Dance Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 2

Review: THE RITE OF SPRING/COMMON GROUND[S], Sadler’s Wells
by Matthew Paluch - November 07, 2024

Sadler’s Wells advertise The Rite of Spring / common ground[s] bill as “iconic” and I'm tempted to agree. It's rare that a programme can be so satisfying - two works so different yet complimentary, both steeped in power and intention. It's a night not to be missed that's for sure. ...

Review: LABORATORY DANCE PROJECT at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater
by Emily Berger - November 02, 2024

While neither piece of choreography made full use of the dancers’ prowess, Thursday’s opening night performance was nonetheless a captivating and welcome distraction. ...

Review: LENIO KAKLEA - ΑΓΡΊΜΙ (FAUVE), Sadler’s Wells
by Matthew Paluch - November 01, 2024

Αγρίμι (Fauve) by Lenio Kaklea is a brave piece of modern dance that should be recognised for its shunning of conventions and committed performances. As well as its “if Balenciaga did contemporary dance…” overarching feel. ...

Review: LEGACY, Royal Ballet and Opera
by Matthew Paluch - October 31, 2024

It’s interesting to consider that ballet began its development in the mid 16th century, however it wasn't until around 400 years later that BIPOC (American) dancers Maria Tallchief, Raven Wilkinson and Arthur Mitchell, first joined ballet companies....

Review: LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE, Sadler's Wells
by Louise Penn - October 28, 2024

A sweet revival of Frederick Ashton's best-known and loved ballet returns to Sadler's Wells. Showcasing both comedy and complexity in its solos and routines, La Fille mal gardée brings a splash of sunshine to the stage. Beatrice Parma makes a striking debut as Principal dancer in the role of cheeky ...

Guest Review: ARB’s WONDERMENT Celebrates the Magic of the Mind with Whimsy and Drama
by Marina Kennedy - October 24, 2024

Anyone who has spent a childhood afternoon daydreaming in their bedroom is sure to be captured by the whimsical charm of WONDERMENT, the program that opened the American Repertory Ballet (ARB) 2024-2025 season....

Review: LUNA, Sadler's Wells
by Josh Maughan - October 23, 2024

Guided by the vision of five female, international choreographers, Luna narrates the complexities of womanhood-its beauty, struggles, and power. While Luna has some notably powerful moments, and the music is beautiful, it ultimately falls short in its current form. ...

Review: ENCOUNTERS: FOUR CONTEMPORARY BALLETS, Royal Ballet And Opera
by Matthew Paluch - October 23, 2024

The Royal Ballet season continues with its first modern bill - Encounters: Four contemporary ballets. For some, like me, the four works presented are all new, but in actuality only two of the four are premières. And one of those is in fact a development of an existing (2022) pas de deux into a bigge...

Review: RADIOACTIVE PRACTICE - ABBY Z AND THE NEW UTILITY, Sadler's Wells
by Matthew Paluch - October 21, 2024

Dance Umbrella continues in London with Radioactive Practice by Abby Z (Abby Zbikowski) and the New Utility. Sadler’s Wells is transformed for the work with three banks of seats placed on the stage and the upper two circles of the auditorium closed. Some audience members still sit in the stalls, but...

Review: Chamber + Silent Tides + Bolero X at Ottawa's National Arts Centre
by Courtney Castelino - October 18, 2024

What did our critic think of Chamber + Silent Tides + Bolero X at National Arts Centre? Read the review. ...

Review: FOUR - YOUNG ASSOCIATES, Sadler's Wells
by Matthew Paluch - October 16, 2024

It can be a mistake to get overexcited. If then disappointed, the reality is tough to take. Case in point: Four by the Young Associates at Sadler’s Wells. Read our review... ...

Review: THE NATIONAL BALLET OF UKRAINE 'NADIYA UKRAINE' at The Kennedy Center
by Michela Dwyer - October 14, 2024

The National Ballet of Ukraine and the Shumka Dancers recently performed a beautiful program at the Kennedy Center Opera House aptly titled Nadiya Ukraine, “nadiya” meaning “hope” in Ukrainian. In a two-hour show, the audience witnessed the richness of Ukrainian culture, the bleak interpersonal real...

