Dance on the Hudson: top picks from the Battery Dance Festival

Pori Dance Company in Songs

Span Dance Company in Agocha Davies' Harmonic Ascend

Focus Dance Company in Tsai Hsi Hung's Self-Portrait

Kailei Sin in who, what, when, where, and why?

Lucas Crew's Minsu Kim

Julie Crothers in Secondhand

By Carla Escoda, 22 August 2024

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“frenzied bursts of energy, arms furiously slicing the air, bodies contorted near the ground”

Reviewed at Battery Dance, New York City on 11 August 2024

Mixed Programme

Pori Dance Company

Span Dance Company

A'nó:wara Dance Theatre

Focus Dance Company

wee dance company

Tulsa Ballet at the Linbury: an unforgettable, punchy UK debut

Deborah Weiss, 13th May

A stupendous London debut from Tulsa Ballet in which they present a contrasting triple bill. It bodes well for further invitations to dance in the UK.

*****

Tiler Peck’s Symphonie Espagnole for NYCB is sprawling and ambitious

Ivy Lin, 9th May

A triple bill including Tiler Peck’s newest ballet for NYCB, does not entirely work. Too much blue light and sadness for one program.

***11

A Streetcar Named Desire: a gripping retelling at Ballett am Rhein

Vikki Jane Vile, 8th May

Ballet isn’t always pretty, there are plenty of examples in repertoires across the world. John Neumeier’s Streetcar Named Desire (Endstation Sehnsucht) is to reach another level of grim but gripping brutality told through dance.

****1

The Great Gatsby at Kansas City Ballet

Hilary Stroh, 8th May

Septime Webre’s dazzling, maximalist Great Gatsby for the Kansas City Ballet is instantly engaging.

*****

Royal Danish Ballet’s Lady Macbeth: Akram Khan works his magic again

Graham Watts, 7th May

An excellent extension to Akram Khan’s growing repertoire of contemporary ballet, Lady Macbeth, his first creation for Royal Danish Ballet, brought out powerful performances from the entire cast.

****1

The Trocks at Sadler’s Wells: uproariously entertaining

Graham Watts, 5th May

A very welcome and hilarious return to the UK from Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, this time at Sadler’s Wells, they offer familiar and new works.

****1

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Carla Escoda

Born in the Philippines, Carla trained as a ballet and modern dancer with the Alice Reyes Dance Company in Manila. She has lived and worked in Asia and the U.S. and has written about the arts for Bachtrack, KQED (the northern California public media broadcaster), Dance International, dance journal/hk, the Huffington Post, Dance Europe and ballettothepeople.