Category Archives: Ballet

Tcherniakov triumphs with Iolanta, but hobbles Nutcracker at the Garnier

Posted on March 12, 2016 by Mark Pullinger

Tchaikovsky: Iolanta/ The Nutcracker *** Opéra de Paris, Palais Garnier, 11th March 2016 At the 1892 première of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta and The Nutcracker, it was the opera which scored the bigger hit with the critics, even though it’s the ballet which … Continue reading →

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Elfin magic, Russian restraint: a charming Ashton double bill at BRB

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Mark Pullinger

The Dream; A Month in the Country **** Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham Hippodrome, 20th February 2016 “Sing and dance it trippingly,” Oberon commands his fairies at the end of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Sir Frederick Ashton’s choreography for The … Continue reading →

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A Corsaire full of brio from English National Ballet

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Mark Pullinger

Le Corsaire **** English National Ballet, The Coliseum, 13th January 2016 For oriental opulence crossed with swashbuckling bravado, English National Ballet’s Le Corsaire is a welcome antidote to winter gloom. Never mind that the plot – nominally based on Byron’s … Continue reading →

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Let it snow! Christmas arrives in Covent Garden with The Royal Ballet’s Nutcracker

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Mark Pullinger

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker **** The Royal Ballet, 8th December 2015 Midnight chimes. A sinister bass clarinet throbs, a harp glints and the strings begin their ascent. Gary Avis’ debonair Drosselmeyer flings glitter to the heavens and the Christmas tree magically … Continue reading →

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A shattering Rite: Sasha Waltz’s Sacre at Sadler’s Wells

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Mark Pullinger

Sasha Waltz & Guests **** Sadler’s Wells, 11th November 2015 A century on, The Rite of Spring still has the power to shock. However, it’s frequently Igor Stravinsky’s score – rather than the choreography – which ignites this reaction in … Continue reading →

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