Malandain Ballet Biarritz – La Belle et la Bête – Minneapolis
★★★✰✰ What’s both puzzling and engrossing about Malandain’s ‘La Belle et La Bête’ is the inclusion of an allegorical trio in black performing alongside the costumed principal characters.
David Bintley, choreographer and director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, on his latest work – The Tempest
David Bintley, director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, is a prolific choreographer and just about to unveil his latest full evening work – The Tempest. Graham Watts went to talk to him about a work, that after 30 years of consideration, has found its time and proper custom score…
Birmingham Royal Ballet – Quatrain, Matryoshka, Beauty and the Beast pdd, Swan Lake pdq, Facade – High Wycombe
Ruth Brill’s Matryoshka showed a lot of sense and maturity I thought – she clearly thinks about entertaining the audience.
Birmingham Royal Ballet – La Fin du jour, Miracle in the Gorbals, Flowers of the Forest – Birmingham
See these thoughts as a heads up and, ultimately, encouragement to Londoners to go and see an interesting bill…
Birmingham Royal Ballet – Prince of the Pagodas (Caley/Hirata) – London
In his programme note, Bintley claims to have foregone sexual romance in favour of ‘something more mystical and subtle’, connected with Japanese veneration of its Imperial family. It doesn’t resonate in this royal kingdom.
Birmingham Royal Ballet – Prince of the Pagodas (Bracewell/Roberts) – London
One of Bintley’s other notable commitments as Director is the rapid development of young dancers. For a graduating dance student, hungry for big roles, BRB is the company to aim for….
Birmingham Royal Ballet – Aladdin – London
Don’t expect big emotional highs and lows or deeply defined characters, just a clear narration of a story that everyone knows. So if we judge it on these terms how does it do?
23rd International Ballet Festival of Havana, 2012
The festival was as intensive as ever, with three performances running on seven days, four on one day, some concurrently. The range and quality of dance overall was impressive.
Book – Here Today, Gone Tomorrow by Christina Gallea Roy
This is a fascinating story… an important one. Gallea relates the growth, and eventual decline, of the company – known originally as International Ballet Caravan and later as Alexander Roy Ballet Theatre – with an amazing amount of detail…
