★★★★✰ Richard Alston's title for his company's last tour before it closes in 2020 is Final Edition. The autumn run ended with four performances at The Place, in a programme aptly called Alston At Home.
Author - Jann Parry
★★★★✰ The dancing is so enjoyable, the comedy so appealing, that any flaws in the story telling are easily overlooked.
★★★★✰ As part of the Merce Cunningham Centennial celebrations, Rambert dance company took over all four floors of Sadler's Wells before the on-stage performance of this year's Event.
★★★★✰ The Royal Ballet's current production of The Sleeping Beauty, dating back to 2006, is a homage to Ninette de Valois and her faith that Marius Petipa's Imperial Russian ballet should be the flagship of her British company.
Ashton Rediscovered Masterclass: "Foyer de danse", coached by Ursula Hageli & Christopher Newton, and the "Le Papillon" solo, coached by Wayne Eagling. Jann Parry with a detail report for DanceTabs..
★★★★✰ The title of the latest triple bill in the Linbury studio theatre is taken from The Observer's dance critic's review of the Merce Cunningham Company's arrival in Britain in 1964.
★★★★✰ It is all too easy to assume that the first triple bill of the Royal Ballet's autumn season celebrates its creative heritage from the 1960s. In fact, two of the ballets were made for other companies...
Pam Tanowitz, well known in New York, just created her first work outside the States - for the Royal Ballet. It's been a critical success and Jann Parry (who gave the work 5 stars) finds out what makes her tick and why so many directors are seeking Tanowitz out...
★★★★★ Quite some achievement by Pam Tanowitz, to have followed treasured works by Cunningham and Ashton with one that pays homage to both, yet stands on its own as her distinctive tapestry of dance.
★★★★✰ Sarah Lamb and Vadim Muntagirov, as Des Grieux, are not new to the roles and their understanding of the characters and the choreography has deepened with experience.
★★★✰✰ The key to La Fresque (The Wall Painting) is that it was originally commissioned in France as a piece to be seen by young people. Choreographed by Angelin Preljocaj, it's based on a 14th century Chinese fable...
★★★★✰ As in all three pieces, these female artists and choreographers are formidable figures, descendants of dance pioneers from the Indian sub-continent.
★★★✰✰ The extremely good-looking company members are well-trained, versatile dancers...
★★★★✰ The reason the Bolshoi's Don Quixote is so enjoyable is the gusto with which it is performed. It doesn't aim to be remotely authentically Spanish or even respectful of the original 1869 version...
★★★★★ A wildly surreal comic turn involves a dog riding a bicycle, both cunningly choreographed. He's actually a tractor driver in disguise, disrupting sexual assignations.
★★★✰✰ A 3 star production with 4 star performances...
★★★★✰ The messages of Grigorovich's Spartacus may have changed over the half-century since its creation but new generations revel in its theatricality - and the bolshoi power of its performers.
Although Valerie Lawson's context is wide-ranging, she brings individuals into focus with personal details, shining a spotlight onto their roles in Australian dance history. Lavishly illustrated with photographs from Australian archives, her book gives vivid life to long-gone personalities.
★★★★✰ The choice of works emphasised ensembles more than individuals. It was interesting to see large numbers of young men dancing together, as well as a more usual female corps de ballet.
The Bolshoi Ballet are in London this summer with Spartacus, Swan Lake, The Bright Stream and Don Quixote. One of the world's greatest companies, here are Jann Parry's thoughts on an important visit...