By Rain Francis.

Melbourne’s pretty factor goes up about 200 percent in autumn. The sun is (mostly) shining but it’s not ridiculously hot anymore and a rainbow of leaves is descending… time to rug up and enjoy our fair city. Here are five things for dance lovers to do and see over the coming months.

1. May 25 is International Tap Dance Day, a day which commemorates the “grandfather of tap” Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson. Tap groups all over the city will be out in force, performing famous routines, encouraging tappers to get in for a jam and generally making a racket! Look out for Winston Morrison’s Melbourne Tap Dance and Glamour Puss Studios, amongst others. Stay tuned to their websites to find out where they’ll be performing: www.tapdancingmelbourne.com.au and www.glamourpussstudios.com.au.

2. From May 3-11, ground-breaking indigenous contemporary dance company Bangarra Dance Theatre brings its work Blak to Arts Centre Melbourne. Artistic Director Stephen Page and dancer/choreographer Daniel Riley McKinley have created a work exploring the collision of two worlds. The soundscape of award-winning composer David Page has been fused with the music of cutting edge electronic artist Paul Mac and sets are by the acclaimed Jacob Nash. Bangarra’s works are always engaging and exciting, so book your tickets for this one! Book here: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/event.aspx?id=3444.

3. Get your dancing shoes down to Queensbridge Square (Southbank Concourse) on the first Friday of every month, for the famous First Friday Dance Club. Presented by the City of Melbourne and supported by Ausdance Victoria, the Club is a unique opportunity for anyone to get involved, pick up some moves and most importantly have fun. Led by community and professional dance groups, each Club night will feature a different dance style. It’s free and open to all ages, regardless of ability. Click here for more info: www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutMelbourne/ArtsandEvents/ArtsParticipation/Pages/1stFridayDanceClub.aspx.

4. The Australian Ballet has two fantastic productions coming up in Melbourne. From June 6-17, they will be presenting Vanguard, a triple bill of key works from choreographic giants, Jiří Kylián (Bella Figura), George Balanchine (The Four Temperaments) and Wayne McGregor (Dyad). Then, from June 21-July 1, the company brings back Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake, a fresh take on the well-known story ballet from one of Australia’s most loved choreographers. Find out more and book tickets at www.australianballet.com.au/whats_on/main_company.

5. Ballet Revolución returns to Australia after blowing audiences away in 2011. Since their Australian visit, the Cuban company has been performing sold out seasons in London, Paris, Zurich, Berlin, Frankfurt and Vienna. So get yourself down to Arts Centre Melbourne in July! With 20 of the world’s best dancers and eight of the hottest young musicians, the company mixes ferocious ballet with street dance in what The Australian called “an irresistible Cuban cocktail of ferocious sensuality”. From July 17-20 at Arts Centre Melbourne for five performances only. Book here: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/event.aspx?id=3445

Photo (top): Australian Ballet’s Adam Bull and Ty King-Wall in Vanguard. Photo by Georges Antoni

We can all remember jazz ballet, jazz hands, lycra, sequins, lace-up jazz shoes and Flashdance, but what is jazz dance now and how has it evolved?

Jazz dance is no longer solely the domain of fan kicks and shimmies. The term “jazz” now incorporates a broad range of dance styles. Prior to the 1950s, jazz dance was a style that originated from African American dance and in the 1950s “modern jazz dance” emerged, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance. Every individual style of jazz dance to this day has roots traceable to one of these two distinct origins.

Beginning in the 1930s and continuing through the 1960s, jazz became a form of dance that required the dancer to be highly skilled, and during this time, both modern and ballet choreographers including George Balanchine, Jack Cole, Jerome Robbins and Bob Fosse experimented with jazz dance.

Jazz dance develops in parallel to popular music, with jazz being the physical embodiment of popular music of a given time.  It therefore continues to evolve and remain popular across the world and across age groups.

Dance Informa sought to uncover what is being taught as “jazz” in Australia’s leading dance programs and spoke with the directors of some of our country’s premier institutions.

