Historic costume to be conserved

 Postcard of Maud Allan in her work Vision of Salomé, c. 1908 / Photo courtesy of Dance Collection Danse

 Brassiere portion of Maud Allan’s Vision of Salomé (1906) costume / 

Photo by Andreah Barker, courtesy of Dance Collection Danse

>> by Catherine Singen

Dance Collection Danse (DCD) recently announced that Maud Allan’s historic Salomé costume will receive treatment from the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI). Once conserved, the costume will provide the focal point for future exhibitions that could include other Maud Allan artifacts in the DCD archives including a bisque nodder, Salomé cigarettes, Salomé corn plasters, postcards, photographs, Allan’s diaries and papers, and other pieces of her Edwardian-era clothing. Amy Bowring, DCD’s Director of Collections and Research, comments, “This restoration project not only highlights an important Canadian cultural artifact but also signifies the importance of dance history within the shared heritage of Canadians.” Maud Allan, a native of Toronto, first wore the costume in 1906 when she debuted her choreographic work The Vision of Salomé in Vienna. Allan’s performance was later seen by King Edward VII who recommended her to the management of the Palace Theatre in London. Allan took London by storm giving over 200 performances in the city beginning in March 1908. Her sensational Vision of Salomé with its risqué costume spawned a Salomania craze that led to dance imitators and a variety of unique merchandise. A pianist by training and highly musical, Allan’s dances were moving interpretations of music by such composers as Chopin, Mendelssohn and Brahms.

Update in the story of Bolshoi director acid attack

>> by Andrew Guilbert
The person responsible for last January’s acid attack on Bolshoi Director Sergei Filin has apparently been revealed. In a taped confession released by Moscow police, one of the Bolshoi’s star dancers, Pavel Dmitrichenko, admits he was responsible for the attack that left the forty-two-year-old Filin with severe burns to his eyes and face. “I organized that attack but not to the extent that it occurred,” said Dmitrichenko in the police footage. Two alleged accomplices are believed to have aided the dancer: Yuri Zarutsky, who allegedly threw the acid in Filin’s face, and Andrei Lipatov, who allegedly drove the get away vehicle. Moscow police believe that Dmitrichenko told Zarutsky about what time the director would leave the theatre on the night of the attack. Police say they became suspicious of Dmitrichenko when they discovered he had been in close contact with an unemployed convict, had purchased SIM cards for mobile phones under an alias and had inquired about Filin’s schedule. Bolshoi spokeswoman Katerina Novikova said that Filin had been informed of the situation but that the theatre would not comment until after the trial. Dmitrichenko, who joined the Bolshoi in 2002, had danced in the company’s production of Swan Lake as well as performing the titular role in Ivan the Terrible. He was scheduled to perform in the Bolshoi’s Sleeping Beauty on March 16th. The New Yorker’s David Remnick has written a detailed account of the scandal at the Bolshoi called "Danse Macabre". It is available for reading online here. Read Andrew Guilbert’s earlier news item here.

André Gingras, 1966-2013

André Gingras / Photo by Jochem Jurgens

>> by Jaimée Horn
After having battled colon cancer for several years, dance artist André Gingras died on February 17th at age forty-six, in Breda, The Netherlands. Born in Canada, he studied theatre, English literature and contemporary dance in Toronto, Montréal and New York City. Gingras began his work as a choreographer in The Netherlands in 1999. His desire to explore a highly physical and visual language, drew inspiration from martial arts, free running, and the physical symptoms related to specific medical conditions. His work has been commissioned by several prestigious artists and companies worldwide, and has toured internationally to great acclaim. In March 2010, he became artistic director of Dance Works Rotterdam, bringing new life to the company through his international network. A public memorial service will be held on March 22nd in The Netherlands, to celebrate his life and honour his numerous artistic contributions. According to Dance Works Rotterdam, Gingras' friends in New York and Canada will be sharing in the celebrations from a distance.

