Lightly up, up, up: John O’Brien, legendary dance teacher
When John O’Brien died on 11th May this year, I suggested to the RAD that they should do something to remember him, since he taught for many years there, quite…
Bulletin of the Vaganova Ballet Academy — online journal (with English abstracts)
Am I the last person to have noticed that the Vaganova Ballet Academy has published a serious journal containing the work of Russian dance scholars, Bulletin of the Vaganova Ballet…
On-screen commentary from pianist Joshua Piper during YouTube ballet class
When I first learned to drive, I read a book about the police driving test, in which you had to do a “commentary drive,” which involves describing to the examiner…
Tchaikovsky’s hairpins
The secret life of hairpins In The Secret Life of Musical Notation, Roberto Poli examines a number of notational conventions—hairpins, sforzandi, rinforzandi, pedals, stretti and rhythmic values—that have perplexed him…
Learn quadrilles for a day in Charing, Kent, 28th April 2019
Here’s a lovely idea for a Sunday in April—come to Charing in Kent for a day of learning to dance 19th century quadrilles with early dance expert Nicola Gaines. Nicola…
Ballet pianists on film
Film clips of ballet pianists playing for class are so rare. There are films (such as the World Ballet Day online classes) where pianists play for a class that is…