Dancing Times Magazine August 2020 Vorige editie

Yes, the headline on the front cover of this month’s Dancing Times is correct – dance really has been returning to the stage in several countries, although it hasn’t quite happened here in the UK just yet. As lockdowns are eased around the world, in Dance Scene International our critics report on performances that have taken place recently in Hong Kong, Germany and Switzerland. These are small steps into some kind of new normality for the performing arts, so let’s hope this is the start of a trend and not a premature blip that will lead us straight back into lockdown.
There is a focus on teaching in this month’s issue, as we hear from Susan Pilarre of the School of American Ballet, and Geraldine Morris, who has just made a film about Ninette de Valois’ 1947 teaching syllabus, as well as a number of ballroom, Latin American and partner dance teachers working in the UK. Dance studios are starting to open again here in the UK, although it’s far too early to say how effective the new government guidelines on teaching dance in classrooms, rather than online, will be.
Finally, Dancing Times was very pleased to receive such a positive response to our focus on Black Dancers Matter in last month’s magazine – it’s good to know our readers are keen to see greater diversity in the artform we love. We did, however, receive a negative response from someone writing under a false name, but that letter – as will all others written to us by racists – ended up in the dustbin, where it belonged. It is a reminder that the process of greater equality for all, in all walks of life, is only just beginning.