Students at Urban Dance Centre, Sydney

Juliette (Jet) Verne
Urban Dance Centre, Sydney

What styles of jazz does your school teach?
Urban Dance Centre teaches traditional jazz with a taste of modern flavor. We believe and are very passionate about the classic technique, power and clean lines of traditional jazz and we include and are continuing to grow with today’s modern movement, music and styles.

What makes a great jazz dancer?
A great jazz dancer owns their dancing with power, technique, confidence and style. Someone who is unpredictable with outstanding technique and a whole bunch of fire!

Where do you draw your inspiration from when teaching and performing jazz?
I draw my inspiration from successful dancers/choreographers such as Desmond Richardson, Gil Duldulao and our very own Kelly Abbey. Plus my family, UDC faculty and students, and music inspire me every day!

How do you think jazz has influenced other styles of dance?
I think jazz has influenced many styles of dance and music. A lot of pop artists throughout the years have fused jazz and hip-hop styles together and have come up with some amazing dance routines in their music videos and live concerts. Lady Gaga, Madonna, Beyonce and Janet Jackson, to name a few, have all had a jazz influence within their repertoire and have produced some very exciting and inspiring work.

What do you think jazz is now and how has it changed?
I feel jazz dance styles have branched out to many exciting new and different styles like lyrical jazz and JFH (Jazz/Funk/Hip Hop) and is constantly growing and changing. Like any art form, jazz will continue to grow, morph and change which is why we as a dance community are so passionate about it and love it!

Dancers perform iconic Fosse jazz choreography in the Australian production of ‘Chicago’. Photo by Jeff Busby.

Todd Patrick
Patrick Studios, Melbourne

What styles of jazz does your school teach?
At Patrick Studios Australia we offer a number of different styles. In jazz particularly we teach jazz technique classes tailored to beginner, intermediate or advanced students. We also specialize in jazz classes that include a technical routine as well as Broadway jazz classes taught by Australia’s leading musical theatre choreographer – Andrew Hallsworth.

What makes a great jazz dancer?
A good jazz dancer has wonderful technique and lines with a good base in classical ballet. Men, in particular need a strong grounding and a masculine edge to their dancing.

All great jazz dancers dance with power and can interpret music well. These days there are some extraordinary dancers that master their technique. This is incredible to watch but I strongly believe that there is no point in doing 10 turns into an incredible jump combination finishing with a back handspring if you do it like a gymnast. I love all of that, I think it’s exciting, but I know that with a sense of performance and feel for your music you will make a connection with your audience that will far outweigh technical feats.

Where do you draw your inspiration from when teaching and performing jazz?
I am incredibly inspired by the dancers around me, especially my students, each and every day!

How do you think jazz has influenced other styles of dance?
Jazz is in every style of dance, it’s a natural way of moving.  You don’t have to have the perfect facility to be a great jazz dancer; therefore, jazz is a style that runs through many genres of choreography. More than anything, its influence is seen in every new generation coming through as they watch A Chorus Line or Footloose, or any show or movie that inspires children to take their first steps towards a dance studio.

What do you think jazz is now and how has it changed?
Jazz is IMPORTANT, that’s what I know.  The three major musical theatre auditions this year were all about technique and style; Lion King, Grease and Wicked are all shows that you must have a strong technical foundation for. If you want to be a successful dancer you must have jazz training. Sometimes I think lyrical becomes what younger dancers think is “in”. In fact, it is derived from a fusion of jazz and contemporary.

Real jazz is athletic and sexy, it’s full of energy and grit, it’s sweaty and exhausting, from the sensuality of Fosse to the strength of A Chorus Line. Personally, jazz for me will always be a Barbara Warren Smith class. She has taught most of Victoria’s jazz dancers how to roll a shoulder and tip a hip unlike anyone I know. She is still the sexiest woman strutting her stuff in the studio as she was when I first had the privilege of taking her class.

Cameron Mitchell
Brent Street, Sydney

What styles of jazz does your school teach?
Commercial jazz, Broadway jazz, JFH (jazz/funk hip-hop), lyrical jazz – basically every form of jazz.

