Great News About Madame Kanikova

Author BenP
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In Never Better: Ballet Black in Leeds 16 Oct 2016 I acclaimed the return of Jose Alves and Marie-Astrid Mence but noticed that somebody very important was missing:

"But where was Kanika? She has such expressive features and a delightful sense of humour. Vlad the Lad will be devastated if Madame Kanikova has gone for good. So, too, will his granny. If she has indeed left Ballet Black I send her my best wishers wherever she is. I hope to see her back on stage soon - but even if that is not possible I wish her well."

Well actually I was told what had happened to Kanika Carr.  On 7 July 2016 Cassa Pancho posted the following announcement on Facebook that I together with 126 other people "liked":

"Our special #ThrowbackThursday is dedicated to Senior Artist, Kanika Carr who is leaving BB to join the Dance Theater of Harlem!
Kanika joined Ballet Black after graduating from Central School of Ballet, and was one of our first ever apprentices. During her six years she has performed in many, many ballets and worked with some of the best choreographers around - too many to name here! Here are just a few of her best moments...
GO GET IT, NEEKS!! ♥"

I became a fan of DTH when they first came to London nearly 40 years ago. I was in the audience on the opening night of their first season at Covent Garden and saw them perform on several other trips. They are a wonderful company with a great heritage. Several of my favourite dancers have performed with them. I am delighted that Kanika is now among their number.

One of Kanika's many roles was Madame Kanikova, the ballerina in Dogs Don't Do Ballet who managed to jam her head in a French horn. My little grandson, Vlad the Lad, attended the premiere of that ballet in Harlow and was very concerned at the fate of that distinguished artiste (see Woof 12 Oct 2014). He was delighted to learn not only that Madame Kanikova managed to extricate herself from her incumbrance as you can see from the photo above but also that she is still dancing. True, she will be quite a long way away, but we both have something to save up for. One little boy went to bed very happy ..... as indeed will his granny.

In the meantime ..............

Author BGVPipe
Source Wikipedia 
Creative Commons Licence

............. congratulations and all the best dear Kanika!

Never Better: Ballet Black in Leeds

Ballet Black, Triple Bill, Stanley and Audrey Burton Theatre, Leeds, 15 Oct 2016, 18:30

Every Autumn Ballet Black performs its triple bill at the Stanley and Audrey Burton Theatre in Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre's premises in Leeds and packs it out. The company has a loyal following throughout the land, but especially in that theatre where it seems to dance particularly well. Probably the intimacy of the auditorium suits its style better than most theatres but I think another reason may be that it always feels lifted by the crowd.

As I noted in Ballet Black at Home in Leeds 7 Nov 2014 and Ballet Black return to Leeds 21 Nov 2015, Leeds is the company's second home. I visit Northern Ballet Academy at least once a week for class during term and I can tell you that there is always a buzz in the cafe and changing rooms when the posters and flyers for Ballet Black start to appear. Snippets of "Ooh I must see them!" or "Did you see them last time?" occur in conversation as we wait for the lift or relax after a class. No other company (except perhaps the resident ones when they are about to present a new work) generates that sort of excitement among my adult ballet classmates or theatre goers in West Yorkshire generally.

Audiences can now welcome back Jose Alves and Marie-Astrid Mence to Ballet Black.  It was so good to see them again. Hugs and flowers to both of them! But where was Kanika? She has such expressive features and a delightful sense of humour. Vlad the Lad will be devastated if Madame Kanikova has gone for good. So, too, will his granny. If she has indeed left Ballet Black I send her my best wishers wherever she is. I hope to see her back on stage soon - but even if that is not possible I wish her well.

Last night Ballet Black was as good as ever.  In fact I have never seen the company dance better. It performed the triple bill that David Murley saw at the Barbican on the 19 March (see Ballet Black at the Barbican 22 March 2016) and I saw at Salford on Manchester Day (see Ballet Black made my Manchester Day 20 June 2016). It started with Arthur Pita's Cristaux, continued with Christopher Marney's To Begin, Begin and finished with Christopher Hampson's Storyville. Pita, Marney and Hampson are three of the country's best choreographers. What could be a stronger programme than that?

