Carlos Acosta: Myths and Modern Masters
Myths and Modern Masters is not only about Acosta himself. It’s just as much a celebration of the talent at the two companies he leads.
David Mead
Wuji Dance Company: I Don’t Care by Jie Zhou
Not the exclamation of a recalcitrant teen but a new dance-theatre work by Jie Zhou (周婕) that reflects on how dress, profession, societal and social expectations shape how we see ourselves and are seen by others, and can stop us leading a fuller life.
A rollercoaster ride: Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man
It may be 26 years young, but Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man is still packing audiences in, taking them on a supercharged ride.
Screen, dance, screendance
David Mead considers the nature of screendance as he looks at four works by Singaporean director Brian Toh.
The Royal Ballet School Summer Performance
Time and again the young dancers rose marvellously to the pressure of the occasion in what was a wonderful display of skill and talent. It was also a hugely enjoyable performance choreographically.
ImPulsTanz: Nymph by Taous Bertrand
One left Nymph deeply frustrated. Most of Bertrand’s ideas have merit and interest but they fail to gel into any sort of coherent whole
ImPulsTanz: Muette by Boris Charmatz / Terrain
Muette… is an extraordinary, intense solo performed without accompaniment and that is remarkably alive, especially when witnessed close-up.
Impulstanz: Rush(es) by Alexandra Bachzetsis
“She sits astride a large black trunk, dressed in dark khaki waders and a tight-fitting black unitard. And a long red wig…”
ImPulsTanz: My Fierce Ignorant Step by Christos Papadopoulos
From an almost bleak start, the work increasingly gains a drive, sense of freedom, joy and lust for life that totally captures the viewer.
Still Pointless. BalletBoyz at 25
Still Pointless emphasises the ensemble. The one exception to that is exceptional and turns out to be the highlight of the show. Christopher Wheeldon’s Us…
A ‘lost’ Bausch plus van Manen, Volpi and Peck: Hamburg Ballet in The Times Are Racing
Pina Bausch’s ‘Adagio’, reconstructed only in 2024 having not been performed for 50 years, plus Hans van Manen’s ‘Variations for Two Couples’, Demis Volpi’s ‘The thing with feathers’, and Justin Peck’s title work