Dance

Dancer of the Month

Carlos Acosta, in his final curtain call at the Royal Opera House © ROH | Ian Gavan

Carlos Acosta: celebrating 30 years in Dance

Our December dancer is the great Carlos Acosta, whose unique journey and extraordinary career continue with Acosta Danza, and many other projects.

Acosta Danza: a professional platform for Cuban dancers

Acosta, here rehearsing <i>Don Quixote</i> at the Royal Ballet © ROH | Johan Persson

Acosta, here rehearsing Don Quixote at the Royal Ballet

Recent reviews

The Zurich Ballet premieres Christian Spuck's <i>Winterresie</i> © Gregory Bartadon

The Zurich Ballet premieres Christian Spuck's Winterresie

Polina Semionova and Alejandro Virelles open Alexei Ratmansky's <i>Bayadère</i> at Staatsballett Berlin © Yan Revazov

Polina Semionova and Alejandro Virelles open Alexei Ratmansky's Bayadère at Staatsballett Berlin

Scottish Ballet's Cinderella* (ch: Christopher Hampson) lights up Edinburgh this December

Polina Semionova and Alejandro Virelles open Alexei Ratmansky's Bayadère at Staatsballett Berlin

Scottish Ballet's Cinderella* (ch: Christopher Hampson) lights up Edinburgh this December

****1

London: RB Nutcracker launches the festive season

***11

NY: Whiteside and Trenary star in Arthur Pita's The Tenant

***11

Sydney: Emerging choreographers in New Breed

***11

London: Marriott's poignant tribute for RB

*****

Berlin: No Body left behind in Sasha Waltz and Guests' Körper

***11

Basel: Wherlock’s Tevyje premieres

Ballet ABC

Marie Taglioni in La Sylphide, 1832

Classical Ballet, a French Affair?

A little History of the French Style

Italian Influence on Russian Ballet

Carlotta Grisi and Marius Petipa, La Valse, Giselle © Wikicommons | Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France

A Story book World of Ballet

Portrait of Sergei Diaghilev by Valentin Serov © Wikimedia Commons

Diaghilev's Ballets Russes: Cultural Avant Garde

A Swan's Tale

SB: Symphonic Storytelling

Casting a Christmas Spell

Upcoming eventsSee more...

VilniusDer Prozess [Urbaitis]

Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, Dec 13, 2019 Feb 14 at 18:30

Urbaitis: Der Prozess

Martynas Rimeikis; Ernest Barčaitis; Ričardas Šumila; Modestas Barkauskas; Marijus Jacovskis; Jurgita Jankutė

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Dutch National Opera and Ballet, Dec 13 20:00, Dec 14 20:00, Dec 16 14:00, Dec 17 20:00, Dec 19 20:00, Dec 20 20:00, Dec 22 20:00, Dec 23 14:00, Dec 24 14:00, Dec 26 14:00, Dec 27 14:00, 20:00, Dec 29 14:00, 20:00, Dec 30 14:00, Dec 31 14:00, 2019 Jan 01 20:00

Prokofiev: Cinderella

Christopher Wheeldon; Jacquelin Barrett; Dutch National Ballet; Martin West; Julian Crouch

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Opernhaus, Dec 13 19:30, Dec 14 19:30, 2019 May 31 19:30, Jun 01 19:00, Jun 08 19:00, Jun 20 19:30

Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake

Mario Schröder; Leipziger Ballet; Christoph Gedschold; Paul Zoller; Aleksandar Noshpal; Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

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Matthew Ball (Swan) and Liam Mower (Prince) © Johan Persson

Sadler's Wells Theatre, Dec 13 19:30, Dec 14 19:30, Dec 15 14:30, 19:30, Dec 16 14:00, 19:00, Dec 18 19:30, Dec 19 19:30, Dec 20 19:30, Dec 21 19:30, Dec 22 14:30, 19:30, Dec 23 14:00, 19:00, Dec 26 19:30, Dec 27 14:30, 19:30, Dec 28 19:30, Dec 29 14:30, 19:30, Dec 30 14:00, 19:00, 2019 Jan 01 19:00, Jan 02 19:30, Jan 03 19:30, Jan 04 19:30, Jan 05 14:30, 19:30, Jan 06 14:00, 19:00, Jan 08 19:30, Jan 09 19:30, Jan 10 19:30, Jan 11 19:30, Jan 12 14:30, 19:30

Tchaikovsky: Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake

Matthew Bourne; Matthew Bourne's New Adventures; Brett Morris; Lez Brotherston; Paule Constable

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Stadttheater, Dec 14 19:30, Dec 18 19:30, Dec 20 19:30, Dec 23 18:00, Dec 28 19:30, Dec 30 18:00, 2019 Jan 04 19:30, Jan 11 19:30, Jan 13 18:00

Richter: The Four Seasons

Estefania Miranda; Bern:Ballett; Hans Christoph Bünger; Till Kuhnert; Bern Symphony Orchestra

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Nationaltheater, Dec 14, 18, 26 15:00, 19:30, 28, 2019 Jan 02, 04 (at 19:30 unless shown)

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker

John Neumeier; Bavarian State Ballet; Robertas Šervenikas; Jürgen Rose; Bayerisches Staatsorchester

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Latest reviewsSee more...

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake takes flight once again

Mark Pullinger, 12 Dec

Bourne's radical reworking of Swan Lake returns to Sadler's Wells, 23 years after its premiere.

*****

Yen Han and Matthew Knight (Clowns) and William Moore (Nutcracker), Nutcracker and the Mouse King © Gregory Batardon

Sarah Batschelet, 11 Dec

In Zurich, ballet director Christian Spuck recently launched the second season of the multi-layered ballet he choreographed to the great P.I. Tchaikovsky score.

****1

Roses in Scottish Ballet's Cinderella © Andy Ross

Graham Watts, 08 Dec

A welcome revival of Christopher Hampson's imaginative reworking of this perennial fairy tale

***11

Cristina de Lucas, 08 Dec

Ballet National de España (BNE) celebrates its 40th anniversary with a vibrant gala that brings together old and new landmarks of its repertory. Madrid’s Teatro de la Zarzuela hosts the event.

****1

Katja Vaghi, 06 Dec

A mesmerising catalogue of the body’s uses and abuses in our society, Sasha Waltz & Guest presents Körper an old-time favourite at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele.

*****

Gary Avis (Drosselmeyer) © ROH | Bill Cooper (2013)

Mark Pullinger, 03 Dec

What marks the start of Christmas? For many, it's when the Christmas tree magically grows in The Royal Ballet's Nutcracker...

****1

Carlos Acosta: celebrating 30 years in Dance

VilniusDer Prozess [Urbaitis]

AmsterdamCinderella

LeipzigSchwanensee

LondonMatthew Bourne's Swan Lake

BernThe Four Seasons

MunichDer Nussknacker

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake takes flight once again

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King: A redesign in Zürich

Scottish Ballet's Cinderella lights up Edinburgh

Ballet Nacional de España presents a vibrant 40th anniversary gala

No body left behind: Sasha Waltz & Guest and Hans Peter Kuhn Körper

Sugar and spice: The Nutcracker returns