‘Clever, funny and harrowing’ Straight from the Tanztheater company’s home in Wuppertal, Germany, this 43-year-old piece – never before performed in the UK – enchants the audience on a stage covered in dry, autumnal leaves. Experimental and intuitive, Tanztheater revels in the early work of late choreographer Pina Bausch, and in doing so cements her and their status as giants ...
‘Championing the young, hopeful and gifted’ Every year Sadler’s Wells lives up its maxim of focusing and highlighting new and emerging talent with a variety show like no other, and this year is no different. Less knees Up Mother Brown more Swan Lake on acid, Sampled unites the (at times) separate fields of dance, and allows for discussion and appreciation ...
‘Exceptional dance company conjures up myth and magic’ With the swirl of glittering saris and four female musicians crafting a numinous atmosphere, the audience settled down for an evening unlike any other last month. The Darbar Festival celebrated its 14th year, and its third annual residence at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, championing classical Indian dance. The all-male Bharatanatyam ensemble, the Temple ...
‘Cuban dance troupe at its eclectic best’ Carlos Acosta (CBE don’t you know) and his company Acosta Danza’s meteoric rise from their inception in 2016 is as impressive as it is hard-won. Retuning to Sadlers Wells after a world tour, these four eclectic pieces exhibit the very best the Cuban troupe has to offer. Acosta himself performs in the final ...
‘Experimental dance without the pretension’ Gloriously weird, off-kilter, surprisingly funny, double Bessie Award-winning choreography from Emanuel Gat astounds in this kaleidoscopic collection of pieces. Now I know that contemporary and experimental dance has some folks tied in knots – stony-faced dancers solemnly thrashing around to the sound of heavy machinery in the background. The pretension I think is the main ...
‘The bones of the show are where the problems lie’ Posed, well-choreographed and chirpy this story delves into the murky depth of the early years of the silver screen but doesn’t manage to clear the waters. Squished into the studio space of The Other Palace Reputation follows ambitious budding writer Michelle Grant as she fights the comically evil plagiariser and ...
‘Dark, twisted and imaginative’ When was the last time you were frightened by a ballet? It’s happened to me all of… never. Until now. Akram Khan’s interpretation of the classical ballet Giselle turns everything on its head, and coupled with the English National Ballet’s talented execution of this brave new concept, provides a nail-biting evening. The tale follows a migrant worker (Giselle) ...
‘Production seems a little tired’ Can Swan Lake ever disappoint? Is the famous love story ever able to fall flat on its….beak? When something becomes such a classic does it begin to feel clichéd? When crowding into the glittering London Coliseum to see the impressive St Petersburg Ballet Theatre’s re-telling of the tale, I wondered. Although stuffed full with all ...