fri 29/08/2025

dance

En Atendant, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s Rosas, Sadler’s Wells

Judith Flanders

No one ever accused of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker of thinking small. Or not thinking, for that matter. Her international career began with a bang, when with only her second work she created Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich. And Reich’s music, filled with repetitive figures, harmonic rhythm and canons, is not a million miles – even if it’s 600 years – away from the ars subtilior of Avignon, De Keersmaeker’s new musical focus.

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Viscera/Infra/Fool's Paradise, Royal Ballet

Judith Flanders

A new Liam Scarlett ballet has become an event, even as, in this case, Scarlett’s home company, the Royal Ballet, is recreating a work he choreographed last January for Miami City Ballet – the young choreographer’s first international commission.

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Russell Maliphant, The Rodin Project, Sadler’s Wells

Sarah Kent

Imagine that Rodin’s Thinker gets bored with sitting, head-on-hand, contemplating the folly of humankind and, springing to life, descends from his lofty perch above The Gates of Hell. Having been immobile for a century or more, he is extremely stiff and needs to limber up: cue for some first-rate body popping interspersed with the kind of heroic poses usually reserved for life drawing classes. 

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Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Grand Tour/ Faster/ The Dream, Sadler's Wells

Matthew Paluch

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s second triple bill at Sadler’s Wells this week is aptly titled "Autumn Celebration", acknowledging the season’s diverse weather through eclectic, light-hearted programming.

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Jonzi D, Lyrikal Fearta Redux, Lilian Baylis Studio

Matthew Paluch

Jonzi D has been integral in defining British hip hop since it first filtered over from the States in the early 1980s – and has further managed to keep his finger firmly on the pulse. His two-week residency in Sadler’s Wells Theatre’s studio sees him returning to his own work, rather than his higher-profile role curating the annual Sadler’s Wells Breakin’ Convention festival for streetdance.

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The Sleeping Beauty, English National Ballet, Milton Keynes Theatre

Ismene Brown

Has the great ballerina Tamara Rojo ever done a more nerveracking performance than she did last night in Milton Keynes?

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Swan Lake, Royal Ballet

Judith Flanders

The Royal Ballet’s autumn season began on Monday, but this was the eagerly awaited Swan Lake. Natalia Osipova, ex-Bolshoi, now principal with American Ballet Theater and the Mikhailovsky in St Petersburg, was making her debut as a guest with the Royal Ballet, partnered by Carlos Acosta.

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Love Tomorrow, Raindance Film Festival

Ismene Brown

For Darcey Bussell it’s Baryshnikov in The Turning Point; for Carlos Acosta it’s The Red Shoes. No one at last week's starry premiere of Love Tomorrow at the Raindance Film Festival, when I asked them for their favourite dance film, mentioned Black Swan.

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Akram Khan's Desh, Sadler's Wells

Sarah Kent

I’ve seen Akram Khan’s Desh twice. The first time I sat in my favourite spot – the front row – close enough to smell the sweat drenching his shirt as the demanding physicality of this ambitious solo work became evident.

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San Francisco Ballet, Balanchine/ Liang/ Wheeldon, Sadler's Wells Theatre

Ismene Brown

It's been eight years since San Francisco Ballet were last here, charming us with their finesse and their smiles - welcome back. They offer a boost of spirit to the gloomsters of ballet over here. This small city which punches many times above its weight in the cultural world owes a vast amount of its self-confidence and charisma to its mixed ethnic roots, so the range of dancers from the Far East via North Europe and the Latino Americas is representative.

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