dance
Mayerling, Royal Ballet review - 'every ballet fan should see this'Saturday, 29 April 2017
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. Read more...
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Betroffenheit, Crystal Pite & Jonathon Young, Sadler's WellsWednesday, 12 April 2017
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. Read more... |
Matthew Bourne's Early Adventures, Sadler's WellsWednesday, 05 April 2017
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. Read more... |
Balanchine's Jewels, Royal BalletMonday, 03 April 2017
Balanchine's Jewels is catnip to dedicated ballet lovers. Read more... |
Pina Bausch's Rite of Spring, English National Ballet, Sadler's WellsFriday, 24 March 2017
Is English National Ballet's current predilection for acquiring European repertoire some kind of anti-Brexit statement, or just smart brand positioning? Read more... |
Crystal Pite, Flight Pattern, Royal BalletFriday, 17 March 2017
Can thirty minutes of contemporary ballet say something meaningful about the modern refugee crisis? It has been the surprise of the season to find myself asking this question not once, but twice, at the Royal Ballet. Read more... |
Project Polunin, Sadler's WellsWednesday, 15 March 2017
This is the comeback after the comeback-that-never-was. It's the anticipated full stage ballet after the hugely popular Youtube video. It's the press waiting to see if ballet's bad boy will do something wild. It's the fans waiting to see if Sergei Polunin really will be the second coming (he's often hailed as the modern day Nureyev). Pamela Anderson is in the audience. Read more... |
Tree of Codes, Wayne McGregor, Sadler's WellsWednesday, 08 March 2017
Tree of Codes is a work made from a work made from a work. Read more... |
FLA.CO.MEN, Israel Galván, Sadler's WellsSaturday, 18 February 2017
Before this Sadler's Wells Flamenco Festival-opening performance of Israel Galván's show FLA.CO.MEN, my guest wanted to know what the show would be like. Read more... |
Masurca Fogo, Pina Bausch, Sadler's WellsFriday, 10 February 2017
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch are at an interesting juncture. Eight years after their eponymous founder died, and over 40 since she took over at Wuppertal, the troupe is reaching a point when, even if Bausch were alive, it would be facing change, as the older dancers in the company - many of whom have been there since the beginning - enter their late 60s. Read more... |










