July 2016

Posted on July 29, 2016

There is a real “summer” feel to this issue of Dancing Times, where we take a look at some of the big dance events about to take place over the next few months. 2016 is the 60^th anniversary of the Bolshoi Ballet’s first visit to the UK, and on page 17 I talk to some of the people who remember that remarkable landmark visit. David Mead previews the annual Sidmouth Folk Festival on page 29, which includes an enormous amount of dance for festival goers to participate in or just to watch, and Marianka Swain looks back on ten years of Big Dance on page 21. Continuing the summer theme, on page 39 Dominic Antonucci reveals what dancers can get up to during their summer breaks, and Nicola Rayner discovers more about the heat of Cuban salsa on page 25. In addition, Martin Cutler begins his verdict on the 2016 Blackpool Dance Festival on page 78, Barbara Newman reviews the new production of The Threepenny Opera at the National Theatre on page 42, and on page 94 we meet The Royal Ballet’s Nicol Edmonds, our Dancer of the Month. Finally, on a sad note, I record the passing of Jackie Mitchell, the much-loved director of Millennium Performing Arts. We will pay tribute to her next month.

JONATHAN GRAY

Dancing Times, July 2016 Volume 106 Issue 1271

Cover stories

17 – 60 years of the Bolshoi. Jonathan Gray looks back to the Bolshoi Ballet’s first visit to London in 1956

21 – Ten Big Years. As the final Big Dance arrives, Marianka Swain examines its history and legacy

78 – British Championships 2016. Martin Cutler assesses the glamour, grace and closely fought battles of Blackpool

Features

25 – Cuba libre. As ¡Vamos Cuba! premieres at Sadler’s Wells, Nicola Rayner explores what makes Cuban salsa unique

29 – Country dancing, morris, clog, sword and more… David Mead looks ahead to Sidmouth Folk Week

33 – Dance united. Zoë Anderson talks to One Dance UK’s Andrew Hurst

35 – Berlin State Ballet School. Jenny Veldhuis pays a visit to a school celebrating its 65th birthday

39 – Pirouetting by the pool? Dominic Antonucci reveals what dancers get up to on their summer holidays

Dance Today

84 – Tips on technique by James Whitehead

85 – Technique clinic by Phil Meacham

86 – Simon’s Guide to Swing by Simon Selmon

87 – Stepping Out by Marianka Swain

88 – Notes from the dance floor

90 – Somewhere in time by Jack Reavely

Regulars

6 – News. BBC Young Dancer 2017, Kenneth Tindall, Robert Robinson’s BalletWorks

13 – Letters

15 – Talking Point by Leigh Witchel

42 – Variety Lights. Barbara Newman reviews The Buskers Opera and The Threepenny Opera

45 – Letter from St Petersburg by Igor Stupnikov

47 – Notes from New York by Jack Anderson

49 – Media. Bryan Allen hears some new ballroom and Latin CDs

51 – Dance Scene. Reviews this month include: International Dance Festival Birmingham, Northern Ballet in 1984 and Jane Eyre, Urban Bush Women, Jekyll and Hyde, The Royal Ballet and Zurich Ballet

93 – People. Blue plaques unveiled for Frederick Ashton and Margot Fonteyn

94 – Dancer of the Month. Margaret Willis meets The Royal Ballet’s Nicol Edmonds

98 – Obituaries. Eloy Pericet Blanco, Jacqueline Matthews, Geneviève Salbaing, Peggy Spencer

101 – Products

104 – Education. Legat School, Verve, bbodance, London Children’s Ballet

108 – Health. Debbie Malina looks at some of the factors that can lead to muscle cramp

111 – Classified

112 – Calendar

118 – Listings

122 – Last Dance

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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.