The Frederick Ashton Foundation marked its tenth anniversary with an evening of rarely performed Ashton pieces and a specially commissioned film, Frederick Ashton: Links in the Chain, by Lynn Wake.
Tag - Giselle
★★★★★ Sir Peter Wright, who was in the audience on Thursday’s opening night, must be very proud of his production, tweaked over the years since its staging in 1985.
With Natalia Osipova and Reece Clarke in the lead roles. Gallery by Foteini Christofilopoulou...
★★★★✰ I caught four débuts in the lead roles of Giselle and Albrecht: Skylar Brandt with Herman Cornejo on Oct. 21, Thomas Forster alongside Gillian Murphy on Oct. 22, and both Cassandra Trenary and Calvin Royal III at the Oct. 22 matinee
★★★✰✰ The return of the company’s Giselle is a return to a kind of normalcy, even if the performance itself contained reminders that this time is anything but normal.
★★★★✰ Both are exceptional dance-actors, though Ferri must take the limelight as the lost, legendary ballerina of Béjart’s imagination.
★★✰✰✰ Akram Khan and ENB will bounce back, but it's been a long time since I saw such a clunker of a work on a major company.
Jann Parry spoke to the internationally renowned Swedish choreographer shortly after the Royal Ballet premiere of his woman with water - they naturally discussed that, but also Covid and his retirement, or not....
The Jacob’s Pillow website contains an important and incredibly diverse dance archive under the banner "Dance Interactive" - Susanna Sloat introduces an important resource and calls out many video gems...
★★★★✰ The streamed in-house recording of the premiere on 24 October 2020 features Ida Praetorius as the Sylph, Jon Axel Fransson as James and Kizzy Matiakis as the witch, Madge – her last role with the company.
★★★✰✰ Giselle was the first full-length classical ballet that Arthur Mitchell's company of black American dancers would perform. He thought there would be no point in their pretending to be Rhineland peasants, so decided to set the 19th century ballet in pre-Civil War Louisiana.
★★★✰✰ In The Cellist, Cathy Marston has taken on a challenging subject for her first commission for the Royal Opera House stage: the real-life story of a much-loved musician Jacqueline Du Pré...
★★★★✰ It’s comforting to know that at even my advanced age I can still be confounded even by hoary old Swan Lake.
★★★★✰ I saw two performances; each of them demonstrated why Giselle is still so popular even 180 years after the ballet’s premiere.
★★★★✰ The annual Icons gala provides the chance to see dancers who don't often appear in London...
★★★★✰ There was always something new around the corner, a surprising shape, a witty step, an unlikely transition. It’s clear that Ratmansky felt liberated by the unusual structure and soundscape...
★★★★✰ For those of us that have been involved with the company, no matter how small a part, it is clear that the ‘happy family’ that is English National Ballet, reveres and appreciates all who have been part of its 70 year existence.
Lynette Halewood with some reflections on London dance performances over the last year - the good and the less good...
I don’t really believe in lists, but it’s admittedly fun to look back over the year and reflect on moments that have stayed with me. So here they are, in no particular order…
★★★★✰ The dancing is so enjoyable, the comedy so appealing, that any flaws in the story telling are easily overlooked.