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Posted on December 17, 2020
Editorial and contents December 2020
With England well into its second lockdown due to COVID-19, our dance companies have had to put on hold any performances they planned to undertake during the month of November. Hopefully, by the time this latest issue of Dancing Times is published, the country will have a clearer idea of whether this lockdown will be relaxed in time for the festive season, and if we will be able to return to theatres once more. London has no fewer than three different productions of The Nutcracker in the pipeline, showing that even during a pandemic there is no escaping this indestructible Christmas classic!
The autumn saw a flurry of performances in Birmingham, Leeds and London, and this month we not only review the shows, but talk to some of the dancers and choreographers who were able to perform and create works in the theatre before a live audience for the first time since March. We hear from Strictly Come Dancing’s Shirley Ballas, and also from Manuel Legris, the new director at the Ballet of La Scala, Milan; find out how Boston Ballet has coped with lockdown; and discover – in the first half of a two-part article – how Mathilde Kschessinska may have been the hidden hand behind the dismissal of Vaslav Nijinsky from the Imperial Russian Ballet in 1911. Which just leaves me to wish all of our readers a very Merry Christmas!
JONATHAN GRAY
14 – Ready to deliver. Jonathan Gray asks dancers and a choreographer from Northern Ballet and The Royal Ballet what it feels like to be back at work
21 – Behind the sequins. Shirley Ballas talks to Nicola Rayner
24 – Kschessinska versus Nijinsky. Andrew Foster asks if Mathilde Kschessinska was the hidden hand in Vaslav Nijinsky’s dismissal
28 – Transmitting what he knows. Graham Spicer talks to Manuel Legris, the new director of the Ballet of La Scala, Milan
18 – Boston Ballet’s COVID season. Iris Fanger finds out what has been happening at Boston Ballet since lockdown
31 – RAD 100. Eleanor Fitzpatrick highlights the 100th anniversary of the Royal Academy of Dance
54 – A Magical Mystery Tour. From formation to film sets, Robert Grover has certainly led a colourful life. Alison Gallagher-Hughes reports
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 Marianka Swain
60 – Somewhere in time. By Jack Reavely
6 – News. Alina Cojocaru leaves English National Ballet, Win Royal Ballet DVDs
10 – Letters
12 – Talking Point. By Matthew Paluch
35 – Dance Scene International
Reviews include Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet, The Royal Ballet and Hong Kong Ballet
42 – Variety Lights. Barbara Newman visits Michael Clark: Cosmic Dancer
45 – Danza in Italia. By Graham Spicer
46 – FRANCE/dance. By Laura Cappelle
48 – Letter from St Petersburg. By Igor Stupnikov
50 – Notes from New York. By George Dorris and Jack Anderson
63 – Dancer of the Month. Margaret Willis interviews Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Beatrice Parma
67 – Obituaries. Marge Champion, David Toole
70 – Media. Reviews by Deborah Weiss and David Mead
73 – Products
75 – Education. Gielgud Academy, DSOTY 2020 results
76 – Expect the unexpected. By Debbie Malina
79 – Classifieds
80 – Calendar. Our guide to what’s on in the UK and abroad
82 – Last Dance. We look back to December 1980