What makes a great jazz dancer?
Versatility is the most important thing for any dancer. You must be able to adapt to any choreographer’s style.

Where do you draw your inspiration from when teaching and performing jazz?
The music! That’s where it all begins. I let the music tell my body what to do and feel.

How do you think jazz has influenced other styles of dance?
I think in this day and age all the styles influence each other. Hip-hop has a jazz flavor, yet jazz is heavily hip-hop influenced.

What do you think jazz is now and how has it changed?
If it’s really good it is because it has evolved. All jazz can have the feeling of times past but it really has to be modern – even Broadway, if it has a new spin. It’s great.

Top photo: Talia Fowler and the Australian cast of FAME. Photo by David Wyatt.

By Rebecca Martin.

The Imperial Russian Ballet’s lead dancers will be returning to Australia in April as part of OperaMania – a fusion of ballet and opera. OperaMania features ten singers from Moscow Novaya Opera, a 44 piece symphony orchestra and four Imperial Russian Ballet soloists.

Ballerina Yaraslova Araptanova trained at the Perm Ballet School in Russia before joining the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre firstly as a soloist for nine years, then as a lead soloist. She was then invited to work in the Imperial Russian Ballet as a lead dancer alongside her husband Alexander Volkov. They have both enjoyed great success with Australian audiences on more than one occasion and look forward to returning to our shores with OperaMania, where they will perform two adagios from Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty and Nutcracker. Yaroslava will also dance the legendary Dying Swan by Saint-Saens.

This will be Yaroslava’s third tour to Australia, but on this trip she is hoping to find time to visit one of our wildlife parks and to meet with the Australian public. In anticipation of their tour, Yaraslova and Alexander spoke to Dance Informa from Moscow…

Yaroslava Araptanova performing in ‘Swan Lake’ with The Imperial Russian Ballet.

What has been your favourite role to dance so far?

Yaraslova
I love all of my roles. It’s just that some are performed more often. I dance almost the entire classical repertoire. I really like performances where the drama is brighter and where throughout the performance the character of my role develops.

Alexander
I really like the role of the Poet in the one-act ballet by George Balanchine, La Sonnambula, directed by Bart Cook and Maria Caligari from the world famous New York City Ballet. The music is by Vittorio Rieti and uses themes from various operas of Bellini. In the duet Balanchine shows a psychological relationship between the Poet and La Sonnambula (the sleepwalker). It ends sadly when the Poet is stabbed, but the audience is much more struck by how the fragile singer La Sonnambula is able to raise the Poet from the floor and hold him in her arms.

From the classical repertoire, I especially like the role of Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake and the brilliant work for the character of Carabosse in The Sleeping Beauty. Of character dances I enjoy the Spanish roles, such as Basil in Don Quixote.

What role would you most like to dance and in which theatre?

Yaraslova
That would be Giselle. My dream is to perform the entire ballet. I have danced fragments and single acts, but I have not done the whole ballet. I look forward to any new role. It is always a great gift. With a new role there is the birth of a new character who uncovers something new in me – it’s hard to compare it with anything.

Alexander
In the course of my work my dream has been to teach. I have a huge repertoire and I bow to the entire group of my brilliant, great teachers. I could speak about each of them without end. I have studied in Japan and in America. I want to pass on the experience I have gained as I have something to share.

Yaroslava Araptanova performs in ‘Swan Lake.’

What is the hardest thing about being a dancer?

Yaraslova
I think it is the discipline – every day maintaining your diet, the work regime and rest. On tour every day we have make-up, costumes, performances and travel, and all by the clock.

What is the best part?

Yaraslova
That would be the gratitude of the audience. It’s a good performance when the viewers are pleased and you understand that your labour is in demand. Flowers and creative fulfillment!

How do you spend your time when not dancing?

