Think you know these classic ballets well? Think again.
“A page-turningly good read” as “Fullington and Smith… invite the general and specialist reader alike to rethink nineteenth-century ballet.”
Charlotte Kasner
English National Ballet: Giselle
The happy grins and overheard comments during the interval told you all you needed to know. Mary Skeaping’s Giselle is wonderful, a real gem.
Michael Keegan-Dolan/Teaċ Daṁsa: NOBODADDY
It’s all a very long way from Keegan-Dolan’s stunning and powerful Swan Lake… Abstract to the point of meaninglessness.
Chicos Mambo in Tutu (and a lot more!)
The highly entertaining show also lovingly mocks acrobatic, contemporary and rhythmic dance. There’s a take on Dirty Dancing, and much more.
Modernity meets tradition in Lazgi by National Ballet of Uzbekistan
An unexpected surprise. The choreography is endlessly inventive, the corps moving seamlessly from interesting shape to interesting shape
Ballet Nights at Cadogan Hall
A mixed bill brought, inevitably perhaps, mixed success but without a shadow of a doubt, it was worth it for Set Fast alone.
State Ballet of Georgia: Swan Lake
A pleasing, traditional Swan Lake, but one that lacks characterisation and struggles for ‘wow’ factor.
Kenneth MacMillan and Robert Cohan spotlighted in a new film: Dance Revolutionaries
Both specially filmed on location, Cohan’s Portraits is a series of five solos, while MacMillan’s Sea of Troubles is his shot at Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Vicente Amigo: Memoria de los Sentidos
Memoria de los Sentidos spurns the usual flamenco hierarchy to put the guitar at the forefront with a nod to cante and baille towards the end
Rocío Molina: Al Fondo Riela
It ends with more fabulous guitar playing as Molina appears, dressed bizarrely as some kind of black and red insect. Have we strayed into Kafka?
Juggling meets Pina Bausch in Gandini Juggling’s Smashed
The company are not content with being superb jugglers. There’s a lot of movement skills and comedic flair too