Alina Somova

The Maryinsky Ballet opens in London today:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/dance/5931887/Alina-Somova-dancer-or-circus-pony.html

It is a curious feeling to go to meet a hated figure and find a delicate, blonde girl with a sweet face. On Monday, 23-year-old ballerina Alina Somova opens the batting for the legendary Mariinsky Ballet’s Covent Garden tour in Romeo and Juliet, needing to defy her critics who line up from West to East accusing her of vulgarising the majestic, poised St Petersburg style that defines classical ballet worldwide. (Ismene Brown)

Laura Thompson of The Telegraph reviews Adam Cooper's Shall We Dance:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/dance/5940560/Adam-Coopers-Shall-We-Dance-at-Sadlers-Wells---review.html

All of a sudden, about three-quarters of the way through, Shall We Dance hits its stride and becomes so good that you want it to go on forever. Unfortunately it is nearly over by then. Nevertheless, the brilliance of its last half-hour ensures that it comes highly recommended; I would happily watch it every night if I could just slip in quietly at the end.

A remembrance of David Ashmole:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/obituaries/an-inspiration-for-princes-in-his-footsteps-20090729-e1go.html

THE dance world has lost another star with the death of a former Australian Ballet principal David Ashmole.

The English-raised dancer, who was one of the company’s outstanding talents from 1984 to 1993, has died in London, aged 59, after a three-month battle with cancer.

A Canadian company has been chosen to design a second stage for the Mariinsky Theatre:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jvPDdEM6IIYMjahmlcDy3WX9h3YA

Canadian architects have won the contract for the much-delayed project to build a second stage at Russia's renowned Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, officials announced Tuesday.

The awarding of the contract to Diamond and Schmitt Architects to develop the opera and ballet house comes after Russia annulled the initial 2003 contract given to French architect Dominique Perrault on the grounds of delays and impracticality.

Photo by Bruce Chinn for the San Francisco Chronicle

Helgi Tomasson has hired 2 assistants to replace one:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/27/DD3118UQ08.DTL

"We're still figuring out how to be a double act," says former Royal Ballet star Bruce Sansom, laughing with a nod toward Ricardo Bustamante, whose performing career spanned S.F. Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, between rehearsals at the Ballet Association Building. "It's early days."

Robert Swinston and Cheryl Therrien of the Merce Cunningham
Dance Company perform "Fabrications".

The death of choreographer Merce Cunningham is reported today.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8171036.stm

US choreographer Merce Cunningham, widely recognised for revolutionising modern dance, has died aged 90.

A statement from the Cunningham Dance Foundation said the New York-based dancer "died peacefully in his home of natural causes" on Sunday.

Alastair Macaulay writes for the New York Times:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/merce-cunningham-dies/

Mr. Cunningham ranks with Isadora Duncan, Serge Diaghilev, Martha Graham and George Balanchine in making people rethink the essence of dance and choreography, posing a series of “But” and “What if?” questions over a career of nearly seven decades.

Daniel J. Wakin's article of the other day concerning the recent layoffs at the New York City Ballet of 11 corps de ballet dancers is accompanied by an article asking the public to offer advice to those dancers. Some of the responses will be surprising, some will not; it will probably depend on one's perspective.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/what-advice-would-you-give-a-young-unemployed-dancer/

Picture by Glenn Copus for The Evening Standard

Lord Sebastian Coe "participates" in a ballet class to publicize ENB's Ballet Insights program.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-olympics/article-23723848-details/Dancing+Seb+Coe+launches+London+2012+Open+Weekend/article.do

Former Olympic champion Lord Coe today proved his versatility as he made an impressive debut as a ballet dancer.

Displaying poise and balance to rival Wayne Sleep, the ex-middle distance runner launched himself several feet in the air surrounded by dancers from the English National Ballet in an event to mark the three-year milestone until the London Olympics.