Yaraslova
On the road, when there’s free time, I try to see the country and get to know new culture, monuments and museums. At home, my baby Yaroslav is my most important treasure. I study arts part-time at a university, specifically how to run a ballet troupe. In the future, I want to teach. I have a lot to share but I need a degree and am working on it now. And both at work and in leisure, I spend time with my husband of the past nine years.

Have you danced in any other opera productions before?

Yaraslova
In operas there are dance segments. Many operas include ballet scenes. There are always a lot of people with the choir and soloists, so you have to be very careful not to get lost on stage and avoid crashing into the crowd. If a ballet is inserted into an opera to add meaning, they adorn the action. In some operas ballet divertissements can be seen. In previous centuries, this tradition was extensive.

Participating in the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre production of The Seven Deadly Sins by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht with director Radu Poklitaru was an extraordinary experience. We were on the stage with opera singers who did the dance moves. I not only danced, but also recited phrases. He presented sounds and movements in a modern style. In the Imperial Russian Ballet we do a ballet cantata Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, staged by Mai Murdmaa.

See OperaMania in Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, Canberra or Brisbane. Visit www.operamania.com.au for more information and tickets.

Interview translation by Tatiana Cherkasskaya.

Photo (top): Yaroslava Araptanova. Photo by Nadya Pyastolova. Photos courtesy of Emma Collison Publicity.

By Rain Francis.

In the Australian Ballet’s 50^th year Dance Informa is celebrating the company by highlighting three of the Ballet’s Principal Dancers each edition. This edition Dance Informa spoke with Leanne Stojmenov, Yosvani Ramos and Lucinda Dunn.

To catch up on last edition’s interviews with Rachel Rawlins, Kevin Jackson and Amber Scott click here.

Leanne Stojmenov

Playing one of the seven dwarfs in her first ever ballet concert in Perth, four-year-old Leanne ran to the middle of the stage and shushed the audience, in preparation for her fellow dwarves’ performance. Now, having been in The Australian Ballet for over a decade, she has become one of Australia’s best loved ballerinas.

Australian Ballet Principal Dancer Leanne Stojmenov. Photo by James Braund

When did you become a Principal Artist and what was your first role?

I was promoted to Principal Artist in 2011, and my first role as Principal was the third movement of MacMillan’s Concerto. It was a very athletic and challenging role.

What has been a highlight of your career so far?

Dancing my first principal role, ‘Kitri’ in Don Quixote, alongside my fiancé Marc Cassidy.

What role is high on your wish list?

Giselle!

What is something that most people don’t know about the life of a dancer?

When dancing the lead role in a full length ballet I can go through two pairs of pointe shoes. I am forever sewing new shoes.

When you are not dancing, what would you prefer to be doing?

Sitting on the shores of Lake Wanaka, NZ, with a thermos of coffee and a beautiful sunset.

If you weren’t a dancer, what would you be?

A vet. I love animals. My cat is my therapy.

Do you have a favourite TV series or book?

My favourite TV series is Mad Men. A book that I often read is The Inner Athlete. My ballet teacher recommended I read it when I was training.

Who is your favourite choreographer?

That is such a hard question. There are so many incredible choreographers past and present and we are so lucky at The Australian Ballet to have such a wide repertoire to give us a taste of everything. If I had to choose one, it would be Sir Kenneth MacMillan.

What is the most challenging thing about your job?

Missing my family.

What advice can you give to budding dancers?

Don’t be scared to be yourself. Being yourself is what you have to offer.

What do you love most about your job?

Performing really is wonderful. It is such a personal experience but at the same time you are performing to so many people.

Yosvani Ramos

Born in Camagüey, Cuba, Yosvani joined The Australian Ballet in 2008 as a Principal Artist, after spending nine years in London with English National Ballet.

Australian Ballet Principal Dancer Yosvani Ramos. Photo by James Braund

What’s your first memory of dance?

My first memory of dance is seeing the Cuban prima ballerina Alicia Alonso on TV doing the Black Swan fouettés. I thought it was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen.

What was your first role as Principal?

Franz in Coppelia in 1999, with the English National Ballet. I was 20 years old.

What has been a highlight of your career so far?

