Stuttgart Ballet: Creations XIII-XV
The highlight of the evening was Vittoria Girelli’s Sospesi, an effective visualisation of ideas and coming together of music and movement
David Mead
Dance Theatre Pforzheim: Nutcracker and the Mouse King
A hugely enjoyable interpretation told with lots of imagination. A convincing telling that sends you away with a big, happy smile
Heinz Bosl Foundation Autumn Matinée with the Bavarian Junior Ballet
A fine showcase of young talent including Heinz Bosl Prize winner Serhii Zharikov with Kaela Tapper in Uwe Scholz’s sublime Sonata
Bayerisches Staatsballett: Schmetterling
Silent Screen and Schmetterling sit together comfortably, sharing Lightfoot and Léon’s distinct movement vocabulary and strong sense of theatricality
A dance of seduction: Bayerisches Staatsballett in Le Parc
Prelocaj deals with love and attraction, sexual desire and seduction. It’s very much a ballet of suggestion, of desire that’s only realised in Act III
Thomas Hardy’s masterwork delivered with power and drama. Tess by Ockham’s Razor
A telling that captures beautifully the poetry of Hardy and the depth of the novel. It sweeps you away in its story and characters.
Rambert: Death Trap
A somewhat mysterious, weird evening. Dark yet humorous. And, while it has death at its core, perhaps, in its own way, even more a show about life.
A festive space adventure: Motionhouse’s Starchitects Save Santa!
The show is colourful, hi-tempo and non-stop. It’s amazing what you can do with a few large boxes, some imagination and a dash of the ‘inner child.’
Birmingham Royal Ballet: The Nutcracker
Momoko Hirata and Mathias Digman lit up the stage in the grand pas de deux. ‘Polished’ does not do them justice. Hirata sparkled like a cut diamond
Van Huynh Company: Re:birth
A collage of recollected impressions and sensations, and to a lesser extent emotions, of the refugee experience
If ever a wiz there was: Ballet Theatre UK’s The Wizard of Oz
A joyful two hours. Light, entertaining and wonderfully optimistic. And sometimes, that’s precisely what’s needed