November 2012
Royal Ballet - MacMillan Mixed Bill - Royal Opera House
Leanne Benjamin is sublime as the consoling central figure. Her shimmering white form infuses the stage with consolation, as she is held above the grieving mass like an angel swooping free of a baroque ceiling.
Kiss Me, Kate at the Old Vic
There are moments when you can see the revival this might have been: most notably after the interval, when Stephen Mear’s choreography and Jason Pennycooke’s snake-like hips suddenly scorch the stage, and make everyone else sizzle, too.
Currency 3: Tabea Martin / Alma Soderberg -The Place
The Place billed its short, sociably-managed season Currency as ‘an international exchange of danced ideas.’... Continue Reading
Kiss Me, Kate at the Old Vic
Sam and Bella Spewack’s book never quite convinces me that Lilli and Fred are destined for each other, but Stephen Mear’s high-octane choreography, showcased in the set-piece for Too Darn Hot, leaves no room for brooding.
Hetain Patel - Be Like Water - Linbury Studio
It’s an adroit double act, alive with strategies that confuse our sense of who is who.
Kiss Me, Kate at the Old Vic
Stephen Mear’s choreography bursts with wit and invention, especially during the spectacularly staged Too Darn Hot, which sees the impish hoofer Jason Pennycooke gliding across the stage while doing the splits.
Hetain Patel - Be Like Water - Linbury Studio
Hetain Patel’s Be Like Water is a curious mix of the self-regarding and the self-effacing. On the one hand, it is clearly all about him... On the other hand, every self-reference is deflected, reflected or … Continue Reading
Beyond Circus -The Albany
If you’ve fallen away from watching circus in big venues, give new circus by companies like Upswing in places like the Albany a try. Circus is evolving, progressing from the pure showmanship of tricks for … Continue Reading
Clod Ensemble - Silver Swan at Tate Modern
On a narrative level, too, the concept remains unfocused, so that the closing minutes of this half-hour piece start to unravel into inconsequentiality. The imagery and audacity of Silver Swan’s first half is well worth the price of a ticket, but you leave the wor…
Unleashed - Barbican Theatre
There's something so satisfying about seeing the stage swarming with performers, especially when they're full of energy & attitude. It’s urban, edgy & celebratory... Continue Reading
Choreographer Stephen Mear
Stephen Mear, who has just finished choreographing 'Kiss Me, Kate' for the Old Vic, admits that he's an old-fashioned and 'very arms' sort of choreographer. Continue Reading
A Royal Touch for The Nutckracker
Costume fittings with the Queen of Denmark is something that ballet dancers in Copenhagen have had to get used to. Queen Margrethe, Danish monarch and artist, has designed all the costumes and the set for The Nut… Continue Reading
Win a DVD of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake!
The 2010 production, featuring Richard Winsor as The Swan/Stranger – was filmed at Sadler’s Wells last year, for the first time in High Definition. Five lucky winners have been chosen! Continue Reading
Rosemary Butcher -After Kaprow – The Silent Room/Book of Journeys
Video installation designed for a range of gallery & theatre spaces is a dominant theme in Rosemary Butcher’s highly visual and meditative work 'After Kaprow'. Another is the contemplation o… Continue Reading
Unleashed - Barbican Theatre
There’s some wonderful dancing, from hip hop acrobatics to tight, sleek moves. Unleashed has immense drive and focus, bringing in different aspects of performance without losing its momentum or freshness.