Creating the role of ‘Kay’ in English National Ballet’s The Snow Queen. It’s not every day that you get the chance to create a role in a brand new, full-length classical ballet. We rehearsed for six months and it was great to work so closely with the choreographer.

Which character in a ballet do you most associate with and why?

‘Romeo’ in Romeo & Juliet. He is a lot like me; a hopeless romantic. I feel very comfortable in that role.

Which roles are high on your wish list?

‘Lenski’ in Onegin and ‘Colas’ in La Fille Mal Gardée.

What is something that most people don’t know about the life of a dancer?

That is not at all like in the movie Black Swan. We are normal people and we love doing normal things.

Principal Dancers Leanne Stojmenov and Yosvani Ramos in The Australian Ballet’s ‘Coppelia’. Photo by Branco Gaica

When you are not dancing what would you prefer to be doing?

Spending time at home watching DVDs, or travelling around the world.

Do you have a favourite book? Movie? TV series? Band?

My favourite book is The Secret, movie is Pretty Woman and TV series is Grey’s Anatomy. In terms of music, I’m more into solo artists rather than bands.

Who is your favourite choreographer?

Sir Kenneth MacMillan.

What is the most challenging thing about your job?

Working hard and pushing myself every day, but at the same time staying healthy and injury-free.

Do you have a quote or affirmation that helps you through?

Tomorrow will be a better day.

What advice can you give to budding dancers?

Enjoy yourself and make the most of everything. After all it is quite a short career, so make every second count.

What do you love most about your job?

Being in front of thousands of people and becoming someone else for a few hours. Also that amazing feeling you get when you feel you are in complete control of your body while dancing.

Lucinda Dunn

Surprisingly, one of Australia’s most loved ballerinas has never danced the roles of Odette/Odile, despite having been in many performances of Swan Lake. However, after a 21-year career with The Australian Ballet, Lucinda has too many highlights to list.

Australian Ballet Principal Dancer Lucinda Dunn. Photo by James Braund.

Describe your journey with The Australian Ballet so far.

I joined The Australian Ballet 21 years ago in July 1991. I became a Senior Artist in 1995 and a Principal Artist in 2002. I was promoted to Principal in September 2001, to take effect in the new year, but after that announcement Robert Curran and I were dancing Giselle together. We had a wonderful partnership from then on. My first role in the 2002 season was Beyond Forty, in which I danced Suite en Blanc and the Act IV pas de deux from Swan Lake.

When you are not dancing, what would you prefer to be doing?

Spending time at the playground with my two young daughters.

Which character in a ballet do you most associate with and why?

Sleeping Beauty. With two young children, some days I’d like to sleep for 100 years! And doesn’t everyone want to be a princess?

What’s your first memory of dance?

Running across the stage in a turquoise tutu as a ‘baby wave’ when I was four.

What is something that most people don’t know about the life of a dancer?

When it’s good, it’s good. When it’s bad, it’s bad.

If you weren’t a dancer, what would you be?

I haven’t worked that out yet!

Lucinda Dunn and Paul Knobloch in The Australian Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker’. Photo by Branco Gaica.

Do you have a favourite book? Movie? TV series? Band?

Book: Love, Wisdom, Motherhood by Jessica Rowe

Movie: Tinkerbell at the moment!

TV: 24

Band: Gypsy Kings

Who are your favourite choreographers?

Marius Petipa, George Balanchine and Christopher Wheeldon.

What is the most challenging thing about your job?

Being injured and not dancing. Also, the concentration and energy needed every minute.

Do you have a quote that means a lot to you?

The more sweat shed in practice, the less blood shed in battle.

What advice can you give to budding dancers?

Try to improve yourself daily.

What do you love most about your job?

Self-satisfaction as the curtain comes down.

Top photo: Dancers Leanne Stojmenov and Yosvani Ramos in The Australian Ballet’s Coppelia. ©Branco Gaica

How much do you know about George Balanchine, one of the 20th century’s most famous choreographers?

By Rain Francis.

