December 2008
News: Dance highlights for 2009
Eonaggata, the collaboration between Sylvie Guillem, Russell Maliphant, theatre director Robert Le Page and fashion designer Alexander McQueen is on many of the ‘must see’ lists for the coming year. … Continue Reading
News: A life in the day
- of Edward Watson, principal dancer with the Royal Ballet. ‘I’ve probably got a reputation for being a bit unpredictable, a bit over-excited, a bit of a wild card….’ Read more in the Sun… Continue Reading
Royal Ballet in The Nutcracker at Royal Opera House
‘The score is a miracle of feeling, of theatrical magic: we know the excitements as the Christmas tree grows, feel the chill winds that impel the snowflakes, and understand the nobility of purest classic dancing in the final great duet, if we will but listen, as do…
The Thief of Baghdad at Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House
‘Tuckett’s choreography is sympathetic and ingenious, giving an impression of overarching space within tight confines, and he is well served by Valentina Golfieri, Charlotte Broom and Christopher Marney as the displaced children.’
The Thief of Baghdad at Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House
‘In his works for families, Tuckett mixes speech, movement and inventive stage design. He’s a strong producer, good at transformations and unexpected images. But his choreography is limited: he’s better at using movement to create atmosphere than at sta…
The Thief of Baghdad at Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House
“There is, however, a very good reason for grown-ups to see the show, and it is one I have noted before with several gruesome dance-events. Matthew Hart appears as the villain. Hart is an extraordinary, a brilliant and commanding dance-actor, who brings life, fa…
News: Olga Lepeshinskaya
A former star of the Bolshoi Ballet has died recently at the age of 92. The Observer, 21 Dec.08 Continue Reading
The Thief of Baghdad at Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House
“There is considerable charm in this production. The lead characters are appealing as both dancers and actors, and Matthew Hart is outstanding as the creepily villainous king.”
News: Looking back at 2008
Find out where Merce Cunninghan, Wayne McGregor and Wayne Eagling come in Mark Monahan’s top ten, plus find out who has proved to be “a 24-carat Manon” in the Telegraph, 18 Dec.08 So who’… Continue Reading
Royal Ballet in The Nutcracker at Royal Opera House
“Peter Wright’s Christmas-card-elegant sets? Check. A magical transformation scene (though not as good as Birmingham Royal Ballet’s)? Check. A solid if, to these eyes, less than charismatic first-night Sugar Plum Fairy and Price? That, too.”
The Thief of Baghdad at Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House
“Typically of Tuckett, the dance passages spring organically from the story, and he has assembled a lovely cast. As King of the Mountains, the always wonderful Matthew Hart is part lothario, part Beetlejuice, part Cabaret-style Emcee – a lipsmacking baddie if…
The Thief of Baghdad at Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House
‘Tuckett’s choreography manages to fill the small space with athleticism and lyricism, though one wishes the production moved more.’
Royal Ballet in The Nutcracker at Royal Opera House
‘Laura Morera was an outstanding Rose Fairy, bringing out the nuance of every step.’
The Thief of Baghdad at Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House
“Tuckett ropes in even the most recalcitrant spectator, and the Arabian Nights story unfolds remarkably intact, complete with scenes in Persian palaces, dungeons and market places, involving genies, a levitating carpet and the statutory heap of jewels promising wea…
News: Cash-strapped dance
Judith Mackrell looks at the state of funding for dance. Can the Cinderella of art forms get the fairytale ending it deserves? Guardian, 18 Dec.08 Continue Reading