Some ballets grow on you and so it was with Cristaux. I  liked it first time round but mainly for its impressive footwork - particularly the pointe work at the beginning at the beginning of the work. The music, Steve Reich's Drumming Part III, which seemed so sharp and repetitive first time round, was soothing last night. Watching Cira Robinson and Mthuthuzeli November circle the stage was like watching the life of a beautiful creation, a butterfly perhaps (or maybe even us), from its emergency from a chrysalis to its extinction. The music stressed the briefness of that existence. Then darkness. Very clever lighting design by David Plater. Beautiful costumes, particularly Cira Robinson's tutu, by Yann Seabra. Her tiara had been delayed in transit when the company visited Salford. That tiara really made a difference. Last night she sparkled literally from head to toe.

I found myself rooting for a tissue for To Begin, Begin. That was mainly because it was so beautiful. I had surmised that the blue silk that enveloped Sayaka Ichikawa at the start of the performance might represent distance such as an ocean and that the ballet might be about separation by distance when I saw it in Salford in June. I got to understand the ballet rather better when I attended the rehearsal at the Barbican a few weeks later (see Ballet Black's First Friends' Event: A Rehearsal with Chris Marney 14 July 2016). The ballet is about relationships.  Then the thought occurred to me that maybe the silk represents not just distance but death? I was reminded of those no longer with us. That was the other reason I had to fight to hold back tears last night.

Finally, Hampson's Storyville or the destruction of Nola. As I noted before, NOLA is an acronym for New Orleans Louisiana, Storyville is the red light district of that city and there are obvious parallels between Nola's story and Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire which Hampson's company transformed into dance  last year. This is a narrative ballet which requires superb acting as well as dancing. What superb dance actors there are at Ballet Black - particularly the leads Cira Robinson as the hapless Nola, Sayaka Ichikawa as the heartless Lulu, Damien Johnson as the long suffering sailor and Jose Alves as the unscrupulous Mack.  Storyville is not a very happy but a compelling one.

Ballet Black will take their triple bill to the Tramway on 28 and 29 Oct 2016 which is a similar venue to the Stanley and Audrey Burton but on a somewhat bigger scale (see No Mean City - Accessible Dance and Ballet 26 April 2015). I am sure they will do well there for two reasons. First, it is on Hampson's home turf. He is a great fried of Ballet Black as well as the creator of two of its ballets, my joint choreographer of the year for 2015 and an all round good bloke. Secondly, they should find at least as good an audience in Glasgow as they have in Leeds and for much the same reason. As I wrote in No Mean City:

"I should say a word about the Glasgow audience. Even though I am a Friend of the company yesterday was the first time I had visited Scottish Ballet's home at The Tramway. There was a buzz in the auditorium and the bar that I have felt only in London in the United Kingdom. Evidently, Scottish Ballet has cultivated an audience that understands and appreciates dance and expresses its appreciation with the same enthusiasm."

I love Glasgow and I adore Ballet Black and I would have been in the audience had I not been learning The Nutcracker on the 29 (see A Unique Opportunity to learn a Bit of The Nutcracker 12 Oct 2016).

But at least I can give them a a tip as I know from its twitter stream that the folks at Ballet Black enjoy a celebratory nibble after the show. In my humble opinion, the best eatery in the whole United Kingdom is the Ubiquitous Chip. I've been going there for nearly 50 years - ever since I was a student at St. Andrews when I first started following what was then Scottish Theatre Ballet. Even Gita the Eater was impressed (see Feed me Scotland  18 Feb 2013 Gita Mistry Food).

Romeo and Juliet after the Shrew

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Northern Ballet Romeo and Juliet, Alhambra, Bradford 14 Oct 2016, 19:30

I have to be frank. It was the Bolshoi who sold me my ticket to Northern Ballet's Romeo and Juliet last night with their exquisite performance of The Taming of the Shrew at the Royal Opera House in the summer (see Bolshoi's Triumph - The Taming of the Shrew 4 Aug 2016). It was they who turned me into a Maillot fan (see Jean-Christophe Maillot 5 Aug 2016 and World Ballet Day: Les Ballets de Monte Carlo 10 Oct 2016).

