Dreams of Greece: Ravel’s first ballet Daphnis et Chloé

Léon Bakst: costume designs for Daphnis et Chloé

Léon Bakst’s maquette for the first tableau of the Ballets Russes’ Daphnis et Chloé

Mikhail Fokine as Daphnis

Pirates in the 1912 Ballets Russes production of Daphnis et Chloé

Alexander Campbell (Daphnis) and Anna Rose O'Sullivan (Chloé) in Ashton’s Daphnis and Chloé

Maurice Ravel, Vaslav Nijinsky and Bronislava Nijinska in Paris (1914)

By Alexander Simpkins, 18 July 2025

Loading, please wait...

“a war of words ensued between Ravel and Diaghilev in the form of letters published by the press”

Deborah Weiss, 2nd March

We sit down with Ballet Black’s artistic director Cassa Pancho and dancers Isabela Coracy and Ebony Thomas, to discover the challenges and achievements of the company’s first 25 years.

Former ENB Artistic Director Matz Skoog has died aged 69

Bachtrack, 9th February

The Swedish-born ballet star shaped generations of dancers and left a lasting imprint on British and international ballet.

Ukrainian ballerina Katja Khaniukova honoured

Bachtrack, 22nd January

The Order of Princess Olha was bestowed on her on Ukraine's Day of Unity by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Force of passion: the origins of Ballet Rambert

Alexander Simpkins, 12th December

A century after its founding in 1926, former members of Ballet Rambert recall the joys and challenges of working directly with Dame Marie Rambert, one of the trailblazers of British ballet.

Inventing the diva: ballet stars of the 19th century

Elsa Giovanna Simonetti, 3rd December

The great ballerinas of the 19th century were perhaps the first modern celebrities. Rather than bare all, their images cultivated a mysterious, supernatural aura that made them seem unattainable.

BRB’s Sofia Liñares on Sir Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker

Bachtrack, 17th November

Birmingham Royal Ballet soloist Sofia Liñares talks about the joys and fears of dancing multiple roles and performances of Sir Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker.

Alexander Simpkins

Alex is a London-based ballet teacher. He began training at the Suzanna Raymond School of Dance and graduated from Central School of Ballet. For 15 years, he danced for companies in Austria, Spain and Germany, including Ballet de Zaragoza. Since 2015, Alex has taught in the UK at London Studio Centre, Gielgud Academy of Performing Arts, CityLit and the RAD Dance School. He contributed articles to the Dancing Times between 2018 – 2020. Recently, he initiated an award which enables dance students to see live ballet performances, in memory of his teacher, John O’Brien (former Rambert dancer and Dance Books founder.)