Sunday, October 29

[dirac]

A review of Ballet Nights by Graham Watts for Bachtrack.

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The brainchild of former Scottish Ballet soloist, Jamiel Devernay-Laurence, Ballet Nights is an emerging brand that sets itself apart from the ubiquity of ballet galas through a new concept of high-end cabaret ballet. It has the unique selling points of an intriguing repertoire that will not be found on the gala circuit, performed by an exciting array of elite cross-sectoral dance talent. Changing Perceptions was the second in a season of three programmes (the next – A Grand Finale – will be presented on 24/25 November) and featured several of my must-see performers from both contemporary dance and ballet.

 

[dirac]

 A review of the Royal Ballet by Sarah Crompton in The Guardian.

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Upstairs and downstairs, in the main house and in the smaller Linbury theatre, the Royal Ballet is exploring what narrative dance can do. Upstairs is having a rather better time of it. Cathy Marston’s The Cellist, created in 2020 and inspired by the tragic life of cellist Jacqueline du Pré, whose glorious talent was snuffed out by multiple sclerosis, blazes back to the stage, partly because of its central performance. Lauren Cuthbertson, returning from a second maternity leave, dances with astonishing freedom, filling the character both with the glory of her music-making and the unbearable sadness of her silence.

 

[dirac]

A review of New York City Ballet by Leigh Witchel for dancelog.nyc.

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Phelan’s conception of the Sleepwalker felt fresh. She didn’t seem mysterious and otherworldly, as one of the most affecting Sleepwalkers, Darci Kistler, did. This was not someone from a Romantic dream. But Kistler was a character who was a mirror of the Poet’s desires. Phelan was the main character in her story. With her quick and staccato runs on pointe, she was concerned and constantly moving, stuck in a nightmare where she was racing down a corridor we couldn’t see.