April 2012

Posted on April 24, 2012

Aspects of The Royal Ballet are featured in the April issue of the magazine. On page 15, Zoë Anderson talks to principal dancer Steven McRae, who won the Dancing Times Best Male Dancer Award at the recent Critics’ Circle Dance Awards; Margaret Willis meets Royal Ballet soloist Akane Takada for our Dancer of the Month interview on page 85; Lynn Seymour offers typically forthright opinions on the company in her “Notes for the future” on page 35, and in Dance Matters we reveal the company’s plans for the 2012/13 season, its first under the direction of Kevin O’Hare.

We also report the resignation of Wayne Eagling as artistic director of English National Ballet, a company he has led with distinction since 2005. This unwelcome news, coming so soon after the departure of ENB’s former managing director, Craig Hassall, and the indecently short deadline allowed potential candidates to apply for Eagling’s job, must lead one to question the direction and suitability of ENB’s Board. Finally, on page 13, we offer a Talking Point from Count Hubert Hohenlohe von Hohenthau that should be read on April 1.

JONATHAN GRAY

Features

15 Part of it for longer. The Royal Ballet’s Steven McRae interviewed by Zoë Anderson

21 The development of young talented dancers. By Imogen Walker, Sanna Nordin-Bates and Emma Redding

25 Vital light. Fusing light and dance by Paul Arrowsmith

31 Cracking the ice of Russian ballet. Ian Palmer travelled to St Petersburg to meet Boris Eifman on the eve of his company’s London season

35 Notes for the future. Lynn Seymour offers some points of view for consideration by The Royal Ballet

6 Dance Matters. The Royal Ballet plans, Wayne Eagling resigns from English National Ballet

10 Letters

13 Talking Point. Count Hubert Hohenlohe von Hohenthau writes a column for April 1

19 Variety Lights. Barbara Newman on English National Opera’s The Death of Klinghoffer

39 Dance Health. Debbie Malina investigates Shiatsu Massage, and looks at why it is especially beneficial for dancers

43 Dance Scene. Reviews this month include : Aakash Odedra, Ballet Black, and Ballet Arizona

61 Letter from St Petersburg. Igor Stupnikov at the Maryinsky

63 Dance Media. New DVDs reviewed by Jonathan Gray

65 Dance People. ENB’s Emerging Dancer Award

67 Obituaries. Leonard Rosoman, Natasha Lisakova, Shaun O’Brien, Tatiana Golikova

71 Dance Education. International Dance Teachers’ Conference

75 Classifieds

76 Where to Learn

79 Calendar

85 Dancer of the Month. The Royal Ballet’s Akane Takada interviewed by Margaret Willis

88 My First Sleeping Beauty. By Laura Dodge

90 Your Page

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.