October 2019

Posted on October 24, 2019

Editorial and contents October 2019

As this summer drew to an end, the subject of the masculinity and sexuality of male ballet dancers reared its head following some ill-chosen words uttered by a foolish television presenter on ABC’s Good Morning America. Said in relation to a story about how much six-year-old Prince George loved his ballet lessons at school, her comments caused outrage around the world. The dance community demanded an apology and went on to highlight strenuously that it’s OK for men and boys to do ballet if they want to. Reassuring as all this was, I was saddened a stronger case wasn’t made that it’s irrelevant whether a male ballet dancer is gay or not; the dance world, once again, played cautiously with the fact there have always been gay men working in ballet by overly insisting that – with all their strength and physicality – male ballet dancers are real men, as if the two were incompatible. Matthew Paluch bravely tackles the subject of ballet’s internalised homophobia this month in his “There’s a elephant in the room, and it’s gay”.

Elsewhere in Dancing Times, as we move into our 110th volume, we look at how dance can best be preserved for the future with the help of choreographer Chistopher Wheeldon, répétiteur Julie Lincoln, and the Swiss Archive of the Performing Arts, and hear from the parents dedicating their lives to supporting their child’s dream of becoming a dancer.

JONATHAN GRAY

Dancing Times, October 2019 Volume 110 Issue 1310

Cover Stories

17 – A new light shines on Spanish ballet. Graham Watts talks to Joaquín De Luz

29 – There’s an elephant in the room, and it’s gay. Matthew Paluch thinks ballet should stop being in denial over gay men

45 – Dance Scene. Reviews include the Edinburgh International Festival

Features

20 – Speaking of the Bolshoi. Margaret Willis meets Katerina Novikova, head of press for the Bolshoi Ballet

24 – Old-school style. Nicola Rayner interviews choreographer Stephen Mear

33 – Past Present Future. Paul Arrowsmith explores the Swiss Archive of Performing Arts

37 – It’s all about the storytelling. Gail Monahan talks to répétiteur Julie Lincoln

41 – Ballet tradition and new ventures. Fátima Nollén discovers the old and the new in Cuba

Dance Today

74 – Following in their footsteps. Alison Gallagher-Hughes talks to the parents dedicated to their aspiring children

78 – Strictly between us. Vikki Jane Vile gets the inside track from Strictly Come Dancing’s celebrities

80 – Tips on technique. By James Whitehead

81 – Technique clinic. By Phil Meacham

82 – Simon’s Guide to Swing. By Simon Selmon

83 – Stepping Out. By Marianka Swain

84 – Notes from the Dance Floor. British Dance Council at 90

86 – Somewhere in time. By Jack Reavely

Regulars

6 – News. English National Ballet’s new headquarters, win copies of The Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake book

13 – Letters

15 – Talking Point. By Christopher Wheeldon

67 – FRANCE/dance. By Laura Cappelle

68 – Letter from St Petersburg. By Igor Stupnikov

71 – Notes from New York. By Jack Anderson

89 – Dancer of the Month. Margaret Willis catches up with Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Yaoqian Shang

93 – People. Frederick Ashton

95 – Obituaries. Teneisha Bonner, Frederika Davis

97 – Media. Romeo and Juliet on screen

99 – Dancing Times, Volume 109

101 – Products

102 – Education. RAD Genée International Ballet Competition

106 – Health. Debbie Malina concludes her look into bodywork

109 – Classified

111 – Calendar. Our guide to what’s on stage this month in the UK and abroad

118 – Listings. Where to learn to dance in the UK

122 – Last dance. We look back to the Edinburgh Festival in September 1979

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.