Latest dance reviews

Northern Ballet's The Great Gatsby at Sadler's Wells

Northern Ballet's The Great Gatsby, choreographed by David Nixon, is a commendable effort to adapt this difficult material to the ballet form, and the perfect project for this energetic, enthusiastic ensemble. At Sadler's Wells.

Wednesday 15th May 2013 Read more...
Unrest and rancour in Hofesh Shechter's double bill at Sadler's Wells

Two contrasting works from Hofesh Shechter made for an intriguing double bill at Sadler's Wells: the all-male Uprising and the all-female The Art of Not Looking Back, a disturbing, unsettling meditation.

Monday 29th April 2013 Read more...
Puzzles and riddles: Eastman and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's Puz/zle at Sadler's Wells

The effect of Puz/zle is of chaos, without any order or solution to the riddle provided. It is epic in aesthetic, and length, and captures aspects of human endeavour in many fields. But its open-endedness is problematic at times. At Sadler's Wells.

Monday 29th April 2013 Read more...
The Place Prize finals 2013

The Place Prize finals 2013 brought back four new dance pieces from the semi-finals held last year to subject them again to the judges' and audience's scrutiny.

Tuesday 23rd April 2013 Read more...
Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling makes a darkly compelling night at Covent Garden

Kenneth MacMillan's classic ballet Mayerling is a dark but enthralling cocktail. It's hard to call it an enjoyable experience, but with such a strong cast of actor-principals from The Royal Ballet, it's enought to marvel at the psychological depths that ballet can plumb.

Monday 22nd April 2013 Read more...
Ecstasy and Death: An excellent triple bill by English National Ballet

This unusual triple bill from English National Ballet at the Coliseum, intriguingly titled Ecstasy and Death, brought together three contrasting works to demonstrate the good shape the company is in.

Monday 22nd April 2013 Read more...
National Ballet of Canada at Sadler's Wells: Light tragedy in Alexei Ratmansky's Romeo and Juliet

The National Ballet of Canada's new version of Romeo and Juliet, choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky, debuted at Sadler's Wells on Wednesday night. This agreeable version of the classic is built on Ratmansky's quiet, gentle classical style.

Friday 19th April 2013 Read more...
Rites of passage: Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre's The Rite of Spring and Petrushka

Part of Sadler's Wells's A String of Rites, Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre brought Michael Keegan-Dolan's Rite of Spring and Petrushka choreographies to the stage last week. This different take on these classic shows has left many questions open.

Monday 15th April 2013 Read more...
Dancing Bach: The Mikhailovsky Ballet's powerful contemporary face in London

Multiplicity. Forms of Silence and Emptiness is a ballet in two acts choreographed by the Mikhailovsky Ballet's artistic director Nacho Duato, and here showcased the company's ability in contemporary repertory as their fourth programme presented at the London Coliseum.

Monday 8th April 2013 Read more...
Action in stillness: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and the Shaolin monks in Sutra at Sadler's Wells

Returning to Sadler's Wells again, Sutra continues to be a spectacular show, breaking down perceptions of Eastern and Western cultures, and finding in martial arts poetry in motion.

Friday 5th April 2013 Read more...
Excuses to dance: The Mikhailovsky Ballet's Laurencia at the Coliseum

The third offering from the Mikhailovsky Ballet at the London Coliseum was the little-known Laurencia, a rather quaint piece containing some spectacular dancing. Again, Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev delivered some spectacular performances.

Wednesday 3rd April 2013 Read more...
A chance to dance: The Rambert Dance Company in Cunningham's RainForest at the Barbican

The latest event in the Barbican's Dancing Around Duchamp season saw Rambert Dance Company perform Merce Cunningham's legendary RainForest in the Art Gallery, within the Bride and the Bachelors exhibition.

Tuesday 2nd April 2013 Read more...
Simply the best: Don Quixote at the London Coliseum

A couple of supersonic rockets were set off in London on Saturday night at the London Coliseum, and the audience is still reeling from the aftermath. The fabulous duo were at it again, blazing their way across a stage that seemed far too small for their gigantic leaps, defying gravity with the height of their jumps and going into spins that nearly bored holes in the stage floor.

Monday 1st April 2013 Read more...
balletLORENT's Rapunzel at Sadler's Wells

This retelling of Rapunzel has many excellent ideas and beautiful moments: the individual performances are memorable, and the children in the cast are amazing. The end result does not quite live up to the vision unfortunately, and left me wanting more dancing. At Sadler's Wells.

Monday 1st April 2013 Read more...
Perfect partnership in Mikhailovsky Ballet Giselle

The Mikhailovsky Opera's visit to London opened with a splendid performance of Giselle, playing to a packed Coliseum audience and starring darlings of the ballet world Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev. They deserved every cheer they got.

Thursday 28th March 2013 Read more...
Arthur Pita's The Metamorphosis at the Royal Opera House

Telling Franz Kafka's famous story The Metamorphosis, Arthur Pita's award-winning dance-theatre piece is a powerful, graceful performance which shows the potential of this exciting medium.

Tuesday 26th March 2013 Read more...
Israel Galván presents his experimental La Curva at London Flamenco Festival

Part of London Flamenco Festival at Sadler's Wells, Israel Galván's La Curva is innovative and experimental, but ultimately disappointing, running to a length greater than that necessary given its material.

Tuesday 26th March 2013 Read more...
High-powered, avant-garde flamenco: Romances at London Flamenco Festival

Romances, from director Juan Kruz Diaz de Garaio Esnaola, is a little gem of London Flamenco Festival, at Sadler's Wells' Lilian Baylis Studio. Full of inventiveness and experimentation, this piece avoided traditional flamenco clichés, placing itself firmly in the 21st century.

Monday 25th March 2013 Read more...
Nostalgia and magic: Birmingham Royal Ballet's Aladdin in London

Birmingham Royal Ballet have brought their family show Aladdin to the London Coliseum, and while it makes a very long performance, it's full of intrigue, excitement and nostalgia.

Friday 22nd March 2013 Read more...
A versatile and unique night: bgroup's Just As We Are at The Place

This strangely complementary mix of work at The Place shows Ben Wright's unique perspective and versatility, and in support, his dancers were able to articulate each piece with obvious skill and grace. It was an interesting and fun night.

Monday 18th March 2013 Read more...
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