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DANCE

After 30-Year Hiatus, London City Ballet Makes Successful Return

One of director Chris Marney's plans is to spend considerable effort and time touring regional Britain, where ballet companies rarely appear. "What we're finding on the road," he says, "is that audiences want it and audiences are coming to see us." - BBC

Orlando Ballet Hires New Executive Director From Joffrey

"Bradley W. Renner … comes to the position after serving as General Manager and then Director of Development at the Joffrey Ballet for the past six years. He previously served as General Manager with Atlanta Ballet." - Bungalower (Orlando)

How Might The Art Of Dance Reshape The Business Of Dance?

What does dance bring to a conversation about creative administration? Well, to start, dance artists have an embodied understanding of dynamic systems. The human body is a magnificent example of a dynamic system. - Dance Magazine

Amid A Wider Exodus From China, Ballet Dancer Du Hai Finds His Place In Japan

He tried the United States for a while, but then a spot opened in Japan - and, like many other Chinese intellectuals, he’s found his spot in a country closer to home, with a changing immigration policy. - Associated Press

This Highly-Praised New Ballet Was Cancelled After Accusations Of Cultural Appropriation. Were Those Claims Legitimate?

England's Northern Ballet premiered Geisha just before the 2020 COVID lockdown. The troupe has several Japanese dancers who were excited about it, the creative team worked with experts on authenticity, and the Japanese Embassy gave official approval. Who made the accusations of appropriation, and who accepted them? - The Spectator

Japanese Dancer Wins Top Flamenco Prize, And Part Of Audience Gets Predictably Outraged

Never mind that Junko Hagiwara (stage name "La Yunko") has lived and studied in Seville for 20 years. Dance critics, fortunately, have been unanimous in their approval of her work. - AFP (MSN)

Alvin Ailey Gets A Show At The Whitney Museum

"One of the most ambitious shows the museum has ever presented — six years in the making and bigger than any Whitney biennial — it tracks the development of an American art form through Ailey’s singular vision." - The New York Times

Staatsballett Berlin Director Christian Spuck Reflects On His First Year On The Job

"We’re the only company in the world that performs in three different opera houses (in one city). … One-hundred-and-twenty people work at this institution. When I arrived, I understood very quickly that making sure that they are all happy is just as important as the company’s performances and artistic vision." - Pointe Magazine

What Dancers And Choreographers Should Consider When Presented With Non-Disclosure Agreements

There are very legitimate concerns which such agreements can protect against, so an NDA shouldn't be rejected on general principle. Here's what to look for to make sure that the document is safeguarding creative product and personal security rather than covering up malfeasance. - Dance Magazine

Meet Guillaume Diop, Paris Opera Ballet’s First-Ever Black Etoile

"Diop’s progress through the strict hierarchy at the Paris Opera – he joined the corps de ballet in 2018 – has been stunningly swift. … In March 2023, he was made danseur étoile, the highest of the five ranks, bypassing the premier danseur stage that precedes it." - Financial Times

Scholarship That Reinvigorates 20th Century Dance

When you peel away layers of cliché and coarseness accrued over the course of the twentieth century, you often find works that are full of variety, contrasting dance styles, storytelling, humor, and relatable, appealing characters. You can distinguish the good from the bad. These ballets were meant to keep people engaged, entertained, and moved. - Marina Harss

Why Christopher Marney Revived The Long-Dead London City Ballet

"I spoke to many UK venues that London City Ballet once toured to, and it seemed these days few British ballet companies are passing through them. … Large-scale companies cannot necessarily fit into the mid-scale venues I was looking at … (and) a flexible company of 14 dancers with a mouldable repertoire felt (workable)." - Gramilano

How Urban Bush Women Manages The First Leadership Transition In Its 40-Year History

Company founder Jawole Willa Jo Zollar has handed the reins to co-artistic directors Chanon Judson and Mame Diarra Speis. "In the spirit of sankofa — the Akan word for holding our history while imagining our future — here are some lessons these leaders have uncovered in their stewardship of this organization." - Dance Magazine

Two Dancers Sue San Francisco Ballet Over Injuries

Company soloist Ellen Hummel filed suit earlier this month against SF Ballet and a volunteer physician, alleging medical negligence and "reckless disregard" for her condition, resulting in career-ending injury. Former principal Mathilde Froustey filed a similar lawsuit, still in discovery, last year. - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

Ballet Russes Was Hugely Influential. A Look At Annotated Music Scores Gives Insight Into Why

These scores, which had never been publicly shown together, offered an uncommon perspective on the Ballets Russes productions that defined and transformed a generation of artists. The scores, by Stravinsky, Debussy, Ravel and others, many heavily annotated, “give a visceral sense of the working process.” - The New York Times

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