DANCE THEATER REVIEWS

A delightful 'first ballet' aimed at children, Northern Ballet's Little Red Riding Hood offers a twist on the old tale of the hungry wolf and the sweet little grandmother. The importance of kindness and friendship is more important than the shock value in this version, which displays more sweetness ...

Marianela Núñez said of La Fille mal gardée during a rehearsal that it was just what the world needed right now. This much loved Frederick Ashton classic has not been seen on the Covent Garden stage since 2016, we needed it back then and we certainly need it now more than ever....

As the world we live in gets increasingly more divided—socially, politically, economically—there is no more joyous occasion than coming together for a beautiful piece of art that leaves the collective room oohing and aahing....

“Let’s experience dance as if it were a concert,” says choreographer Hofesh Shechter, in reference to his New York premiere of Red Carpet at New York City Center. Shechter invites New Yorkers into a world of organized chaos and upscale opulence danced by Paris Opera Ballet dressed in Chanel co...

Dance Umbrella - the contemporary dance festival - started in 1978 and continues its mission today. One can always expect the unexpected…however, Sunday Shorts - “a screening of short films that draw on global perspectives and have movement at their heart” was far from what I'd hoped it would ...

What did our critic think of IHSANE at National Arts Centre? NAC Dance’s new 2025-2026 season is now in full swing, presenting events showcasing artists from across the globe. Ihsane, a co-production between the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève and Eastman, is an utterly captivating show....

Never Too Late marks a milestone moment in the career of viral dance icon Kim Hale, who has inspired millions with her story of reconnecting with her love of dance later in life. Known to many as the 57-year-old dancing powerhouse who leapt into the internet spotlight mid-pandemic, Hale took center ...

The Royal Ballet 25/26 season continues with Black History Month Draft Works, this year curated by principal dancer Marcelino Sambé. Sambé, and producer Julia Gillespie have invited five female, black choreographers to either create, or show existing work for two performances in the Clore Studio. ...

English National Ballet’s season opener, R:Evolution offers up a varied set of challenges for the company, taking us back to the 1940s with George Balanchine and Martha Graham, to the present day with William Forsythe and David Dawson....

Narrative ballet is hard, so anyone willing to go there deserves a medal regardless of the outcome. The Royal Ballet (mainstage) season opened last night with Christopher Wheeldon's 2022 Like Water for Chocolate. Based on the 1989 Laura Esquivel novel of the same name, the ballet is fundamentally a ...

Art has long been a way to wrestle with the contradictions of human existence. The ugly — injustice, violence, discrimination — and the tender — love, strife, loneliness — often surface most potently on stage....

The Fall for Dance Festival is now happening at New York City Center through 9/27. This is the 22nd year of this annual, beloved Festival....

London City Ballet return for their second season with another mixed bill, and the results are also mixed. Director Christopher Marney has chosen the repertoire well, finding chamber-sized works to fit the company of 14, however two out of the four works presented are weak choreographically....

The Kennedy Center’s Local Dance Comissioning Project (LDCP) 2024/2025 awardees Jamison Curcio and Shanice Mason presented a vulnerable, metaphysical dance autobiography in I have a secret to tell you…. ...

Wolfe’s first immersive dance production draws inspiration from Kate Moore’s book 'The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women,' which chronicles the young women employed in New Jersey and Illinois factories painting watch dials with luminous radium paint. ...

What does it mean to inherit a legacy of survival? Shany Dagan, John Reed, and Jana Krumholtz, all grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, unveiled three vulnerable and interdisciplinary dance works that explore the answer to that question....

From the moment the curtain raises and smoke billows away to reveal a barely lit stage, it’s clear that Rambert’s The Redemption of Thomas Shelby isn’t interested in gently inviting you in and asking how you take your tea. If anything, this is a rough kidnap of the senses, dumping you into a W...

Current geopolitics mean the Royal Ballet and Opera no longer welcomes the big Russian companies - Bolshoi and Mariinsky - for summer seasons when the resident company take their annual break. This of course leaves room for others…so welcome the National Ballet of Japan (for the first time), with ...

What did our critic think of SONGS OF THE BULBUL at Sadler’s Wells East?...

Iain Mackay has devised a successful programme which shows the strength and breadth of the school, its current student body and the legacy that underpins the institution as we know it. ...

Audience members got two for the price of one with English National Ballet School and Rambert School collaborating on a joint show for the continuing Next Generation Festival at the Royal Ballet and Opera's Linbury Theatre. ...

This is a production that falls into the above average category but not yet a 'great' achievement. It tries to do a little too much and falls short in some of the storytelling, despite having a real sense of heart and commitment. A lot of imagination, love and money has gone into this, with great v...

We had the thrill of attending the opening night for Pilobolus on Tuesday evening at The Joyce Theater when their “Other Worlds Collection,” Program A was performed. ...

What did our critic think of OFFSPRING: THE LEGACY OF DANCE at The Actors Company A Labor of Love: Produced, written, directed and performed by Adia Joelle. An homage to talent, hard work, discipline, success and mutual love and respect, shown thru the eyes, ears & heart of the offspring of such...

Some matinées can feel endless…and I'm sorry to say that was the case with the Paris Opera Junior Ballet. Performing as part of the ongoing Next Generation Festival at the Royal Ballet and Opera's Linbury Theatre, the recently formed (2024) troupe brought a quad bill of mixed works - both in sty...