Ballet Nights Marks Anniversary with a Characteristically Eclectic Bill Stars and newcomers, classics and world premieres, dancing and music, all steered by an amiable compère – yes, Ballet Nights is back with its usual eclectic mix, breathing fresh life into the gala format. Inevitably, while some acts hit the sweet spot, and how! a few […]
English National Ballet, Rhythm Riot
Rhythm Riot combines versatility and explosive energy Vitality, superhuman energy, and above all rhythm – these are the keywords of English National Ballet’s latest triple bill, aptly named Rhythm Riot, which has just started a week-long residency at Sadler’s Wells. Three very diverse choreographers, three composers and two world premieres made for an entertaining […]
Dance Umbrella 2026
London’s International Festival of Dance Returns to Stage and Screen Dance Umbrella has been bringing both established and experimental dance to London every year for almost half a century. Over that period, the annual festival has necessarily evolved, gradually moving away from established companies to shift its focus to boundary-busting artists, whose work sometimes stretches […]
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Sadler’s Wells
Pioneers of Contemporary Dance Enthrall with New and Legacy Works There are many reasons why New York-based Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is one of the best-loved contemporary dance companies in the world: the impeccable, expansive technique of its dancers, the joy they bring to everything they do, the variety and inventiveness of its repertoire, […]
The McRae/Vassilev Project
Two Virtuosi of Dance and Music Strut Their Stuff at the Linbury Two virtuosi of dance and music, respectively, Royal Ballet principal dancer Steven McRae and violinist and principal guest concert master Vasko Vassilev came together in the Linbury, the second stage of the house they call home, to perform, reminisce and pay homage to […]
English National Ballet Open House
A Rare Opportunity to Go Behind the Scenes at English National Ballet For over three decades, the Open House Festival has been inviting Londoners to visit and explore buildings, which aren’t normally open to the public, in an annual celebration of the capital’s built environment. One such building is the award-winning Mulryan Centre for Dance, […]
Carlos Acosta: Myths and Modern Masters
The Cuban Ballet Superstar Returns to the Stage Carlos Acosta retired from the stage in 2015; but the stage never left him, and in Myths and Modern Masters, his self-curated programme, which has just opened at Covent Garden, he proves once again that at 53 he’s still got what it takes. At just over two […]
The Car Man – Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures
Bizet’s Carmen Inspires Bourne’s Raunchiest Work I’ll be honest. The first time I saw Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man at its London premiere at the Old Vic in 2000, I disliked it intensely. Since then, Matthew Bourne’s tale of sex, sleaze, jealousy and murder among car mechanics in 1950s small-town America, very loosely inspired by […]
Marianela – Timeless
A Celebration of Royal Ballet Veteran Principal Marianela Núñez Marianela Nuñez is very easy to love. Her radiant smile has been lighting up the stage at Covent Garden for 28 years, her all-consuming love of dance bringing an added dimension to every step she makes – and how she makes them! At 44-years-old, the Royal […]
Hofesh Shechter: In the Brain
A New High-Octane Work for the Young Dancers of Shechter II Part rave, part ritual, relentlessly physical and danced to loud, throbbing music, Hofesh Shechter’s In the Brain is a high-energy, pulsating work, the kind that we’ve come to expect from this choreographer, showing many of his characteristic tropes, yet somehow fresh and newly engaging […]