Had it not been for the Bolshoi I think I would have used my precious ballet going weekend to see Ballet Black last night and then hop on a train to London to see the matinee performance La Fille mal gardee today. No disrespect to Northern Ballet which is a fine company but I had already seen its Romeo and Juliet twice last year (see Northern Ballet's Romeo and Juliet - different but in a good way 8 March 2015 and Leebolt's Juliet 13 March 2015). Fille is one of Ashton's masterpiece which is performed only by the Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet and then not every year.

Now there is a lot of difference between the massive 240 year old company founded by Prince Ursov with all the resources of the Russian state and a mid-size 41 year old company in Leeds and I came to the Alhambra wondering whether I had done the right thing in letting Lise and Colas go for a year or so. I am glad to say that I think I did for Northern Ballet danced very well  last night. It was far better than either of the performances that I had seen in 2015 even though the cast was the same it was as the first time that I had seen the show.

Perhaps one of the reasons why yesterday's performance was so good is that they danced in the Alhambra before a Bradford crowd. From the theatre goer's point of view it is the best dance venue in Yorkshire and second only to the Lowry in the North. The Grand at Leeds is all very well but there are pillars and all sorts other obstructions to spoil the view, the bars are crowded and leg room in the cheaper seats is terrible. The Quarry at West Yorkshire Playhouse has none of those disadvantages but its capacity is limited to 750. I also find that a Bradford audience is generally more discriminating and appreciative. The Alhambra is on the circuit for world class touring companies like NDT II and Alvin Ailey. Also, they are that much closer to Manchester and thus more likely to see Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and other visitors to the Lowry and Palace.

The title roles yesterday were danced by Tobias Batley and Dreda Blow. Blow fits naturally into Juliet's role. As I said in Northern Ballet's Romeo and Juliet - different but in a good way:

"She was a perfect Juliet. Playful and feisty. Loving but conflicted. Brave but fearful. Blow is elevated to my pantheon of favourites."

That was still my view of her last night. Batley has to work at Romeo.  We are used to seeing him as mature men such as Heathcliff, Marc Antony and Gatsby rather than as a callow, headstrong, teenage boy, but he did work at it and was quite convincing in the balcony and bedroom pas de deux. However, the most arresting scene was Lady Capulet's explosion of rage and that will be the image that I will retain from the show. Hannah Bateman was magnificent in that role. Also impressive was Mlindi Kulashi who portrayed Tybalt as a bit of a thug. Rather unusual perhaps but quite logical when you think about it. Antoinette Brooks-Daw won the crowd's affection as the loyal, long suffering, much put upon nurse. Abigail Prudames was an adorable Rosaline. At least three people including Romeo would still be alive had Romeo stuck with her. Joseph Taylor interpreted Friar Lawrence's role quite differently from Isaac Lee-Baker whom I had previously seen in that role. Maillot had invested some of the authority that in other productions is vested in the duke in the friar's role. Yesterday we saw Taylor as the guardian of the public interest crumble as the corpses piled up from his loss of control.

That brings me back to the reason why I was in the theatre. As I explained in  Northern Ballet's Romeo and Juliet - different but in a good way Maillot's production is quite unlike Lavrosky's, MacMillan's, Nureyev's or any other production of Romeo and Juliet and that is because he has rewritten the play. He did very much the same even more successfully with The Taming of the Shrew.  He is now working on an interpretation of Midsummer Night's Dream called Le Songe which, despite using Mendelssohn, appears to be as different from Ashton's Dream as his Shrew is from Cranko's and his Romeo and Juliet from MacMillan's. The glimpses of the rehearsal on his World Ballet Day slots were tantalizing. Maillot appreciates Shakespeare and understands him but that does not stop him from taking the occasional liberty with him - and getting away with it.

Shobana Jeyasingh's New Material

I first came across Shobana Jeyasingh Dance when I saw Bayadère – The Ninth Life at the Linbury last year (see La Bayadère - The Ninth Life 29 March 2015). That was a fascinating juxtaposition of an early Western perception of Indian dance and a modern Indian perception of one of the classics of Western dance. As I remarked at the time:

"I had come to the performance expecting a transposition of the story of the ballet into bharatha natyam or some other Indian dance idiom but it was nothing like that. That would have been too easy and it is clear from the list of her works on her company's website that Jeyasingh doesn't do easy. Instead, it compared and contrasted a modern Indian's perception of one of the classics of Western dance with Théophile Gautier's perception of Indian classical dance."

