Tantalisingly brief, I’d love to see more of Bokaer in action and of Daniel Arsham’s fertile imagination.
Author - Jann Parry
So Reflections could have a lot resting on it, if the eventual tryptich is to be a 21st century equivalent of Balanchine’s Jewels...
An imaginatively contrasting double-bill, it pulled in audiences and left them buzzing.
The Genée International Ballet Competition 2013 was held in Glasgow this year - Jann Parry reports on the finals for us...
'Necessity, Again' ends the programme on a high. Kylian’s 'Indigo Rose' is an effective opener, provided you don’t find yourself asking why he made the choices he did.
"Alexei Ratmansky’s Flames of Paris is a lot like Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake..." starts Jann Parry's review...
The Bolshoi’s glorious rising star, Olga Smirnova, was imperious...
Grigorovich’s staging of Act III is masterly. He has the fakirs lull Solor into an opium-induced sleep in a setting that lifts away to reveal a rocky arch. Within it Solor sees a vision of Nikiya enticing him into a ballet blanc nirvana
Grigorovich’s production is not concerned with dramatic plausibility or characterisation, which may account for Zakharova’s Odette remaining a remote vision and her Odile a cool doppelganger rather than a temptress.
The Tribute bill is a well-chosen one... The season has been so short that the dancers haven’t had time to grow into their roles. They look as though they’re remembering instructions rather than relishing the ballets.
Dzierzon is credited as the producer of NEST, so plaudits must go to her for overseeing such an ambitious and successful undertaking.
The pleasure lies in the quality of dancing rather than interpretation. Petit was an expert at animating a stage, a musical-theatre choreographer who delivered what audiences expected...
But Abreu’s charisma is impressive, as is his command of his muscles and vocal cords. And he is pursuing serious questions about identity and mortality even if he can’t provide the answers...
What Merce Cunningham devised as an Event, William Forsythe calls a Study. In both cases, the choreographer has combined selections from his back catalogue to make a ‘new’ work...
Johan Kobborg and Alina Cojocaru said farewell to the Royal Ballet in Mayerling. Jann Parry was there for an emotional night, flower throw and standing ovation...
A lasting impression of the performance was, as ever, the range of Cunningham’s vocabulary, from shape-making to intricate steps, leaps, spins and lifts, constantly surprising.
It’s a virtuoso accomplishment by all the collaborators. ...But Stravinsky’s score in this melodramatic recording, conducted by Kent Nagano, is too huge for a single figure.
At this stage, Raven Girl seems a work in transition. Its longueurs need tightening, an inexplicable ‘19th century couple’excised, solos for important characters expanded, and more light thrown on the goings-on.
Watson’s Rudolf is at the end of his tether: sex is a drug, suicide his only release. ...This formidable cast will be seen in a live cinema screening from the Royal Opera House on 13 June.
Rojo has declared that her ambition as artistic director of ENB is to make audiences hold their breath. I certainly did during Le Jeune Homme et la Mort...