Dance
Contrasts, Mariinsky Ballet review - company shows off range of its powersThursday, 10 August 2017
There are two approaches to a triple bill: make all three pieces similar so you get one crowd with definite tastes, or make them very different so you have a chance of pleasing everyone. The Contrasts bill that the Mariinsky ballet showed at the... Read more... |
Swan Lake, Mariinsky Ballet review - Xander Parish lacks the spark of wildfireFriday, 28 July 2017
It's a Cinderella story: Xander Parish was plucked from obscurity in the Royal Ballet corps and trained by the Mariinsky to dance the greatest roles in the repertoire. Now, not only is he the first Briton to join the historic Russian company, he has... Read more... |
Don Quixote, Mariinsky Ballet review - gentle charm, impressive principalsTuesday, 25 July 2017
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). The point is, the Mariinsky -... Read more... |
Enter theartsdesk's Young Reviewer of the Year AwardSaturday, 15 July 2017
The Hospital Club’s annual h.Club100 awards celebrate the most influential and innovative people working in the UK’s creative industries, with nominations from the worlds of film and fashion, art, advertising, theatre, music, television and more.... Read more... |
Scottish Ballet, Sadler's Wells review - striking and memorable danceFriday, 09 June 2017
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. So deep that, once he became Artistic Director of Scottish, he actively sought it... Read more... |
Sergei Vikharev, master ballet-reconstructor, 1962-2017Tuesday, 06 June 2017
Just as the 200th anniversary is about to be celebrated of the great genius of 19th-century classical ballets, Marius Petipa, the creator of The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, La Bayadère, half of Swan Lake, and many other masterpieces, his oeuvre's... Read more... |
Ashton triple bill, Royal Ballet review – fond farewell to Zenaida YanowskySaturday, 03 June 2017
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. The Dream shows Ashton at his narrative best, handling... Read more... |
Koen Kessels: 'there's a joke in ballet we only have two tempi' - interviewWednesday, 31 May 2017
Koen Kessels is on a mission to change the culture around music in ballet. Anyone who has heard the Belgian conduct will know that he is the right person for the job: Kessels makes the classic scores come alive in the pit like nobody else I’ve heard... Read more... |
m¡longa, Brighton Festival review - sensual tango explosionSaturday, 20 May 2017
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... Read more... |
Symphonic Dances, Royal Ballet review - a truly interesting creationFriday, 19 May 2017
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... Read more... |
Ghost Dances: Rambert, Sadler's Wells review - vital and joyfully precise dancingWednesday, 17 May 2017
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.Ghost Dances is, I'm told, the most requested work in the company’s 90-... Read more... |
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... Read more... |
