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Posted on August 26, 2020
Like many others, I was shocked and outraged by the killing in Minneapolis on May 25 of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, by a white police officer who knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. It rightly sparked protests and demonstrations around the world, and highlighted once more the ugly truth about racial discrimination against black and non-white people.
Everybody needs to work harder to achieve equality for all, and this is something that is also true of the dance community – especially classical ballet – which has simply not done enough to diversify the profession and its audiences. In this month’s issue, we publish a personal response to the situation from Ballet Black’s Cira Robinson.
I sincerely hope, over the years, Dancing Times has celebrated and given due recognition to non-white dance professionals, but I’m also conscious the magazine must do more in future, and so we would like to hear from you, our readers, of ways in which we can achieve this – you can contact us by emailing editorial@dancing-times.co.uk.
JONATHAN GRAY
14. From ballerina to baroness… and beyond
Matthew Paluch talks to former Royal Ballet principal Deborah Bull, now Baroness Bull of the House of Lords
18. Black Dancers Matter
A personal response by Cira Robinson
21. Practically perfect
Nicola Rayner hears from choreographer Drew McOnie
44. Lockdown leadership
Alison Gallagher Hughes talks to Marcus Hilton, the new president of the British Dance Council
24. Dance under lockdown
Jonathan Gray concludes his look into how dance professionals are coping with the restrictions of COVID-19
29. Swimming against the stream
Fátima Nollén discovers how Germany’s Ballett Magdeburg is slowly getting back to work after lockdown
33. Adapting and changing
English National Ballet’s Tiffany Hedman talks to Vikki Jane Vile about the health problems she has overcome to continue her career as a dancer
46. Tips on technique
By James Whitehead
47. Technique clinic
By Phil Meacham
48. Simon’s Guide to Swing
Simon Selmon celebrates the career of Chester Whitmore
49. Stepping Out
Marianka Swain profiles Ezekiel Vargas and Carl Terenz Belarmino
50. Somewhere in time
By Jack Reavely
8. News
UK dance after lockdown?
10. Letters
12. Talking point
By Ben Duke
36. FRANCE/dance
By Laura Cappelle
37. Notes from New York
Jack Anderson sees new online creations by Mark Morris and Stephen Petronio
38. Danza in Italia
Graham Spicer meets Carla Fracci
40. Letter from St Petersburg
Igor Stupnikov on life in Russian lockdown
53. Dancer of the Month
Margaret Willis meets freelance dancer Jethro Paine
57. Obituaries
Peter Docherty
59. Products
60. Media
David Mead samples Alternative Let’s Dance International Frontiers
62. Health
Debbie Malina finds out how relaxation can be of benefit for dancers
65. Classifieds
66. Last Dance
We look back to July 1980