August 2016

Posted on September 5, 2016

On June 23, 2016, the British electorate voted – by a small margin – to leave the European Union. It’s something of an understatement to say that the result has caused consternation within the country, as well as a certain degree of anxiety and uncertainty as to what will happen next. Undoubtedly many things will change, but in this issue of Dancing Times, on pages 15 and 25, we take a look at how the Brexit result may affect dance in the UK – both on stage and in the classrooms. It’s also a subject I’m sure we will be coming back to in the months and years ahead.

In addition, we offer you a preview of the Shanghai Ballet, who will be performing at the London Coliseum later this month, a trip to Spain to find out more about duende, that elusive spirit of flamenco, plus advice on how best to cure some of your dance-phobic friends of their malady. We also conclude our report on the 2016 Blackpool Dance Festival, review dance performances in Bristol, London, Solihull, Copenhagen, Ghent, Hong Kong, New York, Paris, St Petersburg and Stuttgart, and step back in time to discover just how rowdy theatre audiences were in the past.

Inside this issue

Dancing Times, August 2016 Volume 106 Issue 1272

Cover stories

15 – Talking Point by Graham Watts

16 – Layers of skin. Shanghai style uncovered by Paul Arrowsmith

29 – How to cure dance phobia. Marianka Swain shares her tips

33 – Variety Lights. Barbara Newman reviews Disney’s Aladdin in the West End

Features

21 – In search of the elusive elf. Graham Watts goes looking for duende

25 – “Uncertainty is the biggest problem”. Nicola Rayner hears from ballroom, Latin and flamenco dancers and promoters about their fears and feelings about Brexit

Dance Today

62 – British Championships 2016. Martin Cutler concludes his report from the Blackpool Dance Festival

67 – Picture perfect. Alison Gallagher-Hughes goes behind the scenes at DSI TV

70 – Simon’s Guide to Swing by Simon Selmon

71 – Stepping Out by Marianka Swain

72 – Tips on technique by James Whitehead

73 – Technique clinic by Phil Meacham

74 – Somewhere in time by Jack Reavely

Regulars

6 – News. More on Brexit’s impact on dance, Strictly Come Dancing, Will Tuckett’s Nutcracker

12 – Letters

35 – Letter from St Petersburg. Igor Stupnikov reviews three new ballets by Ivan Vasiliev

37 – Notes from New York. Jack Anderson sees American Ballet Theatre in The Golden Cockerel

39 – Media. Zoë Anderson reviews the book Mark Morris – Musician Choreographer

41 – Dance Scene. Reviews this month include Ballet Theatre UK, Natalia Osipova and Sergei Polunin, LA Dance Project, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, New York City Ballet in Paris, Paris Opéra Ballet

77 – People. Promotions and farewells at Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Northern Ballet

78 – Dancer of the Month. Margaret Willis talks to Rambert’s Brenda Lee Grech

82 – Obituaries. Jill Anne Bowden, Desmond Heeley, Jacki Mitchell

85 – Products

86 – Education. Ballet West, Performers College, London School of Salsa, RAD’s QEII Award to Sir Matthew Bourne

91 – Audiences behaving badly. Debbie Malina discovers theatre and dance audiences have always had attitude

95 – Classified

96 – Calendar

102 – Listings

106 – Last Dance. We look back to August 1976

Simon Oliver

Simon Oliver has been production editor of Dancing Times since 2010 and is 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 even poker.