June 2010
English National Ballet in Swan Lake at Royal Albert Hall
‘Spectacular it is, art it ain’t. The schooling of the four dozen swans is immaculate, and the tessellated lakeside scenes are a picture (at least when the dry-ice machine isn’t playing up), but even the finest principals need a megaphone to broadcast t…
English National Ballet in Swan Lake at Royal Albert Hall
‘ [Daria Klimentova] is a dancer whose confidence, even in such a daunting setting, is consummate. Her Odette was remote and slightly unattainable, her Odile arrogantly confident. Throughout, her technique was immensely powerful and the sheer force of her presen…
New Arts Chair for London
Veronica Wadley – the former editor of the Evening Standard has been appointed the London chair of Arts Council England. Her controversial appointment by Mayor Boris Johnson was previously overturned by th… Continue Reading
Jackie Guy Q&A
Jackie Guy is the choreographer for the hit Jamaican musical The Harder They Come which started life at Theatre Royal Stratford East in 2006, had a long West End run, a seaon at the Barbican and is now back in … Continue Reading
English National Ballet in Swan Lake at Royal Albert Hall
“it is hard to resist the massed ranks of swans who pattern the stage in mesmeric blocks of movement, or indeed the noted Act I pas de trois here multiplied fourfold, and delivered with aplomb to all points of the compass.”
Kabuki - featuring Ebizo Ichikawa XI in Yoshitsune & the Thousand Cherry Trees at Sadler's Wells
“Ebizo Ichikawa, who plays Tadanobu, doesn’t put a foot wrong, at one point, executing a breath-taking vulpine leap onto the stage from on high.”
English National Ballet in Swan Lake at Royal Albert Hall
“The detail of the story, the nuance that makes it feel important, even the shape of the steps get lost in the requirement that the dancers physically transport themselves across the ice rink of a dance floor, and then project their feelings high into the circli…
All change at the Royal Ballet
The Royal Ballet‘s Sergei Polunin has been promoted to Principal in the recent Company changes. At only 20 years old, Polunin is one of the youngest dancers ever to reach the Company’s venerated high… Continue Reading
English National Ballet in Swan Lake at Royal Albert Hall
‘Upping the numbers also makes the ballet more of a pageant than a poem. At last night’s opening night the 56 swans (about double what you normally get) looked as much like an avian tattoo as snowy maidens.’
English National Ballet in Swan Lake at Royal Albert Hall
Reviewed: 9 June 2010 This opening performance of Derek Deane’s in-the-round Swan Lake lost a star before it even began with guest artist Polina Semionova stranded in Berlin without a visa. Her replacement… Continue Reading
Arts facing new cuts
Under the new coalition government the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is requiring all funded organisations to cut their budget by at least 3%, with Arts Council England losing 4%. _*\“We all knew… Continue Reading
Mark Bruce Company in Love and War at The Place
‘At times, the confusion doesn’t matter, given the excellence of the cast and theatricality of Bruce’s imagination.’
Royal Ballet in New Works at Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House
‘Over the past two years, Slava Samodurov has also produced work of great promise for this programme. Now, with Trip Trac, set to Shostakovich piano Preludes and Fugues, he too looks ready to fly.’
Dance in Venice
This year’s contemporary dance festival is underway with performances from Bill T Jones, Crystal Pite, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Sydney Dance Company & William Forsythe. Judith Mackrell reports in … Continue Reading
Bringing Balanchine Back
New York City Ballet in Bringing Balanchine BackThe historic return to Russia**78 Minutes + 12 minutes of bonus material.Warner Music Entertainment Buy on Amazon £12.99 Congratulations to our winners Laura Rob… Continue Reading