dance
Ghost Dances: Rambert, Sadler's Wells review - vital and joyfully precise dancingWednesday, 17 May 2017![]()
There is a South American theme to Rambert’s latest triple bill, two new commissions made to chime with an oldie but goldie, the rhythms of Latin social dances linking all three. Read more... |
Mayerling, Royal Ballet review - 'every ballet fan should see this'Saturday, 29 April 2017![]()
Sure, there are things not to like about Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling. Confusing plot. Plethora of characters. Unsympathetic (anti-)hero. Borderline melodramatic choreography. Tense, scary dénouement. But to be at the Royal Opera House last night was to be convinced that Mayerling's merits far outweigh its demerits. Read more... |
Betroffenheit, Crystal Pite & Jonathon Young, Sadler's WellsWednesday, 12 April 2017![]()
Where does my voice come from? Whose is my body? It’s apt that these questions run deep through a work that was created jointly by an actor, Jonathon Young, and a choreographer, Crystal Pite. Read more... |
Matthew Bourne's Early Adventures, Sadler's WellsWednesday, 05 April 2017![]()
Not every artist attains the kind of status that will allow their early works to be revived – or, when revived, greeted with commercial and critical success. This is something of a shame for those of us with a historical mindset who like seeing where an artist has come from and how they have developed. Read more... |
Balanchine's Jewels, Royal BalletMonday, 03 April 2017![]()
Balanchine's Jewels is catnip to dedicated ballet lovers. Read more... |
Pina Bausch's Rite of Spring, English National Ballet, Sadler's WellsFriday, 24 March 2017![]()
Is English National Ballet's current predilection for acquiring European repertoire some kind of anti-Brexit statement, or just smart brand positioning? Read more... |
Crystal Pite, Flight Pattern, Royal BalletFriday, 17 March 2017![]()
Can thirty minutes of contemporary ballet say something meaningful about the modern refugee crisis? It has been the surprise of the season to find myself asking this question not once, but twice, at the Royal Ballet. Read more... |
Project Polunin, Sadler's WellsWednesday, 15 March 2017![]()
This is the comeback after the comeback-that-never-was. It's the anticipated full stage ballet after the hugely popular Youtube video. It's the press waiting to see if ballet's bad boy will do something wild. It's the fans waiting to see if Sergei Polunin really will be the second coming (he's often hailed as the modern day Nureyev). Pamela Anderson is in the audience. Read more... |
Tree of Codes, Wayne McGregor, Sadler's WellsWednesday, 08 March 2017![]()
Tree of Codes is a work made from a work made from a work. Read more... |
FLA.CO.MEN, Israel Galván, Sadler's WellsSaturday, 18 February 2017![]()
Before this Sadler's Wells Flamenco Festival-opening performance of Israel Galván's show FLA.CO.MEN, my guest wanted to know what the show would be like. Read more... |
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It all started on 09/09/09. That memorable date, September 9 2009, marked the debut of theartsdesk.com.
It followed some...
![To life: Tim McMullan and Alison Halstead in rehearsal](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/morelife1.jpg?itok=Kudmr4l5)
It started with a Guardian long-read. I’m ashamed to admit it since so many shows could say the same, but that was the beginning.
It was the...
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Who’s in and who’s not – on the secret, the joke, the relationship, the family, the club? That’s the fulcrum of Joe Hill-Gibbins’ ingeniously...
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There’s a common understanding about journalists, especially ones at the top of their game, that they’re flying by the seat of their pants –...
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The opening scene of the Old Vic’s Oedipus is dominated by a giant backdrop of a skull-like face, eyes shut and rock-like. It...
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It was only six months ago that Hifi Sean and David McAlmont released their Daylight album. A fine disc of summery dance pop that was...
Your response to Barney Norris’s one-...
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The latest in Peter Culshaw’s peripatetic radio...
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The phenomenal global success of Six began when two young writers decided to give voices to the wives of a...
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Is there such a thing as a boundary between pop and alternative any more? The presence of strange characters like Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish and...