Shortly after Bayadere - The Ninth Life had completed its tour, the company launched Material Men which it described as "a virtuoso piece for two dazzling performers of the Indian diaspora" with "contrasts in style between classical Indian dance and hip hop, as well as a shared history rooted in colonial plantations, are the starting points for this absorbing dance work."

I did not see that work when it went on tour last Autumn because it did not come to the North but it appears to have gone down well with the press and public which is not surprising if you look at the pictures of the show on the company's website.

I received a newsletter from the company yesterday which announced that Material Men will tour again. This time it will come close as it will open at the Djanogly Theatre in Nottingham on 7 Feb 2017 before visiting Ipswich, Southampton, Birmingham and Glasgow. The work will be danced as part of a double bill with Strange Blooms which was launched in 2013.

Judging by the trailer and the little bit of Jeyasingh's work that I have seen already it will be gripping and absorbing but not easy. However, as I said when I reviewed Bayadere - The Ninth Life that artist does not do easy.

Kammerballett

Kammerballett

Photo Altin Kaftira
(c) 2016 Dutch National Ballet: all rights reserved
Licensed by kind permission of the company

Dutch National Ballet Kammerballett Stopera, 7 Sept 2016

Kammerballett (literally Chamber Ballet in German) was created by Hans van Manen for the Netherlands Dance Theatre (Nederlands Dans Theater) and was first performed in the Hague in 1995. It is set to the music of Domenico Scarlatti and features a piano and a lot of chairs as well as the dancers.

Photo Altin Kaftire
(c) 2016 Dutch National Ballet: all rights reserved
Reproduced by kind permission of the company

The leading dancers in this piece were  Vito Mazzeo and Igone de Jongh but they were supported by a very distinguished cast: Rachel Beaujean, Floor Elmers, Juanjo Arques, Ernst Meisner, Marijn Rademaker, James Stout and Alexander Zhermbrovskyy. Ernst Meinser and Juanjo Arques are particularly well known to British audiences as they danced for the Royal Ballet and English National Ballet respectively. It was very good to see them both on stage again.

The above photo shows the principals with the other dances sitting on the chairs in the background.

A Unique Opportunity to learn a Bit of The Nutcracker

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I have lost count of the number of times that I have seen Swan Lake or Romeo and Juliet over the years. I thought I knew both ballets intimately but I was wrong. The only way to appreciate a work fully is to try to dance it. My knowledge and appreciation of both works increased exponentially through taking Jane Tucker's intensives with KNT that take place in the rehearsal studios of Northern Ballet School in Manchester.

I have now been to three of those intensives and, believe me, they are tough. You arrive before 10:00 with your Pilates mat or towel, change into your leotard and do what start out as gentle floor exercises but end up as contortions. And that's the easy bit. Class starts next. OK pliés and tendus aren't too bad but Jane somehow inserts a variation  or refinement into every exercise. Those exercises get progressively demanding through the barre and centre work so that you are well and truly knackered by cool down and you just want to crawl to Oxford Road station after the reverence. But you're not done yet. Indeed, you have barely started. The rest of the day consists of wall-to-wall rehearsals. Then at the very end of the process you have to do a show. Read La Bayadère Intensive Day 1: There's Life in the Old Girl Yet 16 Aug 2016, La Bayadere Intensive Day 2: Idols and Disembodied Shades 17 Aug 2016 and La Bayadere Intensive Day 3: No Snakes 17 Aug 2016 to understand exactly what is involved.

"So why do you put yourself through all that pain?" folk ask. "You some kind of masochist?" The answer is an emphatic "no".  "I just love ballet and want to understand it better." There is no better way to appreciate the entry into the kingdom of the shades than by becoming a shade. To allow Minkus's mesmeric music to run through your body while attempting those arabesques (they should really be penchés) alternating with tendus and arms in 5th and a slight turn towards the audience. These are the building blocks of the ballet and through lining them up into a sequence you understand how the ballet is constructed.

