It's not often these days you get a bill that couples a brand-new piece by Christopher Bruce with something by Darshan Singh Bhuller. Sadly neither of these choreographic heavyweights has been as active in UK dance as they were formerly and this program reminds us of what we have been missing.
Author - Bruce Marriott
Bruce Marriott is editor of DanceTabs. For non-dance stuff he can be found at www.brucemarriott.com
All up NMC pulled another interesting night out the bag and easy to see why they have been nominated (as Best Independent Company) in this years National Dance Awards.
I've never been to Dance Proms at the Royal Albert Hall before. Which is amazing given it has a cast of over 400 dancers, has been running since 2011 and, as I discovered, is such an uplifting and feel-good affair.
A key to the book's success is that it's based on talking about one company - the Royal Ballet - and that makes all the information so much more real and immediate.
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...
I like McNally's sense of fun but I also like this more serious side because the movement is also fresh and unpredictable. Of all the ballet choreographers coming through I think hers is one of the most original voices.
The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) marked the 60th anniversary of its highest honour – the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award (QEII Award) - by giving it to The Royal Ballet. A good time for DanceTabs to catch up with director Kevin O'Hare and some of his dancers at the awards reception...
What do the major faiths and religions have to say about disability and how do they treat the differently abled? Claire Cunningham's 'Guide Gods' shines a light...
The best of the videos and best piece of the night was Kim Brandstrup's Leda and the Swan using the much-loved Zenaida Yanowsky and Tommy Franzen
Overall, while an interesting night for them and those who know them, it wasn't a night that would garner them lots of new fans all hailing them as magnificent. For that you still need to catch them, if you can, doing their fireworks in the likes of Don Quixote...
We don't give stars but this is a 4- or even 5-star show... Classy work indeed.
It's not a perfect show by any means, but come the end you still love Acosta, his spirit and his smile. He remains a potent name, doing potent things for ballet, like filling the ROH...
Overall I thought this was another move forward for Tindall - he can grab our attention theatrically and also provide visceral choreographic texture.
Question... What's the biggest audience noise you will ever hear in ballet? Answer... The roar of the audience at the end of the Royal Ballet School show at the Opera House.
I was suitably sent home happy.
At the outset I have to say I thought this year was one of the better years and we should all feel encouraged at the creativity on show.
...in the autumn of their dancing careers Acosta and Rojo put on a stunning display that brought many in the audience to their feet come the end.
Ballet Ireland have danced several times in London but never at Sadler's Wells and never with the Irish ambassador as a warm-up, I fancy.
It's with a heavy heart that I have just run Jane Simpson's last review for DanceTabs.
It's always nice to be in at the start of a new company especially one associated with a class troupe like Dutch National Ballet (DNB). Their 13-strong Junior Company, newly minted this season, is for dancers aged 18-20...