February 2018

Posted on February 28, 2018

Editorial and contents February 2018

I often wonder what dance in the UK would be like without South America. This might sound far-fetched, but it’s worth remembering that Frederick Ashton, our greatest choreographer who did so much to distil what we now think of as the “British” style through the works he created on The Royal Ballet and other companies, experienced the artform for the first time in Lima, Peru, where the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova “injected him with her poison”. Throughout the 20th century, dances from the Latin American countries made a huge impact on the social dancing scene in Europe and North America, and where would we be now without the Argentine tango, the salsa, the cha cha cha or the samba? The continent provides the world with some incredible dancers, and in this issue of Dancing Times we begin what I hope will eventually be a fuller exploration of dance originating from South America. Beginning with an interview with Thiago Soares, the Brazilian-born and trained principal of The Royal Ballet, we then continue to Argentina to look at South America’s oldest ballet company, the Ballet Estable del Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. We look at tango as well.

I’m also delighted to launch this month a new regular column, Danza in Italia, in which Graham Spicer, the Milan-based writer, shares his views on the dance events taking place in Italy. I hope you enjoy it.

JONATHAN GRAY, EDITOR

Dancing Times, February 2018 Volume 108 Issue 1290

Cover Stories

17 – Embracing change. Gerald Dowler meets The Royal Ballet principal Thiago Soares

23 – A new spark. In the first of a two-part series about the ballet scene in Argentina, Fatima Nollen looks at the Ballet Estable del Teatro Colón

76 – Tango connections. Marianka Swain talks tango movement and music with master Germán Cornejo

Features

29 – MOVE IT 2018. Introducing MOVE IT PRO

31 – Everyone welcome. Zoë Anderson explores the concept of relaxed performances for ballet

37 – A born winner. Nicola Rayner talks to Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice

40 – Finding beauty in darkness. David Mead talks to choreographer Mark Bruce

Dance Today

80 – Sitting in judgement. Alison Gallagher-Hughes joins the panel for Strictly Stafford

82 – Tips on technique. By James Whitehead

83 – Technique clinic. By Phil Meacham

84 – Simon’s Guide to Swing. By Simon Selmon

85 – Stepping Out. By Marianka Swain

86 – Notes from the dance floor. Sparkle Design Awards Day

88 – Somewhere in time. By Jack Reavely

Regulars

6 – News. Departures from New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and The Trocks

12 – Letters

15 – Talking Point. By Prue Skene

44 – FRANCE/dance. Laura Cappelle sees Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo

46 – Danza in Italia. A new column on the Italian dance scene by Graham Spicer

48 – Letter from St Petersburg. By Igor Stupnikov

51 – Notes from New York. By Jack Anderson

53 – Media. By Bryan Allen

55 – Dance Scene. Reviews include Sergei Polunin, English National Ballet, New Adventures

91 – People. Chase Johnsey, New Year Honours

92 – Dancer of the Month. Margaret Willis meets Cordelia Braithwaite of New Adventures

96 – Obituaries. Adam Darius, Karin von Aroldingen, Tamara Nijinsky

99 – Products

101 – Education. KS Dance, Ballet Central 2018 tour, Ballet West, Cecchetti Awards

105 – Health. Debbie Malina considers potential risks when seeking to improve fitness levels with extreme or high intensity workouts

109 – Classified

111 – Calendar. Our guide to what’s on in the UK and abroad

118 – Listings

122 – Last Dance. We look back to February 1978