November 2006
The Cholmondeleys & Featherstonehaughs in 'Yippeee!!! 2006' at Sadler's Wells
YIPPEEE!! 2006 was a series of visual delights strung together with the music of Steve Blake. It was choreographed and artistically directed by Lea Anderson, performed by The Cholmondeleys and The Featherstoneha… Continue Reading
Christopher Wheeldon on track
His new work for the Royal Ballet uses music by Michael Nyman written for the inauguration of the TGV (high speed train) in France. DGV was made at high speed. It took just three weeks. Aged 33, Wheeldon has had… Continue Reading
White Stripes & minimalist architect
His cast includes ballerinas Alina Cojocaru, Tamara Rojo, Sarah Lamb and Lauren Cuthbertson – all currently appearing in The Sleeping Beauty. McGregor is regretful that there are just five performances of … Continue Reading
Protein Dance in Big Sale at The Place
‘… whatever intellectual originality Protein Dance’s clever, hyperactive production may lack is compensated for through sheer nerve and verve.’
Protein Dance in Big Sale at The Place
Protein Dance Company’s Big Sale is a delightful mix of dance, physical theatre, dialogue and film. It is a demanding but exciting piece which requires great stamina from the dancers. At regular points thr… Continue Reading
Royal Ballet in The Sleeping Beauty at Royal Opera House
‘With every performance, [Tamara] Rojo looks more like one of her generation’s finest ballerinas, performing at the apex of her physical and interpretative power.’
Dutch National Ballet in ‘Four Last Songs/Suite for Two/Frank Bridge Variations/The Second Detail’ at Sadler's Wells
‘There’s a wonderful section [in Frank Bridge Variations] where the dancers simply walk the stage in quiet ranks. It takes great skill to convey so much by such apparently undramatic means, but van Manen is the master of this genre.’
The Cholmondeleys & Featherstonehaughs in 'Yippeee!!! 2006' at Sadler's Wells
‘Anderson gives us the building-blocks, a dreary and endlessly reworked series of shuffles and step ball changes, but not the fantastical swoop and glide of Berkeley’s camera-work. Nor, crucially, does she give us any tap.’
Dance Umbrella Gala 06: Martha @ the Wells at Sadler's Wells
‘…a Kim Brandstrup duet was darkly engrossing, a solo for extended thumbs by Trisha Brown was a minimalist delight, and a student skit by a 17-year-old Aletta Collins to Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man” was both clever and funny.’
The Cholmondeleys & Featherstonehaughs in 'Yippeee!!! 2006' at Sadler's Wells
‘It’s a fascinating idea on paper, but its exposition is tiresomely obscure.’
Dutch National Ballet in ‘Four Last Songs/Suite for Two/Frank Bridge Variations/The Second Detail’ at Sadler's Wells
‘Hans Van Manen, now 73 and still prolific, is the company’s real crown jewel, and his 2005 Frank Bridge Variations, set to the darkly exuberant Britten score, formed the backbone of the programme, showing dancer after splendid dancer’s strength and for…
The Cholmondeleys & Featherstonehaughs in 'Yippeee!!! 2006' at Sadler's Wells
‘If only the dance had more interest, but there’s little substance to the jiggings, whirlings and prancings, catwalk line-ups, manic gyrations: so many bitty episodes.’
Momix in Lunar Sea at Peacock Theatre
‘Moses Pendleton, its director and founder, exploits all kinds of skills; dancing is mixed with gymnastics, puppetry and trapeze, lit with black and UV light.’
Momix in Lunar Sea at Peacock Theatre
‘Throughout the evening Pendleton plays tricks on our perceptions via simple yet ingenious devices. At times your rational mind might tell you how they’ve been achieved, while at others you forget about who is pulling the strings and just go with the flow.’
Dance Umbrella Gala 06: Martha @ the Wells at Sadler's Wells
Martha @ The Wells was a gala performance hosted by Richard Move aka “Martha Graham”. Not only did this show mark the end of Dance Umbrella 2006, but also the end of the twenty-eight year reign of Va… Continue Reading