Review: HOFESH SHECHTER COMPANY: THEATRE OF DREAMS, Sadler's Wells
by Franco Milazzo - October 11, 2024

As his latest production Theatre Of Dreams amply demonstrates, it’s probably easier to pin strawberry jelly to a wall than to precisely pin down Hofesh Shechter’s exuberant full-on style. ...

Review: HATCHED ENSEMBLE - MAMELA NYAMZA AT DANCE UMBRELLA, Barbican Theatre
by Matthew Paluch - October 10, 2024

Dance Umbrella 2024 opened at the Barbican last night for the 46th year of the cutting-edge dance festival. People have come to expect the opportunity to see experimental work during the run, and last night didn't disappoint in this sense. ...

Review: FRONTIERS - NATIONAL DANCE COMPANY WALES, The Place
by Matthew Paluch - October 09, 2024

The Place welcomes back the National Dance Company Wales in a double bill: Frontiers. See what our critic had to say. ...

Review: DAYTON CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY at The Joyce Theater
by Miranda Stück - October 07, 2024

There is excitement and impressiveness in witnessing a group of dancers execute multiple genres of dance in one evening. In the heart of Chelsea, the dancers of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company share what is vital to the dance industry nowadays: versatility. As part of its 56th season, the company’...

Review: INCARNATION - MARIA CARUSO, Theatre Royal Drury Lane
by Matthew Paluch - October 03, 2024

One person shows aren't easy things to do, and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane is a big space to fill, so Maria Caruso has all the cards stacked against her for her new solo performance Incarnation. ...

Review: ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, Royal Ballet And Opera
by Matthew Paluch - September 30, 2024

The Royal Ballet 24/25 season opened on September 28 with Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. When first created in 2011 the ballet was made up of two acts, by 2012 Wheeldon had reworked things into three and this is what we find in the 2024 revival. See what our critic thinks? ...

Review: THE BLACK SAINT AND THE SINNER LADY, Barbican Theatre
by Franco Milazzo - September 27, 2024

Charles Mingus originally intended for his iconic 1963 jazz album The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady to be accompanied by dancers and, thanks to performance company Clod Ensemble and the Nu Civilisation Orchestra, it becomes the inspiration for a vibrant and inclusive show....

Review: Accessibility Keeps the FALL FOR DANCE FESTIVAL a Should-See Mainstay
by Lora Strum - September 21, 2024

For more than two decades, the annual choreographers showcase held at the New York City Center has featured artistry that is tremendous and, on occasion, stultifying at prices that are always unbeatable....

Review: LONDON CITY BALLET: RESURGENCE, Sadler's Wells
by Louise Penn - September 13, 2024

Almost thirty years since they last performed, London City Ballet are making a return to their former home at Sadler's Wells this week. Artistic director Christopher Marney has assembled a small company of talented dancers and in this Resurgence programme, a mixture of classic pieces half-forgotten ...

Review: THE BELT- PAST & FUTURE, Coronet Theatre
by Matthew Paluch - September 12, 2024

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again…but what The Coronet Theatre is doing feels new, relevant and exciting. Currently on show is The Belt - Past & Future by Korea's Ambiguous Dance Company. The work is The Coronet's first-ever site-specific event, and I think it's an absolute corker....

Review: ZOONATION: THE MAD HATTER'S TEA PARTY, Royal Ballet And Opera
by Matthew Paluch - September 09, 2024

It's not often one comes across theatre that's transformative; but when you do, you know. Case in point: ZooNation’s The Mad Hatter's Tea Party....

Review: STATE BALLET OF GEORGIA'S SWAN LAKE, London Coliseum
by Aliya Al-Hassan - August 29, 2024

It's a significant cultural moment for the State Ballet of Georgia, who come to London for the first time in their 175 year history to perform the iconic Swan Lake....

Review: PILOBOLUS at The Joyce Offers Two Stunning Programs
by Marina Kennedy - July 25, 2024

Pilobolus comes to The Joyce Theater for a two-week residency and New York metro audiences will be delighted and enthralled by the programs they are presenting....