‘Korean art has long enthralled the West: from Changgeuk and Pansori (Opera/folk performance) to swooping, spidery calligraphy. Now, a festival of dance expands our horizons once again.’ Having missed Jinjo Crew at Breakin’ Convention at the beginning of the month, I fairly squeaked when I spied that a Korean dance festival was on at The Place and in its eighth year. It is supported ...
‘For the more witchy among you, May Day bank holiday or Beltane is all about renewal, regrowth, and May poles. I have my own tradition, which is an artistic celebration of the new, budding, and blossoming: Breakin’ Convention.’ Due to word limits and a very stuffed festival, I shall be sparing with background. Twenty-two years ago, HipHop legend Jonzi D and his ...
‘Holly Blakey is hot hot hot. This double bill gives an excerpt of an upcoming full-length show and a flash of a past one, aiming to demonstrate range.’ Holly Blakey‘s productions have been attended by Vivienne Westwood; she’s designed the movement for the music videos of Florence and the Machine and Coldplay and worked with the likes of Gucci and ...
‘Don’t we all want to regress evolutionarily and return to the trees? Ok just me? Well, Dance Reflections does just that with Rachid Ouramdane and the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève’s latest highline extravaganza.’ Arguably the best-heeled festival in the city, your little theatre reviewer returned to the Dance Reflections byVan Cleef & Arpels Festival for much more than just the ...
‘Liv Lorent and her eponymous troop dominate the Easter program at Sadler’s Wells East, with two retellings of Snow White aimed at different age groups. However, the adult version succumbs to its own poison apple.’ Us reviewers are normally solitary little moles, burrowing from our nests to and from theatres across the city/country. Occasionally, we do meet up, sacrificing a ...
‘Midway through the gold-spangled Dance Reflections Festival (by Van Cleef & Arpels), Lyon Opera Ballet takes on the messiah of modern dance: Merce Cunningham.’ Dance Reflections Festival – Lyon Opera Ballet If you’re reading this, I assume you are a dance head, like myself, and so the shadow of Merce Cunningham looms large. If not, the American choreographer and dancer dominated the ...
‘Carving out a place within you, and sections will stay forever.’ Michael Keegan-Dolan’s groaning cornucopia of a show with company Teaċ Daṁsa outstands, outsmarts, and exhausts in equal measure. There is so much to discuss, so much crammed in, so many visual, musical, and thematic elements to cover for this show, that I have been sitting for five minutes, fingers ...
‘Like with any fantasy, reality has a habit of creeping in through the cracks’ Clod Ensemble & Nu Civilisation Orchestra Mea culpa, mea culpa, this review will be part apology, part whinge and hopefully just a little amusing. Picture this, a rushed theatre critic, invited by a trusted PR person to his favourite venue, quickly skims the show’s blurb, sees ...
‘clout of classical ballet, and the pleasure of the old staples’ Chelsea is decidedly not my stomping ground, Sloane Square might as well be Siberia, and the 25 minute walk from my neck of the woods the Siberian Express. Yet I will trundle along the Kings Road for the sizzling new variety act in London’s dance ecology, Ballet Nights. Celebrating ...
‘A spin on the big-bird-based-bash’ State Ballet of Georgia Unseasonable although it may be for such Christmas staples as Swan Lake, all dance fans will endure the shake up of schedule for the State Ballet of Georgia’s first trip to London. Flashing their spin on the big-bird-based-bash. By now I think we all know the “plot” of pool of swans, ...