
Mariinsky Ballet – La Bayadѐre – Washington
★★★✰✰ Since its creation 140 years ago, La Bayadѐre has been one of the Mariinsky Ballet’s calling cards and the Russian company can make this enduring classic shine in all its stylistic glory and theatrical splendor.

Shobana Jeyasingh Dance – Bayadère: The Ninth Life – London
★★✰✰✰ …an intriguing idea inflated into unwieldy modern dance-theatre.

Bolshoi Ballet – Don Quixote – London
★★★★✰ The Bolshoi’s Don Quixote continues to delight for the exuberance and skill of its range of performers, with the corps de ballet and demi-soloists taking pride of place.

American Ballet Theatre – Swan Lake – New York
★★★✰✰ Murphy is a sensual Odette, something made all the more effective by Stearns’ tenderness.

National Ballet of Canada – Giselle – Toronto
★★★★✰ On opening night, Svetlana Lunkina in the title role gave one of those unique performances in which the ballerina completely disappears into her heroine, putting her entire living self into the role.

American Ballet Theatre – The Sleeping Beauty – Washington
★★★★✰ “Ratmansky’s new staging is a Beauty like you have never seen before: it uncovers the original ballet’s genuine beauty, which faded over the years under the clutter of modern revisions.”

Dance Like an Egyptian – Mirò Magloire and choreographing for Aida
In the world of opera, dance has a rather low place on the totem pole. Music critics (and opera audiences) can be pretty dismissive…

American Ballet Theatre – La Bayadère – New York
But no end of fine, or even inspired, performances can breathe life into this tired production

Washington Ballet – Swan Lake – Washington
This handsomely-crafted and well-danced Swan Lake marked an important milestone for the Washington Ballet and proved a huge achievement for its artistic director Septime Webre.

Septime Webre – Artistic Director, Washington Ballet
We catch up with Septime Webre, choreographer and artistic director of Washington Ballet. So what makes him get up in the morning? Oksana Khadarina finds out…

Bolshoi Ballet – Giselle (Zakharova, Hallberg) – Washington
David Hallberg is a rarity in today’s classical ballet. Tall, lean and strikingly handsome, with pure classical line and impeccable dancing prowess, he is a genuine danseur noble.

Washington Ballet – Tour-de-Force: Balanchine! bill – Washington
The gala formula really worked. An eclectic selection of dances – six duets and three short ballets – offered something for almost every taste…

American Ballet Theatre – Don Quixote – Washington
The Sunday matinee performance I attended had all the prerequisites for huge success, featuring world-class principals Paloma Herrera and Ivan Vasiliev, plus a superb supporting cast.