Zucchetti premiere and Beauty top and tail the RB's mixed programme

By Graham Watts, 28 June 2021

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“Zucchetti’s sophisticated, graceful choreography was captivatingly performed”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 26 June 2021

Anemoi (World premiere) (Valentino Zucchetti)

Morgen (Sir Wayne McGregor)

Winter Dreams (excerpt) (Sir Kenneth MacMillan)

After the Rain: pas de deux (Christopher Wheeldon)

woman with water (Mats Ek)

Voices of Spring (Sir Frederick Ashton)

The Sleeping Beauty (Act 3) (Marius Petipa)

The Royal Ballet

Koen Kessels, Conductor

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Sarah-Jane Lewis, Soprano

Vasko Vassilev, Violin

Francesca Hayward, Dancer

Cesar Corrales, Dancer

Laura Morera, Dancer

Ryoichi Hirano, Dancer

Robert Clark, Piano

Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Dancer

Reece Clarke, Dancer

Mayara Magri, Dancer

Lukas B Brændsrød, Dancer

Anna Rose O'Sullivan, Dancer

Marcelino Sambé, Dancer

Meaghan Grace Hinkis, Dancer

James Hay, Dancer

Sae Maeda, Dancer

Ashley Dean, Dancer

Marianela Núñez, Dancer

Vadim Muntagirov, Dancer

Bennet Gartside, Dancer

NEBT’s Nutcracker: pared down, efficient and exuberant

Deborah Weiss, 18th December

Valentino Zucchetti's Nutcracker for New English Ballet Theatre's may be economical on numbers but the cast make up for it in commitment.

***11

The RB's Romeo and Juliet: electrifying on-stage chemistry

Deborah Weiss, 5th May

A compelling performance of MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet from an excellent cast, proves to be a triumph for Patricio Revé, debuting with the Company and paired with Natalia Osipova.

*****

Myth meets Shoreditch: a rewarding Handel double bill

Dominic Lowe, 29th March

Part of this year's London Handel Festival, Apollo e Dafne and The Choice of Hercules are transported to the stage in a captivating production that blends music and dance.

****1

Naghdi’s Juliet pierces the heart as MacMillan’s masterpiece returns

Mark Pullinger, 4th March

“But, soft, what light through yonder window breaks?” Yasmine Naghdi reaches new interpretative depths in this revival of Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s classic Romeo and Juliet.

****1

NEBT in Genesis Dance Project: a mixed set of offerings

Graham Watts, 2nd November

A curate's egg of dance.

***11

The Royal Ballet: Anemoi/The Cellist a well-balanced double bill

Graham Watts, 20th October

The first revival and first pairing of two award-winning choreographies proves to be a very rewarding double bill.

****1

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Graham Watts

Graham Watts is a freelance dance writer and critic writing regularly for Dancing Times, Dance Europe, Danza Europa, and many more publications. He regularly writes features for Sadler’s Wells, London Coliseum and La Scala. Chairman of the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle in the United Kingdom and of the UK National Dance Awards he has interviewed many of the greatest names in dance including Maya Plisetskaya, Vladimir Vasiliev, Boris Eifman, Alexei Ratmansky, Andris Liepa, Sir Peter Wright, David Bintley and Dame Gillian Lynne. When not involved in dance Graham is a keen fencer, and has captained the British Sabre team.

Zucchetti premiere and Beauty top and tail The Royal Ballet's mixed programme