Quanz Awarded State Medal in Literature and the Arts

Peter Quanz / Photo by Natalia Ulanova

>> by Samantha Mehra
On February 11th, Canadian choreographer Peter Quanz will receive the State Medal in Literature and the Arts from President Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia. The award, which lauds significant creations of artistic and literary work for the Republic, recognizes Quanz's collaboration with the Buryatia National Ballet for the Republic's 350-year membership in the Russian Federation. In addition to the creation of a new work, titled Dzambuling, Quanz also remounted his In Tandem, while he was in residence in Ulan-Ude, the Buryatian capital, in 2011. Anton Lubchenko, a composer who created the score to Quanz's In Colour (a 2009 work for The National Ballet of Canada), commissioned Quanz to create the award-winning work for the forty-five members of the Republic's National Ballet. The choreographer, who hails from Baden, Ontario, and is now based in Winnipeg, has international prominence as a choreographer, and is the first North American to be awarded the medal.

 

Bolshoi Director Filin attacked

Sergei Filin / Photo by Yuri Kadobnov/AFP/Getty Images

>> by Andrew Guilbert
The dance world reacted in shock when a masked assailant attacked Sergei Filin, artistic director of Russia’s revered Bolshoi Ballet, near his home last month. The assailant threw sulphuric acid at Filin resulting in third-degree burns to his face. Filin, a former dancer who became artistic director in 2011 following the six-year renovation of the company’s famous home theatre in Moscow, had experienced a number of incidents prior to this attack. These included slashed tires, the disabling of two personal cellphones and the hacking and dissemination of his personal e-mail. Filin expressed his feelings of unease on the day of the attack to Bolshoi General Director Anatoly Iksanov. “Sergei told me that he had the feeling that he was on the front line,” Iksanov said in a press conference the day of the attack, and continued, “I told him, ‘Sergei, I’ve already been on the front line for the last two years, it is part of our profession, the profession of the leadership, so it’s normal.’”

‘Normal’ in that the Bolshoi has a history of infighting and petty sabotage. In 2003 former Bolshoi prima ballerina Anastasia Volochkova received death threats after she sued the theatre for unfair dismissal. She is quoted in The Independent saying, “People came to me with threats, even with knives, telling me to drop the case.”

A week after Filin’s appointment in 2011, the theatre’s deputy director, Gennady Yanin, left his position after personal photographs were leaked onto the Internet.

And this week, Bolshoi ballerina Svetlana Lunkina refused to return to Russia after threats to her life over her producer husband Vladislav Moskalyev’s film about the great Russian imperial ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya. Lunkina has been living in Canada for the past six months and is currently teaching in Toronto.

Though no clear motive has been found for the assault, Filin’s colleagues suspect this to be a case of professional envy, in particular over Filin’s casting choices for top roles. Fillin has been released from hospital with a prognosis of complete recovery in spite of worries that he would lose sight in one or both eyes. Principal dancer Galina Stepanenko will act as interim artistic director until Filin can resume his duties. 

Les Grands Ballets makes history in Oman

>> by Cynthia Brett
On November 12th and 13th, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal was the first Canadian company to perform at Oman's Royal Opera House Muscat since its inauguration in 2011. In a triple-bill titled "Soiree Stravinsky" the company performed Stijn Celis' Sacre and Noce, set to Stravinsky masterpieces, as well as Anima to music by Chopin and Scarlatti. This marks the second time Les Grands has visited the Middle East. The roughly 1000-seat opera house was commissioned personally by the state's Sultan, and is therefore operated by the monarchy. After the final performance, Artistic Director Gradmir Pankov, Executive Director Alain Dancyger, President Constance V. Pathy and Stijn Celis attended a reception held in their honour, where a representative of culture from the Sultan's entourage expressed gratitude for the company's participation in their vision to present more contemporary works.

Aszure Barton honoured in New York

>> by Cynthia Brett
On November 16th, world-renowned choreographer Aszure Barton received the 2012 Arts and Letters Award from the Canadian Association of New York (CANY) at its annual charity ball for New York's Canadian community. The award recognizes Canadians who have made significant contributions to communities in both Canada and the United States. Proceeds from this year's ball will support students in financial need at Barton's alma mater, Canada's National Ballet School.