1. George Balanchine was born in which country?

a) USA

b) Germany

c) Russia

d) Poland

2. With which composer would you MOST associate Balanchine?

a) Tchaikovsky

b) Stravinsky

c) Ravel

d) Gerhswin

3. Which of the following is NOT represented in Balanchine’s Jewels?

a) Sapphires

b) Rubies

c) Emeralds

d) Diamonds

4. Which group of dancers was Concerto Barocco choreographed on?

a) New York City Ballet

b) Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo

c) Julliard School of Dance

d) School of American Ballet

5. How many times did Balanchine marry?

a) none

b) twice

c) four times

d) five times

6. Which dancer created the lead role in The Prodigal Son?

a) Serge Lifar

b) Vaslav Nijinksy

c) Leonide Massine

d) Mikhail Baryshnikov

7. Which ballerina created the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in Balanchine’s The Nutcracker ?

a) Maria Tallchief

b) Suzanne Farrell

c) Gelsey Kirkland

d) Patricia McBride

8. Which was the first ballet Balanchine choreographed in America?

a) Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux

b) Serenade

c) Agon

d) Apollo

9. Which of the following Greek muses is NOT present in the ballet Apollo?

a) Terpsichore, muse of dance

b) Caliope, muse of epic poetry

c) Clio, muse of history

d) Polyhymnia, muse of mime or hymns

10. Theme and Variations is choreographed to a score by which composer?

a) Stravinsky

b) Prokofiev

c) Satie

d) Tchaikovsky

ANSWERS: 1 – c; 2 – b; 3 – a; 4 – d; 5 – d; 6 – a; 7 – a; 8 – b; 9 – c; 10 – d

Photo: English National Ballet. Thomas Edur and Agnes Oaks performing Balanchine’s Apollo. Photo by Patrick Baldwin.

The world-renowned English National Ballet will tour to Australia for an exclusive season in Sydney at the new, The Concourse, Chatswood, from Friday June 8 to Sunday June 17, 2012.

Tickets are already selling fast as dancers and lovers of dance gather to see the company which hasn’t toured to Australia since 2001.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director, Wayne Eagling, this highly respected European company will bring its top soloists and principal artists, presenting a programme suited to young and old in the intimate 500 seat theatre at The Concourse.

The English National Ballet was established in the 1950s and has since emerged as one of the foremost touring companies in Europe. This internationally acclaimed classical ballet company tours both nationally and worldwide. Founded by two British ballet greats Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin, the English National Ballet grew out of a series of gala performances. Today, with 67 dancers from 20 different countries, they provide a group of dancers who enrich each repertoire they perform. The original 1950s aspiration for the Company, to take popular ballet to the widest geographical audience at a price they can afford, remains as valid today as when first expressed by the Company’s founders.

English National Ballet's Anais Chalendard and Vadim Muntagirov in Suite en Blanc

Recently the subject of the popular BBC reality series The Agony and the Ecstasy the English National Ballet is enjoying an international recognition unheard of in classical dance circles. And it is not only the public who are supporters of the English National Ballet. The prestigious company has enjoyed the patronage of Diana, Princess of Wales and currently HRH Prince Andrew, The Duke of York.

The Australian programme, accompanied by a live orchestra, will open with George Balanchine’s neo-classical masterpiece Apollo and close with Serge Lifar’s spectacular bravura piece, Suite en blanc. These two great classics will frame a selection of favourite pas de deux from Manon, Don Quixote or Black Swan, and Trois Gnossiennes, featuring the company’s stars. Set to an Erik Satie solo piano piece, contemporary choreographer Hans Van Manen’s Trois Gnossiennes, will showcase the great finesse, control and superb classical technique of the English National Ballet dancers.

Suite en blanc was described by its choreographer, Serge Lifar, as “a real parade of stars”. A plotless display of classical technique, with strict emphasis on the perfection of line, the ballet was created in 1943 to showcase the virtuosity and elegance of the Paris Opera Ballet. With its white costumes against an inky black setting, the ballet remains a stunning showcase of dance, as glittering and exhilarating as its first performance nearly seven decades ago.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see the English National Ballet. Tickets are now on sale at www.theconcourse.com.au/enb

Top photo: Dancer Anais Chalendard of English National Ballet in Apollo. Photo by Laurent Liotardo.