A word of caution now. You can't expect to learn everything about Swan Lake or La Bayadere in a 3 day workshop. You need to have started ballet at an early age, to have attended schools like White Lodge and the Upper School, entered a professional company, danced in the corps, made your way up through the ranks and danced Solor or Nikiya before you can say that. But you do get some insight that you would never have got in any other way. When I saw the Birmingham Royal Ballet at the Lowry or English National Ballet at the Albert Hall last year I could live every step of the swans' entry, the cygnets, the Hungarian divertissement and a bit of Siegfried's solo because I had done those dances. Not very well, perhaps, but I had done them.

And you really do live them.

"Remember when you were 13 years. You're at your first adult ball. You are so excited." 

said Jane as she taught us Juliet's solo last April. Or

"You are a proud Hungarian princess in your heavy brocades" 

as we rehearsed the Hungarian dance with its stately développés and arm movements. Now despite the pain and effort I would not have missed that for the world.

That is why I have put my name down for Jane Tucker's beginners' intensive for The Nutcracker on 29 Oct 2016. Here's the bumf:

"** 1 DAY BALLET WORKSHOP! *** PLACES GOING FAST!
Dates
Beginners: Saturday 29th October (ONLY 8 SPACES LEFT!)
Advanced: Friday 28th October
Price
£60 (£20 deposit included in the price payable ASAP)
Times
10am - 4pm
Venue
The Dancehouse Theatre

Teacher Jane Tucker (Northern Ballet Theatre)

Repertoire Nutcracker
We need 20 students to be able to hold the workshop.
Please comment below if you'd like me to book you in. You will receive a registration form and info pack shortly after.
Here's an idea of what your day will consist of:
On the morning of your intensive, you will be able to enter The Dancehouse Theatre from around 9:45am. You can wait in the café/coffee shop on the first floor, where you can get to know other students on the intensive, or you can get changed so you are ready for class! You will be able to sign yourself in once we are in the studio, and we’ll have a short briefing about the course so you know what to expect.
The days will start at 10:00am with a 45 minute warm-up session, so please make sure to bring either a yoga mat or a towel with you! We will have a short 15 minute break after the warm-up session, and then the morning ballet class will begin at 11:00am. Class will be 90 minutes long, and we’ll have a short break in the middle so you can get some water and rest. We will have another 15 minute break afterwards, and then at 12:45pm we will start our technique/repertoire class.
Lunch will be at 1:30pm for one hour, and you will be able to eat it in the café/coffee shop on the first floor (no food or drink, except for water, is allowed in the studios). There are lots of shops, cafés, and other food places around The Dancehouse Theatre, so there will be plenty of choice if you are not bringing food with you!
The afternoon will be filled with rehearsals for the short performance at the end of the day.
Hope to see lots of you there, it's always been great fun!"

If you want to grab one of those last 8 places you need to contact Karen Sant of KNT through her Facebook page fast. You can also call her on 07783 103037.

Important Matter

Jordan Matter is a US photographer who studies dancers around the world rather as Edgar Degas did in Paris over a century ago. One of my favourite works is his photo of Michaela DePrince in the woods. He has published a number of books of his work which sell very well.

Matter's latest work is Dancers after Dark  which is described as "a stunning photography collection of nude dancers at night."  Over 300 dancers took part in 400 locations in 7 countries including the UK "with no clothes, no arrests and no regrets."  The above video shows how Matter took those photos. The book will be launched in the UK at a party at Danceworks in London between 18:30 and 21:00 on 11 Nov 2016. Admission to the party costs £5 which will be refunded to anyone who buys a copy of the book.

The next day Matter will return to Danceworks to present two photography workshops.  The first is entitled Dancers Among Us which takes place between 13:00 and 16:00. The second is based on Dancers after Dark and takes place between 17:00 and 20:00. There was a similar workshop last year after which Matter tweeted:

“What happens when 25 photographers and 4 dancers come together for a workshop @Danceworks London? Pure magic. I’m already looking forward to next year’s workshop!”

Each workshop costs £90 to attend or £150 for two.

Readers will find Danceworks's address together with a map and comprehensive travel information on the "Contact Us" page on its website.