LAST EDITED ON 13-09-02 AT 10:43 AM (GMT)On Tuesday 1st October, the Ballet Independents' Group will host what promises to be a fascinating seminar on the future of the art of ballet at the Royal Festival Hall in London. This is their press release:
Ballet Independents' Group Discussion Forum - forthcoming event.
Thames Pavilion, Level 3. Royal Festival Hall.
7.00-9.00 pm Tuesday 1st October 2002
State of the Art?
In 1999 BIG was commissioned by Dance Theatre Journal to write an article about a perceived crisis in the state of British ballet that resonates beyond our shores. Worldwide concern about the health of the art and its audiences has led to recent major initiatives that seek to air and address the problems faced by ballet companies. The National Ballet of Canada hosted a summit for 10 ballet directors in May this year. In January 2003, DanceEast brings tgether a think-tank comprising 26 international artistic directors to consider the future of ballet in a weekend Rural Retreat at Snape. The European Association of Dance Historians is organising a conference at the Lilian Baylis Theatre in February entitled "All about ballet - in every sense of the word".
What is the state of British ballet now? Within the space of about two years, 5 out of the 6 major dance companies in the UK will have seen a change of director, only one of them British born. It was hoped that Sven Goran Eriksson's appointment as manager would revive the Englsnd Football Team's flagging fortunes What will be the impact of the new direction for ballet in Britain? Where do our companies and dancers stand in the international league tables? What is the condition of the infrastructure that supports the development of ballet choreography and education?
To comment we have invited three speakers with both an outside perspective on the way things are and inside influence on the way forward.
Assis Carreiro - Director of DanceEast (Producer: Rural Retreat), formerly worked with National Ballet of Canada and Frankfurt.
Matz Skoog - Artistic Director English National Ballet (from 2001) - formerly Director of Royal New Zealand Ballet.
Alistair Spalding - Director of Programming, Sadlers Wells Theatre.Please join the discussion and help identify the issues that may be the focus for debate about ballet in 2003.
Susie Crow and Jennifer Jackson
Susie Crow's and Jennifer Jackson's article for Dance Theatre Journal subsequently appeared in balletco's May 1999 Magazine. Our new section BIGtalk includes features and reports on previous seminars organised by BIG.
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