Dance

Dancer of the Month

Carlos Acosta celebrates 30 extraordinary years in dance

Our December dancer is the great Carlos Acosta, whose unique journey and extraordinary international career now continue with Acosta Danza, a professional platform for Cuban dancers which he founded in Havana and many other projects. Carlos Acosta is here interviewed by Graham Watts

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...

BernThe Four Seasons

Stadttheater, 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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Opernhaus, Dec 18 19:30, Dec 19 11:00, Dec 23 18:00, Dec 25 18:00, 2019 Jan 01 18:00, Jan 05 19:00

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker

Jean-Philippe Dury; Leipziger Ballet; Yoko Seyama; Aleksandar Noshpal; Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra; Leipzig Opera Children's Choir

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New National Theatre, Tokyo: Opera House, Dec 18 13:00, Dec 21 19:00, Dec 22 13:00, 18:00, Dec 23 13:00, 18:00, Dec 24 14:00

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker and the Mouse King

Wayne Eagling; National Ballet of Tokyo; Alexei Baklan; Naoji Kawaguchi; Ayako Maeda; Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

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

Sadler's Wells Theatre, 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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Erkel Színház (Erkel Theatre), Dec 18 19:00, Dec 19 19:00, Dec 20 11:00, 19:00, Dec 21 11:00, Dec 22 11:00, 18:00, Dec 23 11:00, Dec 24 11:00, Dec 25 11:00, Dec 26 11:00, Dec 27 11:00, Dec 28 11:00, 18:00, Dec 29 11:00, 18:00, Dec 30 11:00, 18:00, Dec 31 11:00

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker

Marius Petipa; Lev Ivanov; Hungarian National Ballet; András Déri; Gusztáv Oláh; Nóra Rományi

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Nationaltheater, Dec 18 19:30, Dec 26 15:00, 19:30, Dec 28 19:30, 2019 Jan 02 19:30, Jan 04 19:30

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker

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

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Latest reviewsSee more...

ENB’s Nutcracker closes 2018 at the Coliseum

Rina Kanehara and Jeffrey Cirio in ENB's Nutcracker © Laurent Liotardo

Graham Watts, 13 Dec

This Nutcracker is past its sell-by date although Tchaikovsky's evergreen score, beautifully interpreted, and elegant performances do their best to keep it fresh

***11

San Francisco Ballet in The Nutcracker © Erik Tomasson

Terez Rose, 12 Dec

San Francisco Ballet returns to the War Memorial Opera House with the beloved holiday classic that had its North American debut here.

****1

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

BernThe Four Seasons

LeipzigDer Nussknacker

TokyoThe Nutcracker and the Mouse King

LondonMatthew Bourne's Swan Lake

BudapestThe Nutcracker

MunichDer Nussknacker

ENB’s Nutcracker closes 2018 at the Coliseum

San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker proudly carries on the tradition

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