance Psychology for Dancers

71 – Products

72 – Education. Rambert School

74 – Health. Debbie Malina looks at golf

77 – Classifieds

78 – Calendar

82 – Last Dance. We look back to April 1981

Simon Oliver

Simon Oliver has been production editor of Dancing Times since 2010 and is highly experienced in design across print and online magazine production. Throughout his career, Simon has worked on a diverse range of subjects including music, family history, book collecting and poker.