Northern Ballet: Three Short Ballets
The dancers moved from Peck’s musical intricacy to van Manen’s cool precision and November’s high-energy theatricality without losing their own presence
Month: September 2026
London City Ballet: Mephisto Waltz, Quiet City, Firebird
In Firebird, it’s impossible to take your eyes off Francesca Velicu. Supremely flexible, her movement flows easily with a wonderful liquid beauty.
Birmingham Royal Ballet: Swan Lake
The familiar strains of Tchaikovsky’s famous score evoke mystery and magic. They transport you into another world even before the curtain rises.
English National Ballet: Rhythm Riot
English National Ballet are back on form with Rhythm Riot, a cracking triple bill comprising no less than two world premieres
Lady of the Camelias with the Bayerisches Staatsballett
A feast of heartbreak with excellent dancing and drama at its best. Each act concluded with roaring applause, a rare thing in Munich
Clara Gibson Maxwell: Dancing on the Edge
A new book looking at the work of a choreographer who has largely avoided the mainstream, her creations, inspired by myriad influences, tending towards the experimental.
Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Legacy
It was good to see that Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is in such excellent form and so connected to its roots.
A Spiritual Journey: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New Works
“Awakening, spiritual searching, visions of heaven and the complications of human desire, before Revelations arrived with sorrow… sinners, salvation”
Greenwich+Docklands International Festival: Dancing City
Certainly brought the crowds out. The free and unticketed performances at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park were packed out, with people taking every possible vantage point.
San Francisco Ballet in Aszure Barton’s Mere Mortals
The dancing is powerful, the ensemble injecting a sense of great scale. As befits a work inspired by technological developments. the backing projections are impressive. The score by Sam Shepherd (aka Floating Points) is terrific
The Royal Ballet: The McRae / Vassilev Project
McRae’s attack, Lamb’s nerve, Nicholson’s theatrical instinct and Vassilev’s swagger feed off one another… pleasure keeps spilling outwards.