Published by Dance Informa dance magazine – everything dance in Australia – dance auditions, dance news, dance events and resources for dance teachers.

By Rebecca Martin.

Talk about opening a can of worms.  With the release of Jennifer Homans’ book Apollo’s Angels, which charts the history of ballet, has come a flurry of debate about the epilogue included at the end of the book.  In it, Homans suggests that ballet is either dead or dying.  Such a statement is sure to inspire a response from ballet lovers, dancers, and students alike whether that response is a wise nod of agreement or a furious rebuttal. 

“After years of trying to convince myself otherwise,” Ms. Homans writes, “I now feel sure that ballet is dying.”

The crux of Homans’ argument centres on the idea that pieces like George Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15 have become trivial and no longer have the ability to move audiences.  While many works of art fail to survive the passage of time, in the instance of classical ballet and modern ballet pieces that have lasted for decades and are still being performed and enjoyed to this day, it is not the piece which has become trivial.  It is the audience’s exposure to newer works, greater technique and more impressive staging of productions that has changed the way we view the older works.   Choreographer, dancer, ballet master, and director Robert Kelly says, “to say ballet is dying is the same as saying ‘classical music is passe’ or ‘surrealism is dead’. It’s an art form with a wonderful heritage and a rich history”.  Indeed, much like popular songs or fashion statements that were a big hit upon release and are now a source of ridicule and are mostly forgotten, many ballet pieces will be lauded upon premiere and just as quickly dismissed from memory.  They will become dated and trite.  Not every production will become a classic, nor will every performance be memorable. 

Australian Ballet performs The Possibility Space by Nicolo Fonte. Photo Jeff Busby

The Australian Ballet’s Artistic Director David McAllister feels that ballet is alive and well. “There are so many companies around the world creating a myriad of new works that explore the ballet technique and use it in completely new and innovative ways. Productions of the 19th century ballet canon are being updated and presented using 21st century technology and techniques in ways that inject new life for today’s audiences. Young dancers are still joining ballet classes around the globe and dance is being seen by an ever-growing audience thanks to an online world of Facebook, blogs and Youtube.” 

Technology is enabling smaller projects to get off the ground, receive exposure and funding.  Where once ballet was seen as an activity for the upper class and entertainment for the elite, ballet companies are reaching out to younger audiences and moving with the times.  However, the high cost of seeing a major ballet company remains beyond the reach for many families, students and adults alike. 

Homans neglects to point her assessment of ballet’s vitality to the modern day productions that are wowing audiences, challenging dancers and standing up to repeat performances.  Granted, it is too early to tell whether many, if any, of these pieces will become classics and will ensure the longevity of the art form.   She dismisses contemporary works outright as “gymnastic or melodramatic excess” suggesting that only the tutu ballets of old have any place in the current climate.  Such an opinion sounds an awful lot like the same criticism that was thrown at early rock and roll or Allen Ginsberg’s revolutionary poem Howl.  Groundbreaking art will always have its critics and there will always be an element of adjustment as dance moves forward.  Best it does that than stays stagnant and fades into oblivion. 

Certainly, ballet is a structured art form and there can only be so many variations before it stops being ballet, while other forms of dance such as hip hop or jazz can take many different forms and remain true to its origins.  This isn’t a criticism, rather an observation.  Ballet’s structure allows it to remain consistent over time and won’t fall prey to disintegration.  Having said that, in order to keep new and younger audiences who are exposed to such a vast array of mediums for entertainment interested in ballet, it is essential that the art embraces technology and utilises its various forms to engage people.  As our attitudes change towards entertainment, so too must the entertainment itself evolve.  McAllister sees ballet continuing to “evolve and develop to reflect the environment that we live in. In each generation there are people who innovate and bring new ideas and new energy to ballet. Their works add to the canon and their masterpieces become the classics of the future. While it’s important to maintain and present the great works of the past that are the foundation of ballet, it is equally crucial to develop and nurture the choreographers of today to keep the evolution of our art form vital and alive!”

