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Posted on January 4, 2011
As 2011 approaches, we face a year of tremendous change for professional dance in the UK. The new coalition government, elected last May, has implemented sweeping cuts to many publicly-funded organisations in response to the current economic crisis.
Although dance is not mentioned specifically, a press release from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on October 20 announced that the arts community would not be exempt, as it was implementing a 15 per cent reduction to “key sporting and cultural assets” such as “museums and frontline arts organisations”, whilst “focusing resources on the frontline services that the public value” by cutting back on administration and waste. It was hoped, however, that a reformation of the National Lottery would bring “an extra £50 million each to arts, sport and heritage”. As we go to press, many in the arts, including those involved in dance, are in the process of discovering exactly how the cuts will affect the day-to-day running of their organisations, and there are bound to be casualties. Let’s hope, then, that the forthcoming Christmas festivities will be merry, as it might not prove to be a happy New Year for some involved in dance.
Jonathan Gray
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Features
14 Being Ambra. Birmingham Royal Ballet principal dancer Ambra Vallo
talks to Gerald Dowler
21 An Orpheus revived. Stephanie Jordan discovers a solo by Frederick Ashton on YouTube
27 Dance on tour. Zoë Anderson finds out what it’s like to be on tour with a ballet company
31 Ballerina to ballerina. Margaret Willis meets former Bolshoi ballerina Marina Kondratieva
34 Bassano at the Ballet. Robin Francis introduces a new display on dance at the National Portrait Gallery
39 Dancing Times 100. By Mary Clarke
42 Happy Birthday, Dancing Times. By Mary Clarke
45 The controversy surrounding Nicholas Sergeyev and his legacy. By Margaret Fleming
Regulars
6 Dance Matters. Arts Council funding, Birmingham Royal Ballet book competition, Sadler’s Wells
11 Letters
12 Talking Point. This month Meryl Cates looks at how dance is trying to depict itself to a wider audience
24 Dance Health. Debbie Malina continues our health directory for dancers
37 Variety Lights. Kathy Elgin reviews Flashdance – The Musical
51 Dance Scene. Reviews this month include : Birmingham Royal Ballet, and English National Ballet
73 Letter from St Petersburg. Igor Stupnikov sees two visiting companies
75 Dance Media. Books and DVDs reviewed by Jonathan Gray and Barbara Newman
79 Dance People. Frederika Davis
81 Obituaries. Honor Frost, Geoffrey Burgon
83 Dance Education. Molly Lake Award 2010
89 Classifieds
90 Where to Learn
92 Calendar
Into Dance
101 Dancer of the month. StopGAP’s Laura Jones talks to Margaret Willis
104 Taking it further. Zoë Anderson meets the star of Flashdance – The Musical
106 Your Page