Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Royal Opera House: Linbury Theatre

London City Ballet move into a new venue with absolute confidence and gravitas in a quadruple bill that says everything about their future and success.

An interesting evening displaying the many facets of Natalia Osipova's talents alongside her equally exciting guests at the Linbury.

Joburg Ballet makes a promising, if somewhat initially tentative, UK debut with a programme of five works, four by South African choreographers.

Northern Ballet's Little Red Riding Hood gives young ones a perfect introduction to ballet, without any teeth. 

Jonathan Watkins’ A Single Man is a compelling piece of dance theatre and a magnificent vehicle for the leading characters to shine as dancers and actors.

English National Ballet School and Rambert School present a diverse and entertaining programme for the Next Generation Festival.

Overall, The Royal Ballet School delivers much to admire, but reminiscent of a multiple-course banquet that still leaves you reaching for the cheese and biscuits when you get home.

A very welcome visit from the Paris Opera Junior Ballet to the Linbury Theatre displays the company in a very favourable light, in a variety of works.

Ballet Central provides an extremely varied programme of new and old, classical and contemporary dance, with plenty of aplomb.

American Ballet Theatre Studio Company showcase the talents of its youthful dancers in a diverse and demanding programme at the Linbury.

Pimpinone was conceived as a musical interlude – or intermezzo – between acts of Handel’s Tamerlano. Here, it marks the first time a Telemann opera has been staged at Covent Garden. 

An interesting mix of classical, contemporary, hip-hop and cultural choreography graced the stage at the Linbury Theatre for International Draft Works 2025.

Osipova has always, since her very earliest appearances on stage, stood out for the sheer energy and commitment she shows in all her work. This is no exception.

Acosta Danza, always compelling, deliver a triple bill in the Linbury Theatre that shows off their plentiful attributes.

Two individual works worth seeking out with outstanding performances in each.

Northern Ballet's latest triple bill at the Linbury proves to be a magnificent vehicle for the company.

Exceptional, witty performances combined with superb choreography and script make Ben Duke's take on the Medea myth unmissable.

A programme to show that heroism is not just about feats of action and adventure, with Ballet Black's supremely good dancers rising to each challenge.

Henry Neill gives a devastating performance as Sam in Trouble in Tahiti in The Royal Opera’s Bernstein double bill in the Linbury Theatre. 

A show where the whole School was the star. 

An inclusive evening that was full of charm and gave young students a chance to work alongside seasoned professionals.

The Royal Ballet School deliver a promising mixed programme with some truly exceptional individual performances.

The junior English and Norwegian companies brought contrasting works, showcasing a great abundance of young talent.

A refreshingly unfamiliar programme, Brno National Theatre Ballet's junior company Ballet NdB2, perform a balanced triple bill showing off future talents.

Bringing Ashton from Florida to The Royal Opera House sounds like “coals to Newcastle” but I think that “discovering buried treasure” might be a more appropriate idiom.

The Sarasota Ballet continues to make a deep impression with its second programme of Ashton ballets, this time including a selection of divertissements and excerpts from longer ballets.

Anyone who is interested in the Ashton repertoire should go and see this marvellous reinterpretation of his repertoire from the excellent Sarasota Ballet.

Venetian Baroque opera once had a raison d'être of spectacular and complex stagings, but Daisy Evans makes us see that other ways are possible.

International Draft Works gives opportunities for Londoners to see companies and choreographers that they might otherwise not see in the UK.

Sydney Dance Company provide wonderful athleticism with mixed results choreographically.

Yorke Dance Project presents a finely honed programme with California Connections: Three Pioneering Women.

A triple bill that shows off the dancers' many talents and leaves the viewer feeling entirely satiated.

An arresting two-handed love story. 

Sir George Benjamin and Martin Crimp’s new chamber opera receives a powerful UK premiere in the Linbury Studio at Covent Garden. 

There is a depth of tenderness in McNicol’s work that needs to be explored. We sensed it in Of Silence, and it unfolds in more provocative ways in Moonbend.

Outstanding dance, right up there in the top drawer of McGregor’s choreography, but would have been better seen in a less accessorised state.

The Royal Opera presents another Handel rarity for its Jette Parker Artists in the Linbury Theatre, the but action thriller approach is ill-suited to the ancient tale. 

While Secret Things was notable for its outlandish costumes, Everyone Keeps Me remains a rare gem of modern dance to be cherished

Even despite the hiatus of the pandemic, Acosta Danza has come a long way in just eight years

Brian Irvine and Netia Jones pull no punches in telling the story of Rosemary Kennedy, sister of JFK and Bobby, left permanently disabled by a lobotomy at the age of 23

Oliver Mears' new production of Britten's chamber opera is a visceral reflection on tyranny and sexual violence.

A programme of exciting new work to symbolise a new identity for Northern Ballet.

Say It Loud and Black Sun prove to be two distinct works that showcase Ballet Black's diversity.

Oliver Leith's opera is inspired by the death of Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain and it turns out to be a mesmerising, fulfilling creation.

The successful return of De Keersmaeker's early minimalist masterpiece, Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich in the Linbury Theatre.

The legacy of Loïe Fuller's Serpentine Dances lives on in the Dance Reflections festival presented by Van Cleef and Arpels.

In its Royal Opera House debut, Irish National Opera's high-energy Bajazet provides a great evening for Baroque fans and sceptics alike.

The story of Little Red Riding Hood is retold through great music and a delightful setting.

An emotional programme of historical reenactments and inspiration 

Two excellent new works given flow and flair by seven superb dancers in the Linbury Theatre.