Category Archives: Ballet

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake triumphantly takes flight once again

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Mark Pullinger

Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake ***** Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, Sadler’s Wells, 12th December 2018 For all their surface serenity, swans are dangerous beasts. Being confronted by their fierce wingbeats can be an intimidating experience. So why not apply these characteristics to Swan … Continue reading →

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Sugar and spice: The Nutcracker returns to launch the festive season

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Mark Pullinger

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker **** The Royal Ballet, 3rd December 2018 For some people, it’s the switching on of the Oxford Street lights. For others, it’s the aroma of cinnamon and citrus on Stir-Up Sunday. But for me, the festive season … Continue reading →

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Heart-warming Fille mal gardée from Birmingham Royal Ballet

Posted on November 3, 2018 by Mark Pullinger

Hérold: La Fille mal gardée **** Birmingham Royal Ballet, Sadler’s Wells, 1st November 2018 A red umbrella, a butter churn and dancing chickens can only mean one thing: ballet’s favourite romcom is back. Sir Frederick Ashton’s version of La Fille mal … Continue reading →

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Superb Yulia Stepanova takes flight to save St Petersburg Ballet Theatre’s drab Swan Lake

Posted on August 26, 2018 by Mark Pullinger

Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake *** St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, Coliseum, 25th August 2018 The sets are dowdy and the creased moon looks like a crinkle-cut crisp, but beggars can’t be choosers. Without a Mariinsky or Bolshoi Ballet tour this summer, London … Continue reading →

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Alina Cojocaru charms as Aurora in a Sleeping Beauty lacking lustre

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Mark Pullinger

Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty *** English National Ballet, Coliseum, 6th June 2018 While Nutcracker is a sugary confection bursting with toothsome numbers and Swan Lake seeps tragedy from its first watery bars, Sleeping Beauty is the Tchaikovsky ballet for the connoisseur. It marks the apex of … Continue reading →

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