Ballet News | Straight from the stage – bringing you ballet insights

Cupcakes & Conversation with Ty King-Wall, Principal, The Australian Ballet What motivates you at 8am on a Monday morning ? Absolutely nothing! I get up at 8.30am….Not a morning person! If ballet chose you, as many dancers say it did, what is it that has made you stick with it ? Insanity, and a certain level [...]

Alina’s Gala | Alina Cojocaru’s signed pointe shoes auctioned for her charity, Hospices of Hope Only Alina Cojocaru could open her Gala with the Rose Adage from The Sleeping Beauty. The music alone sends shivers of fear into the most professional of professional ballet dancers : not Cojocaru. Her supreme technicality aided by wonderfully smooth partnering from [...]

Ballet News Limited Edition Collection | No.2 For my second collection of exclusive illustrations by Berenice Bercelli I have chosen drawings focusing on famous pas de deux’s that highlight some of the defining ballet moments so far during 2013. These illustrations are not prints – they are handmade and come in limited numbers, so it’s essential to [...]

THE ROYAL BALLET TAKES ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, SWAN LAKE AND A GALA PROGRAMME TO JAPAN   Friday 5 to Sunday 14 July 2013   The Royal Ballet returns to the Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo with three exciting programmes including the Asian premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Anthony Dowell’s production of [...]

Nureyev : As Dancer, As Choreographer Released at the beginning of this month, a boxed set of three discs celebrating the life and career of Rudolf Nureyev. As a dancer, the set includes Don Quixote, recorded in 1972 with The Australian Ballet, which has been digitally remastered. As a choreographer there are two discs; La [...]

The Royal Ballet’s Olivia Cowley | Pointe Shoes & Plasters There is nothing remotely glamorous about being a professional ballet dancer. As Olivia Cowley, a dancer in her 10th season with The Royal Ballet tells me, “people think it’s blisters but actually it’s not. It’s the nails, the bed of the nails, no matter how [...]

Win Natalia Osipova’s Signed Pointe Shoes Would you like to be in with a rare chance of winning a pair of Natalia Osipova’s signed pointe shoes ? With her partner Ivan Vasiliev, Osipova has thrilled audiences on tour with The Mikhailovsky Ballet recently, dancing in Giselle, Don Quixote and Laurencia, when this photograph was taken. [...]

Ballet News Reviews | The Mikhailovsky Ballet | Laurencia Laurencia The Mikhailovsky Ballet London Coliseum Tuesday, 2nd April 2013 Laurencia is Mikhail Messerer’s production based on Lope de Vega’s Fuente Ovejuna. It’s a short ballet – less than 2 hours including the interval – and it fairly zips along. It felt a little flat after [...]

Ballet News Reviews | The Mikhailovsky Ballet, Don Quixote Don Quixote The Mikhailovsky Ballet Saturday 30th March 2013 London Coliseum Unadulterated happiness. That’s what you get from Natalia Osipova & Ivan Vasiliev. From the first hint of a castanet their effervescence and enthusiasm draws in the audience and it’s infectious. They are so accomplished, so suited [...]

The Royal Ballet announces 2013/14 season Today saw the launch of Artistic Director Kevin O’Hare’s second season at The Royal Ballet, and he was characteristically understated but also quietly confident that as his first season is going very well - the company is selling almost all of the tickets it offers - and is excited about the new season. Has [...]

SA-CUBAN BALLET PARTNERSHIP CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS OF CULTURAL EXCHANGE South African Mzansi Ballet’s (SAMB) season of the sparkling classic Don Quixote at the Joburg Theatre until Sunday 24 March, has no fewer than five dancers from Cuba in the cast, in addition to distinguished Havana ballet teacher Ana Julia Bermudez de Castro working with the [...]

Cupcakes & Conversation with Sanmarie Kreuzhuber, Soloist, South African Mzansi Ballet What motivates you at 8am on a Monday morning? It’s always a little hard to get going at the start of the working week! At South African Mzansi Ballet, we generally work a six day week and my day off is usually spent doing [...]

Famed International Dance Star José Manuel Carreño to Perform in Ballet San Jose’s DON QUIXOTE, Feb 15 and 17   Ballet San Jose has announced  the signing of famed international dance star José Manuel Carreño to perform the lead role of Basilio for BSJ’s company premiere of Don Quixote, staged by Wes Chapman after Marius [...]

Ballet Idaho presents Don Quixote & Carmen Friday, February 8, 2013 at 8 p.m. Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 8 p.m. Morrison Center   Don Quixote  “Will greed or love win in the end?” Music by Ludwig Minkus Choreography by Peter Anastos, after Petipa, Gorsky and Baryshnikov Costumes by David Heuvel (Costumes co-owned by Ballet [...]

Ballet san Jose presents Don Quixote AT A GLANCE WHO: Ballet San Jose presents WHAT: Don Quixote WHEN: February 15-17, 2013 WHERE: San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Boulevard (corner of Park Avenue) in downtown San Jose. WHY: This is a Ballet San Jose company premiere. Comedy, adventure and romance. A wonderful [...]

Ballet San Jose presents DON QUIXOTE, February 15-17, 2013     WHO: Ballet San Jose presents WHAT: Don Quixote WHEN: February 15-17, 2013 WHERE: San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Boulevard (corner of Park Avenue) in downtown San Jose. WHY: This is a Ballet San Jose company premiere. Comedy, adventure and romance. [...]

Mikhailovsky Ballet’s London Tour | Casting The Mikhailovsky Ballet begin an international tour to London on 26th March, at the London Coliseum. Casting is always subject to change but has been announced as follows : Giselle 26, 27, 28, 29 March 7.30pm Tue 26 Mar Natalia Osipova, Ivan Vasiliev Wed 27 Mar Polina Semionova, Marcelo Gomes Thu [...]

Cupcakes & Conversation with Calvin Royal III, Corps de Ballet, American Ballet Theatre What motivates you at 8am on a Monday morning ? Monday is my day off. So it’s usually little motivation and more sleeping in! It’s my day to get the ‘chores’ done (laundry, groceries for the week, clean the house). If we’re [...]

Cupcakes & Conversation with Brooke Lockett, Coryphée, The Australian Ballet What motivates you at 8am on a Monday morning ? (or Tuesday if that is the first day of your working week) Coffee! No it’s the excitement of beginning a new week fresh and the prospect of new challenges, new opportunities and potentially wonderful moments [...]

Don Quixote: A bravura classic with Spanish va-voom An aging knight, two fiery lovers, some gypsies and a whole lot of fun The Australian Ballet begins a year of masterpieces with a joyous, Spanish-flavoured ballet packed with tutus and lively dancing. Full of infectious charm and dynamic performances, Don Quixote is both a favourite of the dancers [...]