Royal Opera House/Royal Ballet – Live from Covent Garden: First Concert
★★★✰✰ The first concert was not much of a consolation for all that we have lost. So far, the Royal Ballet appears a token add-on to the opera’s contributions…
Men at the Barre: Inside the Royal Ballet – BBC documentary
“If you missed ‘Men at the Barre – Inside the Royal Ballet’: a look behind the scenes at the male ballet dancers in the company, then do take the time to catch up on BBC iPlayer.”
Natalia Osipova Film – A Force of Nature Natalia
★★★★★ This is a superbly made film… It draws a portrait of a supreme artist, a woman with exceptional humility, all sensitively handled with warmth and humour.
Royal Ballet – The Firebird, A Month in the Country, Symphony in C – London
★★★★✰ Three short but densely packed ballets infused with a strong Russian flavour were at the heart of the Royal Ballet’s last bill of the season.
Royal Ballet – Mayerling (Bonelli, Morera) – London
★★★★✰ The partnership in Mayerling between Morera and Bonelli is a fine example of how experience can illumine the nuances of a dramatic ballet.
Royal Ballet – Mayerling (Hirano, Osipova) – London
★★★★✰ Osipova is lethally orgasmic… Never has MacMilllan’s choreography for the death duet seemed so astounding as in her account of it.
English National Ballet – Akram Khan’s Giselle – London
★★★★★ A production that seems destined to become a masterpiece of early 21st Century contemporary ballet.
Gallery – English National Ballet in Giselle (by Akram Khan)
The Akram Khan version with Tamara Rojo in the lead. Gallery by Dave Morgan…
English National Ballet’s Emerging Dancer 2017 Competition – 5 Questions to 4 Finalists
English National Ballet’s Emerging Dancer Competition is unique in British ballet in throwing the spotlight on more junior dancers or “tomorrow’s stars” as ENB put it. This year’s competition is on the 25 May and ahead of the that we talk to 4 of the 6 finalists – Isabelle Brouwers, Rina Kanehara, Madison Keesler and Guilherme Menezes…
English National Ballet – Pina Bausch, William Forsythe, Hans van Manen bill – London
★★★★★ One cannot help but observe that while the programmes of other companies both hit and miss, in terms of their critical appreciation and popular appeal, ENB is continually raising the bar…
2016 National Dance Awards – Winners Announced
The Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards for 2016 were presented today at a ceremony in London, hosted by Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy MBE and Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante, the creative team behind the highly successful dance company, Boy Blue Entertainment.
English National Ballet – Giselle – London
★★★✰✰ Elisa Badenes and Cesar Corrales delivered a good professional show, if it was not the runaway success I had perhaps hoped for.
English National Ballet – Nutcracker – London
★★★✰✰ For all the recent innovations that Tamara Rojo has brought to the English National Ballet, including three stunning full-evening programmes of her own devising, the Nutcracker is still the heart of every season…
English National Ballet – Akram Khan’s Giselle – London
★★★✰✰ Jann Parry with an alternative view and detailed account of the Akram Khan Giselle for English National Ballet…
English National Ballet – Akram Khan’s Giselle – London
★★★★✰ Khan’s revision of this classic ballet is spirited and confident; its faults are definitely fixable. This is bravura dance-making and a thrilling addition to the ENB’s repertoire.
2016 National Dance Awards – Announcement of Nominations
The Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle is pleased to announce the nominations for the 17th National Dance Awards,
English National Ballet – Giselle (Khan premiere) – Manchester
★★★✰✰ As UK ballet commissions go, it’s probably the most anticipated of the season and really a career defining decision by Tamara Rojo. This is the way dance moves forward, by the art talking creative risk and if it’s not the full ten tenths yet, then it’s another solid step along the way…
English National Ballet Emerging Dancer Competition 2016
English National Ballet recently held their 2016 Emerging Dancer Competition at the London Palladium. Bruce Marriott reports on a good event done well…
