★★★✰✰ The return of Christopher Wheeldon's The Winter's Tale in its third revival since 2014 brings newcomers to its many meaty roles. It also introduces new audience members to one of Shakespeare's late plays, with its convoluted plot.
Tag - Matthew Ball
Galleries by Dave Morgan of the Yasmine Naghdi, Matthew Ball and Francesca Hayward, Alexander Campbell casts.
Head and shoulders above other new work this year was Crystal Pite’s Flight Pattern for the Royal Ballet...
★★✰✰✰ All the ingredients seemed promising but the evening was disappointing, struggling to recover from the tedium of the dire opening item...
★★★✰✰ Kevin O’Hare is commissioning choreographers who want to make use of what the Opera House can offer; he’s not setting out to declare where ballet ought to be heading and he’s not playing safe.
★★★★✰ Elite Syncopations: Dancers from all five major British ballet companies took part, some doubling up roles in identical outfits so that identifying dancers was confusing. The stand-out solo in both the casts I saw was to the Calliope Rag, Monica Mason’s original role...
★★★★✰ The Royal Ballet’s away-day to Hull, this year’s UK Capital of Culture, was dramatic in its scale: 17 pieces presented over three hours...
Hightlight - Yasmine Naghdi promoted to Principal dancer. Full press release with all Promotions, Joiners and Leavers
★★★★✰ Symphonic Dances is Scarlett’s farewell portrait of Yanowsky. Like her, the ballet is big and bold, beautiful and elusive.
★★★✰✰ The ballet’s narrative interest depends on the dancer, and both performers are magnificent – different in tone and physicality, though not markedly so.
★★★✰✰ Multiverse: McGregor and his dramaturg may know what they want to convey about life and the universe(s) but despite the dancers’ efforts, the result is baffling.
Gallery by Foteini Christofilopoulou...
Four Royal Ballet dancers promoted to Principal from the start of the 2016/17 Season - Alexander Campbell, Francesca Hayward, Ryoichi Hirano and Akane Takada
★★★★✰ The range of roles shows the Royal Ballet dancers, up-and-coming soloist, established principals and character artists, at their very best.
Led by Gary Avis and a Royal Ballet all-star cast, the company will perform an especially created programme of Royal Ballet classics, hosted by BBC Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton du Beke.
★★★✰✰ Wheeldon’s talents are on display, as well as the Royal Ballet’s dancers. A pity, then, that Strapless has been exposed without previews to sort out its weaknesses.
"I’ve never won a prize before..." on the day Laura Morera won an Outstanding award at the National Dance Awards, Margaret Willis had a long chat with the excited, and much loved, Royal Ballet principal...
★★★★★ "What a joy to have Rhapsody back in its original setting..."
Gallery by Dave Morgan...
2015 National Dance Awards – The Nominations Gallery of awards pictures Press release 25 January 2016 The 16th National Dance Awards The Place, London: 25th January 2016 The Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards for 2015 were presented today at a ceremony in London, hosted by Arlene Phillips CBE. Unusually, the judges decided to give two De Valois Awards for Outstanding Achievement in 2015 to...