March 2014

Posted on April 2, 2014

Welcome to this bumper edition of Dancing Times which, in addition to all our usual outlets, can also be seen by a projected 20,000 visitors at MOVE IT, the annual dance exhibition held at Olympia in London from March 7 to 9, and for which the magazine has been a media sponsor since its inception. This month, we talk to ballet superstar Ivan Vasiliev on the eve of his appearance at the London Coliseum in Kings of the Dance alongside four other male ballet stars, as well as former Bolshoi ballerina Svetlana Lunkina.

Vasiliev talks about the freedom he has found since becoming a freelance dancer, and reveals that one role on his wish list is Crown Prince Rudolf in Kenneth MacMillan’s Mayerling. In addition, we take a look at the work of Verve, the postgraduate dance company based at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, and celebrate the 25th anniversary of English National Ballet School. We also review a wide-range of recent dance performances, including Natalia Osipova’s debut in The Royal Ballet’s production of Giselle (see also Letters), as well as two new London shows, Drunk and Stephen Ward. Finally, we reveal the winners of the National Dance Awards, including the Dancing Times Award for Best Male Dancer.

JONATHAN GRAY

March 2014 Volume 104 Issue 1243

Cover stories

15 King of the dance. Zoë Anderson talks to Ivan Vasiliev on the eve of his apperance in Kings of the Dance at the London Coliseum

21 National Dance Awards 2013. Zoë Anderson reveals the winners of the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards held at The Place

25 Always alert. Kevin Berry pays a visit to the postgraduate dance company, Verve, at its headquarters at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance

41 Surpassing its potential. Laura Dodge visits English National Ballet School as it celebrates its 25th anniversary

Features

19 MOVE IT 2014

29 A page turning career. Choreographer Ashley Page talks to Paul Arrowsmith

35 Tappers feel the difference! Harlequin Floors in conversation with Tap Attack

39 What if… Gerald Dowler wonders what if there had been no Rudolf Nureyev

45 Ashton in Sarasota. Leigh Witchel on Sarasota Ballet’s Ashton Festival

Regulars

7 Dance Matters. BBC ballet season

10 Letters

12 Talking Point. Bill Harpe on dance and slavery

48 Dance Scene. Reviews include The Royal Ballet and National Ballet of Canada

71 Letter from St Petersburg. Igor Stupnikov salutes some Maryinsky dancers

73 Variety Lights. Barbara Newman sees Drunk and Stephen Ward

75 Dance Media. New books and DVDs

77 Dance People. Klimentová and Muntagirov

79 Obituaries. Jean Babilée, Peter O’Brien

81 Dance Health. Debbie Malina considers massage and masseurs

87 Dance Education. RAD, Motionhouse

93 Classifieds

94 Where to Learn

103 Calendar

Into Dance

97 Dancer of the Month. Margaret Willis meets Stuttgart Ballet’s Daniel Camargo

100 Lord of the Flies. Zoë Anderson talks to Scott Ambler of New Adventures

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.