BalletBoyz’s Much Anticipated Return to the Stage If BalletBoyz worried that a relatively long absence from the stage might have diminished their appeal, they needn’t have worried: their many supporters were out in force for the première of Pointless: BalletBoyz at 25, the show that marks the company’s 25th anniversary at Sadler’s Wells, where founder […]
Il Cimento dell’Armonia e dell’Inventione
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Through de Keersmaeker’s Eyes Anne Teresa de Keersmaker’s work often feels like a test of endurance for audiences. The uncompromising Belgian choreographer has stripped dance of what she considers unnecessary flummery to arrive at an abstract and geometric style of movement, deliberately unacademic and seemingly artless. De Keersmaeker’s company, Rosas, founded in […]
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
A Welcome Return by the All-Male Ballet Comedy Company Every time Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, affectionately known as The Trocks, descend on London – size 11 pointe shoes, hairy armpits, beefy shoulders, terribly wigs and all – we realise how much we’ve missed them. The all-male comedy ballet troupe from New York has […]
Breakin’ Convention 2026
Sadler’s Wells Annual Hip Hop Take Over On show days, the mezzanine area of Sadler’s Wells normally hosts exclusive receptions for company and theatre patrons and guests; but during Breakin’ Convention, it devolves to the people (ticket holders, obviously) with DJs spinning their stuff at top volume, the occasional bout of beatboxing and plenty of […]
Augmented: Dance Powered by AI
Rambert + Juilliard + Studio Wayne McGregor First things first: the students from Rambert School, London, and Juilliard, New York, who came together under the auspices of choreographer du jour Wayne McGregor, are nothing short of phenomenal: they filled the stage at Sadler’s Wells East with such talent, technical proficiency, discipline and unbridled enthusiasm they […]
Still Pointless: BalletBoyz at 25
The All-Male Troupe Resumes its Stage Journey *Stop Press* Check our Review of Still Pointless from BalletBoyz *StopPress* In the event you haven’t heard of BalletBoyz (unlikely, I know, but just to be on the safe side), I’ll let one of the company founders, Michael Nunn, do the introductions: “A high quality dance company that […]
Ballet Nights 011, Convergence
Legacy Classics and New Voices at Cadogan Hall There were some true gems alongside more run-of-the-mill material in the 11th edition of Ballet Nights, entitled Convergence, which took place at Chelsea’s Cadogan Hall on Wednesday. As per its usual format, each half of the programme started with a music piece, followed by a total of […]
Louise Lecavalier, Danses Vagabondes
A Solo Show by the Compelling Canadian Dancer Louise Lecavalier’s Danses Vagabondes is hard to pigeonhole. If by dance you mean any movement to music, then this is it: some 70 minutes of high energy tiptoeing at speed back and forth, side to side and around the stage, restless arms and hands creating fluttering figures, […]
Don Quixote, Birmingham Royal Ballet
Carlos Acosta’s Colourful Production of the Classic Don Quixote A riot of colour and incessant dancing, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Don Quixote has reached Sadler’s Wells at the end of a long, busy UK tour and, almost inevitably, it looks a little tired. Produced by BRB Artistic Director Carlos Acosta, originally for The Royal Ballet, and […]
We Caliban, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance
Shakespeare’s The Tempest Through Caliban’s Eyes I had high expectations of We Caliban, which has arrived at Sadler’s Wells East as part of a UK tour, because the work of choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh is never less than interesting. Her ceaselessly inquisitive mind burrows under the surface of her subjects to come up with fresh, challenging perspectives, […]