December 2010

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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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

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

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

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.