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Posted on January 28, 2021
Editorial and contents January 2021
I won’t be the only one glad to see the back of 2020. The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating effect on the lives of everyone, including those working in the dance profession, but with the promise of better times on the horizon with an effective vaccine, let’s hope life will become a little more certain in the coming months, and that we will, finally, be able to go back to some kind of normality.
The performing arts are indeed showing signs of being able to make a return to the stage this month in the UK, with a number of West End musicals reopening in London. As the country is still divided into different tiers of lockdown, however, some enterprising companies, such as Birmingham Royal Ballet, sadly had to cancel hoped-for seasons over the Christmas holidays, proving how difficult it is at the moment for them to plan ahead.
We don’t escape the pandemic this month in Dancing Times, with reports from France and the US on how dance is coping with COVID-19, but we do learn from Rebecca Haw how it is still possible for dance graduates to audition for jobs. Lastly, I would like to apologise to subscribers whose December magazine arrived very late. Everything was printed and sent out from the printers on schedule; unfortunately, we were all let down by the postal service.
JONATHAN GRAY
17 – Stepping forward. Deborah Weiss finds out about Audition Educator, a new online programme created by Rebecca Haw
20 – Kschessinska versus Nijinsky. Andrew Foster concludes his article on Vaslav Nijinsky’s dismissal from the Imperial Russian Ballet
25 – Positive changes. Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Dominic Antonucci explains how he took up boxing to help get back in shape
29 – Kicking the door down. Nicola Rayner hears from Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse
34 – Stronger together. Sarasota Ballet’s Daniel Pratt offers a view of how dance companies in the US have been coping with the coronavirus pandemic
38 – Swans by a lake. A photographic essay by Kristyna Kashvili
52 – Strictly speaking. Marianka Swain looks back at the 2020 season
54 – Tips on technique. By James Whitehead
55 – Technique clinic. By Phil Meacham
56 – Simon’s Guide to Swing. By Simon Selmon
57 – Stepping Out. By Marianka Swain
58 – Memories from the dance floor. By Derek Young
60 – Somewhere in time. By Jack Reavely
8 – News. Marion Tait steps down, Dane Hurst becomes new director of Phoenix
12 – Letters
14 – Talking Point. By Gavin McCaig
41 – Dance Scene International. The Royal Danish Ballet
45 – FRANCE/dance. By Laura Cappelle
47 – Notes from New York. By Jack Anderson
48 – Letter from St Petersburg. By Igor Stupnikov
63 – Dancer of the Month. Margaret Willis interviews The Royal Ballet’s David Donnelly
66 – Obituaries. Patricia Beatty, Diana Payne-Myers, Susan Robinson
69 – Media. New CDs and DVDs
73 – Products
75 – Education. Prix de Lausanne goes online
76 – Health. Debbie Malina considers why the hip is such an essential part of the body
79 – Classifieds
80 – Calendar. Our guide to what’s on in the UK and abroad
82 – Last Dance. We look back to January 1981