October 2007
Hofesh Shechter in Uprising/In Your Rooms at Sadler's Wells
‘Shechter is a concert-level percussionist, and although he’s only been making dance for five years, no other choreographer combines such a thrilling command of rhythm with such subtle manipulation of spatial dynamics.’
Hofesh Shechter in Uprising/In Your Rooms at Sadler's Wells
‘It’s always hard to make a convincing claim that something you’ve just seen is quite unlike anything seen before. But Shechter’s distinctiveness tempts you to make that claim.’
Isaac Julien & Russell Maliphant in Cast No Shadow at Sadler's Wells
‘If Small Boats is overlong, the result is resonant and moving. And vitally, much more than the sum of its parts.’
Isaac Julien & Russell Maliphant in Cast No Shadow at Sadler's Wells
‘To be fair, there are some flashes of inspiration, and the final underwater scene is amazing, but that’s assuming you’re still awake to see it.’
Isaac Julien & Russell Maliphant in Cast No Shadow at Sadler's Wells
‘Cast No Shadow, the new collaboration between the choreographer Russell Maliphant and film-maker Isaac Julien, has extreme accomplishment but little substance. Filmed images glow, dancers pour themselves into flowing moves. Not much happens.’
Isaac Julien & Russell Maliphant in Cast No Shadow at Sadler's Wells
‘It is all very beautiful. Though the effects are restrained and as melancholy as Andy Cowton’s score, they have a resonant majesty. The balance between film and dance isn’t entirely perfect but this ambitious and bold collaboration makes a fitting and …
Siobhan Davies Dance in Two Quartets at Queen Elizabeth Hall
Siobhan Davies’ latest creation Two Quartets is exactly that, two pieces for four people. The notion of a quartet itself is seen here in two very different lights, the first presenting four people with a s… Continue Reading
Punchdrunk in The Masque of the Red Death at Battersea Arts Centre
‘the whole journey proves even more addictive [than Punchdrunk’s Faust], the dramatic moods sharper, the choreography (by Maxine Doyle) more disturbing, while the grand finale is an absolute blast.’
Punchdrunk in The Masque of the Red Death at Battersea Arts Centre
‘the whole event is exuberantly performed by a committed company. Maxine Doyle’s choreography of the final scene has a hectic vitality, and the design team do a superlative job.’
Punchdrunk in The Masque of the Red Death at Battersea Arts Centre
‘Young audiences adore these London Dungeon-style theatrics but after the similarlystyled Faust, the company seems caught in a brilliant Gothichorror rut.’
Author - Julie Kavanagh in Book - Rudolf Nureyev: The Life
‘Julie Kavanagh, an ex-dancer, is extremely good at explaining how Nureyev’s odd, orientalised, feminine style, so extraordinary in 1961, was quickly adopted worldwide, until today it has become the norm…Kavanagh is less good, however, at putting togeth…
CandoCo Dance Company in Mixed Bill 2007 at Queen Elizabeth Hall
‘it was Rafael Bonachela’s meticulously crafted virtuoso number that lifted the roof off the Queen Elizabeth Hall.’
CandoCo Dance Company in Mixed Bill 2007 at Queen Elizabeth Hall
‘There’s much ingenious work, though, particularly in the duets between Crecis and Brew; only Fin Walker, in The Journey, has got quite so much choreographic mileage out of a wheelchair.’
Morphoses - The Wheeldon Company in Programme 2 at Sadler's Wells
‘Wheeldon’s Fools’ Paradise … was a world premiere, and memorable for the mesmerising performances of Wendy Whelan and Craig Hall.’
Carlos Acosta
In a frank and insightful interview with Lesley White, Carlos Acosta describes his journey from break-dancing champion to becoming one of today’s greatest male ballet dancers in the world. He explains how … Continue Reading