In 2017 the New Adventures company is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Younger dance fans will know Bourne for his iconic Swan Lake, Nutcracker!, gothic themed Sleeping Beauty and most recently The Red Shoes but here Bourne revisits some popular works from the early years. The triple bill features a comparatively small cast and harks back to some more simplistic … [Read more...]
Irina Kolesnikova, Her Name was Carmen at the London Coliseum
It is not often one has the opportunity to see a ballet which primarily aims to raise awareness of the present Syrian refugee crisis, however this was the key aim of Irina Kolesnikova’s brave new take on Carmen. It is a story widely performed in both opera and ballet, most recently tackled by Carlos Acosta with varied success and Kolesnikova’s version unfortunately … [Read more...]
Sally Phillips and Lily Bevan: Talking To Strangers – Review
Sally Phillips and Lily Bevan are both successful writers and actors in their own right. Bevan is a RADA graduate and Phillips is of course renowned for her roles in Miranda and Smack the Pony. In Talking to Strangers, they are free to work to their own rules in a series of one-woman sketches featuring an eclectic collection of female characters in a variety of … [Read more...]
Review of Qutb – Silent Echo – Run, Mary, Run at Sadler’s Wells
Tickets for this short run of new work featuring Natalia Osipova have been sold out for months. Add into the mix bad-boy of ballet and real life partner Sergei Polunin and the buzz has been so intense, one wonders whether the content of the work is even relevant when the majority simply want to say “I was there”. Classical dancers are understandably keen to express … [Read more...]
Review of LA Dance Project at Sadler’s Wells
LA Dance Project was formed by Founding Director Benjamin Millepied following his new found stardom as in 2012’s Black Swan as Natalie Portman’s dance partner. He went on to marry Portman and relocate to Los Angeles where he found himself free to call the creative shots at the helm of a new company. In this triple bill, two of the pieces are choreographed by … [Read more...]
Northern Ballet 1984 at Sadler’s Wells – Review
Orwell’’s 1984 is a hapless tale, dark and ominous in its subject matter, where the rebellious protagonists are doomed from the start. The inescapable surveillance from a faceless Big Brother feels just as relevant now in the era of Orwell’s novel. How, then, can such an iconic tale of politics, hate and turmoil be translated into a comprehensible ballet? With such a … [Read more...]
English National Ballet’s Emerging Dancer Award 2016 – Review
English National Ballet’s Emerging Dancer Award is possibly one of the most unique nights out of the dance year. There’s certainly an X Factor feel, with nerves in the air, friends and family sitting supportively in the audience and a celebrity host (Natasha Kaplinsky, an ENB board member). Now in its seventh year Emerging Dancer provides lower ranked dancers from the … [Read more...]
Richard Alston Dance Company: An Italian in Madrid, Burning, Nomadic – Review
Wimbledon marks the final stop in the latest tour of Richard Alston Dance Company. This diverse triple bill features three of the current pieces in rep, with some works featuring at some locations and not others, a nice idea to keep the choreography fresh and the dancer’s engaged. An Italian in Madrid is a new work for 2016 and is classic Alston piece that … [Read more...]
Review of English National Ballet’s She Said
Principal dancer Tamara Rojo is now over four years into her reign as Artistic Director at English National Ballet, throughout which time she has transformed the company from a regular touring company predictably relaying the classics, to a daring company showcasing new work from emerging choreographers and performances designed to appeal to younger dance fans. … [Read more...]