I've been revisiting an old preoccupation for August's Dancing Times.
"A few years ago the National Library of Scotland rediscovered a lost poem by the socialist writer Hugh MacDiarmid. It was a
paen to ballet as “the revolutionary art of the future” and “the dramatisation of motion itself”. Today, with the form at ebb tide and few new creators emerging, MacDiarmid’s excitement seems misplaced."
3 comments:
Brendan,
Your mention of Macdiarmid is intriguing and, though I have tended down the years more towards McGonagall, I've ordered a copy of the book! I'm interested to see how he stated his claim, and wonder what work he might have seen to justify it.
I'm missing the current Bolshoi run in London, I fear, but wonder if you feel they have rediscovered some "core competence" by returning to original Petipa for Corsaire, importing Acosta for Spartacus and so forth? It certainly sounds as if those attending are having some excellent nights out, so perhaps Ratmansky is doing something right?
Ian Macmillan.
It's a very good point Ian. Rtmansky has transformed the Bolshoi by looking to the roots of the company's history. And with the Bright Stream there is a refreshment from a well of heritage shared with the Mariinsky.
Both this year and last, the company has looked renewed and vigorous. I hope that this will survive Ratmansky's evemtual departure (there really is a Harvard Business School case-study in this, come to think of it: industry can learn from the arts, just as the arts can learn from business!)
Well, Brendan, the MacDiarmid book has arrived - and, though its title derives from the Ballet piece, it's not actually included by the editors!
Ian Macmillan
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