An evening of many moods and fine dance from Ailey 2
Pick of the evening was Robert Battle’s The Hunt. About the predatory side of human nature, it’s intense. Very intense.
Birmingham & Midlands
A feast of outdoor dance: Derby Festé 2023
It was a very impressive two days programming. Noise, colour and community. Innovation and creativity.
Ballet rocks! Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Black Sabbath
I don’t recall a Birmingham ballet evening like it. An evening of surprises. A real celebration of the band and its music. And of dance.
Three generations of dances in a super Birmingham Royal Ballet mixed bill
A huge welcome back for Apollo, remarkably now only five years from the hundredth anniversary of its creation
People, secrets, life, the office: Si Rawlinson’s Saving Face
All four performers are outstanding. Fabulous dancers but great actors too. They draw you in. You become invested in them and their relationships.
GradPro National Showcase 2023
Who would be a judge? The dancers certainly gave the panel a difficult task. But when the results came in, it was the year of the men
Elmhurst Ballet Company: Legacy
An evening that looked acknowledged history but that also looked forward with new choreography, and dancers about to enter the professional world
BRB2 debut with Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection
An exciting group of young professionals in a pot pourri of gala favourites spiced up with new and less well-known works
Varna International Ballet: Giselle and Swan Lake
The staging may be a little thin, but Varna International Ballet have some fine dancers, including Briton Claire Gillard who took the lead in both shows
Rambert’s Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby
It is entertaining and undoubtedly Peaky. It will send most Peaky fans away very happy, even if it doesn’t teach us much that we didn’t already know.
A classic that reaches out and touches: Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake
A fine telling of the tale of love, betrayal and loss. An evening full of power and tenderness. Classical ballet at its classical best