May 2011

Posted on May 24, 2011

Many of you will have read about the recent cuts in arts funding by Arts Council England in the national press. There will undoubtedly be difficult times ahead for all varieties and disciplines of the arts, but this will be especially true for organisations, such as Dance Umbrella which has lost a huge percentage of its funding, or Lea Anderson’s The Cholmondeleys and The Feathersonehaughs, which will no longer be funded by Arts Council England at all.

Difficult choices have obviously been made, but any right-minded person will draw their own conclusions as to the wisdom of some of the decisions. In Dance Matters, we give a broad overview of the current financial situation for publicly funded dance in England. Also in this month’s magazine, English National Ballet’s Sarah McIlroy talks to Gerald Dowler, and the ballerina was photographed exclusively for Dancing Times at ENB headquarters by Tim Cross. We also learn about Houston Ballet’s exciting new Center for Dance, and in Talking Point, Maxine Room writes about dance education in the age of austerity.

JONATHAN GRAY

Contents

May 2011 Volume 101 Issue 1209 

Features

14 The dancer who grew up. English National Ballet’s Sarah McIlroy interviewed by Gerald Dowler

21 A new home for Houston Ballet. Jonathan Gray visits Houston’s state-of-the-art Center for Dance

27 Life on the road with Ballet Central. By Daniel Pratt

31 On her own terms. Bern Ballet’s Cathy Marston talks to Ian Palmer about choreography and directing

37 More than a lady and a fool. Paul Arrowsmith discovers that, surprisingly, there are many Verdi ballets to explore 

Regulars

6 Dance Matters. This month: Arts Council cuts, Black Swan DVD competition, Royal Ballet’s new season

10 Letters

13 Talking Point. This month, Maxine Room on dance education in the age of austerity

34 Dance Health. Debbie Malina continues our health directory for dancers

43 Dance Scene. Reviews this month include : English National Ballet, Ailey 2, Balletboyz – The Talent, Boston Ballet, and Pina

61 Letter from St Petersburg. Igor Stupnikov at the Mikhailovsky

63 Dance Media. Reginald Massey reviews My Journey in Dance by Guru Pratap Pawar

65 Dance People. German Dance Prize

67 Obituaries. Ángel Pericet Blanco, Matteo Marcellus  Vittucci, Cynthia Vittles

71 Dance Education. Young British Dancer of the Year

75 Classifieds

76 Where to Learn

79 Calendar

Into Dance

85 Dancer of the Month. The Balletboyz’s Matt Rees interviewed by Margaret Willis

88 Roses by Paul Taylor. By Zoë Anderson

90 Your Page

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.