February 2022

Posted on March 2, 2022

Although there were some performances cancelled in the UK – and abroad – at the end of last year and at the beginning of 2022, it now looks as if things are slowly getting back to normal for many working in the field of dance. New productions, such as English National Ballet’s staging of Raymonda, have finally made it to the stage, and the same can be said for the Ballet of La Scala, Milan, which launched a new production of La Bayadère after various delays and cancellations due to the Omicron variant. 

One long-standing dance institution, MOVE IT, will be back at ExCeL London again next month, and in this issue you can find out what it has planned to entice us back into the exhibition hall. We also hear from choreographers Ben Duke and Mark Bruce, both of whom are about to launch spring tours, and we talk to The Royal Ballet’s Marcelino Sambé about his upcoming appearances in Romeo and Juliet and Swan Lake. 

On a sad note, however, all at Dancing Times were shocked to learn, early in the New Year, of the death of our photographer, Kristyna Kashvili, and we pay a small tribute to her in obituaries.

JONATHAN GRAY

Dancing Times, February 2022 Volume 112 Issue 1338

Cover Stories

16 – One of the family. Royal Ballet principal Marcelino Sambé talks to Gerald Dowler

21 – Standing on a tightrope. Lost Dog’s Ben Duke explains why he is interested in adapting classic texts

25 – MOVE IT 2022. The world’s biggest dance show is back

28 – Stripping himself bare. Craig Revel Horwood interviewed by Nicola Rayner

Features

32 – It comes from dreams. Sanjoy Roy meets choreographer Mark Bruce

Dance Today

60 – From the eye of the storm. Domen Krapez and Natascha Karabey tell Alison Gallagher-Hughes how they went about honing their craft during lockdown 

62 – Tips on technique. By James Whitehead

63 – Technique clinic. By Phil Meacham

64 – Simon’s Guide to Swing. Simon Selmon introduces his friend Rusty Frank

65 – Stepping Out. By Pete Meager 

66 – Somewhere in time. By Jack Reavely

Regulars

6 – News. Tamara Rojo to leave ENB, Rambert in Peaky Blinders

10 – Letters

15 – Talking Point. By Jonathan Nash

37 – Dance Scene International. Reviews this month include English National Ballet, New Adventures, Natalia Osipova in Carmen, The Royal Ballet, The Australian Ballet

48 – Variety Lights. David Jays sees Cabaret in the West End, and Barbara Newman reviews Cirque du Soleil 

50 – Danza in Italia. Graham Spicer sees La Scala’s new production of La Bayadère

52 – FRANCE/dance. Laura Cappelle watches the Paris Opéra Ballet in Don Quixote and The Rite of Spring

54 – Letter from St Petersburg. Igor Stupnikov applauds Angelin Preljocaj’s version of Swan Lake

56 – Notes from New York. Leigh Witchel catches up with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and The Trocks

69 – Dancer of the Month. Margaret Willis interviews Northern Ballet’s Dominique Larose

73 – People. New Year Honours for dance

74 – Obituaries. Kristyna Kashvili, Galina Samsova, Marjorie Tallchief, Rudi Trautz

79 – Media. New books and DVDs

81 – Products

82 – Education. New CEO of the RAD announced, BRB’s Dance Track

84 – Health. Luke Abnett on pain and injuries

87 – Classifieds

88 – Calendar. Our guide to what’s on 

94 – Listings. Where to learn 

98 – Last Dance. We look back to February 1982

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.