As Olympic preparations reach fever pitch, dancers from the Opera House to public squares are picking up on the theme.

As part of the Cultural Olympiad the legacy of Pina Bausch is celebrated in her World Cities, the ten productions performed over several weeks. Tickets had sold out nearly a year in advance and the excitement was palpable. However, seeing so many in so short a space of time, did not show the works to best advantage and following the law of diminishing returns, the similarities rather than definition came to the fore although Viktor and Palermo retained the edge one expects from Bausch’s work.

Dutch-based Itzik Galili, was having a Rembrandt moment and set his new work, And the Earth Shall Bear Again, in murky gloom penetrated momentarily with shafts of light that cut through to illuminate an amazing limb or torso.

However Junor Souza with his distinctive movement style, as fluid and powerful as a big cat, was unmissable.

A short dance film ‘inspired by the ethos of Dance GB’ and titled Dancing Parallel brought together 60 teenagers from Cardiff, Aberdeen and London. Filmed with a sensitive eye for detail, it was a worthy and ambitious project but sat uneasily in the programme and would do well to look for a more suitable home.

Graduations
The UK’s professional dance schools are celebrating the year end with their graduation performances. The Contemporary Dance Schools, I saw Northern and London this year, always include some student work and also the works of young professional choreographers.

For Northern, Colin Poole contributed, Weak Spot, which highlighted the young dancers partnering skills and from Sonia Rodriguez, Thirteen Steps which offered both technical and expressive dance to test these very committed students.   

The LCDS programme closed on two wonderfully vibrant works, a gift for the talents of the group: Rick Nodine’s Inner Orbit playing on a constantly circling theme full of interesting shape and strong performances and Janice Garrett’s gojubi, generating enough energy to run the national grid.

Elmhurst School for Dance now based in Birmingham and affiliated to Birmingham Royal Ballet has traditionally had a more inclusive curriculum including theatre and Spanish dance. The programme represented this mix, featuring students from all levels, as well as classically based works demonstrating the strong training.

Then 'Big Dance Week' kicked in, with even Mayor, Boris Johnston having a go.

The weather, wet and cold, didn’t appear to dampen the spirits of a thousand enthusiastic students from 30 dance schools who flooded Trafalgar Square.

Wayne McGregor, who cut his dance teeth as an animateur, was in his element guiding the creativity of the youngsters together with his Random Dance Group.

Other events include Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker who inaugurates a new performance space under the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern and the Royal Ballet’s Metamorphosis: Titian 2012 in collaboration with the National Gallery will soon come to cinema screen.

I’m exhausted and the Olympics has barely begun!

Maggie Foyer
29 July 2012