fri 04/04/2025

dance

Don Quixote, Mariinsky Ballet review - gentle charm, impressive principals

Hanna Weibye

One of the most Russian things you can do in ballet is dance Don Quixote, which is 100 percent set in Spain. Don't think too hard about it, and definitely don't think too hard about the plot (which is barely there).

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Scottish Ballet, Sadler's Wells review - striking and memorable dance

Hanna Weibye

Years ago, MC14/22 (Ceci est mon corps), the Angelin Preljoçaj piece with which this Scottish Ballet double bill opens, made a deep impression on Christopher Hampson.

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Ashton triple bill, Royal Ballet review – fond farewell to Zenaida Yanowsky

Hanna Weibye

Nicely covering the many bases of Frederick Ashton's genius, the Royal Ballet triple bill which opened last night is a chance to see both the company and its founder choreographer on top form.

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m¡longa, Brighton Festival review - sensual tango explosion

Thomas H Green

Watching tango dancers Gisela Galeassi and Nikito Cornejo own the apron of the stage during the second half of m¡longa, the brain finds it difficult to process what the eyes are seeing. The pair seem to be one writhing, dark-toned dervish of jutting, sensual, passionate movement. Back and forth they go, he spinning her round his body like a silk scarf, fluid as mercury; her feet attacking the stage, staccato, kicking out, kicking down, so fast it really is the proverbial blur. Nigh...

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Symphonic Dances, Royal Ballet review - a truly interesting creation

Hanna Weibye

Liam Scarlett must be worked off his feet. Just at the Royal Ballet, he made a full-length work, Frankenstein, last year and is currently working on a new Swan Lake; and now last night he has premiered a new abstract work, Symphonic Dances at the Royal Opera House.

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Ghost Dances: Rambert, Sadler's Wells review - vital and joyfully precise dancing

Jenny Gilbert

There is a South American theme to Rambert’s latest triple bill, two new commissions made to chime with an oldie but goldie, the rhythms of Latin social dances linking all three.

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Mayerling, Royal Ballet review - 'every ballet fan should see this'

Hanna Weibye

Sure, there are things not to like about Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling. Confusing plot. Plethora of characters. Unsympathetic (anti-)hero. Borderline melodramatic choreography. Tense, scary dénouement. But to be at the Royal Opera House last night was to be convinced that Mayerling's merits far outweigh its demerits.

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Betroffenheit, Crystal Pite & Jonathon Young, Sadler's Wells

Sanjoy Roy

Where does my voice come from? Whose is my body? It’s apt that these questions run deep through a work that was created jointly by an actor, Jonathon Young, and a choreographer, Crystal Pite.

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Matthew Bourne's Early Adventures, Sadler's Wells

Hanna Weibye

Not every artist attains the kind of status that will allow their early works to be revived – or, when revived, greeted with commercial and critical success. This is something of a shame for those of us with a historical mindset who like seeing where an artist has come from and how they have developed.

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Balanchine's Jewels, Royal Ballet

Hanna Weibye

Balanchine's Jewels is catnip to dedicated ballet lovers.

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