Moving to pastures new: a conversation with Brandon Lawrence
“The worst thing is regret. And it’s an opportunity I can’t ignore. I don’t want to be wondering, ‘What if?’”
David Mead
The Australian Ballet: Jewels
Jewels, to coin a phrase, is a gem. Each of the three ballets… is distinct in style, mood and music… each is exposing too.
Staatstheater Nürnberg International Ballet Gala
A fine evening with plenty of variety; and one not dominated by nineteenth-century fireworks.
The finest of all narrative ballets? Stuttgart Ballet in John Cranko’s Onegin
Martí Fernández Paixà is a superb Onegin, perhaps ballet’s ultimate romantic villain. He fills the stage, even when just standing in the background
Future Choreography: an evening of new work by and with the Badisches Staatsballett
“A typically varied evening of work that ranged from out-and-out classical ballet to experimental dance theatre.”
A star still shining brightly: Acosta at 50
An evening that oozed warmth. Of the ten ballets and excerpts presented in this birthday celebration, Acosta appears in five.
Stuttgart Ballet: Remember Me
A beautiful double bill of John Cranko’s Initials R.B.M.E. and Requiem by his great friend Kenneth MacMillan. It was an evening to savour.
Stuttgart Ballet: The Taming of the Shrew
The pas de deux are wonderful. They are not steamy but, typically Cranko, they are very human… balletic but without the formality
Boîte-en-valise: a celebration of Goyo Montero’s 15 years in Nuremberg
Snippets of signature works by other noted choreographers that have helped define the company, plus Montero’s own, new, Boîte-en-valise
Ballet Preljocaj in a Swan Lake with a message
There are changes but… there are swans. There is a lake. There is an Odette in white, and a Siegfried who falls for an Odile in black.
Classicism to the fore: John Cranko School
Absolutely and unashamedly classically-focused. Even the student choreography. The contemporary pieces were clearly classically underwritten too