Fortier's 30 days of dancing in Paris

 Paul-André Fortier performing his own work Solo 30x30 in Paris, France / Photo by Marion-Bonan

>> by Jaimée Horn
Montréal-based dance artist Paul-André Fortier recently wrapped up thirty days of performing his Solo 30x30 in Paris. Welcomed by the Théâtre National de Chaillot from September 21st through October 20th, Fortier performed on the Esplanade Trocadéro, with the Eiffel Tower as his backdrop. In a video by the Délégation générale du Québec à Paris, Fortier comments that he offered his daily performance as a gift to pedestrians who wished to observe, but, in doing so, he was also giving himself the gift of dancing for thirty consecutive days. The piece received warm accolades and has now been performed 450 times in multiple cities around the world.

Canadians help celebrate Jacob's Pillow anniversary

>> by Jaimée Horn
This summer marks the eightieth anniversary of Jacob's Pillow international dance festival. Every year thousands of people visit Western Massachusetts to experience the festival, which welcomes companies and audiences from around the world. This year, in celebration of The Pillow's founder Ted Shawn and his company of male dancers, Tina Croll and Jamie Cunningham have created The Men Dancers: From the Horse’s Mouth. The piece consists of a unique show in which twenty male dancers execute original choreography as well as share brief personal anecdotes. Among the rotating performers were dancers from various backgrounds including Canadians Josh Beamish and Hari Krishnan. Krishnan performed a version of his solo work Pissing off the Neighbours as part of The Men Dancers: From the Horse's Mouth. Other Canadian companies contributing to this summer's festival are the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, returning after a nearly fifty-year absence, to perform Canadian choreographer Peter Quanz's In Tandem, the pas de deux from Mark Godden's As Above So Below and Mauricio Wainrot's Carmina Burana; Crystal Pite's Kidd Pivot returns to perform Dark Matters; and Out Innerspace performs ME SO YOU SO ME as part of the Inside/Out outdoor performances.
More: http://www.jacobspillow.org/

Bolshoi Ballet’s Canadian comeback

Swan Lake featuring Maria Alexandrova (Odette-Odile) and Ruslan Skvortsov (Prince Seigfried) / Photo by Damir Yusupov

>> by Jacqueline Hansen
The Bolshoi Ballet made its Canadian comeback last month after a thirty-three-year hiatus. The world-renowned Russian ballet company started what it is calling its “Great Tour” in Toronto with performances of Swan Lake. This classical, Tchaikovsky-scored ballet is the company’s signature work; Bolshoi Ballet danced the world premiere of Swan Lake in 1877. Now in its 236th season, the company is introducing North America to its new generation of Bolshoi ballerinas. The dancers completed their Canadian visit with performances of Don Quixote in Ottawa and then continued to Washington and Los Angeles.

Dance Communities Across Canada Celebrate Multiple Awards of Excellence

Hélène Langevin's L’atelier/The Studio / Photo: Hélène Langevin

>> by Jaimée Horn
Montréal company Bouge de là received the Prix RIDEAU Touring Award for its work L’atelier/The Studio, during the Bourse RIDEAU gala on February 16th. The award distinguishes an arts company for successful audience development and promotional activities throughout the tour of one of its shows. L’atelier/The Studio combines dance with visual art, and has been acclaimed by more than 105 audiences across Québec and Toronto ... Crystal Pite internationally renowned BC choreographer and artistic director of Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM, was presented with the inaugural Lola Award on March 1st. The $10,000 grant that will fund Pite’s next research period, was created in memory of beloved choreographer Lola MacLaughlin, supporting the work of mid-career and established choreographers with hopes of contributing to the growth of a Vancouver aesthetic abroad ... Principal dancers Guillaume Côté and Jillian Vanstone of The National Ballet of Canada are being recognized for contributions to dance and culture. Côté, born in Lac-Saint-Jean, Québec, received the Medal of the National Assembly of Québec on February 28th. Vanstone, from Nanaimo, BC, will receive the Excellence in Culture Award from the City of Nanaimo on March 28th.

