March 2008
News: Drummond Fund awards announced
The former Controller of Music at the BBC, Sir John Drummond had two great loves in his life – music and dance. After Drummond’s death in 2006, Bob Lockyer, a long time BBC colleague and creator of D… Continue Reading
StopGAP Dance Company at Crawley
‘Their knowledge of one another shows in the security and daring with which they move, and the emotional honesty that they bring to even the most stylised actions or situations seems second nature.’ StopGAP is at the Albany, Deptford, on Thur; the Place, …
Stuttgart Ballet in Romeo & Juliet at London Coliseum
‘So ubiquitous is the R&J created in 1965 by Kenneth MacMillan that many dance fans think it the only one. John Cranko’s for Stuttgart Ballet pre-dates it by three years, and initially the comparison isn’t flattering to MacMillan, in that a surprisi…
Stuttgart Ballet in Romeo & Juliet at London Coliseum
‘While MacMillan gives us towering, claustrophobic grandeur, Cranko’s Verona is rural and provincial, with the entertainment provided by gypsies.’
Probe in Magpie at The Place
‘Probe’s Magpie is a variety night, complete with red curtains and quick costume changes. But this is variety in contemporary dance terms, from a silky new take on 1930s ballroom to 1970s postmodern minimalism. The dancing is sleek and juicy throughout.’
Probe in Magpie at The Place
‘Dancers of considerable experience, they combine the polished look of professionals with the personable feel of enthusiasts, eager to show their collection.’
ZooNation in Into the Hoods at Novello Theatre
‘The emphasis is on choreographer Kate Prince’s slick, poppy, synchronised street dance, laced with plenty of attitude and funk. It’s more than MTV moves, though. Prince uses bodies in innovative, theatrical ways, to create atmosphere or as impromptu pr…
ZooNation in Into the Hoods at Novello Theatre
‘The cast are terrific: exuberant, sexy when they need to be and unexpectedly funny in a broad, cartoon style. Their dancing is watertight and the choreography they created with Prince is consistently inventive.’
ZooNation in Into the Hoods at Novello Theatre
‘Since its 2006 incarnation the show has been edited, pruned and reworked. It is longer but tighter, with a clearer storyline and dancing that drives the action rather than just decorates it.’
ZooNation in Into the Hoods at Novello Theatre
‘On the surface, Into the Hoods is a thrilling and thoughtful show with widespread appeal. There’s lindy-hopping, backflips galore and even a cheeky throwback to MC Hammer. But delve a bit further and there’s also an underlying social commentary that…
New York City Ballet in Programme 3: Four Voices at London Coliseum
‘…NYCB draws dancers exclusively from its own school. This provides a unified look and style, acts as a vital channel for national talent and connects the company directly to the community it serves. Every NYCB dancer personally embodies the company’s h…
Royal Ballet in The Sleeping Beauty at Royal Opera House
‘Rojo’s reading of the role of Aurora is at once restrained and spectacular. She is so precisely centred that she seems supported on a current of air, and this gives her pirouettes and her ‘Rose Adagio’ balances an air of pensive rapture.’
New York City Ballet in Programme 4: Ballet and Broadway at London Coliseum
‘Balanchine’s Tarantella may look more Italian than Manhattan, with its duet couple rattling tambourines and dressed in vaguely Neapolitan style. But both music and choreography are crammed with Broadway flourishes, and dancers Ashley Bouder and Daniel Ulb…
New York City Ballet in Programme 4: Ballet and Broadway at London Coliseum
‘The final programme in New York City Ballet’s London season is the populist one. Here we have George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins and Peter Martins bringing the iconic images of popular American culture on to the ballet stage.’
Stuttgart Ballet in Romeo & Juliet at London Coliseum
‘Cranko was uneasy with ballet’s aristocratic manners. He thought dance should be of “life itself” and convey authentic emotions in naturalistic ways.’