January 2021

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

Dancing Times, January 2021 Volume 111 Issue 1325

Cover Stories

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

Features

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

Dance Today

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

Regulars

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

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.