New Works invites you to #sharedance with the world

>> by Jaimée Horn
New Works, the Vancouver-based arts organization that presents dance and also provides mentorship and management to a roster of clients, initiated the new hashtag #sharedance on February 1st. New Works is encouraging everyone to post, upload and tweet their daily encounters with dance using #sharedance, in order to make dance more accessible and to share dance with the world. In addition, New Works will feature some of the #sharedance stories in its e-newsletter, offering contributors the opportunity to win a New Works Dance Card that provides discounts to performances in Vancouver.

Beyoncé video accused of plagiarism

>> by Naomi Brand
Pop star Beyoncé Knowles' new video Countdown has raised some controversy over its striking similarity to the work of Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and has been accused of plagiarism. The video allegedly borrows from two of De Keersmaeker's videos: Achterland (1990) and Rosas danst Rosas (1983). Beyoncé's video shares not only some very similar dance movement with Rosas danst Rosas, but also bears similarities in the set, costumes and even some specific shots, which are almost direct copies of the film made by Thierry De Mey. In an interview with a Belgian radio station, De Keersmaeker said, "I'm not mad, but this is plagiarism. This is stealing." In response to these comments, Beyoncé released a statement saying: "Clearly, the ballet Rosas danst Rosas was one of many references for my video Countdown. It was one of the inspirations used to bring the feel and look of the song to life." De Keersmaeker's work has made a major mark on contemporary dance over her thirty-year career and has received critical acclaim and international success.

Canadian wins Dance Your PhD

>> by Naomi Brand
Emma Ware, a biologist at Queen's University, is one of four winners of Dance Your PhD, an annual contest that asks researchers to convert their doctoral dissertation into a dance video. Ware's dissertation, entitled "A Study of Social Interactivity Using Pigeon Courtship", was a moody, black-and-white, contemporary dance video that won in the social science category. The contest attempts to bridge the gap between the arts and sciences and challenges researchers to explain their research to the public in an accessible and creative way. This year's competition had fifty-five entries from Canada, the United States, Europe, India and Australia. The competition is now sponsored by TEDx Brussels, part of a global network of events and speakers based on innovative ideas. The winner of the competition receives $1,000 and a trip to Brussels for the awards ceremony.

Alexander Grant (1925-2011)

Alexander Grant with ballet master David Scott / Photo by David Street

>> by Jaimée Horn
Alexander Grant, beloved dancer and former artistic director of The National Ballet of Canada, died in London on Friday, September 30th at the age of 86. Grant had been ill for eight months following a hip surgery that resulted in infections and pneumonia. The dynamic performer will be fondly remembered for his roles in ballets such as Frederick Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée, as well as his influential presence in the international ballet scene. His classical technique and interpretation of demi-character roles distinguished him as an outstanding performer, “one of the few great, as opposed to merely magnificent, dancers of our time” according to New York Times dance critic Clive Barnes. Born in New Zealand in 1925, Grant began his dance training at the age of seven. He was quickly offered a ballet scholarship in London where he went on to perform with the Royal Ballet for thirty years. He was artistic director of The National Ballet of Canada from 1976 through 1983 and brought several Ashton ballets into the repertoire including La Fille, Monotones, Les Patineurs, The Dream and Two Pigeons. He was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award from the Royal Academy of Dance in London, as well as the 2009 De Valois award for outstanding achievement in dance.

