February 2009

Posted on January 4, 2009

Sheila Cross’ Talking Point, which we published last month, examined the Friends organisations of UK dance companies and has certainly stimulated a response from readers. With letters still arriving at the Dancing Times office, it appears many of you concur with the conclusions Sheila arrived at. It was a brave piece for her to write, and I salute her courage in publicly expressing what many had voiced privately. You can read just a selection of the letters received in a specially expanded Letters to the Editor (pages 10-11). On page 12, Mindy Aloff writes a very different, but equally interesting Talking Point column.

This month, we pay tribute to two great ladies of the UK dance world. Incredibly, Dame Antoinette Sibley will be 70 this month. A treasured artist of The Royal Ballet, I feel privileged to have seen her dance on several occasions towards the end of her career. Her performances in Manon, The Dream, Enigma Variations, A Month in the Country and Raymonda Act III remain vividly in my memory. See pages 14-18 for Gerald Dowler’s interview. Lea Anderson’s choreography for The Cholmondeleys and The Featherstonehaughs also makes a vivid impression, and this year marks the 25th anniversary of her all-female dance company. She talks with David Jays about her inspiration to create on pages 26-27. Also this month, Zoë Anderson discovers more about audio described dance performances on page 21-25.

Jonathan Gray

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Features

14 Sibley at seventy. Dame Antoinette Sibley talks to Gerald Dowler

21 Listen to dance. Zoë Anderson looks at audio description for dance

26 “The stupidest name in dance.” David Jays talks to Lea Anderson

29 Try a class at MOVE IT. Exhibition preview

31 ROH Collections online. Francesca Franchi and Chris Jones introduce a new online resource

35 Dancing Around Europe. Part 5. By Louise Bennett

39 New Releases. Dance in the Renaissance reviewed by Madeleine Inglehearn and Shoot Me While I’m Happy reviewed by Barbara Newman

43 Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev. Part 4. Researched by Sarah Woodcock

47 Another Opening. A Little Night Music reviewed by Barbara Newman

51 DanceScene International.
UK: English National Ballet, The Thief of Baghdad, Stomp, The Royal Ballet, New Adventures OVERSEAS: City Contemporary Dance Company, Hong Kong Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Bavarian State Ballet, Benjamin Millepied Danses Concertantes, Paris Opéra Ballet ON SCREEN: The Royal Ballet, Maryinsky Theatre

75 Obituary. Olga Lepeshinskaya, Daniel Nagrin, Phyllida Ritter, Eartha Kitt

Regulars

6 Dancematters. Rambert Dance

10 Letters to the Editor

12 Talking Point. By Mindy Aloff

71 Letter from St Petersburg. By Igor Stupnikov

73 Miscellany.
Yorkshire Ballet Summer School

79 Teachers & Training. Northern Ballet School, Millennium, Dance Medicine
conference

83 Classified

84 Where to Learn

86 Calendar

97 Book & DVD

Into Dance

101 IntoDance. Lines of Vision. A special feature by Zoë Anderson

104 Dancer of the Month – Quenby Hersh.
Interviewed by Margaret Willis

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.