The Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle is pleased to announce the nominations for the 17th National Dance Awards,
Tag - Martha Leebolt
★★★★✰ ...an excellent reminder of how enduring Orwell’s work is, and how powerful a channel ballet can be for complex human emotions like distrust and defeat.
★★★✰✰ Although David Nixon authored this ballet long before Lord Grantham was a twinkle in Julian Fellowes’ eye, it certainly provides an inkling of Swan Lake meets Downton Abbey.
It's a significant accomplishment - Watkins has really marked his card.
David Nixon must be able to lay claim to being the most prolific creator of full-length narrative ballets at work today...
Batley's Dracula is a towering presence, subtly portraying the torment between evil and desire; the seducer and the seduced.
The ballet succeeds most in its incidental scenes – though everything is presented fortissimo. Most clever is the way in which Nixon depicts Myrtle and George Wilson ...The performances of Benjamin Mitchell and Victoria Sibson were the strongest of the evening.
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.