Old favourites, new challenges: Russian Ballet Icons Gala
A tribute to Diaghilev that looked backward, showcased the contemporary and offered something new
Charlotte Kasner
Icarus soars highest in Project Polunin
Mindful of his heritage and looking to the future, Sergei Polunin focuses his energies on an ambitious project
Journeys of self-discovery: Aakash Odedra in Echoes and I Imagine
Echoes by Aditi Mangaldas, a classical kathak work, transports the audience into the sublime.
…and they don’t even get to see the dance
They do just as much preparation, but don’t get to see the dance
Promise unfulfilled: Stopgap’s The Enormous Room
The premise is good but some judicious rewriting required
Dance that flickers and dies: ŻfinMalta Dance Ensemble
They have some interesting young dancers but the programme did not serve them well.
Hamlet with incidental swans: The Bolshoi Ballet’s Swan Lake in cinema
Svetlana Zakharova is an astonishing Odette/Odile. She is simply exquisite as Odette.
A gossamer-like Giselle: Alina Cojocaru with English National Ballet
Cojocaru produces a very fine dramatic contrast between the corporeal heroine and her corresponding Wili
Bolshoi Ballet Cinema Season: The Nutcracker
Grigorovich’s The Nutcracker reminds us of just how great his interpretations of the classics are.
Bolshoi Confidential: secrets of the Russian ballet from the rule of the tsars to today
Most disappointing is that Morrison doesn’t actually reveal anything confidential
Tender is the night: Up & Down by Eifman Ballet of St Petersburg
Eifman packs more interest into the first five minutes as many choreographers do an entire evening.