Manon, Kenneth MacMillan’s transporting ballet, opens at Covent Garden Manon, Abbé Prevost’s novel of innocence corrupted in 18th-century Paris, where abject poverty coexisted with an obscenely rich, amoral aristocracy and everything was for sale, offered fertile material for choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan, a peerless chronicler of tempestuous human feelings and frailties. Shocking when it premiered […]
The Herd/Less, Sadler’s Wells East
South African Artist Mamela Niamza Returns to Dance Umbrella The Herd/Less opened the live in-person section of this year’s Dance Umbrella festival at a poorly attended Sadler’s Wells East, once again illustrating the festival’s ongoing drift away from dance. Time was when you could look forward to London’s annual festival of dance in the expectation […]
A Centenary Celebration
The Royal Ballet School’s 100th Birthday Bash One hundred years ago, a visionary woman of indomitable will, Ninette de Valois, founded what she called The Academy of Choreographic Art, an institution that would train dancers “to meet the various demands of the theatre”, through the teachings of classical school. Spool forward one century, and today […]
Jess & Morgs, Deepfake
The Award-Winning Duo Mash Dance and Technology in Deepfake “All the world’s information is in the palm of your hand, and you can’t believe a word of it”, says one of the lead characters in Deepfake, the latest multimedia dance-theatre work by the exciting duo Jess & Morgs. It’s a comment that should resonate with […]
The Brown Suite, Richmond Theatre
James Brown’s Legendary Music Anchors New Dance Show The Brown Suite Put together a powerful, evocative musical score and a cast of truly exciting dancers and you’re more than half-way to a crowd-pleasing show. A cogent plot would perhaps push things a bit further; but even with the flimsiest of storylines The Brown Suite is […]
Pastoral, Pam Tanowitz Dance
Tanowitz Weaves Her Magic on Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony Pam Tanowtiz is becoming quite the regular on London stages and I, for one, am absolutely delighted. I’m not the only one: through her commissions for The Royal Ballet (her fifth piece for Covent Garden will open early next year), and the Barbican, where her third co-commission, […]
Ballet Nights 012, The 3rd Birthday Programme
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]