DM Contributor Clive Barnes dies at 81

Clive Barnes

Dance Magazine mourns the passing of our great friend and colleague Clive Barnes. His loss to the field of dance will be deeply felt. He brought his formidable knowledge to every review and essay he wrote and was completely dedicated to the world of dance in all its rich variety. Those of us privileged to work with him at Dance Magazine will miss acutely his wit and insight, and his deep knowledge of the field. He became the magazine’s London correspondent in 1955, and began his signature “Attitudes” column (long the magazine’s back page) in 1989. Last year, he wrote a generous and wise essay in that space celebrating the magazine’s 80th birthday, which happily coincided with his own. It recapped the many decades of dance he had chronicled. He filed his final column on Nov. 7. It can be previewed here, and will be published in the January ’09 issue. With his passing, we have lost a champion of the art of dance, who helped us to realize our mission to the fullest. We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Valerie Taylor and his entire family.

Have your memories of Clive Barnes posted on our online tribute. Click here or email your thoughts to emacel@dancemagazine.com.

I'm very very sorry to hear of Clive Barnes’ passing. His pieces have been teaching me the way a reviewer should be for years and years (and a lot about style, and art and culture of dance.). Only yesterday I appreciated so much his piece in DM Global Issue. Another light off in our dancing sky. —Silvia Poletti

What a sad day! (I wrote this tribute to Mr. Barnes whom I got to know a bit during the past few years both in NYC and in Fort Worth.)  It is a terrible loss.
      With the passing of Clive Barnes the dance world has lost one of its finest critics, connoisseurs, and champions.  A man not without his foibles (legend has it he was seen falling asleep or even missing parts of ballets he was purported to have reviewed), he was at the receiving end of critics of his own.  Who, in the dance world can forget where he or she was when he learned of Sally Wilson’s green room tantrum or of Barnes’ reaction as he wrote about it in The New York Times that his first thought was, would it hurt and then, would it stain?
      No matter that Mr. Barnes kept us all entertained on paper and otherwise, he was first and foremost a great lover of the performing arts.  His columns in Dance Magazine, paying tribute to “the simple humanity” Jerome Robbins’ choreography, his embrace of Gerald Arpino’s campy “Drums, Dreams and Banjoes”, his paean to the womanly beauty of Ingrid Fraley in Ashton’s “Monotones”, his astute observations about the young Gelsey Kirkland at the New York City Ballet kept us reading for all these many years.
      Clive Barnes life was witness to the rise of dance, particularly in America, its Golden Age, and its adaptations into a 21st century art form.  We are all a bit diminished with his passing. —Donna Ross, Director, Donna Ross School of Classical Ballet, Frisco, TX

I am sad to learn about Clive Barnes.  I so enjoyed reading his column every month, and have always found him inspiring, wise, and amusing.  He will be sorely missed. —Karyn Bauer

In hearing the sad news of Clive Barnes passing, I'm glad I had that conduit, in his last years, to learn from his wisdom in Dance Magazine. Certainly I had opportunities to have words with him. But then suddenly, it's too late. —Lori Ortiz

I am saddened by the loss of Clive Barnes. I met Mr. Barnes when I was producing a documentary project on the life of Michel Fokine. I had heard the name Clive Barnes throughout my childhood from my father, Harold Haskin, who danced with Ballet Theatre and wanted to interview Clive about Fokine. I was surprised when I called his listed number to reach him at home. His response was warm and generous and he was enthusiastic about talking about Fokine. On meeting him I was struck by his charm, wit and sincerity. He gave a delightful interview and wonderful perspective on Fokine and his place in dance history. Last fall I contacted him again to ask for a comment on my book, "The Dancer's Book of Ballet Crafts." Once again he was a true gentleman, delightful and very generous. I was very grateful for the time he took to read the book and thrilled with the lovely comment he gave it. His deep respect for the ballet and his incredible knowledge of ballet history will be sorely missed. His eloquent reviews for Dance Magazine and the New York Post increased readers understanding of ballet and educated us on what makes the dance so special. In my brief encounters with Clive Barnes in person I felt an immediate fondness for him, his casual dignity, intellectual sophistication and earnest search for the truth were an inspiration to the artist in me. His openness and lack of affected sense of importance were terrifically refreshing. I will miss the wonderful and insightful opinions on the arts, his deep resource of ballet history and I hope to continue to be inspired by the legacy he leaves us-to look to the arts to find what is beautiful and meaningful in life. —Christina Haskin