Reading Time: 3 minutesAkram Khan’s Giselle at Sadler’s Wells is an electrifying reimagining of the classic 19th-century ballet, fusing contemporary dance with the emotional core of the original to tell a deeply resonant story of betrayal, social division, and displacement.
Reading Time: 3 minutesLondon City Ballet, former resident company of Sadler’s Wells theatre, makes a triumphant return to their home venue after almost thirty years off the stage. The programme is preceded with a dive into the company’s history, press clippings charting its founding in 1978 by Director Harold King up until its closure in 1996. The introductory reel highlights London City Ballet’s successes and legacies, behind-the-scenes footage of early rehearsals, and the patronage of Princess Diana, a great admirer of dance. While surly pictures of the people’s princess slouched against a ballet bar make for entertaining viewing, the projected montage style does feel somewhat dated. A history in the programme would have sufficed; the dancing that follows is good enough to speak for itself.
Reading Time: 4 minutesWe sat down with Artistic Director of the company, Chicos Mambos, ahead of their show TUTU coming to the Peacock Theatre, Sadler's Wells 1-5th October. Created by Philippe Lafeuille, this family-friendly show features an all-male cast of six dancers adorned in ever-changing, flamboyant costumes.
Reading Time: < 1 minuteMarking English National Ballet’s 75th Season, the cinema release of Swan Lake in-the-round gives dance fans the chance to experience the splendour of ballet on a grand scale.
Reading Time: 3 minutesMaybe a bit reluctantly yet curiously, we'd love to sneak a peek into the exotic taste of Soviet legacy of ballet tradition. This is most prominent in ACT I, where the ensemble dances in a gentle and airy style, utterly different from what we typically see here in the UK. If you are especially used to the more powerful and vital presentation here, you may find the Georgian style too soft and light. You may even tell from their different shapes of ballet hands: their fingertips are slightly more curved, their middle fingers slightly lowered, and the overall curve more fluid.
Reading Time: 2 minutes As a lifetime fan of Strictly Come Dancing, I was excited about seeing two of its most beloved stars, Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice, live with “more fun, more dance, more song, and even more entertainment.
Reading Time: 2 minutesDance Revolutionaries offers audiences the opportunity to envelope themselves into the world of renowned choreographers Kenneth MacMillan and Robert Cohan.
Reading Time: 2 minutesA gorgeous double bill of new work ushered in the 30th anniversary of the Festival Theatre this week. Ballet Black graced the stage with two exceptional and vastly different pieces If At First and The Waiting Game in its new show, HEROES. This small but mighty company of nine showcased the best of dance for the modern age without skimping on technical prowess.
Reading Time: 2 minutesSwan Lake in-the-round at the Royal Albert Hall, choreographed by Derek Deane, involves 60 swans and is divided into four acts. Though initially skeptical at quite this many sections to the performance, they each feel the perfect length, with a short pause following act one and intervals after the second and third acts. As each act concludes the audience is left marveling at the beautiful choreography and phenomenal dancers, but every section is more mesmerising than the last, with new costumes and featured dancers bringing exciting perspectives and storytelling. Performing in the round allows the audience to watch each individual dancer whilst also seeing them flawlessly come together to create an ensemble.
Reading Time: 3 minutesIntense, sensual, poignant. Dangerously intriguing, A Streetcar Named Desire has continuously lured its audience for more than half a century. Years ago, Scottish Ballet transformed this Tennessee Williams classic into a ballet piece blending traditional ballet techniques with contemporary choreography and a modern jazz orchestra (scored by Peter Salem and performed by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra). Several years later, it revisits Sadler's Wells under the direction of Nancy Meckler and choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.