Two new Canadian dance books hit the market

Lata Pada in her own work Revealed by Fire, 2001 / Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

Chi Long in Marie Chouinard’s bODY_rEMIX/gOLDBERG _vARIATIONS, 2005 / Photo by Marie Chouinard

>> by Jaimée Horn
There are two new titles that dance lovers can start adding to their book collections this month, Compagnie_Marie_Chouinard_Company, and the soon-to-be-released Fields in Motion: Ethnography in the Worlds of Dance. Compagnie_Marie_Chouinard_Company is the first bilingual monograph of a Canadian contemporary dance company. Written by the choreographer herself as well as eight other close contributors, the book includes testimonials from the company’s dancers, and offers an intimate window into Chouinard’s creative universe. Visit www.mariechouinard.com to purchase a copy of the book, or to find out more information about the company. Finally, the release of Fields in Motion: Ethnography in the Worlds of Dance is forthcoming in September after eight years of hard work. Edited by Dena Davida, artistic co-director of Tangente in Montréal, the authors include fourteen Canadian contributors and fourteen contributors from around the world. Published in Canada but with an international perspective, this collection of essays explores the art of dance as cultural practice, revealing the significance of the art form in our contemporary society. Students and dancers take note – a paperback edition of Fields in Motion: Ethnography in the Worlds of Dance will also be released for a more moderate price.

Lata Pada receives pretigious award from India

Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil and Lata Pada

Photo courtesy of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India

>> by Samantha Mehra

SAMPRADAYA Dance Creations Artistic Director Lata Pada, C.M., was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman by the President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, on January 9th, 2011 in New Delhi, India. She is one of fifteen individuals to receive the award, which recognizes lifetime accomplishments by members of the global Indian diaspora. Pada was commemorated for her exceptional contributions to the promotion of Indian dance in Canada, as well as her support of an inquiry into the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 (Kanishka), and her role as an advocate for anti-terrorism legislation.

Karen Kain receives Distinguished Artist Award from ISPA

>> by Brittany Duggan

Karen Kain / Photo by Sian Richards

Karen Kain, artistic director of The National Ballet of Canada, was awarded the Distinguished Artist Award from the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) on June 16th during the society’s 25th Congress, which was held in Toronto June 15th through 18th. The awards acknowledge the contribution made by arts leaders and professionals committed to advancing the field of the performing arts. Also honoured this year were British choreographer Akram Khan, set and costume designer Michael Levine and songwriter Luc Plamondon. Past recipients have included Celia Franca (1979), Philip Glass (1989), Mikhail Baryshnikov (1982), Jerome Robbins (1978), Martha Graham (1976), Merce Cunningham (1993), Pina Bausch (2000), Twyla Tharp (1996), Alvin Ailey (1984) and Suzanne Farrell (1986), among others. Kain's award was presented to her by arts patron and Business for the Arts Chair Jim Fleck.

Shivani Thakkar joins cast of Bombay Bollywood

Shivani Thakkar / Photo by Ivan Karabobaliev

>> by Cynthia Brett

Calgary-based dance artist Shivani Thakkar is joining the cast of Bellydance Superstars’ new show as a soloist and lead dancer. Bombay Bollywood, produced by Miles Copeland, has already toured in Canada, the United States and Europe, and heads next to Japan. In a press release, Thakkar, who is associate artistic director of Manu Kala Mindir Dance Productions and founder of MKM BollyStars, called it a “thrilling experience and absolute honour.” www.bellydancesuperstars.com

NBoC’s Sonia Rodriguez honoured by Spain

>> by Brittany Duggan
Sonia Rodriguez, principal dancer with The National Ballet of Canada, was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Civil Merit on May 25th. With her husband, Canadian figure skater Kurt Browning, and their two sons, Rodriguez received the award from the ambassador of Spain to Canada, Eudaldo Mirapeix, at Spain's embassy in Ottawa. The Cross is a significant distinction in the arts given by the King of Spain and was established in 1926 to “reward the civic virtues of civil servants”. Born in Toronto, Rodriguez grew up in Spain where she trained in Madrid with Pedro de la Cruz and at the Princess Grace Academy in Monaco. She returned to Canada in 1990 to join The National Ballet of Canada and has been a principal dancer since 2000. Roles created for her include Cinderella in James Kudelka’s Cinderella and Princess Vasilisa in Kudelka's The Firebird. Rodriguez will next appear as Alice in Christopher Wheeldon’s North American premiere of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.