Gala de Danza’s London debut

Central Hall Westminster, London
June 26, 2025

Christina Lyon, after a stellar dance career, brought her Gala de Danza to London at the end of June. It was a mixed bill of dance, music and other items, so unusual there was almost certainly to be something you never expected. The venue, Central Hall Westminster, is grand but not entirely suitable for theatre performances however most acts adapted successfully and the world class classical pas de deux made the evening worthwhile.

Gala fireworks don’t come much brighter than Flames of Paris and the performance from Viola Pantuso, of the Royal Ballet and Shale Wagman, from Paris Opera, was a winner. You feel Wagman could teach Boeing a thing or two about aerodynamics and safe landings. The power of his jumps, the aerial invention and the soft landings accompanied by a broad smile make him a gala special. Pantuso gave a sparkling rendition of the perky female solo, with rock-solid pointes and effortless pirouettes then whizzed through a full series of fouettés. For gala highlights things don’t get much better this.

It was a treat to see Emma Von Enck and Andrés Zúñiga from New York City Ballet but Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes has always seemed to me a lot of effort for less effect and the military posturing a little outdated. However, the coltish Von Enck made light of the bright allegro and Zúñiga offered clean-cut batterie, neat tours and boundless energy. He is still only a corps de ballet dancer, but I think he’ll be moving up soon.

Mauro Bigonzetti’s Caravaggio created a powerful platform for fine performances from Royal Ballet principal Melissa Hamilton and Vsevolod Maievskyi from English National Ballet.

Bigonzetti’s choreography sets the scene for powerplay where the dance language tells the story, starting with Hamiton’s foot planted firmly on Maievskyi bare chest and continuing to dramatic lifts and fierce body contact. More of this please!

The closing duet from John Cranko’s Onegin with Francesca Hayward and Cesar Corrales, both from The Royal Ballet was the last ballet item. There is really nowhere else to go after this searing piece of drama and these two artists are well able to take us to the edge. As Hayward shreds Onegin’s letter you can feel her heart breaking and Corrales can only flee into the night. Neither Onegin nor Carravaggio are standard gala items but they make a welcome change. A short note on the cast sheet to explain the context might be welcome for those not familiar with the ballets.

The two short male solos both choreographed by Jade Hale-Christofi were thrilling in their display of virtuosic ballet. Mercury, a world premiere, danced by Maievskyi with original score by Ilan Eshkeri, and Take me to Church danced by Nikolas Gaifullin from New Orleans Ballet Theatre were both very well received.

A very different male solo came from 12-year-old Spencer Collins from Los Angeles. Winner of the coveted Hope Award at the 2025 Youth America Grand Prix, he danced Franz’s variation from Act 3 of Coppélia with great spirit and exceptional technique for one so young.

Un Petit Départ, choreographed by Emma Evelein was performed by dancers from Rambert. The deep, reflective theme of the work did not translate easily on the bare stage but the dancers were excellent.

Two group items, very different and very appealing, were a fine addition. Murmuration Companie operate in a formal block with only their forearms moving, making intricate geometric patterns and occasionally doffing a hat. The slick choreography is by Sadeck Berrabah, a choreographer with a gift for mathematical symmetry who presented Dentelle and Into the Wild. The dancers are timed to a nano second, riveting to watch and closed by spelling out the warm-hearted slogan ‘Art is for All’.

Swan Lake was on the bill but in an unexpected format, performed by a huge corps of YAGP finalists brought together at The Swans Workshop. The youngsters, who had been sitting quietly in the gallery, streamed onto the stage where to the famous Tchaikovsky melody Juliano Nunes choreographed simplified ports de bras in structured rows. Then moving into groups of little swans, they did a reimagined version of the famous quartet. It was a delight.

Nunes also choreographed the balcony duet from his Romeo and Juliet, a world premiere, performed by Braylon Browner and Kayla Mak, a member of this year’s ABT Studio Company but who has just accepted an appreciate contact with the main company. It was danced with a great deal of passion and extreme extensions by these two very young and talented dancers. Nunes’s choreography gave scope for display of their dance talent, but more quieter moments of intimacy would have helped develop the drama. Nunes will premiere a full-length Romeo and Juliet for Philadephia Ballet in April 2026.

The many musical items included Megan Glover, saxophonist playing ‘Winter’ from Vivaldi’s Seasons getting the show off to a vibrant start, and Alors on Danse from guitarist Marcin in an engaging audience-friendly performance. Marcin also accompanied ballroom dance champions Anton Sboev and Patrizia Ranis, in Bizet’s ‘Habanera’ from Carmen.

The crystal clarity of countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński’s powerful voice in Verdo Con Mio Diletto and Ave Maria was one of the highlights although I wondered at the need for him to be so heavily amplified. The Earth Harp, billed as the world’s largest playable string instrument, was played by inventor and musician William Close and was a sight to behold as the strings of up to 1,000 feet reached to the back of the hall. It was definitely a weird but wonderful night.