Julie Kent and Marcelo Gomes of American Ballet Theatre in Romeo and Juliet. Photo Rosalie O’Connor

Ballet companies are employing more fashion focused advertising with bright colours, and an edgy take on a classical tradition.  A couple of years ago, San Francisco Ballet had the image of two dancers kissing in the back of a convertible car on their promotional posters.  Many bars and stores put up the posters, which for them was the first dance poster they had ever displayed.  The Australian Ballet’s dancers can be frequently seen between the pages of fashion magazines, as well as sports and other publications.  The idea is to present ballet dancers as sexy, vital and modern, in contrast to the outdated image of them as stuffy, one dimensional and old fashioned. 

Despite this, ballet still has limitations in this modern climate. As Sarah Keough from the Washington Post writes, “money problems weigh on ballet like a stone around its neck: salaries, rent, costumes, toe shoes, insurance, musicians, storage and so on. Debt is a big factor in all the conservative programming out there.  But the main problem is this: ballet suffers from a serious lack of confidence that is only growing more and more paralyzing.”  She goes on to say, “there’s nothing more boring than safe, pretty art. Nothing feels less relevant. Ballet needs to think bigger. Yes, money is tight, but ballet here has gotten itself into trouble by aspiring to opera-house prestige without the more stable budgets of its European counterparts. To survive into the future, I think the average ballet company would do better to downsize, aim for excitement, stir the pot — and drop the full-length ballets, which are better left to the few larger, richer operations”.

Alexei Ratmansky rehearsing with New York City Ballet. Photo Paul Kolnik

It’s not all doom and gloom for ballet lovers, however.  With choreographers like Twyla Tharp, Christopher Wheeldon, and Alexei Ratmansky amongst others, pushing the boundaries of ballet and creating works that blend abstraction with classical lines, ballet remains a living, breathing art form.  A glaring omission from Homans’ assessment of modern ballet is American choreographer William Forsythe who turned ballet on its head at the end of the 20th century and challenged dancers technically and audiences intellectually.

The people are telling us that ballet is as essential and popular as ever.  McAllister states that audiences for The Australian Ballet are growing every year, with subscription rates the highest they’ve been since the early 1990s. 

 Landestheater Coburg Ballet Master and international dancer Griffin Doug suggests that the pulse of ballet is strong in Europe. “I see (ballet) as the only ‘high-art’ that can be relied upon to bring constant houses. With the exception of well known musicals, dance programmes are the normally safe bet for a theatre intendant. Houses may not be sold out every night but performance for performance over a season the dance nights sell more seats than other performances.  For McAllister, however, “it’s not just about seat numbers (but) more about giving audience members a whole ballet experience.”

As Doug points out, ballet has the important asset of being a universal language which allows a production to traverse the globe without the barriers of communication.  And as all dancers can attest, a ballet class can be taken in any language anywhere in the world with little to no confusion.  The language of dance is the same wherever you go.  “Of all the live performance genres, ballet is the most adaptable to change. Dance is easily performed in large and small house settings, also in impromptu and carefully rehearsed productions. Dance can be performed with full symphony accompaniment, but is also accepted by audiences with pre-recorded soundtracks. Far from being a dying art form or a museum art form, dance is alive and well. It is the most adaptable of art forms with the widest audience base.”

Ballet itself is the foundation for all other forms of dance.  A jazz dancer with classical technique is more often than not far superior to someone without ballet training, and the same can be said for musical theatre, cabaret, tap and even hip hop dancers.  With the surge in popularity for dance thanks to the plethora of television shows, movies, and film clips showcasing the broad appeal, diversity and skill of the art, ballet is not going anywhere in a hurry.

Top photo: Aurelie Dupont & Herve Moreau of the Paris Opera Ballet. Copyright Anne Deniau