Yesterday I was fortunate to attend a magical performance of something I would describe as being the perfect Christmas show for all. Having seen The Nutcracker on previous occasions, would I enjoy it again? Can you improve perfection? Well, The Vienna Festival Ballet Company demonstrated to the entire audience that filled the auditorium that you can. The curtain rises and we find ourselves at a magical Christmas party, with the magician providing entertainment for all, whilst … [Read more...]
Reviews of Ballet in London
If you are planning to visit London to see a ballet in London, then maybe our London ballet reviews section can be of help? Read one of the latest reviews or use the search button to find and view one of our previous reviews of ballet. We use a star rating system on our site.
William Forsythe – A Quiet Evening of Dance
Take the title of choreographer William Forsythe’s A Quiet Evening of Dance literally. For the first forty-five minutes of this show, the only sound you’ll hear is a sometimes soundtrack of distant birds singing quietly and the dancers breathing. The house lights are left up, you’re visible and there’s no set. It’s all black on black with occasional highlights of grating colour in the form of what looks a lot like coloured rubber gloves. The consequence is the audience is left uncomfortable, exposed physically and emotionally in their familiar Sadler’s seats, tested on an actual appreciation of choreography with no comfort blankets and nowhere to hide.
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Alain Platel: les ballets C de la B nicht schlafen – Review
Nicht Schlafen is a creative wonder marvellously performed by les ballets C de la B. Being choreographed by the adventuring Belgian choreographer, Alain Patel, it's not a conventional ballet of course but rather barefoot contemporary dance inspired by the deathly disruption of life in Europe due to war during the first part of the last century. The set, by Berlinde De Bruyckere, consists of a sculpture of three life-size dead horses piled in a heap with a ripped curtain of a blanket as a … [Read more...]
NEBT: Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and other modern ballets
The music was a delight of course, Rachmaninov, Guarnieri and The Four Seasons by Vivaldi. None of them were played live but the Rachmaninov was an old recording which combined pleasingly with the ephemeral atmospherics of the lighting to suggest we were watching scenes from a distant past. The most thrilling parts of the evening were the first and second movements of The Four Seasons, choreographed by Jenna Lee, where there was a freshness and flow to the choreography. The pas de deux in the … [Read more...]
Swan Lake – Vienna Festival Ballet – Theatre Royal Windsor
“I have never been to the Ballet! I don’t like Ballet!” How many times have I heard that? “I mean there are no words, how can you know what’s going on? That’s why I have never been to the Ballet” Do we need words to enjoy Ballet? I would advise anyone to go along to see The Vienna Festival Ballet company perform Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. As I, along with every other member of the audience that filled The Theatre Royal Windsor witnessed a visually stunning piece of art that held the full … [Read more...]
Review of THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CHINA – Sadler’s Wells
The Peony Pavilion by The National Ballet of China definitely does not disappoint for a night at the ballet showcasing first-class dance work from the continent. The production is centred on one of the most famous love stories in Chinese literature and originally was performed as a 20-hour opera. Adapted from Tang Xianzu’s play, The Peony Pavilion is a ballet telling a 16th Century story of passion pitted against impossible odds, truly a performance full of grace and sophistication that … [Read more...]